Date:

September 23, 2020

"The End Game In the Middle East - Dr. Tim Anderson" by Guns and Butter
 
Guns and Butter program, which airs on our sister station WBAI in New York, interviewed Dr. Tim Anderson to discuss his new book, "Axis of Resistance: Towards an Independent Middle East". Today on Arab Voices, we will air that interview.
  
Dr. Tim Anderson is Director of the Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies in Sydney, Australia. He was for 20 years an academic in Political Economy at the University of Sydney and before that taught at other universities. He researches and writes on development, rights and self-determination in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. He has published dozens of articles in a range of academic books and journals.
    
From Guns and Butter: The 21st century wars against Middle Eastern countries are bringing them together in what the author terms an ‘axis of resistance’ that includes Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen; what is most feared by American and Israeli strategists is an Iranian Land Bridge consisting of infrastructural links and integration between Tehran and the Mediterranean, including road, rail, communications, oil and gas pipelines and defense collaboration; characterization of empires and imperialism; the nature of Iran’s leadership role; Russia’s role within the ‘axis of resistance’ and its relationship with Israel; all terrorist groups have been backed by the US-led coalition; final stages of the failed war on Syria; devastating economic sanctions on the entire region; White Helmets; human organ trafficking; all claims of chemical weapon use by the Syrian government a fabrication; war on Syria was never a civil war; the assassination of Iranian General Soleimani and Iraqi Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others have resulted in a call to expel US forces from the entire region. Aired in January 2020.

Date:

September 16, 2020

Dr. Khalil Jahshan
  
Executive Director of the Arab Center Washington DC, a non-partisan, non-profit think tank focusing on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as furthering economic, political, and social understanding of the Arab World in the United States. He is a Palestinian-American political analyst and media commentator. He previously served as Executive Director at Pepperdine University, Executive Vice President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and director of its government affairs affiliate (NAAA-ADC), Vice President of the American Committee on Jerusalem, President of the National Association of Arab Americans, National Director of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG), Assistant Director of Palestine Research and Educational Center, and Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Chicago Extension and at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Mr. Jahshan has served on the boards of directors, and advisory boards of various Middle East-oriented groups, including ANERA, MIFTAH and Search for Common Ground.
   

We will speak with Dr. Jahshan about the deals Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed with Israel on September 15, 2020, brokered by the United States to establish full diplomatic relations, what may have motivated them to do so, the opposition to the deals within Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian reaction to it (calling the deals betrayal and a stab in the back), what should the Palestinians be doing moving forward, and more.

Date:

September 9, 2020

"A History of Activist Repression" by Zoha Khalili
 
On April 15, 2019, Zoha Khalili spoke at the University of Houston Law Center on the topic "A History of Activist Repression". She delivered a historical analysis of activist repression in the United States, examples of the types of suppressions that people have faced when engaging in advocacy, and the types of issues that have affected people advocating for Palestine, lessons to learn, Dos and Don'ts, resources, and more.
 
During her lecture and the Q&A session that followed, she talked about Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Black Panthers, American Indian Movement, COINTELPRO (COunter INTELligence PROgram), the different forms of propaganda, the Espionage and Sedition Acts, loyalty oaths, surveillance, infiltrators, informants, pro-Palestinian groups, deportation of Palestinian activists, BDS movement, BDS laws, Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Counter Violent Extremism (CVE), and more.
 
Zoha Khalili is a staff attorney for Palestine Legal. She provides legal advice and advocacy support to Palestine rights activists, students and professors on the West Coast on issues ranging from free speech violations, discrimination, threats, surveillance and disciplinary charges. Zoha's legal career has been devoted to defending the rights of marginalized communities.
  
The event was organized by Defend Our Voice Coalition at the University of Houston.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air that lecture and some of the questions and answers that followed.

Date:

September 2, 2020

"Racism, Social Equity, and Health Care Disparities in the Time of COVID-19"
    
A discussion organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-Houston. The guest speaker was Dr. Ayesha Khan, Infectious Diseases Scientist and Clinical Microbiologist at UTHealth. She is also a Grassroots Organizer of COVID-19’s impact on marginalized communities and our role in confronting racial health disparities.

The discussion focused on how our community can center social justice to overcome COVID-19 and prepare for the next pandemic, and that working together, we can dismantle the root cause of bad health in minority communities-systemic racism.

This discussion was held on August 26, 2020, and was moderated by Ambreen Hernandez, CAIR-Houston Communications and Program Coordinator. The discussion also included Rawan Harirah, with CAIR-Houston Board of Directors, who is also an Administrative Coordinator at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Date:

August 26, 2020

"The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left" by Dr. Michael R. Fischbach
    
The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C., held a book talk event on February 20, 2020, titled "The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left". The guest speaker was Dr. Michael R. Fischbach, Professor of History at Randolph-Macon College. Today on Arab Voices, we will air that talk and some of the questions and answers that followed.
   
The Movement and the Middle East offers the first assessment of the controversial and ultimately debilitating role of the Arab-Israeli conflict among left-wing activists during a turbulent period of American history. Michael R. Fischbach draws on a deep well of original sources—from personal interviews to declassified FBI and CIA documents—to present a story of the left-wing responses to the question of Palestine and Israel. He shows how, as the 1970s wore on, the cleavages emerging within the American Left widened, weakening the Movement and leaving a lasting impact that still affects progressive American politics today.
 
Michael R. Fischbach is Professor of History at Randolph-Macon College, and the author of numerous publications and books including, Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color (Stanford University Press, 2018), Jewish Property Claims Against Arab Countries (Columbia University Press, 2008), The Peace Process and Palestinian Refugee Claims: Addressing Claims for Property Compensation and Restitution (United States Institute of Peace Press, 2006), and Records of Dispossession: Palestinian Refugee Property and the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Columbia University Press, 2003; American University of Cairo Press, 2004). He was awarded grants by The MacArthur Foundation and the United States Institute of Peace, and has presented at numerous academic and diplomatic settings in sixteen countries on four continents.

Date:

August 19, 2020

Dr. Ramzy Baroud
    
Palestinian-American journalist, media consultant, author, internationally-syndicated columnist, and editor of Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of several books and a contributor to many others. His latest book is titled "These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggles and Defiance in Israeli Prisons". His work has been published in hundreds of newspapers and journals worldwide, and his work is regularly translated and republished in French, Spanish, Arabic and other languages. Ramzy Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter.
 

We will speak with Dr. Baroud about the daily Israeli airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip in occupied Palestine (that no one talks about anymore) where nearly two million Palestinians live in horrific conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks, blockade and strangulation of the Gaza Strip, the ongoing Israeli attacks and targeting of fishermen in Gaza, Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and also in Palestinian Bedouin areas in the Negev region, Israeli colonizers' terrorist acts against Palestinians and their properties, uprooting of Palestinian olive and palm trees and targeting and burning Palestinian farms, and the ongoing extra-judicial executions of Palestinians.
 
We will also talk about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) treaty with Israel, the US stance towards occupied Palestine, the US elections and where Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris stand on occupied Palestine, what should the Palestinian leadership and Palestinians throughout the world do, and more.

Date:

August 12, 2020

Dr. Rania Masri (in Beirut, Lebanon)
    
Dr. Rania Masri is a lecturer and political and social justice activist. She is an elected representative of the Lebanese political party Citizens in a State, which seeks to end Lebanon's sectarian political system.
 
Rania is in Lebanon and was there when the horrific explosion shook the Lebanese capital, Beirut, killed at least 163, wounded more than 6,000, destroyed and damaged thousands of residential and commercial buildings, left more than 300,000 people homeless, and there are still many people missing, under the rubble!

We will speak with Dr. Rania Masri (in Beirut, Lebanon) about what she witnessed, the effect of the catastrophic explosion on Lebanon and the Lebanese people, Lebanon's corrupt sectarian political system, the collapse of the economic and financial systems, unemployment, electricity, water, the ongoing protests that started months ago against corruption, what is needed to make a real change and get rid of the sectarian and corrupt political system in Lebanon, and more. 

Date:

August 5, 2020

   
Arab Voices extends its deepest condolences to the Lebanese people in Lebanon, in Houston and all over the world for the tragic losses as a result of the horrific explosion that rocked the Lebanese Capital Beirut and killed over 100 and injured thousands. The explosion caused massive destruction throughout Beirut and neighboring cities and villages. It came at a time when Lebanon was already going through tough times. The American Lebanese Cultural Center in Houston is asking those who want to donate and support the relief efforts, to do so by making a donation to the Lebanese Red Cross (link posted at www.ALCChouston.org).
    

Radio New Zealand Interview with Robert Fisk
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to an interview conducted by Radio New Zealand with Robert Fisk (recorded in May 2020), veteran war correspondent, who spent the past 40 years living in war zones covering conflicts in the Middle East, the Balkans and Ireland. In this interview, Fisk says journalists and editors cower from reporting honestly because of corporate and political influence, and he cites several examples including how reporters refer to the Israeli colonies as settlements, the Israeli wall as a security fence and the Israeli wars on the Palestinians as disputes.

Date:

July 29, 2020

"Vampire trouble is more serious than the mighty plague: A comparative look at the history of evil and mischief, inspired by Evliya Çelebi (1611–ca. 1684") by Cemal Kafadar
   
On February 28, 2020, the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair at the University of Houston, sponsored the 2020 Annual Lecture in Ottoman History on "Vampire trouble is more serious than the mighty plague: A comparative look at the history of evil and mischief, inspired by Evliya Çelebi (1611–ca. 1684") by Cemal Kafadar.

Cemal Kafadar is the Vehbi Koç Professor of Turkish Studies at the Department of History at Harvard University, where he is also the Director of Graduate Studies and Acting Director at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He has written extensively on the social and cultural history of the Middle East and Southeastern Europe in the Late Medieval/Early Modern era and he teaches courses on the Ottoman Empire, urban space, popular culture as well as the history of cinema.

The event was originally scheduled to take place at the University of Houston, but because at that time there was a city-wide water main break, the University of Houston was closed, and the event was moved to Rice University.

Today on Arab Voices, we will air Dr. Kafadar’s remarks on "Vampire trouble is more serious than the mighty plague: A comparative look at the history of evil and mischief, inspired by Evliya Çelebi (1611–ca. 1684").

Date:

July 22, 2020

The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
   
We will air an episode from CODEPINK Radio that airs on our sister stations WPFW in Washington D.C., and WBAI in New York, on “The Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen”.
 
CODEPINK, is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
 
In its latest radio episode, CODEPINK national co-director, Ariel Gold, who appeared on Arab Voices before, interviews Shireen Al-Adeimi and Hassan El-Tayyab. Al-Adeimi is a Yemeni-American activist and educator, who also appeared on Arab Voices a few times before, that discusses the history of Yemen in regards to its politics and how an internal struggle led to the U.S.-Saudi intervention that has terrorized the country. El-Tayyab is a legislative manager for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation that elaborates how Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis and the pandemic has only worsened its situation with children suffering the most from malnutrition, disease, poverty, and more; even so, aid to Yemen has been drastically cut.

Date:

July 15, 2020

1^st Segment: Houston Day of Rage Car Caravan Against Annexation
   
We will air remarks delivered by several attendees at the "Houston Day of Rage Car Caravan Against Annexation" that was held on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in which hundreds of people with more than 150 vehicles participated in the caravan that traveled more than 8 miles through busy Houston roads to reach the Consulate General of Israel, to protest the Zionist Israeli Annexation plan for the occupied Palestinian West Bank. We will also air remarks delivered by representatives from the sponsoring organizations including Mohammed Nabulsi with the Palestinian American Cultural Center and Palestinian Youth Movement, Eman Elhaj with the Palestinian American Council, Sinan Shaibani with RISE-Houston, and Alex Kerry with Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston.
   

2^nd Segment: Dr. Rashid Khalidi
   
We will air portions of an interview previously conducted with Dr. Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University in New York, editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, and author of many books including The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, on the Israeli annexation plan, Trump’s so called “deal of the century”, the BDS movement, and more.    

Date:

July 8, 2020

Date:

July 1, 2020

Israel's Annexation Plan for the Occupied West Bank
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will talk about the Israeli annexation plan of 30% of the occupied West Bank in occupied Palestine. We will read a strong letter sent by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and signed by 13 members of the U.S. Congress, to Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, asking him to take the necessary action needed to reverse Israel’s plan for annexation, and also promises in the letter to “pursue legislation that conditions the $3.8 billion in U.S. military funding to Israel to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are not supporting annexation in any way”.
 
We will also share the reaction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet on the annexation plan, and listen to a few remarks delivered at the United Nations Security Council and at a special United Nations forum on “the Question of Palestine: Threats of Annexation and the Prospects for Peace” by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Member of the PLO Executive Committee, Dr. Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Riyad Al-Maliki, Palestinian Foreign Minister, and Alvin Botes, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.

Date:

June 24, 2020

“It’s easy to say Black Lives Matter”
  
The Electronic Intifada released a new podcast titled “It’s easy to say Black Lives Matter”. It is a discussion on Black-Palestinian solidarity in the context of the current US uprisings against police violence, and what it means to internationalize liberation struggles. It features Kristian Davis Bailey, co-founder of Black for Palestine, and Ajamu Baraka, scholar, writer, former Green Party vice presidential candidate, an editor with Black Agenda Report, and the national organizer for The Black Alliance for Peace. Also in this podcast, Nora Barrows-Friedman and Asa Winstanley, co-hosts of the Electronic Intifada Podcast, discuss this global moment with revolutionary potential, and some of their recent articles.
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will air “It’s easy to say Black Lives Matter" podcast by the Electronic Intifada.

Date:

June 17, 2020

"Anti-Blackness and The Palestinian Struggle" by Dr. Melina Abdullah and Dr. Gerald Horne
 
Several student organizations at the University of Houston organized a discussion about the intersections of anti-blackness and the Palestinian struggle. The event centered on systemic injustices both communities face and how University of Houston students can unite against these forms of oppression. The event was sponsored by the UH History Department, and was held on October 8, 2018.
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the remarks delivered at the event on the way blacks were treated in the U.S., the struggle for black people and being slaves, Black Lives Matter movement, Police abuse, killing of black people, the struggles for justice, the importance of understanding what is happening to blacks in the U.S. and how that parallels to what is happening to the Palestinian people, how the struggle for black freedom in the U.S. is intrinsically tied to the struggle of oppressed people around the globe, especially the Palestinian people, how freedom is a constant struggle, U.S. foreign policy, BDS movement, settler colonialism, and much more.
 
Speakers:
 
Dr. Melina Abdullah, Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies. She was appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission in 2014 and is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. Abdullah is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, with subjects ranging from political coalition building to womanist mothering. Most notably, she has appeared on the featured film 13th. Melina is the recipient of many awards, most recently the 2016 Racial Justice Award presented by the YWCA.
 
Dr. Gerald Horne, holder of the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. He has also written extensively about the film industry. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University. Dr. Horne's undergraduate and graduate courses include the Civil Rights Movement, U.S. History through Film, Diplomatic History, Labor History, and 20th Century African American History. Dr. Horne is the author of more than thirty books and one hundred scholarly articles and reviews.

