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

Date:

October 10, 2018

Arab American Poetry & Nonfiction Readings by Hayan Charara, Fady Joudah, and Hosam Abul Ela
 
The Arab Am erican Cultural & Community Center (ACC) held several events in Houston in April 2018 during the Fifth Annual Arab Heritage Month. One of those events was the Arab American Poetry & Non-fiction Readings and Conversation.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Distinguished Arab American writers Dr. Hayan Charara and Dr. Fady Joudah who read excerpts from a selection of their works at the ACC's American Poetry & Non-fiction Readings event, followed by a conversation with Dr. Hosam Abul Ela, Associate Professor at the University of Houston English department.

Date:

October 3, 2018

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
President of Bright Stars of Bethlehem and founding President of Dar al-Kalima University of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem. Former Senior Pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and the most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, Dr. Raheb is the author of 17 books most recently including, The Cross in Contexts: Suffering and Redemption in Palestine, and Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes. A civic leader and social entrepreneur, Dr. Raheb has founded numerous organizations and serves on many regional and international boards. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Raheb has been widely featured on international media outlets including CBS, CNN, ABC, BBC, PBS, The Economist, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Newsweek, and 60 minutes. Dr. Raheb holds a Doctorate in Theology from Philipps University of Marburg, Germany.
  

We will speak live with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb about Palestinian Christians, the ongoing Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the effect of the Israeli occupation on access to religious sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the importance of Jerusalem and Bethlehem to Christians and other faiths, the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the relations with other Christians outside Palestine and other faith communities, the role of the churches in the U.S., Europe and other countries, steps to bring a lasting peace and an end to the Israeli occupation, and much more!
 
We will also talk about the upcoming "Jerusalem: What Makes for Peace?" Conference that will be held in Houston on October 11, 2018, followed by the "Room for Hope Palestinian Festival". Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb will be in Houston participating in both the conference and festival.

Date:

September 26, 2018

Date:

September 19, 2018

Diana Buttu (in Palestine)
Analyst, former legal advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), who also served as legal advisor to the PLO in its negotiations with Israel, and a policy advisor to Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network. Diana Buttu is a lawyer specializing in negotiations, international law, and international human rights law, based in Ramallah, Palestine.

We will speak with Diana (in Palestine) about the failed Oslo Accord that was signed 25 years ago this month between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, why it failed, the ongoing Israeli colonization of Palestine, the U.S. stance towards Palestine and its recent funding cuts to UNRWA, the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian hospitals in occupied East Jerusalem and other programs, the closure of the PLO office in Washington, and the move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We will also talk about what options Palestinians should pursue, and more.

Date:

September 12, 2018

1^st Segment: "Is the U.S. Ramping up its Military Presence in Syria and Preparing to Attack Iran for Israel?" by Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
We will air today the remarks of Col. Lawrence Wilkerson on the topic "Is the U.S. Ramping up its Military Presence in Syria and Preparing to Attack Iran for Israel?".
  
He delivered those remarks at The Israel Lobby and American Policy Conference held on March 2, 2018 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
   

2^nd Segment: Alison Weir
Founder and Executive Director of If Americans Knew and President of the Council for the National Interest. She is the author of "Against Our Better Judgment: The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel". Her essays and articles have appeared in a number of books, magazines, and newspapers. Weir speaks widely throughout the country. Since early 2001 she has given hundreds of presentations, including two briefings on Capitol Hill, speeches at the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, the National Press Club, and at various universities. She has spoken at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, numerous Rotary Clubs, churches, libraries, and other community venues. In addition, she has been invited to give papers at international conferences, including lectures at the Asia Media Summit in Kuala Lumpur for three straight years. A top level British attendee termed her speech "the most brilliant of the entire conference." In 2004, Weir was inducted into honorary membership of Phi Alpha Literary Society. The award cited her as a: "Courageous journalist-lecturer on behalf of human rights. The first woman to receive an honorary membership in Phi Alpha history."
  
We will speak live with Alison about 2 bills being voted on today in Congress: (1) The largest aid package in U.S. history ($38 billion) to Israel, and (2) A bill for a special envoy who will monitor criticism of Israel worldwide!

