Zakat with Perfume

Gaza Delegation visited decimated  villages on IWD(Left)

The US Gaza Delegation coordinated with Code Pink.

When the Code Pink (CP) delegation held a press conference in Cairo, Egypt on March 6, in attendance was the owner of the bus company they had contracted with for transport to the border. She was so moved by the CP mission to Gaza, to engage with Palestinian women for International Women's Day (IWD), that she provided the 15- passenger minivan, a truck, and the gasoline for free! She said that this was her Zakat, Islamic charitable donations that are required by all Muslims except the     poor Muslims. This is "zakat with perfume," the bus company owner said.

The Director General of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society facilitated a truck and bus for the CP delegation to use inside Gaza. This was available at the Rafah Crossing. On March 7 the Red Crescent provided the CPers with a storehouse and 20 volunteers to assemble the baskets for IWD activities.  

On IWD CP broke into 3-4 groups of separated by gender, for the day's activities.

 

Author (COLOR PURPLE) Alice Walker's partner, was resistant to breaking into male-only, female-only groups when Code Pink made their visits to the various organizations. but when he came back from the visits "he was glowing", said Gael Murphy, CP activist.

Alice Walker did not take notes during the sessions with bomb victims, she just listened, and at times, seem to be meditating. "She just absorbed it," recounted Gael.