Date:

June 10, 2020

1^st Segment: Arab & Muslim American Organizations' Response to George Floyd's Murder
  
On June 9, 2020, George Floyd was laid to rest in Houston, Texas. Floyd was a 46-year-old Black-American man who was killed on May 25, 2020, by a Minneapolis police officer, while he was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street. Floyd's murder has caused outrage and protests across the world.
 
Several Arab-American and Muslim-American organizations, as well as many individuals from the community participated at several rallies and protests held last week in Houston, and also attended the public viewing and funeral of George Floyd. Numerous organizations from across the world issued strong statements condemning the murder of George Floyd, including several national Arab-American and Muslim-American organizations.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will talk about the Arab-American and Muslim-American response to the murder of George Floyd, and share statements issued in this regard by the Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC Houston), the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston), the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC-Houston), Birzeit Society (Houston Chapter), Students for Justice in Palestine (Houston Chapter), and the Palestinian Youth Movement (Houston Chapter).
 
We will also talk about the knee-over-neck tactic used by the Police, where did that come from, what kind of training provides that, and how thousands of police officers from different cities in the U.S., including Minneapolis, are being trained by Israel (a topic that will be discussed in more details on a future show)!
 

2^nd Segment: Joe Meadors
  
This week, marks the 53rd anniversary of the deadly Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, a signal intelligence platform ship, in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea when it was brutally attacked on June 8, 1967, by Israel, despite the fact that Israel knew it was a United Stated communications ship! The attack by the Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats killed 34 U.S. servicemen and injured 174 others. Joe Meadors was a U.S. Navy Signalman on the USS Liberty when it was attacked by Israel in 1967.
 
Next month, July 2020, marks the 2nd anniversary of the Israeli attack on Al-Awda ship, one of four 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla ships that were carrying urgently needed medical supplies to Gaza, when Israel intercepted the ship in international waters on July 29, 2018, about 40 miles off the coast of Gaza, beat the captain and threatened to kill him, repeatedly tasered several crew members and delegates and severely injuring some! A medical doctor, Dr. Swee Ang, who was also on board Al-Awda ship was attacked on the head and body and ended up with two broken ribs! Israel then hijacked Al-Awda boat and kidnapped everyone on board including Joe Meadors, who was the U.S. delegate on the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Israel illegally detained and jailed Joe Meadors for several days before deporting him to the United States.
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will air an interview we conducted previously with Joe Meadors detailing both attacks, what he witnessed, and how the White House intervened and ordered U.S. fighter jets that were racing to the rescue of the USS Liberty in 1967 (after the Sixth Fleet aircraft carrier USS Saratoga received a distress message from the USS Liberty) not to intercept the attack on the USS Liberty, and retreat!

Date:

June 3, 2020

Justice for George Floyd Houston March
  
About 60,000 people attended the special Houston march on June 2, 2020, in downtown Houston, calling for Justice for George Floyd, the Black American man who was murdered on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis Police. A horrific murder that was caught on video and caused outrage and protests across the world.
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to statements and remarks from several participants at that special march, including the remarks of Bun B, rapper and activist, Trae tha Truth, rapper and philanthropist, Tamika Mallory, activist, Lee Merritt, one of the attorneys representing George Floyd's family, Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston, several members of George Floyd's family, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Al Green, and pastor John Gray.

Date:

May 27, 2020

From Nakba to Return: The Ongoing Struggle for Palestinian Liberation (Part 2 of 2)
  
Last week on Arab Voices, we aired some of the remarks delivered at the "From Nakba to Return: The Ongoing Struggle for Palestinian Liberation" event organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and the National Students for Justice in Palestine that was held on May 16, 2020, in  honor of the 72nd commemoration of the Nakba. Part 1 of 2 is already archived online at www.ArabVoices.net.
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will air Part 2, and it includes remarks from Mohammed Nabulsi and Ramah Awad talking about the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice in Palestine, the ongoing Palestinian struggle for liberation, the 72nd commemoration of the Nakba, and Ghassan Kanafani Scholarship. We will also listen to Susan Abulhawa, Palestinian writer, political activist, and author of the international bestseller, Mornings in Jenin, and several anthologies and poetry collections, and Lina Abojaradeh, Palestinian-Jordanian artist and PYM Ghassan Kanafani Resistance Arts Scholar, and the discussion between Lina and Susan on the role of cultural production and arts as part of the broader resistance that Palestinians engage in.

Date:

May 20, 2020

From Nakba to Return: The Ongoing Struggle for Palestinian Liberation (Part 1 of 2)
  
May 15, 2020, marked the 72nd anniversary of the Nakba (Arabic word for catastrophe), the mass displacement of Palestinians from their homelands in 1948.
 
On May 16, 2020, the Palestinian Youth Movement and the National Students for Justice in Palestine, held an online community event in honor of the 72nd commemoration of the Nakba. Palestinian researchers, organizers, and artists participated in the event, and talked about the history of Palestinian displacement and refugeehood, the Nakba, as well as the threats that COVID-19 presents to Palestinian refugees, and how the pandemic is compounding and exacerbating existing conditions. They also discussed and highlighted the ongoing struggle in Palestinian refugee camps, the Right of Return, and the role of exiled and diasporic Palestinians and Arabs.

Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered at the event by Dr. Salman Abu Sitta, Palestinian author, founder of the Palestine Land Society, and researcher known for his groundbreaking work of mapping the return of Palestinian refugees to historic Palestine, and Nadia Younes, Palestinian community organizer and co-founder of Al Naqab Center for Youth Activities in Lebanon, whose doctoral research focuses on decolonizing education for Palestinians in Lebanon. We will also listen to a brief message from Pietro Stefanini, with The Palestinian Return Centre in London, who spoke about the Global Right of Return Campaign.  

Date:

May 13, 2020

1^st Segment: Houston Ramadan Iftar Remarks
  
For the past few years and during the holy month of Ramadan, a special Houston Iftar Dinner was being held annually and attended by nearly 2,000 people each year, including politicians, congress men and women, community activists and leaders. This year, because of COVID-19, the annual Houston Iftar event was held virtually, on May 9, 2020. Earlier on that day, nearly 2,000 meals were distributed for pickup at the Bayou City Event Center before the virtual broadcast of the event.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the remarks delivered at the virtual Iftar dinner by Christopher Olson, Director, Mayor's Office of Trade & International Affairs, Muhammas Saeed Sheikh, Coordinator, Houston Iftar, Imam Tauqeer Shah, Resident Scholar, Brand Lane Islamic Center, ISGH, Sohail Syed, President, Islamic Society of Greater Houston, Murad Ajani, President, Aga Khan Council for Southwestern US, Shaikh Shabbir Saifee, Dawoodi Bohra Community Houston, Ahmed Alyasin, Chairman, Jordanian American Association of Houston, Susan Young, President, Sister Cities of Houston, Hamza Yusuf, President, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, CA, Javid Anwar, Chief Patron, Houston Iftar, and Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of Houston.
   
The event was organized by Abu Dhabi, Baku, Basrah, Istanbul and Karachi Sister City Associations, along with the Islamic Society of Greater Houston and other collaborating organizations.
    

2^nd Segment: Dennis Johnson
   
We will speak with Dennis Johnson, Deputy Regional Director of the 2020 U.S. Census, about the Census, its importance, who will be counted, changes/what's new to the 2020 Census, important dates, how to participate, and much more.
    

Date:

May 6, 2020

Pandemics, Democracies & Dictatorships
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air a segment from the weekly public affairs program, Alternative Radio. It is  titled "Pandemics, Democracies & Dictatorships" by Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and teaches Middle East and Islamic politics at the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is the author of "Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy" and co-editor of "The People Reloaded, The Syria Dilemma and Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East".
  
Today, fear stalks the globe. The grim reaper is taking a heavy toll. The coronavirus pandemic has led to many thousands of deaths and tremendous economic dislocation. In this climate of fear, authoritarian regimes from Saudi Arabia to Hungary, from Russia to Turkey, from Iran to the Philippines use the crisis as a pretext to curtail civil liberties, expand police power and surveillance, silence their opponents, settle old scores, muzzle the press and jail dissidents. The pattern repeats in different shapes and forms among tyrants and would-be tyrants. Indian prime minister Modi has thrown journalists critical of his rule in jail. Kashmir remains under military control. In Washington, the U.S. president has declared “ultimate authority. I call the shots.” How can people in democratic societies effectively respond to the current crisis? 

Date:

April 29, 2020

1^st Segment: Houston Arab Community Mutual Aid
 
During these challenging and uncertain times with the outbreak of the corona virus, the Houston Arab Community has not been spared from the economic impact. That is why 13 organizations have joined a new coalition of Arab organizations in the Houston community (Houston Arab Community Mutual Aid Coalition or HACMA Coalition) to carry forward mutual aid relief efforts to serve and support the Arab community of Houston.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will speak about the new coalition and its goals with Mohammed Nabulsi, Palestinian-American attorney, community organizer, and board member with the Palestinian American Cultural Center, one of the 13 organizations that joined the coalition.
 

2^nd Segment: “COVID-19 worsens Israel’s racism”
  
The Electronic Intifada released a new podcast titled “COVID-19 worsens Israel’s racism”, featuring Diana Buttu, former legal adviser and negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization, and a policy advisor to Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. The podcast also features a conversation between Nora Barrows-Friedman and Asa Winstanley on how they are coping with coronavirus lockdown in the US and UK, and Asa gets into a recent leaked report about Britain’s Labour Party.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will air “COVID-19 worsens Israel’s racism" podcast by the Electronic Intifada.

Date:

April 22, 2020

“Sectarianism and Anti-sectarianism in the Modern Arab World” by Dr. Aziz Al-Azmeh
(previously aired program)
 
Rice University and the University of Houston organized the "Arab Traditions of Anti-Sectarianism Conference", held December 1-2, 2017 in Houston, and was hosted by the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chairs at Rice University and the University of Houston.
   
The keynote address at the conference was delivered on December 1, 2017 on the topic "Sectarianism and Anti-sectarianism in the Modern Arab World" by Dr. Aziz Al-Azmeh, University Professor in the Department of History and Director of the Center for Religious Studies at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.
      
Today, on Arab Voices, we will listen to Dr. Al-Azmeh's keynote address on “Sectarianism and Anti-sectarianism in the Modern Arab World”.

Date:

April 15, 2020

CAIR-Houston's Annual Gala: "Defend. Educate. Empower." Part 2 of 2
 
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (Houston Chapter) held its 18th Annual Gala on December 8, 2019, in Houston, under the theme "Defend. Educate. Empower." More than 600 people including several local community members, faith leaders, and elected officials attended the event that also featured an awards ceremony recognizing several individuals. It was a celebration and review of CAIR-Houston's achievements and work in the past 18 years, and plans for the coming year.
     
There were many remarks delivered at the event, and today we will air Part 2 of 2, which will include the remarks of Bahia Amawi, recipient of CAIR-Houston’s Courage & Justice Award. Amawi is a Palestinian-American speech pathologist who filed a federal lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for violating her First Amendment right of free speech and challenging Texas Anti-BDS Act, H.B. 89., after she lost her job because she refused to sign a “No Boycott of Israel” clause. Bahia won her case on April 25, 2019, when a federal judge ruled that Texas law banning state contractors from boycotting Israel violates the First Amendment.
 
We will also listen to the keynote speaker, Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain (Imam) for the Islamic Center at New York University (NYU). in 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg nominated Imam Latif to become the youngest chaplain in history of the New York City Police Department. Since then, Imam Latif has dedicated himself to America's largest Police Department, and has developed tremendously valuable skills as a spokesperson for co-existence, mutual understanding and productive relationships between cultures, communities and religions. At NYU, Imam Latif has not only managed to build a strong Muslim institution at NYU, but he has offered his experience and awareness to the U.S. State Department, various institutions, corporations, mosques and other communities in the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and Egypt. He is a highly sought-after speaker, offering to diverse audiences his unique blend of motivational speaking, leadership insights, spiritual development and religious awareness. He has been featured on numerous media outlets including BBC, NPR, CNN, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine, BET and GEO TV.
 
Last week on Arab Voices, we aired Part 1, and it included the remarks of several CAIR-Houston Board Members, and the remarks of two awardees: Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director of FIEL Houston, who received CAIR-Houston’s Political Activism Award for his dedication and work in fighting for justice and protection for immigrant communities, and Mustafaa Carroll, former Executive Director of CAIR-Houston, who received CAIR-Houston’s Ester L. King Bridge Builder Award for his lifelong dedication and work in activism and promoting justice. That program, Part 1, is already archived on our website www.ArabVoices.net, and you can always listen to it online.

Date:

April 8, 2020

CAIR-Houston's Annual Gala: "Defend. Educate. Empower." Part 1 of 2
 
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, Houston Chapter, held its 18th Annual Gala on December 8, 2019, in Houston, under the theme "Defend. Educate. Empower." More than 600 people including several local community members, faith leaders, and elected officials attended the event that also featured an awards ceremony recognizing several individuals. It was a celebration and review of CAIR-Houston's achievements and work in the past 18 years, and plans for the coming year.
     
There were many remarks delivered at the event, and today we will air Part 1 of 2, which will include the remarks of Rawan Harirah with CAIR-Houston Board of Directors, Yusuf Shere, CAIR-Houston Board of Directors President, Judge Rabeea Collier, first elected Muslim State Court Judge in Harris County, Texas, Lubabah Abdullah, Executive Director of CAIR-Houston, and John Floyd, Esq., with CAIR-Houston Board of Directors. We will also listen to the remarks of two awardees: Cesar Espinosa, Executive Director of FIEL Houston, who received CAIR-Houston’s Political Activism Award for his dedication and work in fighting for justice and protection for immigrant communities, and Mustafaa Carroll, former Executive Director of CAIR-Houston, who received CAIR-Houston’s Ester L. King Bridge Builder Award for his lifelong dedication and work in activism and promoting justice.
 
Next week, we plan to air Part 2, and it will include the remarks of Bahia Amawi, recipient of CAIR-Houston’s Courage & Justice Award. Amawi is a Palestinian-American speech pathologist who filed a federal lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for violating her First Amendment right of free speech and challenging Texas Anti-BDS Act, H.B. 89., after she lost her job because she refused to sign a “No Boycott of Israel” clause. Bahia won her case on April 25, 2019, when a federal judge ruled that Texas law banning state contractors from boycotting Israel violates the First Amendment.
 
We will also listen next week to the keynote speaker, Imam Khalid Latif, University Chaplain for New York University and Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU.

Date:

April 1, 2020

1^st Segment: “Gaza physicians “brace for impact”: How can healthcare workers prepare for COVID-19 pandemic under siege?”
 
The Electronic Intifada released a new podcast last week titled “Gaza physicians “brace for impact”: How can healthcare workers prepare for COVID-19 pandemic under siege?”. At the time of the release of the podcast, there were 2 positive cases of COVID-19 in the besieged Gaza Strip (one of the most densely populated area on planet earth), but as of March 31, 2020, and according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, there are now 10 positive cases of COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will air “Gaza physicians “brace for impact”" podcast by the Electronic Intifada.
  

