“Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes" (part 2 of 2)
     
During last week’s episode of Arab Voices (#1,043), we aired the remarks delivered at a panel discussion titled “Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes”. That panel was part of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) 2022 Alex Odeh Memorial Conference and Gala held in October 2022 in California, where they explored the issues that impact the community, while honoring Alex Odeh and celebrating Arab American excellence and achievement. The panel was moderated by Cheryl Faris, and it explored how organizational and individual bonds overlap to effect and influence redistricting designations for voting rights, monitoring the police, and pressuring elected officials toward legislation that ensures effective changes for justice. The speakers on this panel were Buki Domingos, co-founder of San Diego’s Racial Justice Coalition, Jeanine Erikat, Palestinian-Muslim American serving as the Policy Lead at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and Tazheen Nizam, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-San Diego.
  
During this episode of Arab Voices (#1,044), we will air the remaining questions and answers that followed the remarks we aired last week at the panel “Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes”. The questions addressed voting, empowering communities, engaging elected officials, political education, elevating young women leaders, advice to young women starting in the political world, and the rise in anti-Muslim hate in India.
 
2nd Segment: Ajit Sahi on Hindutva
     
One of the questions and answers addressed in the “Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes” panel (previous segment) was on the rise of anti-Muslim hate in India, where nearly 200 million Muslims are facing persecution, illegal arrests, and unlawful demolition of Muslim houses. Many are calling what is happening in India a genocide against Muslims.
 
During this episode of Arab Voices, we will air a speech about Hindutva, an ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy. That talk was delivered at the ICNA-MAS Convention held in Baltimore, Maryland in May 2022, by Ajit Sahi, Advocacy Director at the Indian American Muslim Council.
 
3rd Segment: Directory of American Muslim Elected Officials
     
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, and Jetpac, held a news conference on October 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C., to announce the release of the first national directory of local, state and federal elected Muslim officials and judges in the United States. CAIR and Jetpac’s directory documented 189 elected officials holding local and state office across 30 states. These officials include members of Congress, state legislators, mayors, councilors, school board officials, judiciary members, and law enforcement.

During this episode of Arab Voices, we will air the remarks delivered at that press conference announcing the release of the first national directory of local, state and federal elected Muslim officials and judges in the United States.
 
An updated/final list of 82 local, state legislative, statewide, judicial, and federal American Muslim electoral victories counted in 2022 midterm election, was released by CAIR and Jetpac, and that list is posted here.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

“Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes"
     
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage, held its 2022 Alex Odeh Memorial Conference and Gala on October 7th and 8th 2022 in California, where they explored the issues that impact the community, while honoring Alex Odeh and celebrating Arab American excellence and achievement.
 
There were great speakers and excellent topics discussed at that conference, and in this episode of Arab Voices (# 1,043), we will air the remarks delivered at the panel titled “Women in Coalitions: Challenges and Successes”.
  
The panel was moderated by Cheryl Faris, and it explored how organizational and individual bonds overlap to effect and influence redistricting designations for voting rights, monitoring the police, pressuring elected officials toward legislation that ensures effective changes for justice, and more. The speakers on this panel were Buki Domingos, co-founder of San Diego’s Racial Justice Coalition, Jeanine Erikat, Palestinian-Muslim American serving as the Policy Lead at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and Tazheen Nizam, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-San Diego.
  
About the moderator and panelists:
   
Cheryl Faris was raised in a Lebanese community in Fall River, MA. After earning a BA degree from Bridgewater State University and a Master’s from NYU, she moved to Los Angeles and obtained a JD degree from Loyola Law School. She practiced law for 25 years at an international telecommunications company, then switched careers to teach Law and Psychology at a college prep high school in West Los Angeles. While there, she founded and ran an award-winning Mock Trial program. Cheryl served on the board of the Southern Christian Leadership Council, and for many years sat on the National Board of ADC, working closely with Alex Odeh and Jim Abourezk. She was the first woman president of the Arab-American Lawyers’ Association of Southern California, and is currently the chair of the board of Impro Theatre. She performs in long-form improvised plays in the styles of Dickens and Shakespeare, and can fluently speak in iambic pentameter.

