Obit

Al-Qasim, 75

PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST and poet Samih al-Qasim died of cancer last August 19. He was 75.

Qasim ran the Arabesque Press and the Folk Arts Center in Haifa. He also worked as editor-in-chief of the Kul al-Arab newspaper. (Samih al-Qasim: A nationalist poet who superceded nationalism, The Daily Star)

He was best known for his nationalist writing. (Druze poet Samih al-Qasim dies at 75, The Times of Israel)

His poetry collections include “Waiting for the Thunderbird” (1968) and “Sadder than Water” (2006).

In a statement on Qasim’s death, Emirates 24/7 senior reporter Mohamed El Sadafy said: “I met Samih Al Qasim when he visited Cairo in 1994. I was a trainee reporter then. I was very nervous. But he was such a humble person. He spoke to me as a friend.  He spoke strongly about the Palestinian situation. He spoke of his relationship to Mahmoud Darwish and how they both represent the Palestinian situation and the right to return to the homeland. I remember the story was published in the Al Ahaly newspaper in Cairo. I am very lucky to have met him.” (UAE citizens, Arab expats mourn Palestinian poet Samih, Emirates 24/7)