2^nd Segment: "Corona Radiata": A New Poem by Dr. Fady Joudah
  
Dr. Fady Joudah, Palestinian American physician, poet, and translator, who won an award from the United Kingdom for translating a collection of Mahmoud Darwish's poems into a compilation called The Butterfly's Burden, and was also winner of Yale Series of Younger Poets competition, who lives and works in Houston, released a new poem on the coronavirus pandemic titled “Corona Radiata”.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Dr. Joudah's “Corona Radiata” poem.
    

3^rd Segment: In Memoriam: Arab Voices Interview with Dr. Daoud Khairallah
  
Dr. Daoud Khairallah, who was an attorney and professor of international law at Georgetown University and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, passed away on March 22, 2020, in Fairfax, Virginia. In 2012, we interviewed Dr. Khairallah live on Arab Voices where we talked about the foreign intervention by the U.S. and other countries in the Arab uprisings in the Middle East.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will re-air the interview we conducted with Dr. Khairallah in 2012.

Date:

March 25, 2020   (previously aired program)

"Iraq Afterwards: Epistemic Violence and Poetic (In)Justice" by Dr. Sinan Antoon
  
The Center for Arab Studies and the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston held the inaugural lecture of the Michael and Hoda Kardoush Lecture Series on November 20, 2019, at the University of Houston. The speaker was Dr. Sinan Antoon and the topic was "Iraq Afterwards: Epistemic Violence and Poetic (In)Justice."
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will air that lecture in its entirety.
   
Sinan Antoon is an Iraqi-born poet, novelist, scholar, and translator. He studied at Baghdad, Georgetown, and Harvard. He has published two collections of poetry and four novels. His most recent work is The Book of Collateral Damage (Yale University Press, 2019). His literary works have been translated to fourteen languages. His translations include In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish, which won the American Literary Translators Association Prize. Antoon’s translation of his own novel, The Corpse Washer, won the 2014 Saif Ghobash Prize for Literary Translation. His scholarly works include The Poetics of the Obscene: Ibn al-Hajjaj and Sukhf (Palgrave, 2014) and articles on the poetry of Mahmoud, Darwish, Sargon Boulus, and Saadi Youssef. His op-eds have appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times and many pan-Arab newspapers and journals. In 2003 Antoon returned to his native Baghdad to co-produce About Baghdad, a documentary about the lives of Iraqis under occupation. He is co-founder and co-editor of Jadaliyya and associate professor at New York University.

Date:

March 18, 2020   (previously aired program)

Law and Revolution in the Arab Spring
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston and The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Arab Studies at Rice University, held an event at the University of Houston on November 13, 2018 that featured Dr. Nimer Sultany, Senior Lecturer in Public Law at SOAS, University of London, and winner of the 2018 International Society of Public Law Book Prize and the 2018 Society of Legal Scholars' Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship. Dr. Sultany talked about his recent book Law and Revolution: Legitimacy and Constitutionalism After the Arab Spring. This award winning book offers a critical re-examination of political, legal, and constitutional theory in light of the Arab Spring.
 
Dr. Sultany was introduced by Dr. Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, and his talk was followed by commentary from Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Associate Professor and Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will air the remarks delivered at that event.

Date:

March 11, 2020

1^st Segment: Houston Palestinian Festival
A live conversation with Dr. Waleed Faris, President of the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC), organizer of the 10th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival, and Mazin Alkhadraa, who serves on the PACC Board of Directors and the Festival Team.
  
We will speak with them about the 10th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival (POSTPONED to a future date) and the Palestinian American Cultural Center organization and its activities.
 
The Palestinian Festival was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday-Sunday, March 21-22, 2020, at The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park, in Houston, but a decision was made on March 11, 2020 to postpone it to a future date (read official statement).
      

2^nd Segment: Dr. Rashid Khalidi
We will speak live with Dr. Rashid Khalidi about his new book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, the U.S. foreign policy towards occupied Palestine, the so called “Deal of the Century” announced by President Trump in January 2020, Israeli colonies on Palestinian land, the BDS movement, efforts to suppress Palestinian voices and supporters on college campuses in the US, and more.
  
Dr. Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University in New York, and editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies. He served as president of the Middle East Studies Association, and was an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations from October 1991 to June 1993. He is author of: Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. has Undermined Peace in the Middle East (2013); Sowing Crisis: American Dominance and the Cold War in the Middle East (2009); The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (2006); Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East (2004); Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (1996); Under Siege: PLO Decision-Making During the 1982 War (1986); British Policy Towards Syria and Palestine, 1906-1914 (1980); and co-editor of Palestine and the Gulf (1982), The Origins of Arab Nationalism (1991), and The Other Jerusalem: Rethinking the History of the Sacred City (2020). His most recent book is titled The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 (2020).

Date:

March 4, 2020

"Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World" by Dr. Ussama Makdisi
 
Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy held a special event on March 2, 2020, where Dr. Ussama Makdisi, the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, discussed his most recent book "Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World", which provides a fuller understanding of the contemporary Middle East. The event was sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for the Middle East.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air Dr. Makdisi’s remarks delivered at the event.
 
Observers of the Middle East are often quick to speak of the sectarian tensions that have beset the region. However, Ussama Makdisi, Ph.D., the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, stresses the need to view these issues within a broader historical context. Focusing particularly on Lebanon under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Makdisi dispels assumptions about why and how sectarian sentiments arose in the Middle East, detailing often overlooked elements of coexistence that have shaped the modern Arab world.
 
Ussama Makdisi, Ph.D., is a professor of history and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University. Currently, he is a visiting professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Berkeley. He has published widely on Ottoman and Arab history as well as on U.S.-Arab relations and U.S. missionary work in the Middle East. Makdisi is the author of, most recently, “Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World” (University of California Press, 2019) and “Faith Misplaced: The Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations, 1820-2001” (Public Affairs, 2010). Makdisi received the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin in spring 2018. In 2012-2013 he was an invited resident fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin). In April 2009, the Carnegie Corporation named Makdisi a 2009 Carnegie Scholar as part of its effort to promote original scholarship regarding Muslim societies and communities, both in the U.S. and abroad. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University.

Date:

February 26, 2020

"Anti-Blackness and The Palestinian Struggle" by Dr. Melina Abdullah and Dr. Gerald Horne
 
Several student organizations at the University of Houston organized a discussion about the intersections of anti-blackness and the Palestinian struggle. The event centered on systemic injustices both communities face and how University of Houston students can unite against these forms of oppression. The event was sponsored by the UH History Department.
   
Today on Arab Voices (during Black History Month), we will listen to the remarks delivered at the event on the way blacks were treated in the U.S., the struggle for black people and being slaves, Black Lives Matter movement, Police abuse, killing of black people, the struggles for justice, the importance of understanding what is happening to blacks in the U.S. and how that parallels to what is happening to the Palestinian people, how the struggle for black freedom in the U.S. is intrinsically tied to the struggle of oppressed people around the globe, especially the Palestinian people, how freedom is a constant struggle, U.S. foreign policy, BDS movement, settler colonialism, and much more.
 
Speakers:
 
Dr. Melina Abdullah is Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies. She was appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission in 2014 and is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. Abdullah is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, with subjects ranging from political coalition building to womanist mothering. Most notably, she has appeared on the featured film 13th. Melina is the recipient of many awards, most recently the 2016 Racial Justice Award presented by the YWCA.
 
Dr. Gerald Horne holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. He has also written extensively about the film industry. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University. Dr. Horne's undergraduate and graduate courses include the Civil Rights Movement, U.S. History through Film, Diplomatic History, Labor History, and 20th Century African American History. Dr. Horne is the author of more than thirty books and one hundred scholarly articles and reviews.

Date:

February 19, 2020

"The Flowers of Arabic Literature in America" by Dr. Edmund Ghareeb
 
The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C., held a book talk event titled "The Flowers of Arabic Literature in America" on November 13, 2019. The guest speaker was Dr. Edmund Ghareeb, Collector and Scholar. In this talk, Dr. Ghareeb discusses the little known history of Arabic language books published in the United States, including books by early Arab-American women writers and known luminaries like Khalil Gibran Khalil. He shares personal stories of his father’s encounters with Khalil Gibran Khalil, as his translator, with rare hand signed first editions. Dr. Ghareeb showcased such books as a volume on the sayings of Benjamin Franklin; a compendium of knowledge for Syrian Americans, including questions on the US citizenship test; books with original artwork by Gibran and many more surprises.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Dr. Edmund Ghareeb's talk on "The Flowers of Arabic Literature in America".

Date:

February 12, 2020

Abby Martin Files Lawsuit against Georgia's Unconstitutional "anti-BDS" Law
Abby Martin, Director and Creator of The Empire Files, journalist, filmmaker, and former teleSUR presenter, filed a federal free speech lawsuit against Georgia's unconstitutional "anti-BDS" law on February 10, 2020. The lawsuit was filed on her behalf by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), CAIR Legal Defense Fund and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund.
 
A few weeks ago, Abby Martin was blocked from delivering a keynote speech at Georgia Southern University for refusing to "sign a contractual pledge to not boycott Israel" to comply with the anti-Boycott, Divest and Sanctions state law.
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered at a press conference held on February 10, 2020, after the lawsuit was filed, including the remarks of Abby Martin, journalist, filmmaker and host of The Empire Files, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Executive Director of CAIR-Georgia and co-counsel to Abby Martin, Mara Verheyden-Hilliard with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund and co-counsel to Abby Martin, and Gadeir Abbas, Senior Litigation Attorney at CAIR and co-counsel to Abby Martin.
  
Abby Martin was live on Arab Voices on January 29, 2020, discussing her new documentary film “Gaza Fights for Freedom”, and more.

Date:

February 5, 2020

Houston Protest Against Trump's "Deal of the Century"
Hundreds of people protested on February 1, 2020, the so called "Deal of The Century" announced last week by President Trump, and voiced their opposition to it. The event was organized by the ‎‎Palestinian Youth Movement, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston, the Palestinian American Cultural Center, and the Palestinian American Council.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to statements and remarks from 15 participants at the protest.
        

Winter Fund Drive

Date:

January 29, 2020

Abby Martin
Director and Creator of The Empire Files. She is a journalist, filmmaker, and former teleSUR presenter. Her new film is “Gaza Fights for Freedom”, a powerful must-see film documentary (directed, written and narrated by Abby Martin). Abby is an outspoken critic of Israel’s apartheid government and anti-Palestinian policies. A few weeks ago, she was blocked from delivering a keynote speech at Georgia Southern University for refusing to "sign a contractual pledge to not boycott Israel" to comply with the anti-Boycott, Divest and Sanctions state law.
  
We will speak live with Abby Martin about her new film “Gaza Fights for Freedom”, and also get her reaction to the Israeli Apartheid Plan, announced on Tuesday by President Trump.
 
IMPORTANT: Support for Arab Voices
Because KPFT is currently in Winter Fund Drive, Arab Voices is offering the new film documentary "Gaza Fights For Freedom" (DVD format) as a "Thank-You Gift" for those who pledge $150. Please consider a contribution to keep Arab Voices on KPFT. You can call during the show on Wednesday between 6 and 7 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge. Thank you.
    
Film Screening: "Gaza Fights For Freedom" film will be screened in Houston today, Wednesday, January 29 at 7 p.m. at the Dominican Center for Spirituality, 6501 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX 77021. 
        

Winter Fund Drive

Date:

January 22, 2020

1^st Segment: Ruth Nasrullah
We will speak live with Ruth Nasrullah, Communications Director for Houston Women March On, about the Houston Women's March.
  
This year, the march will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2020. More details about the march is at www.houstonwomensmarch.org.
  

2^nd Segment: Nader Alghoul
Freelance journalist, photographer, news contributor, columnist, political analyst and commentator with 20+ years in network, cable and satellite television production, including director, producer and translation & interpretation (English-Arabic) working high-profile news, general interest, breaking and feature stories globally. He has worked with and contributed to numerous media outlets over the years including Aljazeera English, BBC, France 3, NBC News, SIS, and RAMATTAN News Agency.
  
We will speak live with Nader about a recent “Jeopardy!” episode that caused outrage in which a contestant was told she was wrong for identifying Jesus's birthplace, the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, as Palestine, and that the correct answer was Israel!
  

3^rd Segment: Phyllis Bennis DN! Remarks on Democratic Debate & U.S. Wars in the Middle East
We will air a portion of an interview Democracy Now! conducted last week with Phyllis Bennis with her reaction to the Democratic Debate and U.S. Wars in the Middle East.
 
Phyllis Bennis is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies who has appeared live on Arab Voices before. She has written a number of books, including "Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict", "Ending the Iraq War: A Primer", "Understanding the US-Iran Crisis: A Primer", "Before & After: US Foreign Policy and the War on Terror", and "Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror: A Primer".

Date:

January 15, 2020

Date:

January 8, 2020

1^st Segment: Dr. Assal Rad
Research Fellow at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding between the American and Iranian people. Dr. Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine. Her PhD research focused on Modern Iran, with an emphasis on national identity formation and identity in post-revolutionary Iran. She works with the policy team on research and writing related to Iran policy issues and U.S.-Iran relations, and also works to organize Iranian Americans around issues that affect the community.
   
We will speak live with Dr. Assal Rad about the U.S. assassination of  Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Iran’s decision to reduce compliance with nuclear deal, the Iranian missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, detentions of Iranian Americans at U.S. ports of entry, and more.
    

2^nd Segment: David Swanson
Executive Director of WorldBeyondWar.org, a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace, and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. He is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. He is a 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Swanson was awarded the 2018 Peace Prize by the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation. He speaks frequently on the topic of war and peace, and engages in all kinds of nonviolent activism. Swanson recently drafted a resolution urging Congress to move money from the military to human and environmental needs, rather than the reverse. Versions of the resolution were passed by several cities and by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
 
We will speak live with David Swanson about the increased tension and attacks between the U.S. and Iran, U.S. military bases/forces in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East and beyond, how to avert another war in the Middle East, and more.

Date:

January 1, 2020

Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria & Yemen: A Look Back at 2019
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will look back at the year 2019, and particularly the situations in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. We will air portions of interviews we conducted live on Arab Voices during 2019 with the following guests:
 
Iraq: Interview with Raed Jarrar, Iraqi-American political activist and writer
 
Lebanon: Interview with Maya Mikdashi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and a lecturer in the program in Middle East Studies at Rutgers University, and Co-Founder and Co-Editor of Jadaliyya
 
Palestine: Interview with Mohamed Mohamed, Executive Director of The Jerusalem Fund and The Palestine Center
  
Syria: Interview with Daniel McAdams, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity
  
Yemen: Interview with Jehan Hakim, Chair of the Yemeni Alliance Committee

Date:

December 25, 2019

Archbishop Atallah Hanna's Houston Remarks
   
Archbishop Atallah Hanna, a prominent Palestinian Christian figure, has been hospitalized for inhaling poisonous gas from gas canisters thrown into his church in Jerusalem last week. The Archbishop suffered from temporary paralysis, but is now in stable condition in a hospital in Amman, Jordan. In a press conference held Monday, the Archbishop held Israel responsible for the attack against him and accused Israel of trying to silence his voice.
   
