Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide on February 14 In a fresh challenge to the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza, a two-year love story between a Palestinian girl from Gaza and a young Chinese man culminated with marriage .According to Palestinian newspaper Al Quds, the story started in 2010 when Musa visited Gaza to work as a translator for a community and civil group. It was there that he first laid eyes upon his bride-to-be Iman Abu Sbeitan.
Iman says that she was touched by the honesty of the young man, who called himself Moses. They talked and she discovered that he was a devout Muslim. “When Moses proposed, I assured him that it is impossible, I can’t marry someone who isn’t Palestinian, or even Arab,” Iman explained.
But Moses was adamant that “any man can achieve his dream if he has the will and the faith.”
According to those close to Musa, he decided to visit Gaza last November, traveling from China to Egypt. He worked his way to the border area between Egypt and Gaza, and passed through a smuggling tunnel to Palestine where his friends awaited him.
They arranged an appointment with Iman’s father to discuss the proposal, but he rejected the marriage initially.
However, with the perseverance and courage of the luck-struck pair, the couple finally tied the knot in the town of Deir al-Balah this week.
Meanwhile, in a distinctly more tragic turn of Valentine’s Day events, Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was been charged of the murder of his girlfriend on Thursday morning. It is alleged that he shot her dead after mistaking her for an intruder in their native South Africa. According to the Beeld newspaper, the athlete known as the "Blade Runner" was arrested early Thursday following the shooting at his home in an upscale area near the South African capital.
Police spokesman Katlego Mogale confirmed: "The deceased was shot four times and died on the scene. It is believed that she was the girlfriend of the accused."
”The shooting took place in a house inside an upmarket security compound in Silverlakes, outside Pretoria,” he continued. Pistorius made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics, winning gold in the 4x400m relay at the Paralympic Games.
The news marked a tragic beginning to this year’s Valentine’s Day, which is being celebrated by lovers and activists - for very different reasons - the world over today.
February 14 also marks One Billion Rising, a global activist event which aims to halt domestic violence against women and children. The event, taking place in 205 countries, calls on men and women to “strike, rise and dance!” in aid of women’s rights. “The UN says that one out of three women on the planet will be beaten or raped in her lifetime,” founder Eve Ensler told The Guardian newspaper on Tuesday. “That is one billion women plus. That is simply insane and unacceptable.”
Valentine’s Day is understood to commemorate the saints day of an early Christian saint known as Valentinus, who was known to perform Christian marriages amidst Roman persecution. It has since become a globally recognised “day of romance.”
Additional reporting: AFP