Date:

September 5, 2018

1^st Segment: "Jerusalem: What Makes For Peace?" Conference
We will speak live with both Rev. Stephen Quill and Rev. Dr. Duane Larson (both have visited Palestine) about the upcoming Historic Conference on Jerusalem that will be held at the University of Houston on October 11, 2018 titled "Jerusalem: What Makes For Peace?", and the Palestinian Festival that will follow the conference and will be held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston.
  

The Rev. Stephen Quill
Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1972 and has served in the Greater Houston area since 1979. He previously served Hope Lutheran Church as the Associate Pastor, and then accepted a call to Peace Lutheran Church in Cedar Park, Texas, where he helped the new congregation grow into a strong parish. In 1979, he was called to a 4 year old congregation – New Hope Lutheran Church in Missouri City, Texas, and has served that congregation as it lead pastor for 27 years. In 2008, he began a non-profit ministry called TRUTH (Travels Revealing: Understanding, Trust, Hope). He also serves on several boards and committees in the Greater Houston area. Rev. Quill has led four trips to Palestine over the last 12 years. He is the Texas representatives for Bright Stars of Bethlehem that is sponsoring the Jerusalem Conference.
   

The Rev. Dr. Duane Larson
Senior Pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, and teaches as an adjunct member of the Comparative Cultural Studies Department of the University of Houston. He previously served as President and Professor of Systematic Theology of Wartburg Theological Seminary, and was Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Has published 4 books and dozens of articles; much activity with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), especially on ecumenical and inter-religious matters. The Rev. Dr. Larson has visited Palestine and is the Houston voice for promoting the upcoming conference on Jerusalem in Houston.
    

2^nd Segment: Kristin Foss (in Palestine)
Norwegian Peace Activist and volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who was shot twice in one week last month (in her abdomen on August 19 and in her ankle on August 24) by the Israeli occupation soldiers in the Palestinian village of Kafr Qaddum in the West Bank near the city of Nablus.

We will speak with Kristin about her experience in occupied Palestine and being shot twice by the Israeli occupation soldiers in one week, and the work she does in Palestine.

Date:

August 29, 2018

"1918: The End of the Great War in the Middle East and the Genesis of a Century of Conflict" by Professor Eugene Rogan
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 1, 2018, at the University of Houston. The lecture was titled "1918: The End of the Great War in the Middle East and the Genesis of a Century of Conflict", and the speaker was Professor Eugene Rogan.
       
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Rogan's lecture on "1918: The End of the Great War in the Middle East and the Genesis of a Century of Conflict".
 
Eugene Rogan (PhD, Harvard University) is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. In 2017, he was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy, the highest academic honor in the United Kingdom. His books include Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire, for which he received the Albert Hourani Book Award of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and the Fuad Köprülü Prize of the Turkish Studies Association; The Arabs: A History, which was a bestselling work translated in ten languages and was named as one of the best books of 2009 by The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Atlantic Monthly. Most recently, Professor Rogan has published The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East which was selected as an Economist book of the year for 2015 and a Telegraph best book of the year for 2015.

Date:

August 22, 2018

Arab Voices Interview with Uri Avnery
A couple of days ago, on Monday, August 20, 2018, Uri Avnery passed away in Tel Aviv at the age of 94. Uri Avnery was an Israeli peace activist, journalist, writer, author, former member of the Israeli Knesset, founding member of Gush Shalom (the Israeli peace bloc), and founding member of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.
 
Arab Voices had interviewed Uri Avnery a few times over the years, and today we will air one of the interviews we conducted with him during one of Israel’s wars on Gaza
   

U.S. Military Actions in Syria
Last year on August 8, 2017, a coalition of six organizations (Veterans For Peace, The Nation magazine, RootsAction.org, Watchdog.net, World Beyond War, Daily Kos) held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and called on the U.S. to remove all military aircrafts from the Syrian airspace. The speakers argued that the U.S. military role in Syria is illegal and immoral and addressed concerns that “global policing” and intervention in Syria is an unwinnable military strategy. The speakers included:
   
John Kiriakou, CIA Whistleblower
Matthew Hoh, Former State Department official
Christie Edwards, Chair of the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and an advisor to the Center for Civilians in Conflict on international humanitarian, human rights, and gender issues
David Swanson, Author and Director of World Beyond War
Norman Solomon, Co-Founder and Coordinator for RootsAction.org
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to portions of the news conference and some of the questions and answers that followed.