Jeanine Erikat is a Palestinian-Muslim American serving as the Policy Lead at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA). In that role, Jeanine leads PANA's community listening sessions, advocacy campaigns, redistricting efforts, and engages the community in PANA’s policy priorities to fight for the economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugee and immigrant communities. An alumnus of the Women Foundation of California's Solis Policy Institute, Jeanine holds a B.S. in Public Health Sciences as well as a B.A. in History from the University of California, Irvine. A passionate advocate for health education, she devotes her free time volunteering at multiple organizations dedicated to uplifting both the Arab and Muslim communities

Nigerian-born Buki Domingos is the co-founder of San Diego’s Racial Justice Coalition. Fluent in five languages, she draws upon her personal experiences to build resources for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. As a member of San Diego County's Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board, Buki assists coalitions in vetting candidates and shaping legislation on policing and discrimination. In 2017 she attended the National Feminist Organizing School in Philadelphia sponsored by Grassroots Global Justice, and in 2019 was selected as one of the official representatives for San Diego at the National Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Buki began her career as a singer/songwriter who worked with artists such as Elton John and Whitney Houston. She now works full time as a healthcare professional while also volunteering with the Indigenous Health Care Support group. In addition to all that she does, Buki created, and continues to run, the KNSJ Radio show “Alafia: Voices of the African Diaspora” which focuses on the struggles that communities of color are immersed in and the organizations and individuals that support those communities

Tazheen Nizam is the Executive Director of CAIR - San Diego. Tazheen has deep roots in the San Diego Muslim American Muslim community and has worked extensively with the interfaith community, and has been an active voice in San Diego politics. She is the Founder & Co-Chair of the North County Immigration Task Force, where she has advocated for immigrants’ rights. She serves as Community Development Block Grant Commissioner for the City of Vista. She also serves on multiple non-profit boards, including the San Dieguito Interfaith Ministerial Association, South Vista Communities, the Tri-City Islamic Center, and others. Prior to joining CAIR-SD , Tazheen worked as a finance consultant and accounting professional for over 20 years. Tazheen is an alumnus of the Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI) and the Rockwood Fellowship Institute. Tazheen holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in Organization Management & Finance. She also holds certifications in Non-Profit Management, Paralegal Studies, and Mediation.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Topic: "Lebanon: Turning Crisis Into Recovery"
     
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage, held its 2022 Alex Odeh Memorial Conference and Gala on October 7-8, 2022, in California, where they explored the issues that impact the community while honoring Alex Odeh and celebrating Arab American excellence and achievement.
  
There were great speakers and excellent topics discussed at that conference, and we plan to air some of them on this program. In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1,036), we will air the remarks delivered at the panel titled “Lebanon: Turning Crisis Into Recovery”.
  
At that panel, Dr. Souhail Toubia moderated an examination of the multiple crises facing Lebanon, which included the various paths towards recovery. The panel explored the humanitarian crisis, Lebanese-American aid, the political and social upheaval, as well as economic and recovery options. Dr. Toubia was joined by Sarah M. A. Gualtieri, Associate Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, History, and Middle East Studies at the University of Southern California, James E. Rauch, Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego, and Hassan Essayli, all of whom provided invaluable insight into the unfolding situation in Lebanon.
 
About the moderator and panelists:
 
Sarah Gualtieri is an award-winning historian, teacher, and author currently serving as a professor in the Departments of American Studies and Ethnicity, History, and Middle East Studies at the University of Southern California. Her research bridges several areas of expertise, notably Middle East Migration Studies and Arab American Studies with a particular focus on questions of race, gender, and power. In 2009 Sarah published her first book, Between Arab and White: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Syrian American Diaspora, which traced how Arabs came to be officially classified as white by the U.S. government, and how different Arab groups interpreted, accepted, and contested this racial classification over the course of the 20th century. Her most recent book, published in 2020, titled Arab Routes: Pathways to Syrian California, traces the stories of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian migrants in Southern California, which has won the Arab American Book Award and the Alixa Naff Prize in Migration Studies.
 
James E. Rauch is Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego, a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research, and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2019, Oxford University Press published his textbook, The Economics of the Middle East. He has conducted extensive research in the Middle East and was a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Financial Economics in the American University of Beirut.
 