Atallah Hanna is the Archbishop of Sabastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In 2008, he refused to meet with President George W. Bush at the Church of Nativity during his visit to Bethlehem. In 2002, he was arrested by Israel on charges of "incitement", the first time a Christian religious leader was arrested for his activism against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
   
In 2008, Archbishop Atallah Hanna visited Houston, Texas, and spoke at the 9th National Convention of Birzeit Society. Today on Arab Voices, we will air some of his Houston remarks (in Arabic, followed by translation of the main points in English) where he talked about occupied Palestine (the birth place of Jesus Christ), the suffering of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation, Palestinian Christians, roles Arabs and Palestinians should play in the U.S., Christian Zionism, one-state vs. two-states solution, the U.S. media, and much more.
  
We will also listen to his recent message to all Christians around the world regarding occupied Palestine, the birthplace of Christ and where Christianity originated and spread its message throughout the world.

Date:

December 18, 2019

"Iraq Afterwards: Epistemic Violence and Poetic (In)Justice" by Dr. Sinan Antoon
  
The Center for Arab Studies and the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston held the inaugural lecture of the Michael and Hoda Kardoush Lecture Series on November 20, 2019, at the University of Houston. The speaker was Dr. Sinan Antoon and the topic was "Iraq Afterwards: Epistemic Violence and Poetic (In)Justice."
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will air that lecture in its entirety.
   
Sinan Antoon is an Iraqi-born poet, novelist, scholar, and translator. He studied at Baghdad, Georgetown, and Harvard. He has published two collections of poetry and four novels. His most recent work is The Book of Collateral Damage (Yale University Press, 2019). His literary works have been translated to fourteen languages. His translations include In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish, which won the American Literary Translators Association Prize. Antoon’s translation of his own novel, The Corpse Washer, won the 2014 Saif Ghobash Prize for Literary Translation. His scholarly works include The Poetics of the Obscene: Ibn al-Hajjaj and Sukhf (Palgrave, 2014) and articles on the poetry of Mahmoud, Darwish, Sargon Boulus, and Saadi Youssef. His op-eds have appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times and many pan-Arab newspapers and journals. In 2003 Antoon returned to his native Baghdad to co-produce About Baghdad, a documentary about the lives of Iraqis under occupation. He is co-founder and co-editor of Jadaliyya and associate professor at New York University.

Date:

December 11, 2019

Date:

December 4, 2019

1^st Segment: Remarks of Human Rights Watch Omar Shakir and Kenneth Roth after Israel's Expulsion of Shakir
 
We will listen today to the remarks of Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, and Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world's leading international human rights organizations, which operates in more than 90 countries. They spoke at a press conference last week, after Israel expelled Omar Shakir and revoked his visa.
   
Human Rights Watch vowed to keep documenting abuses despite the Israeli government’s expulsion.
       

2^nd Segment: Live discussion with Deya' Leonard Dresner & Yazan Meqbil about LE•O and the Educational Opportunities for under-privileged Palestinian Youth.
 
Deya' Leonard Dresner
Founder and Executive Director of LE•O, Leonard Education Organization. She has several years of experience managing key elements of international programs focused on educational opportunities for under-privileged Palestinian youth. She served as Director of Donor Relations for AMIDEAST and as the Director of Development and Student Relations for The Hope Fund. Her strong relationship, program and team-building skills include internship programs, mentoring partners for students, graduate school and job placement support, and most recently Friends of LE•O support groups in the students’ countries of residence. Deya’ has worked closely with over 30 colleges and universities to create sustainable programs to ensure a student’s success in future leadership roles and fulfill their true potential.
  
Yazan Meqbil
Molecular Biologist/Biochemist with a B.A. in Molecular Biology/Biochemistry from Goshen College in Goshen, IN. He attended Goshen College as a LE.O scholar. Throughout his time at Goshen, Mqebil developed an interest in drug discovery which influenced his pursuit of a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology with the focus on Neuropharmacology. Meqbil grew up in the town of Beit Ommar in the West Bank, occupied Palestine, where he graduated from high school. In Beit Ommar, Meqbil started the Local Committee for Youth-Beit Ommar, an effort aimed to create the space and resources for students aged 10-15 for extracurricular and educational activities. Meqbil hopes to use his scientific expertise to transform scientific and pharmaceutical research in Palestine. As of December 2019, Meqbil is a graduate student at Purdue University in the Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Ph.D program.

Date:

November 27, 2019

“A Lebanese October Revolution: Reclaiming Public Spaces, Rejecting Patriarchy, and Demanding Social Justice” by Dr. Sana Tannoury-Karam
  
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston hosted Dr. Sana Tannoury-Karam on November 12, 2019, for a talk titled “A Lebanese October Revolution: Reclaiming Public Spaces, Rejecting Patriarchy, and Demanding Social Justice”.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will air that lecture in its entirety.
  
Dr. Sana Tannoury-Karam is a historian of the modern Middle East, writing on the intellectual and social history of the Left in the Levant during the Mandate period. She is an Early Career Fellow at the Arab Council for the Social Sciences and a lecturer in the Humanities Department at the Lebanese American University. Most recently, she had completed a post-doctoral fellowship in History at Rice University. She is currently working on her book Red Flags in the Streets of Beirut: An Intellectual and Cultural History of the Lebanese Left, 1920-1948. Dr. Tannoury-Karam, currently residing in Lebanon, and is an activist in the ongoing Lebanese uprising. She is a member of the Coalition of Independent University Professors and an organizing member of the Coalition of Independent Professionals, organizations that have been formed during the October revolution.

Date:

November 20, 2019

1^st Segment: Mohamed Mohamed
Executive Director of The Jerusalem Fund and The Palestine Center. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, where he majored in Political Science and completed his senior thesis on statelessness and its practical implications on Palestinians living in the refugee camps of Lebanon. He also earned an M.A. in International Relations and an M.S. in International Political Economy from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has written articles about Palestine issues that have been featured on Mondoweiss, Electronic Intifada, and others. Prior to joining The Jerusalem Fund, Mohamed campaigned and worked for a Palestinian-American city councilman and mayoral candidate in the city of Richardson, Texas.
 
We will speak live with Mohamed about the ongoing Israeli occupation and recent escalation of attacks on Gaza, and the US announcement that Israeli settlements are no longer considered a violation of international law.
  

2^nd Segment: Raed Jarrar
Iraqi-American political activist and blogger. He is the Executive Director for MENA at the Delahunt Group. Since his immigration to the U.S. in 2005, he has worked on political and cultural issues pertaining to U.S. engagement in the Arab and Muslim worlds. He is widely recognized as an expert on political, social, and economic developments in the Middle East. He has testified in numerous Congressional hearings and briefings, and he is also a frequent guest on national and international media outlets in both Arabic and English.
  
We will speak live with Raed Jarrar about the ongoing protests and situation in Iraq, where more than 330 Iraqis were killed and more than 15,000 were wounded over the past three months.

Date:

November 13, 2019

Date:

November 6, 2019

Date:

October 30, 2019

ACC's Annual Unity & Friendship Gala
The Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) in Houston held its 24^th Annual Unity and Friendship Gala on October 19, 2019, and it highlighted Iraq, The Dawn of Civilization. The Gala Chairs were Mrs. Luna Madi and Dr. Ghaidaa Makki. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Sally Mamdooh, award-winning reporter at KPRC-TV.
       
The ACC honorees were Dr. Issam Raad (2019 ACC Lifetime Achievement Award), Mrs. Wafa Abdin (2019 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award), and The Khudairi Group (2019 ACC Business Service Award).
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered at the Gala, including the remarks of Dr. Mahmoud Rabie, ACC President, Mrs. Luna Madi & Dr. Ghaidaa Makki, Gala Chairs, Dr. Ali Al Ameri, President of the Iraqi American Society in Houston, with a tribute to Iraq, Dr. Jamal Zahalka, former member of the Knesset (introduced by Alaa Aburahmeh), Dr. Issam Raad (introduced by Dr. Kamal Khalil), Mrs. Wafa Abdin (introduced by Saleh Al-Mohtaseb), and Mr. Aziz Khudairi (introduced be Subhi Khudairi).

Date:

October 23, 2019

1^st Segment: Ruth Ann Skaff
Ruth Ann Skaff serves on the organizing committee for the National Arab Orchestra’s first ever Houston performance that will be held in Houston on November 16, 2019. She also serves on the board of The Arab-American Educational Foundation. Previously, Ruth Ann has worked for a number of Arab American organizations including the ADC, AAI, ALSAC-St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Arab American National Museum.
   
Ruth Ann grew up in Houston. Her grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1880s from the Ottoman province of Greater Syria. Their ancestral villages are in Lebanon. She grew up in the heart of the Arab American community and developed a great love and appreciation for her rich cultural heritage.
       
We will speak with Ruth Ann about the National Arab Orchestra, and the upcoming performance in Houston featuring Abeer Nehme and the Houston Youth Arabic Choir, sponsored by several Houston Arab organizations.
      

2^nd Segment: Maya Mikdashi
Assistant Professor at the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and a lecturer in the program in Middle East Studies at Rutgers University. She is currently completing a book manuscript that examines the war on terror, sexual difference, secularism, and state power in the contemporary Middle East from the vantage point of Lebanon. Maya received her PhD from Columbia University's Department of Anthropology. She is Co-Director of the award-winning documentary film About Baghdad, and assistant director of Arabs and Terrorism documentary series. She is Co-Founder and Co-Editor of Jadaliyya, an independent ezine produced by the Arab Studies Institute. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, in addition to online platforms.
        
We will speak with Maya about the unprecedented protests in Lebanon where millions of all ages have been demonstrating across Lebanon for the past week and from across all religious and political groups. They are protesting against government corruption, lack of services, tax hikes, dire economic conditions, depressing electricity supply, austerity, and much more.

Date:

October 16, 2019

Date:

October 9, 2019

Re-Airing Portions of Previous Interviews with Melvin Goodman
Melvin Goodman is Director of the National Security Project at the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, and a professor of government at Johns Hopkins University. He was an analyst at the CIA for 24 years; a former analyst at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and author of several books on international security, including "National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism" and "Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA". His latest book is "Whistleblower at the CIA". Goodman helped draft the report that described Israel’s attack against Egypt on the morning of June 5, 1967.Last year, he published the piece The Six Day War and Israeli Lies: What I Saw at the CIA. Goodman has written numerous articles and op-eds over the years, appeared on various media outlets, and has lectured all over the country. He is also the national security columnist for counterpunch.org.
         
Because KPFT is currently in Fall Fund Drive, Arab Voices is offering the following books as a "Thank-You" Gift during this drive:
 

"National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism" book by Melvin Goodman - $100 "Whistleblower at the CIA: An Insider’s Account of the Politics of Intelligence" book by Melvin Goodman - $100 Both Books by Melvin Goodman - $150 Please consider a contribution to keep Arab Voices on KPFT. You can call during the show on Wednesday between 6 and 7 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge.        Thank you.

Winter Fund Drive

Date:

October 2, 2019

1^st Segment: Ellen Siegel
Jewish American nurse, a longtime peace activist who has been a strong voice for justice for Palestinians for decades. Ellen serves on the advisory board of the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), and works closely with the National Institution of Social Care and Vocational training known as Beit Atfal Assumoud (Lebanese NGO). Ellen Siegel was working in Gaza Hospital inside Sabra refugee camp in Lebanon during the Israeli massacre in Sabra & Shatila in September 1982 and witnessed the killing of thousands of Palestinian men, women, children and elderly, and testified before the Israeli Kahan Commission of Inquiry. Ellen returned to Lebanon each year after the massacre to participate in the commemorations.
   
We will speak with Ellen Siegel about the work she did in Lebanon as a nurse inside a Palestinian refugee camp; her eyewitness account of the Israeli massacre in Sabra & Shatila 37 years ago in Lebanon; the situation inside Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and more.
   

2^nd Segment: Jehan Hakim
Chair of the Yemeni Alliance Committee, which advocates for ending the US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen by raising awareness and pushing legislation. Previously, she served as the Community Advocate with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus to support communities through educational programs, community organizing initiatives and empowerment and advocacy, and also served with the American Association of Yemeni Students and Professionals. Jehan is a Yemeni American based in California.
      
We will speak with Jehan Hakim about the crisis in Yemen as a result of the U.S.-supported Saudi-led war on Yemen, the current situation inside Yemen, efforts to stop the war, and what people can do to help end U.S. support for this war.

Date:

September 25, 2019

Date:

September 18, 2019

PACC Gala with Keynote Speaker Saree Makdisi
    
The Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC), held its 10th Anniversary Gala on September 14, 2019, in Houston, to celebrate its achievements and accomplishments over the years, and in appreciation of the organization’s sponsors and donors. The gala was held under the theme “Strengthening the community through unity”. over the years. The Gala was held under the theme “Strengthening the community through unity”.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air the remarks delivered at the Gala, including the keynote address on Palestine delivered by Saree Makdisi, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at UCLA, and author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation, who was introduced by Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Associate Professor and Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston. We will also listen to the remarks of Tarek Abuata, Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America, the recipient of this year’s Abu-Obaida Community Service Award, and the remarks of Abbas Yaacoubi, PACC board member, past president and one of its founders, Dr. Waleed Faris, PACC President, Muhammad Nabulsi, PACC board member, and Kareem El-Sadi with PACC.
 
The Gala was an amazing event, with nearly 400 people in attendance. The Gala chair was Muna Saqer, co-chair was Luna Madi, and the Mistress of Ceremonies was Nuzha Petro. In addition to the remarkable speakers, the Gala featured Palestinian folkloric performance by Alawdah Dabkeh School members, live traditional Palestinian music played by the talented brothers Muhammad and Hamzah Saadah, and an amazing national anthem and Mawtini performance by Muna Khalidi while Muhammad Saadah was playing the Oud. The gala also featured silent auction, authentic centerpieces of Palestinian clay water jars, a display of traditional Palestinian embroidered dresses, and entertainment by Jabour and Band.
 
One of the highlights of this year’s Gala, was the photo gallery with incredible pictures and powerful Photo Essays by Palestinian American established Photographer, Hanan Awad, narrating stories about Palestine with a series of photographs she took herself when she was in Palestine. Each photo essay tells a story of how occupation destroys identity and land. Hanan Awad is based in Edmond, Oklahoma, and has held multiple photo exhibitions in the U.S., Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.