Date:

August 15, 2018

1st Segment: "Challenging the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act"
We will air today the remarks of Dr. Barry Trachtenberg, the Michael R. and Deborah K. Rubin Presidential Chair of Jewish History and an associate professor of history at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, on the topic  "Challenging the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act".
  
He delivered those remarks at The Israel Lobby and American Policy Conference held on March 2, 2018 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
            

2nd Segment: "The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban"
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 segment titled “The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban”: After the US Supreme Court's ruling on Trump’s travel ban, we’ll discuss how the new order impacts people from affected, Muslim-majority countries. We also talk about what's different about the new ban and how to fight it. We begin with the story of a woman who was in flight to the US when President Trump signed his first travel ban.
   
Featuring:
• Nisrin Abdelrahman, Stanford PhD Student in Anthropology
• Zahar Billo, Civil Rights Attorney and Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
      
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to “The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban” segment.

Date:

August 8, 2018

Joe Meadors
Survivor of the deliberate 1967 deadly Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, and kidnapped last week by Israel from the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla!
  
Joe Meadors was a U.S. Navy Signalman 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 survived that deliberate and deadly attack.
 
In 2018, Joe Meadors was the U.S. delegate on the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla and was on board Al-Awda ship carrying urgently needed medical supplies to Gaza (one of four 2018 freedom flotilla ships) that sailed to break the illegal Israeli siege and military blockade on 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. Israel illegally detained and jailed Joe Meadors for several days before deporting him to the United States. He arrived back to the U.S. last week, on August 1, 2018. Few days later, on August 3, 2018, Israel also attacked another Freedom Flotilla boat, Freedom, in international waters, hijacked it and kidnapped everyone on board!
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will speak live with Joe Meadors about his eyewitness accounts and experiences with Freedom Flotilla and the USS Liberty.

Date:

August 1, 2018

1^st Segment: Ahed & Nariman Tamimi Remarks
Ahed Tamimi, the 17-year old Palestinian teenager who was taken from her house in Nabi Saleh village in the occupied West Bank in Palestine by the Israeli occupation soldiers in December 2017, was released from Israeli occupation jail along with her mother, Nariman Tamimi after spending 8 months inside the jail.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to portions of what Ahed and Nariman Tamimi said at a press conference held after they were released from the Israeli occupation jail.
      

2^nd Segment: Col. Ann Wright with Feedom Flotilla
Al Awda (The Return) boat (part of Freedom Flotilla) that tried to break illegal Israeli blockade and siege on the Gaza Strip to deliver much needed medical supplies, was intercepted while in international waters by the Israeli occupation forces who also attacked some of the participants, and was then hijacked and prevented from reaching Gaza! Many of the 22 participants that were on-board Al Awda boat are still being held unlawfully in Israeli occupation jails. Al Awda boat is being followed by the Swedish-flagged yacht Freedom, which is also carrying medical supplies along with people from a number of nations.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will speak live with Col. Ann Wright (currently in Houston) about Freedom Flotilla. Ann was with the Gaza Flotilla in Sicily in Europe, and just came back to the U.S. She is with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has organized a number of boats to get relief to Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled Gaza Strip. Wright is a retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel, a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, and one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in protest of the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Date:

July 25, 2018

Live from on-board Freedom Flotilla (in international waters)
Today, we will speak live via satellite-phone with Zohar Chamberlain Regev and Charlie Andreasson, two participants on-board Freedom Flotilla which is now sailing international waters on its way to challenge and break the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza. Three boats are sailing with boxes of medical supplies: Al Awda (The Return), a large converted fishing vessel; Freedom to Gaza, a large sailing vessel; and Falestine, a smaller sailing vessel. The flotilla, which has been organized by the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition under the slogan "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) campaign", includes nearly 40 activists on board.
              

Summer Fund Drive

Date:

July 18, 2018

Live from Freedom Flotilla (in Sicily)
We continue our weekly live update from Freedom Flotilla (in Europe, sailing to Gaza soon) and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". The Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla include: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia. Freedom Flotilla is currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
 
Today, we will speak live with David Heap with Freedom Flotilla, currently in Palermo, Sicily.
             