Hassan Essayli was born in Yater, South Lebanon in 1952. At age 17, he came to California as an exchange student with the American Field Service program, and upon his return to Lebanon, completed his baccalaureate education. Hassan then immigrated to the United States in 1972 to attend California State University, Long Beach, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree in Political Science. Hassan became a member of the American-Arab University Graduates (AAUG) and the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA), whose goals were to make Americans aware of Arab history and contributions to world civilization. With the Civil war raging in Lebanon, Hassan made it his mission to save young people from becoming casualties of the war by bringing them to study in the United States. He served as a National board member of ADC and won an ADC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He is a member of several civil and human rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International. He volunteers his time as head of the Sadr Foundation USA, West Coast branch, which aims to raise money for an orphanage in South Lebanon. Hassan is the proud father of two young men, Jad and Kareem, both attorneys, who continue his legacy in Southern California.
 
Dr. Souhail Toubia is a Lebanese American physician and inventor. For the past ten years he has served on the National Board of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and has been an ADC member since 1985. Dr. Toubia lives in Orange County, California. He has served on the Orange County ADC board for twelve years and has been actively involved in humanitarian work for thirty years. Dr. Toubia graduated from the University of Brussels, Belgium and did his family practice residency at the University of California, Irvine. He has participated in volunteer work with the Flying Samaritans treating and bringing medical equipment and medications to farmers and villagers in remote areas in Mexico, particularly in Baja California. Currently, Dr. Toubia is a retired physician who, alongside his charitable work, continues to invent, design, and develop medical/dental equipment and implants.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

1st Segment: New Investigation Report on the Extrajudicial Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
     
On November 3, 2022, in commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture announced the joint submission of forensic evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) based on their investigation of the Extrajudicial Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian-American Journalist who was shot and murdered in May 2022 by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Their investigation reveals new evidence of the circumstances of Shireen’s targeted killing, and their findings establish that the report on the incident published by the Israeli occupation forces is false and deliberately misleading. This investigation by Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture is the first to employ a precise digital reconstruction of the incident and has been able to conclusively support both new and existing claims about the targeting of Shireen Abu Akleh by drawing upon new evidence from a range of sources, including previously unseen footage, unpublished autopsy documents, and original testimonies.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices, we will air some of the information released in this new investigation report.
  
2nd Segment: Professor Rashid Khalidi's Lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the Impact it has had on the Palestinian People (Part 1 of 2)
     
This month, November 2022, marks the 105th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government, and laid the foundation for the establishment of a Jewish-Zionist state at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population, promising the land of Palestine to the Zionist movement.
  
In November 2017, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People organized a lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the impact it has had on the Palestinian people. The lecture was delivered at the United Nations by Professor Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

In this episode of Arab Voices, we will air Professor Rashid Khalidi’s lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the impact it has had on the Palestinian people.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

1st Segment: New Investigation Report on the Extrajudicial Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
     
On November 3, 2022, in commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture announced the joint submission of forensic evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) based on their investigation of the Extrajudicial Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian-American Journalist who was shot and murdered in May 2022 by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Their investigation reveals new evidence of the circumstances of Shireen’s targeted killing, and their findings establish that the report on the incident published by the Israeli occupation forces is false and deliberately misleading. This investigation by Al-Haq and Forensic Architecture is the first to employ a precise digital reconstruction of the incident and has been able to conclusively support both new and existing claims about the targeting of Shireen Abu Akleh by drawing upon new evidence from a range of sources, including previously unseen footage, unpublished autopsy documents, and original testimonies.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices, we will air some of the information released in this new investigation report.
   
2nd Segment: Professor Rashid Khalidi's Lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the Impact it has had on the Palestinian People
     
This month, November 2022, marks the 105th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government, and laid the foundation for the establishment of a Jewish-Zionist state at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population, promising the land of Palestine to the Zionist movement.
  
In November 2017, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People organized a lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the impact it has had on the Palestinian people. The lecture was delivered at the United Nations by Professor Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

In this episode of Arab Voices, we will air Professor Rashid Khalidi’s lecture on the Balfour Declaration and the impact it has had on the Palestinian people.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Interview with Mohammed Nabulsi on the Upcoming Houston Palestinian Festival (largest in North America)
     
We will speak with Mohammed Nabulsi, Palestinian-American attorney, community organizer, Director of Advocacy and Education for the Palestinian American Cultural Center, and Chair of the Houston Palestinian Festival.
 
We will speak with him about the upcoming 10th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival, the largest in North America, scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, 2022, at the Crown Festival Park, 18355 Southwest Fwy, Sugar Land, TX 77479.