Date:

September 11, 2019

1^st Segment: "How the VCHR is Preventing Israel Affinity Organizations from Politicizing K-12 Textbooks" by Kathy Drinkard
   
We will air today the remarks of Kathy Drinkard on the topic "How the VCHR is Preventing Israel Affinity Organizations from Politicizing K-12 Textbooks". Kathy Drinkard is chair of the Ministry for Middle East Peace and Justice at Grace Presbyterian Church in Springfield, VA, and a retired teacher and elementary school counselor. She’s long been concerned about the suffering in the Palestinian territories, and has been involved with her church on the issue for more than a decade. She’s traveled to the region four times, most recently Fall 2018, a trip she helped plan. During her second trip, she spent 10 days in Nablus visiting an Anglican congregation which is in partnership with her church. Her third trip was to participate in the seminar “Faith in the Face of Empire,” sponsored by Rev. Mitri Raheb and Bright Stars of Bethlehem.
       
Drinkard delivered those remarks at The Israel Lobby and American Policy Conference held on March 22, 2019 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
         

2^nd Segment: Sam Husseini on the Iraq War Lies Exposed in the New Film "Official Secrets"
  
Sam Husseini is a senior analyst and director of communications with the Institute for Public Accuracy. He has written widely on politics, foreign affairs, public policy, media, and culture. His writing is regularly published by Consortium News, CounterPunch, TruthDig and other outlets. He’s a contributing writer with The Nation and has been published in the Washington Post, USA Today and other large circulation print outlets. He’s appeared on CNN, “Good Morning America,” MSNBC and FNC as well as many independent outlets. Prior to joining IPA, Husseini was media director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He founded The Washington Stakeout and VotePact.org.
      
We will speak live with Sam Husseini about the Iraq war lies exposed in the new film "Official Secrets" that opened nationally this week including in Houston, and described by Sam Husseini as the "Tip of Mammoth Iceberg".
 
"Official Secrets" is a remarkably accurate Hollywood account of how British spy Katharine Gun (played by Keira Knightley) attempted to stop the invasion of Iraq by exposing a top secret NSA document proving the U.S. and British governments were spying on other UN members to bully and blackmail their way to a UN authorization for war.

Date:

September 4, 2019

Date:

August 28, 2019

2^nd Segment: Khaled Elgindy
Nonresident senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and a founding board member of the Egyptian American Rule of Law Association. He previously served as an advisor to the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on permanent status negotiations with Israel from 2004 to 2009, and was a key participant in the Annapolis negotiations held throughout 2008. He is author of the newly released book "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump", and co-author of "The Arab Awakening: America and the Transformation of the Middle East". Prior to that, Elgindy spent nine years in various political and policy-related positions in Washington, D.C., both inside and outside the federal government, including as a professional staff member on the House International Relations Committee in 2002 and as a policy analyst for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2000 to 2002. He served as the political action coordinator for the Arab American Institute from 1998 to 2000 and as Middle East program officer for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs from 1995 to 1997.
    
We will speak live with Khaled Elgindy about his new book "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump".

Date:

August 21, 2019

Date:

August 14, 2019

In Memorium: Arab Voices Interview with Former Congressman Paul Findley
 
Former Congressman Paul Findley (R-IL), passed away on August 9, 2019, at the age of 98. He served in the United States Congress for 22 years representing central Illinois.
 
Findley was an advocate for Palestinian rights for nearly half a century, and one of the few who spoke against the Israel lobby in the United States. He was targeted by the Israel lobby and was pushed out of Congress in 1982. Paul Findley was co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Council for the National Interest, and was also a founding director of If Americans Knew.
 
Mr. Findley is the author of the best-selling book They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby. This was the first book to expose the power of the Israel lobby throughout the United States: in Congress, academia, and the press. He is also the author of Deliberate Deceptions: Facing the Facts About the U.S.-Israeli Relationship, and Silent No More: Confronting America's False Images of Islam.
 
Arab Voices had interviewed Paul Findley live on the program in April 2006 and talked about the Israel lobby in the U.S., the impact of the Israel lobby on the US foreign policy, Zionist Christians, why fewer congresspeople speak out about the Israel lobby, intimidation by the Israel lobby against congresspeople, his book They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby, and more!
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will re-air the interview we conducted with former Congressman Paul Findley.

Because KPFT is currently in Summer Fund Drive, Arab Voices will be offering Congressman Paul Findley's book They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby during the show today as a Thank-You Gift for $100.

Date:

August 7, 2019

Ahmad Awad and Astha Sharma Pokharel
  

From Palestine Legal

Students at Fordham University won a landmark legal victory this week when a judge ruled that Fordham University violated its own rules in prohibiting the formation of a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) club. The Court annulled Fordham’s decision to deny SJP club status, finding it arbitrary and capricious.
  
We will speak live about that with Ahmad Awad, one of the five students who filed the lawsuit in April 2017 against Fordham University, and Astha Sharma Pokharel, one of the attorneys who worked on this case. Astha Sharma Pokharel is a Bertha Justice Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she works on international human rights, corporate accountability, Palestine solidarity, and abusive immigration practices.
 
The students were represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Palestine Legal, and cooperating counsel Alan Levine. They have taken on that case and filed the lawsuit on behalf of the five students. This lawsuit is the first major legal win for campus Palestine activists in the US.

Date:

July 31, 2019

Josh Ruebner
Senior Principal at Progress Up Consulting. Josh has two decades of experience as an analyst for Congressional Research Service and as a policy director for the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a national nonprofit working on progressive foreign policy issues. In those roles, Josh learned the ins-and-outs of Capitol Hill and how to best communicate with Congress to create policy change. Josh has written dozens of high-impact policy papers, has written policy-related op-eds in publications such as The Hill, USA Today, and The Los Angeles Times, and discussed policy issues on TV channels such as C-SPAN, ABC, and NBC. Josh is also the author of two acclaimed books on policy issues, "Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State?" and "Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace".
  

We will speak live with Josh Ruebner about the non-binding US House of Representatives resolution (H.Res.246) that passed by a vote of 398-17 on July 23, 2019, condemning people for exercising their constitutional right to engage in boycotts in support of Palestinian rights. We will talk about BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement, and H.Res.496, introduced on July 16, 2019, by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, affirming that all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. We will also talk about the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, home demolitions in Jerusalem, Israel’s racist policies, the Trump administration’s stance towards Israel/Palestine, and more.

Date:

July 24, 2019

"The Early History of the Arab-American Community" by Professor Akram Khater
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and The Arab-American Education Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston held the Nijad and Zeina Fares Arab-American Educational Foundation Annual Distinguished Lecture in Modern Arab Studies on February 19, 2019, at the University of Houston. The lecture was titled "The Early History of the Arab-American Community", and the speaker was Professor Akram Khater.
       
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Khater's lecture on "The Early History of the Arab-American Community".
 
Akram Khater Ph.D. (UC Berkeley) is University Faculty Scholar, Professor of History, Khayrallah Chair in Diaspora Studies, and Director of the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University. His books include Inventing Home: Emigration, Gender and the Making of a Lebanese Middle Class, 1861-1921; A History of the Middle East: A Sourcebook for the History of the Middle East and North Africa; and Embracing the Divine: Passion and Politics in the Christian Middle East. He is the editor of the International Journal of Middle East Studies, has completed a 2012 PBS documentary on the history of the Lebanese community in North Carolina, was the senior curator for a museum exhibit on the same topic that opened on February 21, 2014, and was also the curator of the traveling exhibit, The Lebanese in America, which has toured six US cities, and will continue to tour through 2019.

Date:

July 17, 2019

1^st Segment: Congresswomen Remarks on President Trump's "Go Back" comment
We will listen to the reaction/remarks of the four congresswomen (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan) during a press conference they held on July 15, 2019, reacting to President Trump's targeting them in one of his latest racist and xenophobic remarks, telling the congresswomen of color to “go back” to the countries they came from!
      

2^nd Segment: “Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner: Armaments and Conflict in the Middle East”
 
This is a segment produced by Building Bridges radio program that airs on our sister station WBAI 99.5 FM in the New York City metro area. The segment is titled ”Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner: Armaments and Conflict in the Middle East“, with guest Mohamad Bazzi, journalism professor at New York University, a former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday and a former Council on Foreign Relations fellow. He is currently writing a book on the proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
 
Mohamad Bazzi, recently wrote for The Nation that Trumps public statements on Saudi killing in Yemen reflect "a narrative that has been gaining traction for years among U.S. officials and in sectors of the Western media: that the Saudis and their allies in the Yemen war, especially the United Arab Emirates, are killing civilians and destroying infrastructure by mistake. But this is not true. The Saudi coalition has targeted civilians and the country's infrastructure by design since it intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015. Its not that the Saudis and their allies don't know how to use American-made weapons or need help in choosing targets -- they're using them as intended. And American officials have known this for years."

Bazzi has written extensively on the war in Yemen and the Trump administration circumventing Congress on arms to Saudi Arabia while civilians are being targeted -and recently said: "the Trump administration stated it plans to circumvent Congress to sell billions in new weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. officials have known for years that the Saudi/UAE coalition deliberately targets civilians in Yemen with U.S. weapons."

Date:

July 10, 2019

Special Report on "Christians United For Israel" Summit & the Protests against it
  
We will listen today to a special report produced by Mark Bebawi, former producer and host of "The Monitor" on KPFT Houston, 90.1 FM, on the "Christians United For Israel" (CUFI) summit held July 7-8, 2019 in Washington, D.C., where over 100 faith leaders and community organizers protested the summit. The group led direct actions, including sit-ins outside the center while 21 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders staged disruptions of the opening plenary session featuring CUFI founder John Hagee, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
 
Tarek Abuata, executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), who was a guest live on Arab Voices last week to talk about CUFI, was the first to stand up and disrupt, shouting, “Zionism is racism,” and holding up a banner that read, “Israel is an apartheid state.” Security immediately handcuffed Abuata and carried him out of the convention center. Abuata continued to shout, “People of God, wake up! Protect the Palestinian people.”
 
During Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks, Christian and Jewish faith leaders interrupted the U.S. vice president, shouting, “Israel kills children. Jews and Christians say no to Zionism,” and holding a banner that read, “Israel kills civilians.” Security grabbed them and dragged them out of the center.

Date:

July 3, 2019

1^st Segment: Dr. Assal Rad
Research Fellow at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding between the American and Iranian people. Dr. Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine. Her PhD research focused on Modern Iran, with an emphasis on national identity formation and identity in post-revolutionary Iran. She works with the policy team on research and writing related to Iran policy issues and U.S.-Iran relations, and also works to organize Iranian Americans around issues that affect the community.
  
We will speak live with Dr. Assal Rad about the tensions between the U.S. and Iran, President Trump's Iran policy and his threats to go to war against Iran, the new sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.S., consequences of President Trump’s abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, and more.
    

2^nd Segment: Tarek Abuata
Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), a nonprofit Christian ecumenical organization seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through nonviolent advocacy and education. Tarek was born into a Palestinian Christian family in Bethlehem, and moved to Texas during the first Palestinian Intifada when he was 12. He was the executive director of Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace and of Love Thy Neighbor. Additionally, he worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams, the United Palestine Appeal, and the Negotiations Support Unit of the Palestinian Authority, researching legal and policy issues. Abuata holds a J.D. from the University of Texas Law School.
   
We will speak live with Tarek Abuata about the upcoming Christians United For Israel (CUFI) summit, scheduled to take place July 7-8 in Washington, D.C., and the campaign (Rise Against Racism: Counter CUFI!) launched to counter CUFI summit and challenge Christian Zionism and express solidarity for the Palestinian people by several organizations, headed by Friends of Sabeel North America, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, and US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and endorsed by more than 30 organizations.
     
More about CUFI from FOSNA: Christians United for Israel has quietly become the largest organization in the United States driving support for Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people. With over five million members, CUFI uses its political leverage to ensure ongoing U.S. support for Israel’s colonization and military occupation of Palestine, including imprisoning Palestinian children; bombing homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza; massacring peaceful protestors; and confiscating Palestinian land. By its own admission, CUFI “led the charge to have the U.S. recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” and it continues to push for unconstitutional anti-BDS legislation and illegal settlement expansion. CUFI is a Christian Zionist organization: Its ideology and politics are deeply entrenched in white nationalism, anti-Muslim racism, anti-Semitism, and other systems of oppression. In spite of its strong political influence on the Hill, CUFI has operated largely under the radar and received little attention in comparison with groups like AIPAC.

Date:

June 26, 2019

1^st Segment: Dr. Hanan Ashrawi's Response
  
We will listen to Dr. Hanan Ashrawi's remarks delivered today at a press conference in response to the US-sponsored "Bahrain Workshop", titled "Peace to Prosperity". Dr. Ashrawi is a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee.
            

2^nd Segment: Dr. Khalil Jahshan
We will speak live with Dr. Jahshan about the "Bahrain Workshop".
  
Dr. Khalil Jahshan is Executive Director of the Arab Center Washington DC, a non-partisan, non-profit think tank focusing on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as furthering economic, political, and social understanding of the Arab World in the United States. He is a Palestinian-American political analyst and media commentator. He previously served as Executive Director at Pepperdine University, Executive Vice President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and director of its government affairs affiliate (NAAA-ADC), Vice President of the American Committee on Jerusalem, President of the National Association of Arab Americans, National Director of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG), Assistant Director of Palestine Research and Educational Center, and Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Chicago Extension and at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Mr. Jahshan has served on the boards of directors, and advisory boards of various Middle East-oriented groups, including ANERA, MIFTAH and Search for Common Ground.

Date:

June 19, 2019

Juneteenth Special
 
1^st Segment: Mustafaa Carroll
Civil rights activist, board member with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) and previously served as its Executive Director. Carroll began his civil rights activism at 16 as President of the NAACP Youth Council in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Prior to his arrival in Houston in June 2010, he served as Board President at CAIR-TX DFW and then Executive Director. He has also served on several other boards over the years, and was just voted to serve on the board of the Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Mustafaa Carroll received several awards and recognitions over the years for his work, including the 2017 CAIR National Leadership Award.
    
We will speak live with Mustafaa about Juneteenth (today, June 19, 2019 is Juneteenth Day), how the advent of slavery and Jim Crow laws affect the American psyche,  how slavery and oppression of black people manifest politically and socio-economically domestically, how do these cultural influences play out on the world stage and the U.S. foreign policy, the intersection between the civil rights movement for blacks, other minority groups, and movements in the U.S. and on the world stage, the underpinnings of the current state of affairs with regards to Islamophobia and xenophobia, and what can be done by the ecumenical or religious community, governmental representatives, lawmakers, educators and individuals to impact a positive change and unity within the society.
           

2^nd Segment: Dr. Melina Abdullah
Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and Co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA chapter. She was appointed to the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission in 2014 and is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. Abdullah is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, with subjects ranging from political coalition building to womanist mothering. Professor Abdullah is a womanist scholar-activist – understanding the role that she plays in the academy as intrinsically linked to broader struggles for the liberation of oppressed people. Melina is the recipient of many awards over the years, and was recognized by LA Weekly as one of the 10 most influential Los Angeles leaders, “Urban Girl of the Year” by 2UrbanGirls, and one of the 15 “Fiercest Sisters” of 2015 by Fierce.
 
