Over 75000 people liking the Doc Jazz Facebook page is a sign of a changing tide

Every now and then, you get a chance to mark a milestone, and you may decide to do it, or not. After all, in the same way as they say ‘age is just a number’, the same can be said about the number of likes on your Facebook page, and you could notice it and simply let it pass by without giving it any further attention.

This is actually what I did when the counter on my Facebook page passed 50,000; Israeli missiles and shells were raining down on Gaza, so I barely took notice of an event so immensely trivial by comparison. However, now that the counter has rolled past 75,000, I felt I should raise a (Palestinian) flag and call it a happening.

The reason for this is that this huge number of likes is felt by me as a victory for the message of the Palestinian struggle. It’s not only the numbers on the Facebook page counter that have changed; the actual nature and atmosphere of the page have changed with it. While previously, the overwhelming majority of people liking my page hailed from Palestine, Jordan and Egypt, there are notable newcomers on the page, with likers from the USA now ranking 4th in number.

Supporters from the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia have now entered the top 10 as well, and increasing numbers are being seen from just about every country on the globe. Interaction on the page has become vibrant, with awesome people whose names I have begun to recognize and whose words I have come to appreciate, expressing their solidarity for the Palestinian people and their struggle. Fans are also interacting with one another, and they do this in such a harmonious way, that it prompted me to post the following status only a few days ago:

 
So, my friends, fans and supporters: yes, this is a tiny little victory for Palestine solidarity, and we owe it all to you. I thank you for being there, for your posts, for your gracious and respectful interaction, for your sense of humor, for your compliments to my music and my other works, and most of all, for your solidarity with our Palestinian people.

I hope we can keep this beautiful thing going, take it even further, and help maintain and grow Palestine solidarity all over the world. Perhaps you will find the time to read my book “Understanding Palestine” or some of my many articles that you can find online; perhaps you will explore the 102 songs that I have posted online, or watch my videos on Youtube or on my Facebook page. I believe they are all useful tools in spreading and promoting support for the Palestinian struggle, and that is the intention they were made with. By the way, are you already following me on Twitter?

Perhaps you won’t do any of the above, but as long as you are with me here on the page, I can feel your solidarity and love, and I try to return it to you best I can. Let’s keep that flag waving up high, until it flies over every part of a liberated Palestine, free from Zionism, free from racism, oppression, land theft, expulsion, imprisonment and torture. Say no to hatred. Say yes to the struggle for equality and human rights. Say yes to the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea, and to the defeat of that ugly and vicious ideology known as Zionism.

Thank you all for making this work,

FREE PALESTINE!

Doc Jazz