2nd Segment: "Joint Israel/Lobby Infiltration of Civil Rights Group Exposed" by Edward Ahmed Mitchell
     
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, co-hosted their annual Israel Lobby Conference on March 4, 2022. The 2022 Transcending the Israel Lobby at Home & Abroad conference brought together people from across the country and the world to critically assess the pro-Israel lobby and the U.S. government's unflinching support for Israel. There were several incredible speeches given by activists, artists, journalists, lawyers, politicians, and others.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices (#1,033), we will air the remarks of Edward Ahmed Mitchell on the topic “Joint Israel/Lobby Infiltration of Civil Rights Group Exposed”. Mitchell is the deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

“You Can Be the Last Leaf" - An Evening with Maya Abu Al-Hayyat
     
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies at the University of Houston organized and hosted an evening with Palestinian Poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat on October 19, 2022, for a poetry reading and a discussion about her book “You Can Be the Last Leaf”.

Translated from the Arabic and introduced by Dr. Fady Joudah, You Can Be the Last Leaf draws on two decades of work to present the transcendent and timely US debut of Palestinian poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat. In You Can Be the Last Leaf, Abu Al-Hayyat has created a richly textured portrait of Palestinian interiority—at once wry and romantic, worried and tenacious, and always singing itself.
  
The evening, moderated by Hanan Awad, included readings from Maya's book. Maya read her poems in Arabic and Maha Abdelwahab read the translation to English.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices (#1,031), we will air the poems (in Arabic and English) read by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat, and parts of the discussion that followed.
 
Maya Abu Al-Hayyat is the author of four collections of poetry, four novels, including No One Knows His Blood Type (2013), and numerous children’s stories, including The Blue Pool of Questions (2017). Her work has appeared in A Bird Is Not a Stone: An Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Poetry (2014). Maya is the editor of The Book of Ramallah: A City in Short Fiction (2021) and the director of Palestine Writing Workshop, an institution that seeks to encourage reading in Palestinian communities through creative writing projects and storytelling with children and teachers.
  
Hanan Awad is a Palestinian-American photo essayist, and guest host on Arab Voices Radio Talk Show, based in Houston. As a guest host for her special segment on Arab Voices Radio, Hanan has interviewed several important figures in the Palestinian community; arsists, activists, writers, and more. Hanan Awad is also the president and founder of the Olive Tree Project a 501© (3) that plants 1,000 olive trees in Palestine annually. Hanan’s photography has been exhibited around the world.
  
Maha Abdelwahab is a poet and a Literature and Creative Writing PhD candidate at the University of Houston specializing in Empire Studies. She received her MFA in Poetry from the University of Oregon where she was the recipient of the Promising Scholar Award. Her work can be found in The Adroit Journal, Rusted Radishes, The Recluse and elsewhere. Her research interests include Arabic-to-English translation, colonial Egypt, and Arab-American diasporic literature exploring abolition, gender, liberation, geography, imperialism and neo imperialism.
  
Fady Joudah has published five collections of poems, most recently, Tethered to Stars (2021), translated several collections of poetry from the Arabic, including You Can Be the Last Leaf (2022), and is the co-editor and co-founder of the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize. He was a winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets competition in 2007 and has received the Arab American Book Award, a PEN award, a Banipal/Times Literary Supplement prize from the UK, the Griffin Poetry Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is an Editor-at-Large for Milkweed Editions. He lives in Houston, with his wife and kids, where he practices internal medicine.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

 "The Widespread Influence of Christian Zionism and Growing Backlash Inside American Churches" by Don Wagner
     
In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1030), we will air the remarks delivered by the Reverend Dr. Don Wagner on the topic "The Widespread Influence of Christian Zionism and Growing Backlash Inside American Churches".
 
The Reverend delivered that talk at the annual 2022 Israel Lobby Conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2022, co-hosted by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy.
  
Rev. Dr. Don Wagner recently retired as national program director of Friends of Sabeel-North America. Prior to that he was a professor of Middle East studies at North Park University, where he was also the director of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies. During the 1980s he was the national director of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rev. Wagner has served churches in New Jersey and Evanston, IL. He is the author or co-author of five books dealing with Palestinian human rights, Christian Zionism, a theological critique of Zionism and a history of Christianity in Palestine-Israel. These include Anxious for Armageddon: A Call to Partnership for Middle Eastern and Western Christians (1995) , Zionism and the Quest for Justice in the Holy Land (2014) and Dying in the Land of Promise: Palestine and Palestinian Christianity from Pentecost to 2000 (2003). The history and theology of Christian Zionism is a central topic of the book he is currently writing.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Human Rights Groups: States Should Act to Protect Human Rights in Palestine, and Dismantle Israel’s Apartheid
    
In August 2021, Apartheid Israel labeled six Palestinian organizations as “terrorist" organizations”, and in 2022, Israeli forces stormed the offices of the Palestinian civil rights organizations, including the offices of Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Union of Agricultural Work Committees, Union of Palestinian Women Committees, and the Health Workers Committees. The Israeli occupation forces ransacked the offices, stole documents and equipment from them, and welded their doors shut in an attempt to shut them down and prevent them from doing any work.
 