Dr, Melina Abdullah spoke at the University of Houston at an event organized by nine University of Houston student organizations and sponsored by the UH History Department.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to her talk at UH on the way blacks were treated in the U.S., the struggle for black people and being slaves, Black Lives Matter movement, Police abuse, killing of black people, the struggles for justice, the importance of understanding what is happening to blacks in the U.S. and how that parallels to what is happening to the Palestinian people, how the struggle for black freedom in the U.S. is intrinsically tied to the struggle of oppressed people around the globe, especially the Palestinian people, and how freedom is a constant struggle.

Date:

June 12, 2019

"A History of Activist Repression" by Zoha Khalili
Zoha Khalili is a staff attorney for Palestine Legal. She provides legal advice and advocacy support to Palestine rights activists, students and professors on the West Coast on issues ranging from free speech violations, discrimination, threats, surveillance and disciplinary charges. Zoha's legal career has been devoted to defending the rights of marginalized communities.
 
On April 15, 2019, Zoha Khalili spoke at the University of Houston Law Center on the topic "A History of Activist Repression". She delivered a historical analysis of activist repression in the United States, examples of the types of suppression that people have faced when engaging in advocacy, the types of issues that have affected people advocating for Palestine, lessons to learn, Dos and Don'ts, resources, and more.
 
During her lecture and the Q&A session that followed, she talked about Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Black Panthers, American Indian Movement, COINTELPRO (COunter INTELligence PROgram), the different forms of propaganda, the Espionage and Sedition Acts, loyalty oaths, surveillance, infiltrators, informants, pro-Palestinian groups, deportation of Palestinian activists, BDS movement, BDS laws, Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Counter Violent Extremism (CVE), and more.
 
The event was organized by Defend Our Voice Coalition at the University of Houston.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air that lecture and some of the questions and answers that followed.

Date:

June 5, 2019

1^st Segment: Dr. Hanan Ashrawi's interview on Democracy Now!
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, was interviewed last Thursday, May 30, 2019, on Democracy Now!, in which she talked about the Israeli elections, the Trump administration’s so-called “peace plan”, her reaction to the conference or workshop the U.S. has scheduled in Bahrain next month, her response to the U.S. denying her a visa to come to the United States, and more.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will re-air that interview.
     

2^nd Segment: Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani
Associate Professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies, and Chair of the African Studies Program at McGill University. He has published numerous articles on the roots of civil conflict and the funding of the Islamic movement in Sudan, the question of informal finance and terrorism in Somalia, the obstacles to state building in Iraq, and the role of informal networks in the rise of Islamic militancy. His current book project is on Globalization, Informal Markets and Collective Action: The Development of Islamic and Ethnic Politics in Egypt, Sudan and Somalia.
 
We will speak live with Professor Medani about the situation in Sudan, the mass protests in the country, the bloody massacre in which at least 102 protesters were killed and hundreds were wounded at a sit-in in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Monday, and more.

Date:

May 29, 2019

1^st Segment: Houston Iftar Annual Ramadan Dinner Remarks
More than 1,800 people attended the 20^th anniversary of the Houston Iftar Annual Ramadan Dinner on May 11, 2019. The keynote speaker was Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston. Several elected officials and others spoke at the event, and today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of those remarks delivered by Emcee Mona Khalil, Sohail Syed, President of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, Congressman Al Green, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston.
   
The event was organized by the Houston Abu Dhabi, Houston Baku, Houston Istanbul and Houston Karachi Sister City Associations, along with the Islamic Society of Greater Houston and other collaborating organizations and sponsors.
     

2^nd Segment: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's California Remarks
We will air today the full speech of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) delivered on March 23, 2019, at the 4^th Annual Valley Banquet hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations California (CAIR-LA). There were hateful attacks, incitement of violence and hate-based smear campaign against Representative Omar after she delivered that speech (based on four words taken out of context), but Arab Voices will be airing her entire remarks on the show today.
 
In 2018, Congresswoman Omar won the congressional seat vacated by Rep. Keith Ellison, the first American Muslim elected to Congress, becoming one of the first two American Muslim women elected to Congress.

Date:

May 22, 2019

Today on Arab Voices, we will air different segments than what we aired last week of both "Al-Nakba" documentary and "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" documentary.
  
Because KPFT is currently in Spring Fund Drive, Arab Voices will be offering "Al-Nakba" DVD documentary as a "Thank-You Gift" to those who pledge $150. We are also offering another DVD documentary titled "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" for $100, and both documentaries are available for $200.
 
Please consider a contribution to keep Arab Voices on KPFT. You can call during the show on Wednesday between 6 and 7 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge.
    
Thank you.
               

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

May 15, 2019

71st Anniversary of Al-Nakba (The Catastrophe)
Today, May 15, 2019, marks the 71st anniversary of Al-Nakba (Arabic word for The Catastrophe), that's when Israel declared its independence on 78% of historic Palestine after wiping out more than 530 Palestinian villages and towns, killing thousands of Palestinians and forcing more than 850,000 Palestinians out of their homes. The Palestinians started referring to that as Al-Nakba, which actually started before 1948 and it continues to this day!
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will be talking about Al-Nakba, and also air portions of a special award-winning documentary, entitled "Al-Nakba".
  
And because KPFT is currently in Spring Fund Drive, Arab Voices will be offering "Al-Nakba" DVD documentary as a "Thank-You Gift" to those who pledge $150. We are also offering another DVD documentary titled "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" for $100, and both documentaries are available for $200.
  
Please consider a contribution to keep Arab Voices on KPFT. You can call during the show on Wednesday between 6 and 7 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge.
  
BTW, a few years ago, Pacifica Radio Network, produced a special documentary about Al-Nakba, to which I contributed, and it was aired on all Pacifica radio stations and their affiliates across the U.S. It was a collaboration between Arab Voices and several radio stations. This special documentary featured know experts, Palestinian politicians, elder survivors of the Nakba and their children and grand children, former detainees, reporters, and activists.
    
Thank you.
          

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

May 8, 2019

Date:

May 1, 2019

Bahia Amawi
Palestinian-American speech pathologist who has worked with the Pflugerville Independent School District (PFISD) in Austin, Texas for nine years. She has a master’s degree in speech pathology, and has specialized in evaluations for young children with language difficulties. Bahia is a U.S. citizen, who was born in Austria and has lived in the U.S. for the last 30 years, and has four U.S.-born American children.
    
In December 2018, Bahia Amawi filed a federal lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for violating her First Amendment right of free speech and challenging Texas Anti-BDS Act, H.B. 89., after she lost her job because she refused to sign a “No Boycott of Israel” clause. Bahia won her case on April 25, 2019 when a federal judge ruled that Texas law banning state contractors from boycotting Israel violates the First Amendment.
        
John T. Floyd
Criminal Defense Lawyer based in Houston, Texas, and a volunteer Civil Rights Lawyer for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR Houston). He is also a Board Member with CAIR Houston. John T. Floyd is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has been providing defense services to clients in federal and state courts for over twenty years.
  
John T. Floyd is the attorney representing Bahia Amawi, along with CAIR Legal Defense Fund, who filed the lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Ken Paxton.
   

We will speak live with both Bahia Amawi and John T. Flyed about last week's landmark court victory in Texas by the Council on American-Islamic Relations Legal Defense Fund in the First Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of Bahia Amawi who lost her job because she refused to sign a “No Boycott of Israel” clause. We will talk about what happens next, and the plans to challenge 26 other states that have already passed unconstitutional anti-BDS laws.
 

Date:

April 24, 2019

Date:

April 17, 2019

1^st Segment:  Khalil AbuSharekh
We will speak with Houston Palestine Film Festival's board member, Khalil AbuSharekh, about the 13^th annual Houston Palestine Film Festival (HPFF). The festival will showcase a number of award-winning and internationally acclaimed feature films, documentaries and shorts that address a variety of themes and narratives in Palestinian society, including Alexandra Dol’s documentary “Beyond the Frontlines: Tales of Resistance and Resilience from Palestine,” which won the Sunbird Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2017 Palestine Cinema Days Festival. Beyond the Frontlines features Palestinian psychiatrist Dr. Samah Jabr who thoughtfully explores the psychological wounds of war and occupation borne by a resilient people intent on resisting. Alexandra Dols and Dr. Samah Jabr will both be present post-screening on the opening night of April 26 to engage the audience in a Q&A session.
 
The Houston Palestine Film Festival will be held April 26 through May 4 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Rice University Media Center. Click here for more details and Program Lineup.
      

2^nd Segment: Dr. Kamel Mohanna
Founder of Amel Association International (مؤسسة عامل الدولية), an independent nonprofit, non-confessional Lebanese organization dedicated to saving lives and generating a democratic and prosperous Lebanon, and a nominee for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, who dedicated his life to help the displaced, the sick and the abandoned. Dr. Kamel Mohanna was born in Khiyam village (South Lebanon) and spent his early life there. Marked by an arduous childhood facing poverty and inequality, he became a man with the courage to choose the right but challenging options instead of the easiest ones. Originally pediatrician, Dr. Kamel Mohanna strengthen his humanitarian commitment after the second Israeli invasion of South Lebanon (1978) when he founded the NGO Amel Association in collaboration with a group of doctors, teachers, journalists and intellectuals. During the war, Amel Association played a significant role providing relief and emergency response. Since then, the NGO has established a considerable network of dispensaries, clinics, medical centers, and a dedicated team of more than 800 volunteers and aid workers. Dr. Kamel Mohanna was honored with several titles recognizing his courage and humanitarian action in favor of the most vulnerable during the war. Among a long series of titles, he received the Order of Honor on behalf of President Jacques Chirac in 1998 for his long commitment to caring for the injured abroad and the Civil Peace and Human Rights Prize (Joseph and Laure Moghaizel Foundation) in collaboration with the UNDP Programme in 2006. During his career, Dr. Kamel Mohanna continued to practice pediatrics while teaching as a Professor at the University. As the General Coordinator of the Lebanese NGOs Network he gave rise to a nation-wide campaign entitled “Khallas”, a civil society initiative urging politicians to end the current deadlock in Lebanon.
 
We will speak live with Dr. Kamel Mohanna about his work and Amel Association International, that is providing many services to Lebanese, as well as Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

Date:

April 10, 2019

"The Early History of the Arab-American Community" by Professor Akram Khater
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and The Arab-American Education Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston held the Nijad and Zeina Fares Arab-American Educational Foundation Annual Distinguished Lecture in Modern Arab Studies on February 19, 2019, at the University of Houston. The lecture was titled "The Early History of the Arab-American Community", and the speaker was Professor Akram Khater.
       
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Khater's lecture on "The Early History of the Arab-American Community".
 
Akram Khater Ph.D. (UC Berkeley) is University Faculty Scholar, Professor of History, Khayrallah Chair in Diaspora Studies, and Director of the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University. His books include Inventing Home: Emigration, Gender and the Making of a Lebanese Middle Class, 1861-1921; A History of the Middle East: A Sourcebook for the History of the Middle East and North Africa; and Embracing the Divine: Passion and Politics in the Christian Middle East. He is the editor of the International Journal of Middle East Studies, has completed a 2012 PBS documentary on the history of the Lebanese community in North Carolina, was the senior curator for a museum exhibit on the same topic that opened on February 21, 2014, and was also the curator of the traveling exhibit, The Lebanese in America, which has toured six US cities, and will continue to tour through 2019.

Date:

April 3, 2019

1^st Segment: Houston Palestinian Festival
A live conversation with Dr. Waleed Faris, President of the Palestinian American Cultural Center, organizer of the 9th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival, and Alma AlQuqa, senior festival committee member.
 
We will speak with them about the 9th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival that will be held Saturday-Sunday, April 6-7, 2019 at The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine Street, in Houston. This year, the festival will showcase the Palestinian cities lost in 1948, and it will include:
  
- A new and much larger downtown venue: Water Works at Buffalo Bayou
- An exciting cultural collaboration with Cafe Mawal
- Various Palestinian cuisine from local food vendors
- Cultural music and dance performances from all around Palestine
- Palestinian Pagentry where you watch and learn about Palestinian thobes
- Showcase of a traditional Palestinian wedding
- A larger kids entertainment section with extended hours
- A larger shopping Bazar to give you the ultimate shopping experience with a variety of vendors, such as Henna tattoos, embroidery, arts, clothing, home decor and much more
- And much more live entertainment
     

2^nd Segment: National Arab American Heritage Month
A live conversation with  Sarah Kassis Izzat, a volunteer serving on the board of a special project with Arab America that was formed 3 years ago in order to unify efforts to achieve official recognition and awareness of Arab American heritage and culture throughout the country, and Ahmad Alaswad, Arab-American Cultural & Community Center Board Member, and Chief of Staff at the Office of Fort Bend County Commissioner Ken DeMerchant (the first Arab Chief of Staff in the greater Houston area).
    
We will speak with them about the National Arab American Heritage Month, that aims to educate and enlighten the public about Arab contributions to American culture and to combat the negative media portrayal of Arabs in the U.S. We will talk about the proclamations issued nationwide by several states and various government officials and school boards, including locally the City of Houston (issued by Mayor Sylvester Turner), Houston Independent School District, Fort Bend Independent School District, Fort Bend County Commissioner, and Fort Bend County Judge, proclaiming the month of April as National Arab American Heritage Month. We will also talk about the events planned during the month of April by the Arab American Cultural & Community Center, and share some ideas and recommendations for others.

Date:

March 27, 2019

1^st Segment: John Quigley
Professor emeritus of international law at Ohio State University, who is active in international human rights work. His numerous publications include books and articles on human rights, the United Nations, war and peace, east European law, African law, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. He authored several books including The Statehood of Palestine: International Law in the Middle East Conflict (2010), The Six-Day War and Israeli Self-Defense: Questioning the Legal Basis for Preventive War (2013), and The International Diplomacy of Israel’s Founders: Deception at the United Nations in the Quest for Palestine (2016). Professor Quigley participated in the fourth session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine - New York Session in 2012. In 1995 he was recipient of The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award. He formerly held the title of President’s Club Professor of Law.
   
We will speak live with professor Quigley about about President Trump's recognition of "Israel’s sovereignty" over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and how that violates International Law. The Golan Heights is a Syrian land that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. In 1981, Israel annexed the Syrian Golan Heights, despite numerous United Nations resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw its occupation from the Syrian Golan Heights, and the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
       

2^nd Segment: "U.S. Foreign Aid and the Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program"
We will air today the remarks of Grant F. Smith, director of the Washington, DC-based Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) on the topic "U.S. Foreign Aid and the Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program". Smith is the author of the 2016 book Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America and Divert! Numec, Zalman Shapiro and the Diversion of U.S. Weapons-Grade Uranium Into the Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program (2012). He has also written two histories of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). America’s Defense Line: The Justice Department's Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government and Foreign Agents: AIPAC from the 1963 Fulbright Hearings to the 2005 Espionage Scandal. Smith’s reports about the Israel lobby and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to reveal official U.S. policy on Israel’s nuclear program appear frequently in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Antiwar.com news website.
    