Summer Fund Drive

Date:

July 11, 2018

Live from Freedom Flotilla (in Naples)
We continue our weekly live update from Freedom Flotilla, currently in Europe, and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". The Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla include: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia. Freedom Flotilla is currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
 
Today, we will speak live with Divina Levrini and Dr. Kristian Svenberg, on board Freedom Flotilla, currently in Naples, Italy.
            

Summer Fund Drive

Date:

July 4, 2018

1^st Segment: Live from Freedom Flotilla (in Italy)
We continue our weekly live update from Freedom Flotilla, currently in Europe, and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". The Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla include: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia. Freedom Flotilla is currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
 
Today, we will speak live with Karen Devito and John Turnbull, on board Freedom Flotilla, currently in the port of Cagliari, the capital city of the Italian island of Sardinia.
           

2^nd Segment: Alex McDonald
An Internet marketer and business consultant from Houston, Texas. He visited the occupied West Bank and Israel in May 2017 with an interfaith peace group. As a Quaker, the testimonies of Peace, Integrity and Equality have drawn him even more into the Palestinian issue and the need to open up discussions on the topic in our communities. 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 live with Alex, who just returned to Houston from Europe, about his experience over the past month with Freedom Flotilla, and also his experience in Occupied Palestine. You can read Alex McDonald's recent Op-Ed "Police in Paris Prevent Two Gaza-Bound Boats from Stopping -- Challenges of Support for 2018 Boats to Gaza" here.
     

3^rd Segment: Arsalan Safiullah
Staff Attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas Houston). He earned his undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal and holds a Master of Biotechnology (M.Biot.) and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Texas A&M University. In his current position, Arsalan focuses on employment discrimination, civil liberties issues, hate crimes, and know your rights community education.
 
We will speak live with Arsalan about last week's U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Trump's Arab and Muslim Ban.

Date:

June 27, 2018

Date:

June 20, 2018

1^st Segment: Live from Freedom Flotilla (in Portugal)
We continue our weekly live updates from Freedom Flotilla, currently in Europe, and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". The Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla include: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia. Freedom Flotilla is currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
 
Today, we will speak live with Awni Farhat and Youssef Sammour, two Palestinians on board Freedom Flotilla, currently in the port of Lisbon, Portugal.
        

2^nd Segment: Dr. Shireen Al-Adeimi
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:

June 13, 2018

1^st Segment: Live from Freedom Flotilla (in France)
We will continue our weekly live updates from Freedom Flotilla, currently in Europe, and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". We will speak with David Heap and Alex McDonald (both in France) about the Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla, which inlcude: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia. Freedom Flotilla is currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
   

2^nd Segment: International Day of Al-Quds
We will listen to a few of the remarks that were delivered at the International Day of Al-Quds rally that was held in front of the Consulate General of Israel in Houston on June 8, 2018. There were many remarks delivered during the rally, and we will air today the remarks of Muslim Scholar Syed Farhat Abbas with the Islamic Education Center in Houston, Dr. Qamber Jafri, and Izzah Ali.
   

3^rd Segment: Dalia Al-Najjar (in Turkey)
We will speak with Dalia Al-Najjar, the cousin of Razan Al-Najjar, the 21-year-old Palestinian medic who was shot and killed in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces on June 1, 2018 while trying to treat injured Palestinians who were shot by the Israeli occupation forces as they continued their Great March of Return protests in Gaza that started on March 30, 2018 (since that date, Israel shot and killed more than 130 Palestinians, including children, women, journalists and medical personnel, and nearly 15,000 were wounded). We will speak with Dalia Al-Najjar about her cousin Razan Al-Najjar, and the dire situation in Gaza.

Date:

June 6, 2018

1^st Segment: Live from Freedom Flotilla (United Kingdom)
We will speak live with the captain of "Freedom", Jens Marklund from Sweden who is currently in the U.K. We will get an update on the latest with Freedom Flotilla, currently visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza, and talk about the "Just Future For Palestine (JFP) Flotilla campaign". The Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns participating in the JFP Flotilla include: Ship to Gaza-Norway, Canadian Boat to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla-Italy, Palestine Solidarity Alliance-South Africa, Rumbo a Gaza-Spain, Ship to Gaza Sweden, International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, US Boat to Gaza, Kia Ora Gaza – New Zealand/Aotearoa, MyCARE Malaysia, IHH Turkey, National Collective for Palestine and Platform of NGOs for Palestine in France, and Gaza Freedom Flotilla Australia.
    