On September 28, 2022, and in response to the alarming escalation in the repression of Palestinian civil organizations, the International Federation for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch gathered as a delegation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to voice their support for Palestinian civil society and fight against the abusive and prolonged Israeli occupation, annexation, impunity, and apartheid.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1029), we will air the remarks delivered at that gathering in Ramallah, occupied Palestine, in support of the Palestinian civil society organizations, and to stand by them in the struggle against the Israeli occupation.
 
We will air the remarks of Souhayr Belhassen, President of the International Federation for Human Rights, Alexis Deswaef, Vice President for the International Federation for Human Rights, and a Human Rights Lawyer, Nathalie Godard, Amnesty International’s France Director of Campaigns, Sari Bashi, Human Rights Watch’s Program Director, and Shawan Jabarin, Al-Haq's General Director. We will also air some of the questions and answers that followed their remarks.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

What, If Any, Policies Have Changed Since the Trump Administration, and New Hope for Palestine’s Future" by Dr. Hanan Ashrawi
     
In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1028), we will air the keynote address of Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on the topic "What, If Any, Policies Have Changed Since the Trump Administration, and New Hope for Palestine’s Future".
 
Dr. Ashrawi delivered that keynote address at the annual 2022 Israel Lobby Conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2022, co-hosted by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy.
  
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi was the first woman to be elected a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2009. She served as the official spokesperson of the Palestinian delegation to the Middle East peace process from 1991-1993 and participated in the 1991-1992 Madrid peace conference as a member of the Palestinian Leadership Committee delegation. In 1993, Dr. Ashrawi founded the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens Rights (PICCR) to investigate Israeli and Palestinian human rights violations. She chronicled her involvement in her book This Side of Peace: A Personal Account (1995). In 1996, Ashrawi was elected and subsequently reelected many times to the Palestinian Legislative Council. In 1996, she also accepted the post of Minister of Higher Education and Research. In 1998, Ashrawi founded and continues to serve in MIFTAH, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy. In December 2020, she resigned from the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

 "Contemporary Poetry: The Arab American Turn" with Poets Fady Joudah & Hayan Charara
     
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies at the University of Houston held its Annual AAEF Dr. Burhan and Mrs. Misako Ajouz Professor of Arab Studies Distinguished Lecture in Literature on September 8, 2022, at the University of Houston under the title “Contemporary Poetry: The Arab American Turn”.
 
It was a discussion of Fady Joudah’s “Tethered to Stars: Poems” and Hayan Charara’s “These Trees, Those Leaves, This Flower, That Fruit: Poems.” The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sally Connolly, Associate Professor of English at the University of Houston and Associate Dean of Student and Faculty Success for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1027), we will air some of the talk delivered at that event, including the readings of both Fady Joudah and Hayan Charara, introduced by Dr. Emire Cihan Yüksel, Associate Professor at the University of Houston, who is serving as the 2022-23 Acting Director of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies. We will also air some of the questions and answers that followed their talk.
 
Fady Joudah is a Palestinian American physician, poet, and translator. Joudah’s debut collection of poetry, The Earth in the Attic (2008), won the 2007 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition. Joudah followed his second book of poetry, Alight (2013) with Textu (2014), a collection of poems written on a cell phone wherein each piece is exactly 160 characters long. His fourth collection is Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance (2018). Joudah’s fifth and most recent collection, Tethered to Stars: Poems (2021) was selected as a Library Journal Best Book of Poetry of 2021.
 