"U.S. Foreign Aid and the Israeli Nuclear Weapons Program" by Grant F. Smith
In 1969, the Department of Defense, intelligence community and Department of State recommended President Richard Nixon uphold the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and pressure the Israelis to stop their nuclear weapons program by withholding U.S. arms. U.S. deliberations considered Israel’s illegal diversion of U.S. weapons grade uranium. However, the Nixon administration adopted Israel’s policy of “ambiguity” toward Israel’s nukes. Why did this happen? How has “ambiguity” been maintained for a half century? What law governs U.S. foreign aid to non-NPT signatory nuclear countries, and how is this law continually subverted? How has the pattern of action leading to “ambiguity” been repeated in other key U.S. policy areas of interest to Israel and its lobby?
  
Smith delivered those remarks at The Israel Lobby and American Policy Conference held on March 22, 2019 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.      

Date:

March 20, 2019

1^st Segment: 5^th Annual Lebanese Festival
A live conversation with Hiba Elroz, media chair for the Lebanese Festival and board member with the American Lebanese Cultural Center about the 5th Annual Lebanese Festival that will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24 at Constellation Field, in Sugar Land, Texas, organized by the American Lebanese Cultural Center in Houston.
 
There will be delicious food, nonstop dancing, and activities for the whole family which include a NEW bazaar this year named "Made in Lebanon" that will bring a range of authentic Lebanese products and brands to you! ALCC will also sponsor a Walk for Hope during the festival weekend and contribute a portion of festival entrance proceeds to benefit the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, an affiliated hospital of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
            

2^nd Segment: New Zealand Terrorist Attack
We will talk about the terrorist attack that killed 50 Muslims and injured 50 others at two mosques in New Zealand on March 15, 2019. We will listen to the reaction and remarks of Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister, and Waleed Aly, an Australian Muslim, writer, academic, lawyer, media presenter and musician, co-host of Network Ten's news and current affairs television program "The Project", who lives in New Zealand. We will also listen to the remarks of Nihad Awad, National Executive Director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest non-profit Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, and the remarks of Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston.
      

3^rd Segment: AAEF Center for Arab Studies at University of Houston
The Arab-American Educational Foundation (AAEF) in Houston signed an agreement with the University of Houston, a Tier One Research Institution, on March 7, 2019, to launch a center for Arab studies at UH with a million dollar endowment. It was another historic milestone reached by the AAEF Board of Directors, led by Dr. Aziz Shaibani, AAEF President. The AAEF announced right after the agreement was signed (which stipulated that the million dollar be paid over three years), that it actually raised the money and was ready to transfer it to the university the following week.
 
In 2011, the AAEF initiated an endowment campaign and successfully raised one million dollar to establish a Chair of Modern Arab History at the University of Houston, a position held by Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti since 2015. In 1995, the AAEF raised another one million dollar to establishment a Chair in Arab Studies at Rice University, a position held by Dr. Ussama Makdisi since 1997. The next phase would be for the AAEF to raise a million dollar to have its name given to the center.
     
Today on the show, we will listen to some of the remarks shared by some of the attendees at the celebration launch event held on March 7, 2019 at Mr. Nijad and Mrs. Zeina Fares' house where the agreement was signed. We will listen to the remarks of Mr. Nijad Fares, Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor of the University of Houston System and President of the University of Houston, Mr. Farouk Shami, who donated half a million dollars for the new center, and Dr. Aziz Shaibani, President of the Arab-American Educational Foundation.
       

4^th Segment: Dr. Nadia Abuelezam
Creator, Producer, and Host of Palestinians Podcast. She is Palestinian-American, and is a public health researcher and professor interested in domestic and international health disparities. She is an accomplished teacher and storyteller with a passion for the craft of storytelling and narrative. She values storytelling and its impact in building community and creating unity within the Palestinian diaspora. Dr. Abuelezam has performed stories on stages across the United States.
 
We will speak with Dr. Abuelezam about the Palestinians Podcast, and her upcoming visit to Houston to conduct the Palestinian Narrative Training Program to be held at the University of Houston on March 30-31, 2019.

Date:

March 13, 2019

1^st Segment: Alex McDonald
Founder of Texas Coalition for Human Rights. He is an Internet marketer and business consultant based in Houston, Texas. Alex just returned last week from a 10-day visit to Iran as part of a 28 person peace delegation organized by Code Pink, a women-led peace and human rights organization. In 2018, Alex was part of the ground crew for the 2018 Freedom Flotilla for the Norwegian fishing boat Al Awda (The Return) in La Rochelle, France and was a crew member for one week in Northern France onboard the Mairead. In 2017, Alex McDonald visited occupied Palestine and Israel with an interfaith peace group, and has been very concerned about the active role the U.S. has in oppressing the Palestinian people and supporting the violation of human rights.
  
We will speak with Alex about his visit to Iran and what he witnessed there, the impact of the U.S. sanctions on the Iranian people, the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), and his talk with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, and others.
           

2^nd Segment: Abed A. Ayoub
National Legal & Policy Director of the American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab American civil rights organization in the U.S. Through his position, Ayoub works to address issues impacting Arabs and Muslims in the United States, including discrimination, hate crimes, and profiling. Ayoub also works to enhance the community’s economic empowerment and access to education. Ayoub also represents the Arab and Muslim community on Capitol Hill, working regularly with members of Congress. He regularly appears as a community voice/contributor on national and international news outlets. Ayoub is a native of Dearborn, Michigan, which is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans. Before joining ADC, Ayoub was in private practice in Michigan, specializing in immigration and criminal law. Outside of ADC, he works with a number of organizations on interfaith projects and has participated in numerous diversity training programs throughout the country.
  
We will speak with Abed Ayoub about the recent/historic resolution voted on condemning Anti-Muslim bigotry, the attacks against speaking truth regarding the Israel Lobby influence on politicians, accusations of anti-semitism against congresswoman Ilhan Omar, media attacks on Arabs, Tucker Carlson’s attack on Iraqi and Arab culture, and more.

Date:

March 6, 2019

1^st Segment: Dr. Nabeel Shalan
Palestinian American medical doctor, and organizer/promoter of a tour for the "Fozi Mozi & Tutti" Palestinian group in four U.S. cities during the month of April, including Houston.
 
We will speak with Dr. Shalan about the tour that is offering Arab children living in the U.S. the unique opportunity to be part of a children's show in their mother tongue, which will help connect them with their roots and heritage.
 
"Fozi Mozi & Tutti" group is coming from Palestine, and has performed live shows in different countries including Palestine, other Arab countries, and Europe. It is a performance group oriented toward children all over the world. Their programs on YouTube have been dubbed in multiple languages. "Fozi Mozi & Tutti" play the role of two mischievous children, who along with their smart little sister Mandalina, learn as they navigate through daily life. Their fun-filled programs and live shows include plenty of songs and sketches that combine educational value with entertainment.
 
The Houston performance (presented in Arabic) will be held on April 4, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center.
         

2^nd Segment: Dr. Hatem Bazian
Teaching Professor in the Departments of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and he is also Provost, Co-Founder and Professor at Zaytuna College, the 1st Accredited Muslim Liberal Arts College in the United States. Dr. Bazian is an adviser to the Religion, Politics, and Globalization Center at UC Berkeley. In 2009, he founded the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at UC Berkeley, Editor-in-Chief of the Islamophobia Studies Journal and Founder and Director of the International Islamophobia Studies Consortium. Dr. Bazian is on the board of several organizations, including the Islamic Scholarship Fund, Muslim Legal Fund of America and Muslim Americans for Palestine, for which he is also the founding president. Dr. Bazian publishes articles and papers frequently, and he is author of several books, including "Annotations on Race, Colonialism, Islamophobia, Islam and Palestine", and "Palestine: ...it is something colonial".
  
We will speak with Dr. Bazian about the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, the newly released report by the U.N. on Israeli crimes and the efforts to silence critics, the mounting criticism and accusations of anti-semitism against congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and more.
 
Dr. Hatem Bazian was profiled last week in a newly published New Yorker piece “How a Private Israeli Intelligence Firm Spied on Pro-Palestinian Activists in the U.S.”

Date:

February 27, 2019

Date:

February 20, 2019

Re-Airing Portions of Previous Interviews with Melvin Goodman
Melvin Goodman is Director of the National Security Project at the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, and a professor of government at Johns Hopkins University. He was an analyst at the CIA for 24 years; a former analyst at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research; and author of several books on international security, including "National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism" and "Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA". His latest book is "Whistleblower at the CIA". Goodman helped draft the report that described Israel’s attack against Egypt on the morning of June 5, 1967.Last year, he published the piece The Six Day War and Israeli Lies: What I Saw at the CIA. Goodman has written numerous articles and op-eds over the years, appeared on various media outlets, and has lectured all over the country. He is also the national security columnist for counterpunch.org.
         

Winter Fund Drive

Date:

February 13, 2019

1^st Segment: Taher Herzallah
Associate Director of Outreach & Community Organizing for American Muslims for Palestine. He is one of the 'Irvine 11,' a group of students who were arrested and prosecuted for expressing their constitutionally protected rights of free speech and political dissent when they walked out of a speech given by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at UC Irvine in 2010. Mr. Herzallah was also one of six people arrested for protesting the appointment of David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in February 2017. He has had articles published in various media outlets including the Orange County Register and Al Jazeera English. He has been featured on several media and radio interviews throughout the US and internationally. Taher Herzallah studied Political Science and International Affairs at UC Riverside.
  
We will speak live with Taher Herzallah about American Muslims for Palestine organization, and the work it does, including the upcoming Palestine Advocacy Day & Training scheduled to be held April 5-8, 2019, in Washington, D.C. We will also talk about the attempts to suppress free speech on college campuses, and the recent attacks against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
     

2^nd Segment: Hanan Awad
Palestinian American living in Edmond, Oklahoma, USA. Hanan is an established street photographer. She held multiple photo galleries in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the United States. She received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, NJ in Middle Eastern Studies, Film-making certificate from New York Film Academy and her Masters in double major focusing on Latin America and the Middle East at the University of Central Oklahoma. Her many visits to Palestine got her interested in the forced displacement of the Jahalin Bedouins, a concept that now stands as the main emphasis of her research.
 
We will speak live with Hanan Awad about the Palestinian Bedouins in occupied Palestine and what she witnessed when she visited several of their villages. We will talk about the ongoing Israeli ethnic cleansing, destruction and displacement of the Bedouin villages in Palestine including Khan Al-Ahmar, Israel’s “Judaisation” plan, and laws it passes against the Palestinian Bedouins, Israel's colonial demographic policies, and more.

Date:

February 6, 2019

CAIR-Houston's Annual Banquet: "Faith Led, Justice Driven"
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (Houston Chapter) held its 17th Annual Banquet on December 9, 2018, in Houston under the theme "Faith Led, Justice Driven". Several local community members, faith leaders, and elected officials attended the event that featured an awards ceremony recognizing several individuals. It was a celebration and review of CAIR-Houston's achievements and it also highlighted how to work together to protect civil rights and share a positive message about Islam and Muslims.
    
There were several remarks delivered at the event, and today we will listen to some of them, including those of Mohammed Nasrullah, CAIR-Houston President and Board Chairman; Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee; and Linda Sarsour, award-winning racial and civil rights activist, community organizer, and former Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and co-founder of the first Muslim online organizing platform, MPOWER Change.

Date:

January 30, 2019

Date:

January 23, 2019

1^st Segment: “Houstonians Views on Muslim Americans” by Robert L. McKenzie
Robert L. McKenzie is a Senior fellow at New America and director of its Muslim Diaspora Initiative. He is a domestic and foreign policy analyst and scholar of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with fifteen years of applied research and work experience for the U.S. government, private sector, and academia. An anthropologist by training, McKenzie is an expert in displaced persons, refugee resettlement and integration, and Arab and Muslim communities in the United States and Europe. McKenzie is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and he has been a lecturer at Wayne State University (Detroit), a researcher at the American University in Cairo, and a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford. In his latest book project McKenzie explores humanitarian assistance and policy solutions to protracted refugee situations in the Middle East.
 
We will speak live with Dr. McKenzie about the newly released results of a recent study entitled, “Houstonians Views on Muslim Americans”, co-sponsored by Wasat Institute and New America. This local study, as part of a larger national study, breaks down the “whys” at the heart of misunderstandings about Muslims in America. We will talk with Dr. McKenzie about the key findings from this study.
           

2^nd Segment: "Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice"
Making Contact, an award-winning weekly magazine/documentary-style public affairs program heard on 140 radio stations in the USA, Canada, South Africa and Ireland, produced a new edition titled “Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice”. In this edition, Making Contact speaks with author Paul Kivel about his book, Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice. This book offers a framework for understanding institutional racism. It provides practical suggestions, tools, examples, and advice on how white people can intervene in interpersonal and organizational situations to work as allies for racial justice. Completely revised and updated, this expanded third edition directly engages the reader through questions, exercises, and suggestions for action, and takes a detailed look at current issues such as affirmative action, immigration, and health care. It also includes a wealth of information about specific cultural groups such as Muslims, people with mixed-heritage, Native Americans, Jews, recent immigrants, Asian Americans, and Latinos.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to “Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice” edition by Making Contact.
 
Paul Kivel is an award-winning author and an accomplished trainer and speaker. He has been a social justice activist, a nationally and internationally recognized anti-racism educator, and an innovative leader in violence prevention for over forty years.

Date:

January 16, 2019

Law and Revolution in the Arab Spring
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston and The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Arab Studies at Rice University, held an event at the University of Houston on November 13, 2018 that featured Dr. Nimer Sultany, Senior Lecturer in Public Law at SOAS, University of London, and winner of the 2018 International Society of Public Law Book Prize and the 2018 Society of Legal Scholars' Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship. Dr. Sultany talked about his recent book Law and Revolution: Legitimacy and Constitutionalism After the Arab Spring. This award winning book offers a critical re-examination of political, legal, and constitutional theory in light of the Arab Spring.
 
Dr. Sultany was introduced by Dr. Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, and his talk was followed by commentary from Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Associate Professor and Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will air the remarks delivered at that event.

Date:

January 9, 2019

The Realities of Jerusalem Today
 
Today on Arab Voices we will air the remarks delivered at "The Realities of Jerusalem Today" panel held on October 11, 2018, at the Houston Jerusalem Conference entitled "JERUSALEM: WHAT MAKES FOR PEACE?", organized by Bright Stars of Bethlehem. There were three speakers at that panel:
 
Osama Qawasmeh
Member of the Palestinian National Council
 
Tarek Abuata
Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America. He previously worked as the coordinator of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron
 
Majed Bamya
Political Coordinator and Legal Adviser for the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations in New York, and Head of the International law and Treaties Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Date:

January 2, 2019

1^st Segment: Daniel McAdams (re-airing last week's HD2 channel interview on the FM radio)
   
Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He served as the foreign affairs, civil liberties, and defense policy advisor to U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, MD (R-Texas) from 2001 until Dr. Paul’s retirement at the end of 2012. From 1993-1999 he worked as a journalist based in Budapest, Hungary, and traveled through the former communist bloc as a human rights monitor and election observer.
  
