View source for Religion:Speak, Bird, Speak Again

{{short description|1989 collection of Palestinian folk tales}}
{{italic title}}
[[File:SpeakBirdSpeakAgain.jpg|thumb|right|350px|''Speak, Bird, Speak Again'' Palestinian folktales]]
'''''Speak, Bird, Speak Again: A book of Palestinian folk tales''''' is a book first published in English in 1989 by Palestinian authors Ibrahim Muhawi and professor of sociology and anthropology at Bir Zeit University {{ill|Sharif Kanaana|ar|شريف كناعنة}}.

After the original English book of 1989, a French version, published by [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]], followed in 1997, and an Arabic one  in [[Place:Lebanon|Lebanon]] in 2001.

The book contains a collection of 45 Palestinian folk tales, including Palestinian hikaye, drawn from a collection of two hundred tales narrated by women from different areas of the region of [[Place:Palestine (region)|Palestine]] (the [[Religion:Galilee|Galilee]], the West Bank, and Gaza). The stories collected were chosen on the basis of their popularity, their aesthetic and narrative qualities, and what they tell about popular Palestinian culture dating back many centuries. The authors spent 30 years collecting the material for the book.

The English version of the book is studied as part of literature courses at both University of California at Berkeley and Chicago University, and Kana'nah himself taught the study of the book in the masters programs at Bir Zeit University.

Some of the folk tales from ''Speak, Bird, Speak Again'' have been used in other collections/books:
*'''Margareth Read MacDonald''', Alik Arzoumanian (ill), (2006):  ''Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! A Palestinian Folktale,'' {{ISBN|978-0-7614-5225-6}}, is based on the "Tunjur, Tunjur" story, first told by Fatme Abdel Qader, Arrabe, Galilee, for  ''Speak, Bird, Speak Again.''
*'''Sonia Nimr''' (Introduction by Ghada Karmi), (2007): ''Ghaddar the Ghoul and other Palestinian Stories,'' {{ISBN|978-1-84507-523-1}}, contains the story "Hasan and the Golden Feather", which is based on the story entitled "Bushel of Gold" (or "The Golden Pail") in   ''Speak, Bird, Speak Again.''

==Controversy==
{{seealso|Islamization of the Gaza Strip}}
In 2007, the Hamas-run Palestinian Authority (PA) banned the book  and issued a directive to pull Professor Kanaana's book from school libraries and destroy it, however, the ban was later lifted. The book was misinterpreted, explained the author, "since it was not meant to be taught to children, as it is taught at the masters and doctorate level [in literature studies]."<ref>[https://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/188337 Hamas school book ban sparks anger]</ref><ref> [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/833519.html Hamas bans Palestinian folk tales book from schools]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6445465.stm Hamas reverse on schoolbook ban]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=20077 |title=Dr Kana'nah: Burning my book "Speak Bird, Speak Again" is like burning my son |access-date=2007-03-15 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112000/http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=20077 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=7857 Book ban turns intra-Palestinian fight cultural] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315144739/http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=7857 |date=2007-03-15 }}</ref>

The Palestinian novelist Zakaria Mohammed warned that Hamas' decision to ban the book, which is a collection of 45 folk tales, was "only the beginning" and he urged intellectuals to take action. He said: "If we don't stand up to the Islamists now, they won't stop confiscating books, songs and folklore".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090124060118/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hamas-orders-book-of-palestinian-folk-tales-pulled-from-schools-439025.html Hamas orders book of Palestinian folk tales pulled from schools], Tuesday, 6 March 2007. By Mohammed Daraghmeh and Dalia Nammari, Associated Press.</ref>

==See also==
*Palestinian literature

==References==
<references/>

==External references==
*[http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft4s2005r4/ Full online version]

[[Category:Censorship in Islam]]
[[Category:Islam-related controversies]]

{{Sourceattribution|Speak, Bird, Speak Again}}