2^nd Segment: Dr. Ramzy Baroud
US-Arab journalist, media consultant, an author, internationally-syndicated columnist, Editor of Palestine Chronicle, former Managing Editor of London-based Middle East Eye, former Editor-in-Chief of The Brunei Times, former Deputy Managing Editor of Al Jazeera online. He taught mass communication at Australia’s Curtin University of Technology, Malaysia Campus. Baroud also served as head of Aljazeera.net English’s Research and Studies department. He is the author of four books and a contributor to many others; his latest volume is The Last Earth, a Palestinian Story (Pluto Press, London, 2018). His books are translated to several languages including French, Turkish, Arabic, Korean, among others. Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter (2015) and is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California Santa Barbara.
 
We will speak live with Dr. Baroud about the ongoing crisis in occupied Palestine, the murder of Razan Al-Najjar, a 21-year-old Palestinian medic who was shot and killed in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces on June 1, 2018 while trying to treat and evacuate injured Palestinians who were also shot by the Israeli occupation forces as they continued their Great March of Return protests in Gaza that started on March 30, 2018. Since that date, Israel shot and killed more than 130 Palestinians, including children, women, journalists and medical personnel, and injured more than 13,000! Earlier today, June 6, 2018, Israeli occupation forces shot and killed 21-year-old Izz Tamimi in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.

Date:

May 30, 2018

1^st Segment: Live from Freedom Flotilla (in Amsterdam)
We will speak live with Robert Naiman (in France), Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy. He wrote the Syria chapter in The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire. He is president of the board of Truthout. Naiman has worked as a policy analyst and researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. He has masters degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Illinois and has studied and worked in the Middle East.
 
We will speak with Robert who just arrived in Amsterdam on board the  Freedom Flotilla ship Al Awda (The Return), together with Ship to Gaza Sweden vessels Hurriya (Freedom), Falestine (Palestine) and Mairead (named for Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire who previously sailed against the blockade) that are visiting several European ports on their way to challenge the illegal and cruel blockade and siege on Gaza.
                 

2^nd Segment: Rahul Saksena
Staff attorney with Palestine Legal. His work focuses on legislative issues, advocacy for activists whose rights are under attack, public education, and building Palestine Legal’s network of legal and other advocates. Prior to joining Palestine Legal, Rahul was the Legislative Director for a member of the New York City Council, and also served as Legislative Counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union. Rahul holds a JD from the Washington College of Law at American University, and BA’s in Political Science and History from the University of Michigan. He is based in Palestine Legal's New York and Chicago offices and is admitted to the New York State bar.
  
We will speak with Rahul about his first-hand eyewitness account of what he saw and experienced during his visit to occupied Palestine earlier this month along with several human rights defenders, lawyers and social justice advocates from various movements known as the Justice Delegation. Before boarding his flight back to the U.S., Israel confiscated his journal where he kept notes from his trip. We will also speak with Rahul about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, why 25 states in the U.S. already enacted anti-BDS laws and 12 more are pending and/or have introduced legislation (in some states, activists successfully defeated anti-BDS legislation), and the reintroduction of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (ASAA) last week in the U.S. Congress (a federal bill aimed at censoring Palestine advocacy on college campuses in violation of the first amendment), what you can do to stop ASAA bill from passing, and why protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the U.S. who speak out for Palestinian freedom is very important.

Date:

May 23, 2018

1^st Segment: Nikki Haley's Speech Disruption at UH; Reactions to Gaza's Massacre & 70 Years of Nakba
Coverage of the disruption of Nikki Haley's (U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.) speech at the University of Houston on May 22, 2018 by students in protest for her stand towards the massacre in Gaza (several groups at UH had called on the university to cancel Haley's talk who said at the UN Security Council last week "no country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has" despite Israel's killing of more than 112 Palestinians and injuring more than 13,000 in 2 months!!!). We will also listen to some of the remarks as well as a poem by Tala and spoken words by Dana delivered at the rally that was held in Houston on May 15, 2018 to protest Israel's massacre in Gaza and commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
                

2^nd Segment: Josh Ruebner
Policy Director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. He is a former Analyst in Middle East Affairs at Congressional Research Service, a federal government agency providing Members of Congress with policy analysis. He holds a graduate degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. Ruebner’s analysis and commentary on U.S. policy toward the Middle East appear frequently in media such as NBC, ABC Nightline, C-SPAN, Al Jazeera, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Detroit Free Press, Huffington Post, Middle East Report, and more. He is the author of "Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace".
    