We will speak live with Daniel about Syria, Israel's missile attack on Syria on Christmas day, President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, will the U.S. actually get out of Syria, what does that mean to Syria and the region, and more.
   

2^nd Segment: Dr. Shireen Al-Adeimi (re-airing June 2018 interview)
   
A Harvard University graduate who will soon begin a position as an assistant professor of education at Michigan State University. Having lived through two civil wars in her country of birth, Yemen, she has played an active role in raising awareness about the U.S.-supported, Saudi-led war on Yemen since 2015. Through her work, she aims to encourage political action among fellow Americans to bring about an end to the U.S. intervention in Yemen.
  
We will speak live with Dr. Al-Adeimi about the catastrophic and dire situation in Yemen as a result of the U.S.-supported Saudi-led war on Yemen, the refugee crisis this war has created (today, June 20 is World Refugee Day), and the recent deadly attack on Yemen’s port city of Al-Hudaydah.

Date:

December 26, 2018   KPFT HD2 Channel

1^st Segment: Hagai El-Ad's UN Security Council Remarks
Hagai El-Ad is an Israeli human rights activist and the Executive Director of the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. He is the former Executive Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and is also a blogger at The Huffington Post. On October 18, 2018, Hagai addressed the United Nations Security Council at its quarterly session scheduled in accordance with Resolution 2334, in which he talked about the Israeli occupation’s crimes and violations against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the humanitarian crisis there. During his remarks, he called on the international community to take action against Israeli apartheid. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his party publicly lashed out against Hagai El-Ad over his UN remarks.
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Hagai El-Ad's UN Security Council Remarks.
      

2^nd Segment: Daniel McAdams
Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He served as the foreign affairs, civil liberties, and defense policy advisor to U.S. Congressman Ron Paul, MD (R-Texas) from 2001 until Dr. Paul’s retirement at the end of 2012. From 1993-1999 he worked as a journalist based in Budapest, Hungary, and traveled through the former communist bloc as a human rights monitor and election observer.
  
We will speak live with Daniel about Syria, Israel's missile attack on Syria on Christmas day, President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, will the U.S. actually get out of Syria, what does that mean to Syria and the region, and more.

Date:

December 19, 2018

Bahia Amawi
Palestinian-American speech pathologist who has worked with the Pflugerville Independent School District (PFISD) in Austin, Texas for nine years. She has a master’s degree in speech pathology, and has specialized in evaluations for young children with language difficulties. Bahia is a U.S. citizen, who was born in Austria and has lived in the U.S. for the last 30 years, and has four U.S.-born American children.
    
On Monday, December 17, 2018, Bahia Amawi filed a federal lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleging a violation of her First Amendment right of free speech, after she lost her job because she refused to sign a pledge (Texas Government Code 2270.001 - enacted in May 2017) that she “does not currently boycott Israel,” and “will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract,” and that she shall refrain from any action “that is intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on, or limit commercial relations with Israel, or with a person or entity doing business in Israeli or in an Israel-controlled territory.”
        
John T. Floyd
Criminal Defense Lawyer based in Houston, Texas, and a volunteer Civil Rights Lawyer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston). He is also a Board Member with CAIR-Houston. John T. Floyd is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has been providing defense services to clients in federal and state courts for over twenty years.
  
John T. Floyd is the attorney representing Bahia Amawi, along with CAIR Legal Defense Fund, who filed the lawsuit against Pflugerville Independent School District and Ken Paxton.
   

We will speak live with both Bahia Amawi and John T. Floyd about Bahia's case, Texas Government Code 2270.001 that prohibits Texas state agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel and how that violates the First Amendment rights. We will also talk about the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (SR. 70) that was re-introduced by Senator Ben Cardin to the 2019 annual omnibus legislation, that can be voted on any day, which aims at criminalizing boycotts of Israel.
 
Note: The ACLU of Texas also filed a separate lawsuit on December 18, 2018, challenging Texas Anti-Boycott Law on behalf of four people: John Pluecker, a freelance writer who lost two service contracts from the University of Houston; George Hale, a reporter for KETR who was forced to sign the certification against his conscience in order to keep his job; Obinna Dennar, a Ph.D. candidate at Rice University, who was forced to forfeit payment for judging at a debate tournament; and Zachary Abdelhadi, a student at Texas State University, who has had to forego opportunities to judge high school debate tournaments.

Date:

December 12, 2018

National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) Ben Qurrah Award Gala
The Houston Chapter of the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA), held its 11^th biennial Ben Qurra Award Gala on October 20, 2018, in Houston, Texas. The biennial Ben Qurra Award Gala celebrates the achievements of prominent scientists of Arab origin who have made major contributions to science, medicine and health care and honors those who have made remarkable contributions in the field of medicine and who have succeeded in the worldwide advancement of science. This year's honorees were Dr. Fadlo Khuri, President of the American University of Beirut and Professor of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, and Dr. William Zoghbi, Chair of the Department of Cardiology at Houston Methodist Hospital and the Elkins Family Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Health at Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center.
     
Today on Arab Voices, we will air the remarks delivered at the 11^th biennial Ben Qurra Award Gala including the remarks of Dr. Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, NAAMA Houston Chapter President, and Dr. Rouba Ali-Fehmi, NAAMA National President. We will also listen to the remarks of the honorees, Dr. Fadlo Khuri (introduced by Dr. Raymond Sawaya) and Dr. William Zoghbi (introduced by Dr. Alan Lumsden).

Date:

December 5, 2018

1^st Segment: Marc Lamont Hill's UN Remarks
Marc Lamont Hill is an American academic, author, activist, and television personality. He is a Professor of Media Studies and Urban Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the host of the syndicated television show Our World with Black Enterprise and hosts the online Internet-based HuffPost Live. He is also a BET News correspondent, and a former political commentator for CNN and Fox News.
   
Professor Hill was fired from his position as a commentator for CNN last week, one day after he called for equal rights for all in historic Palestine in a speech he delivered on November 28, 2018 at a special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Furthermore, there is currently an escalating campaign calling on Temple University to fire Professor Marc Lamont Hill from his position at the university.
    
During the 1st segment of the show today, we will air Dr. Marc Lamont Hill's entire remarks delivered at the United Nations.
   

2^nd Segment: Dima Khalidi
Founder and Director of Palestine Legal and Cooperating Counsel with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). Her work includes providing legal advice to activists, engaging in advocacy to protect their rights to speak out for Palestinian rights, and educating activists and the public about the repression of Palestine advocates. Dima worked with CCR as a cooperating attorney on the Mamilla Cemetery Campaign, drafting a Petition to United Nations officials to act against the desecration of an ancient Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. She also worked on numerous cases that sought to hold Israeli officials and corporations accountable for Israeli violations of international law, including Belhas v. Ya’alon, Matar et al. v. Dichter and Corrie v. Caterpillar, as well as on CCR’s Guantanamo Bay docket. Prior to studying law, Dima worked at Birzeit University, heading a research project on the role of informal justice mechanisms in the Palestinian legal system. She has advocated on Palestinian rights issues in various media forums.
 
We will speak live with Dima Khalidi about Dr. Marc Lamont Hill's remarks at the UN, CNN's decision to fire Hill and the escalating campaign calling on Temple University to fire professor Hill after his UN remarks, the false accusations against professor Hill, and the legality of firing him from CNN and possibly Temple University and how that would violate the first amendment. We will also speak with Dima Khalidi about the Israel Anti-Boycott Act that might be snuck into a must-pass, year-end appropriations bill in the U.S. Senate, and Kenneth Marcus, Trump’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education proposal to redefine anti-Semitism to include speech that criticizes Israel!

Date:

November 28, 2018

ACC's Annual Unity & Friendship Gala
The Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) in Houston held its Annual Unity and Friendship Gala on October 13, 2018, and it highlighted the Culture and People of Palestine. The Gala Chairs were Mrs. Abla Amin and Dr. Rania Elkhatib. The Mistress of Ceremonies was international comedian, Mona Aburmishan.
       
The ACC honorees were Dr. Osama and Dr. Lilian Gaber (2018 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award for Nora's Home), Dr. Ussama Makdisi (2018 ACC Lifetime Achievement Award), and Baker Hughes-Middle East Network Group (2018 ACC Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award).
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered at the Gala, including the remarks of Dr. Faiza Zalila, ACC President, Dr. Abed Takriti, introducing and highlighting the people and culture of Palestine, Dr. Rezik Saqer, Palestinian American Cultural Center past president, Dr. Ussama Makdisi (introduced by Dr. Abed Takriti), Dr. Osama and Dr. Lilian Gaber (introduced by Dr. Waleed Gaber), and Derek Mathieson with Baker Hughes (introduced by Dr. Faiza Zalila).  

Date:

November 21, 2018

1^st Segment: Lauren Booth (in London)
British journalist and broadcaster who has presented series for amongst others: BBC Radio London, British Muslim TV, Press TV and the Islam Channel. She publishes articles across a wide platform and continues to tour internationally as a public speaker. Her talks focus on human rights, Islamophobia in the media, Palestinian justice and her own conversion to Islam. Booth is author of the newly released book "Finding Peace in the Holy Land: A British Muslim Memoir". Lauren Booth is the sister-in-law of the former British prime minister Tony Blair.
 
We will speak with Lauren Booth (in London) about her newly released book "Finding Peace in the Holy Land: A British Muslim Memoir", her conversion to Islam, Islamophobia, her experience in Palestine, and more.
     

2^nd Segment: Alex McDonald
Founder of Texas Coalition for Human Rights that was formed in September 2018 to counter the new proposed changes by Texas State Board of Education to Texas school curriculum. Alex is an Internet marketer and business consultant in Houston, Texas. He visited occupied Palestine and Israel in May 2017 with an interfaith peace group. As an American, he is very concerned about the active role his country has in oppressing the Palestinian people and supporting the violation of human rights. In June 2018 he was part of the ground crew for the 2018 Freedom Flotilla for the Norwegian fishing boat Al Awda (The Return) in La Rochelle, France and was a crew member for one week in Northern France onboard the Mairead.
  
We will speak with Alex about the proposed changes to Texas school curriculum by the Texas State Board of Education, in which there were sections that asked students to "explain how Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict.” It also focused exclusively on Islamic terrorism without mentioning other religious terrorism or state terrorism. We will talk about the efforts initiated by the coalition he founded, Texas Coalition for Human Rights, including over 100 public comments, several written statements and oral testimonies (we will air some of them today) at the Texas State Board of Education hearing held on November 13, 2018 that actually caused the board to change the original proposed changes, especially on Palestine and Israel.

Date:

November 14, 2018

Date:

November 7, 2018

1^st Segment: Laila Mokhiber
Director of Communications at UNRWA USA, a nonprofit agency that supports the work of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Prior to joining UNRWA USA, Laila worked at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). Both positions illustrate Laila’s passions: humanitarian concern for the people of Palestine and the fight for social justice.
 
We will speak live with Laila about the UNRWA, the impact of the recent funding cut by the US administration to UNRWA, the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza and Gaza's mental health crisis, UNRWA USA and the work it does, and the upcoming Houston Gaza 5K + Dabke Party, scheduled for November 17, 2018.
  

2^nd Segment: Kathy Kelly
Co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. She is founder of Voices in the Wilderness, and previously served as coordinator of Iraq Peace Team. Kathy had visited Iraq many times, as well as Afghanistan and the occupied Palestinian territories (in one of her trips, she was shot at by Israeli snipers). In 2011, Kelly was a passenger on the “Audacity to Hope” as part of the US Boat to Gaza project. She also attempted to reach Gaza by flying from Athens to Tel Aviv, as part of the Welcome to Palestine effort, but the Israeli government deported her back to Greece. Kathy Kelly, along with other Voices activists formed 70 delegations that openly defied economic sanctions by bringing medicines to children and families in Iraq. She and her companions lived in Baghdad throughout the 2003 “Shock and Awe” bombing. Kelly has also joined with activists in various regions of the country to protest U.S. drone warfare by holding demonstrations outside of U.S. military bases. In 1988, she was sentenced to one year in federal prison for planting corn on nuclear missile silo sites, and spent three months in prison, in 2004, for crossing the line at Fort Benning’s military training school. Kelly is also author of the book "Other Lands Have Dreams: from Baghdad to Pekin Prison (2005)", and has been repeatedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
 
We will speak live with Kathy Kelly about the war on Yemen. Kathy is currently in New York, along with others, holding protests across from the U.N, "calling for an end to U.S. support for and participation in the Saudi-led coalition's war against Yemen and calling on all of the warring parties to stop the war and help address the dire near-famine conditions sparked by continued attacks." Kathy Kelly has regularly written about the consequences of the U.S.-supported war in Yemen. See her recent piece "U.S. Is Complicit in Child Slaughter in Yemen."

Date:

October 31, 2018

Rabbi Arik Ascherman
Founder and director of the Israeli human rights organization “Torat Tzedek-Torah of Justice”. Previously, he led and served as president and senior rabbi of “Rabbis For Human Rights” organization for 21 years. In 2015, Rabbi Ascherman was attacked by a knife-wielding Israeli settler in the West Bank while trying to stop a group of Israeli settlers from setting fire to Palestinian olive trees. Rabbi Ascherman has been recognized for his human rights work and has been featured in several documentary films, including the 2010 “Israel vs Israel.”
  
Rabbi Arik Ascherman will be in Houston speaking about his work to prevent the destruction of Negev Bedouin villages and the villages of Khan Al-Ahmar and Susya in the West Bank. He will also reflect more broadly on the structure of power in Israel and whether Israel can still be called a democracy. This event will be held on Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 12 noon at the Fireside Room, First Unitarian-Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin St., Houston 77004.
   

Fall Fund Drive

Date:

October 24, 2018

Rami Khouri
Senior public policy fellow and journalism professor at American University of Beirut, non-resident senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, internationally syndicated political columnist, and book author. He often comments on Mideast issues in the international media, and lectures frequently at conferences and universities throughout the world.
  
We will speak live with Rami Khouri about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist and author, and a Washington Post Global Opinions contributing columnist, who was murdered inside the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018, and why this murder received huge attention and media coverage in the U.S. and around the globe while the killings of so many in Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and other places is getting almost no mention! We will also talk about the impact of this murder and  its aftermath on the region and globally, the U.S.-Turkey-Saudi relations, and more.
                  

Fall Fund Drive

Date:

October 17, 2018

Affirmation for an Inclusive Jerusalem at the "Jerusalem: What makes for Peace?" Houston Conference!
 
On October 11, 2018, key faith leaders from across the U.S. gathered at the "Jerusalem: What makes for Peace?" conference held in Houston, Texas, USA, to advance the vision of an inclusive, diverse, and equitable Jerusalem. The U.S. Christian Leadership Summit issued a statement by the four sponsoring organizations of The Jerusalem Conference: Bright Stars of Bethlehem, National Council of Churches, Churches for Middle East Peace, and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will air some of the conference remarks by the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, as well as the final statement issued at the conference.
              

Fall Fund Drive