Hayan Charara is a poet, children’s book author, essayist, and editor. He is a professor in the Honors College at the University of Houston, where he also teaches creative writing. His poetry books are These Trees, Those Leaves, This Flower, That Fruit (2022), Something Sinister (2016), The Sadness of Others (2006), and The Alchemist’s Diary (2001). His children’s book, The Three Lucys (2016), received the New Voices Award Honor, and he edited Inclined to Speak (2008), an anthology of contemporary Arab American poetry. With Fady Joudah, he is also a series editor of the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

PACC Gala Remarks by Dr. Noura Erakat, Mazin Alkhadraa, and Mohammed Nabulsi
     
In this episode of Arab Voices (# 1,026), we will air some of the remarks delivered at the 10th Annual Palestinian American Cultural Center’s Gala held in Houston, Texas on September 10, 2022, under the theme Reclaim, Return, Rebuild. We will air the remarks of the keynote speaker, Dr. Noura Erakat, author, human rights attorney, and associate professor at Rutgers University, as well as the remarks of Mazin Alkhadraa, President of the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC) speaking about the organization, its vision, activities, and future endeavors, including the efforts to create a physical Palestinian Center in Houston, and Mohammed Nabulsi, PACC Director of Advocacy & Education, speaking about the Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship and the upcoming Houston Palestinian Festival (Nov. 5-6, 2022).
  
The gala was very successful and well organized and had hundreds of attendees. During the gala, PACC honored Dr. Farouk Shami as a great Palestinian philanthropist and supporter of PACC over the years.
   
In addition to the remarkable speakers, the gala featured professional Dabke and Dance by Folkoholic Dance Theatre, and special music played on the Oud and Qanun by the talented brothers Muhammad and Hamzah Saadah. There was also artwork displayed by Hisam Nabulsi, a Palestinian-American artist and educator (through his artwork, Nabusli explores themes of movement, belonging, rhythm, authenticity, family, motherhood, and the struggle against oppression). There was also a photo gallery with incredible pictures and powerful Photo Essays by Hanan Awad, a Palestinian-American street photographer, whose photos have been exhibited around the world (Hanan's photos document the tragedy of the physical and cultural forced displacement of the Palestinians and narrate the story of Palestinian resilience & resistance against the colonialist occupation of Palestine). Fay Darzeh had a collection of traditional embroideries, decorations, antiques, and full traditional Palestinian clothing on display at the gala, and Mustafa Alatbash, a Palestinian Artist from Gaza, had handcrafted art on display that draws inspiration from the traditional architecture and heritage found in the historic cities and villages of his home country.Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

1st Segment: Lina Abu Akleh's Remarks (accepting an award honoring Shireen Abu Akleh)
     
On August 31, 2022, The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., held its annual Journalism Awards Dinner and presented Shireen Abu Akleh’s niece, Lina Abu Akleh with the 2022 National Press Club President’s Award in her honor. In this episode of Arab Voices, we will air Lina's remarks at that event.
  
On September 5, 2022, Apartheid Israel released a statement on its findings about the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American Journalist who was murdered by Israel in May 2022. In that statement, Israel said there is a ‘high possibility’ its army killed Shireen Abu Akleh, and also said it will not launch a criminal investigation into that killing. Shireen Abu Akleh’s family released a statement saying “As expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen. Our family is not surprised by this outcome since it’s obvious to anyone the Israeli war criminals cannot investigate their own crimes.” “We will continue to demand that the US government follow through with its stated commitments to accountability.”
  
2nd Segment: Recorded Interview with Diana Buttu on the Oslo Accord
     
29 years ago this month, the Oslo Accord was signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, an accord many thought was a good idea at that time, and some did not. In 2018, on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accord, Arab Voices interviewed Diana Buttu, analyst, and former legal advisor to the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Diana Buttu also served as legal advisor to the PLO in its negotiations with Israel, and is a policy advisor to Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. Diana is a lawyer specializing in negotiations, international law, and international human rights law, based in Ramallah, Palestine.
 
In this episode of Arab Voices, we will re-air that interview, in which we spoke with Diana about the failed Oslo Accord between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, why it failed, the ongoing Israeli colonization of Palestine, the U.S. stance towards Palestine and its funding cuts to UNRWA, the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian hospitals in occupied East Jerusalem and other programs, the closure of the PLO office in Washington, and the move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We also talked about what options Palestinians should pursue, and more.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.

Arab Voices aims at bringing the truth, facts, and realities to a wide and diverse range of listeners. It debunks many of the stereotypes, myths, and false information disseminated by certain media outlets, some politicians, and others.
 
Arab Voices is a syndicated program that airs on other radio stations in different cities in the U.S.A. and Europe.