Jacques Francis

Hello Eman

Thank you very much for your reply. From what you wrote to accompany your photos, I couldn't tell your motivation in posting them. I'd like to explain to you why I wrote my message. I hope you can understand my English, but if not, tell me and I would like to explain. Perhaps you would like to tell me why you think the camps are a good thing.

My belief is that there are no deities (gods), just us, people, and that people's belief in deities is in general very harmful to human progress and well-being. My point about your photos is that, at these little girls' ages, in most societies they're legally minors, and far too young to make decisions for themselves on important matters such as how they are to be educated, where they live, and so on. Those decisions are made for them by their parents or guardians. In those countries where elections are held, children aren't permitted to vote because they wouldn't know which candidate to choose. They are also, of course, far too young to decide whether or not they wish to join a religion, and which religion they wish to choose of the many available, decisions which are far too serious to be treated without an adult's knowledge and experience. Children usually adore their parents and will do whatever they can to please them. This means that, at best, these children will follow their parents' suggestion to attend these camps, and at worst, be given no option. Could they attend Catholic, Buddhist, or Jewish camps in Gaza? Or would they be permitted to not attend any camp at all? I don't accept that they really have any choice.

In Gaza, you live under some of the worst imaginable conditions on Earth, oppressed by a nation of genocidal Jewish bigots filled with hatred for Arabs. You in Gaza also are led by a crowd of Islamic bigots who are filled with hatred for Jews. It's a tragedy that in Gaza you are indoctrinating children in Islam and in Israel they are indoctrinating children in Judaism, and in Northern Ireland Catholics are indoctrinated to hate Protestants and Protestants to hate Catholics, in India Sikhs hate Hindus and Hindus hate Sikhs, and in Afghanistan children are taught to hate everybody, and so it goes on, all over the world.

That's why I think that sending any child to a religious school is a form of child abuse.

My daughter was brought up without any religion and is a compassionate, loving, generous person, 21 years old. She has taken the decision as an adult that she doesn't need to have a religion in her life.

Your photos are lovely, and the children beautiful. As you live in Gaza, where life is so difficult, I would be very interested to see more photos showing us all what it is like to live there. How do you buy food, and fuel? How do you socialise? How do Gazans live - with their parents?

Respectfully yours

Jacquot