We will speak live with Josh about the ongoing Palestinian Nakba, the ongoing Israeli massacre in Gaza, the PLO’s referral to the ICC Chief Prosecutor on Israeli crimes, President’s Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and more.

Date:

May 16, 2018

Date:

May 9, 2018

1^st Segment: Hiba Elroz
We will speak live with Hiba Elroz, media chair with the Lebanese Festival Committee, about the 4th Annual Houston Lebanese Festival that will be held Saturday through Sunday, May 12-13 at Constellation Field, in Sugar Land, Texas, organized and hosted by the American Lebanese Cultural Center (ALCC) in Houston. 
  
The festival will be an amazing cultural experience with new activities, new designs, and new ways for everyone to have a wonderful time! You will enjoy the ultimate cultural immersion and travel to the country of Lebanon. There will be entertainment, food, different activities, great festivities, enjoyable atmosphere for both adults and children, door prizes, music, folkloric dances, performances, and much more.
             

2^nd Segment: Gareth Porter
Independent investigative journalist, historian, and policy analyst specializing in U.S. national security policy. He has written several books about the potential for peaceful conflict resolution in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, including Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Porter has reported extensively on Middle East conflicts including Syria. Porter's analysis and reporting have appeared in academic journals, news publications, and periodicals for four decades, and in 2012 he was the winner of the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. He recently wrote the piece "The Latest Act in Israel’s Iran Nuclear Disinformation Campaign" and just signed the statement "Trump Urged Not to Pull Out of Iran Nuclear Deal" which states: "The evidence presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 30 alleging a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program shows blatant signs of fabrication.
  
We will speak live with Gareth about President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Date:

May 2, 2018

1^st Segment: Khalil AbuSharekh
We will speak live with Houston Palestine Film Festival's President, Khalil AbuSharekh, about the 12th annual Houston Palestine Film Festival (HPFF). This year, HPFF 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. The festival will be held May 5 through May 13 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Rice University Media Center. Click here for more details and Program Lineup.
           

2^nd Segment: Col. Ann Wright
Retired U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. State Department official/diplomat, a long-time activist, and an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. She was one of three State Department officials who resigned in 2003 in protest over the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Col. Wright won the State Department Award for Heroism for her assistance in helping thousands of refugees escape the civil war in Sierra Leone. A deeply committed peace and justice activist, Ann has traveled to Gaza seven times, helped organize the Gaza Freedom March in 2009, was a passenger on the Challenge 1 in the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, was an organizer for the 2011 U.S. Boat to Gaza, was a boat leader on the 2015 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, and was an organizer and boat leader for the 2016 Women’s Boat to Gaza carrying Humanitarian aid and construction materials to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Ann was on-board the Zaytouna-Oliva boat, that was hijacked in international waters by the Israeli military on October 5, 2016 a few miles of the coast of Gaza, and all 13 women on board, including Ann Wright, were kidnapped by force by the Israeli military and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. In addition, Ann was an organizer for Gaza’s Ark.
 
We will speak live with Col. Wright about the dire situation in Gaza as a result of the Israeli ongoing blockade and strangulation, the Great March of Return, the efforts to challenge Israel’s occupation and blockade, and the plans for the 75-day voyage of 4 boats beginning May 15 in Scandinavia and end in Gaza at the end of July. As a part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla coalition, the U.S. campaign joins other national campaigns in Australia, Canada, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Turkey to purchase boat(s) to sail to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza in the summer of 2018.
  
** NOTE: Col. Ann Wright will be in Houston on Thursday, May 3, 2018 to speak more on Gaza's increasingly deteriorating conditions and hear how a broad coalition of activists, academics, veterans, and Palestine solidarity organizers plan to break the siege in this summer's upcoming Gaza Freedom Flotilla and to draw attention to the inhumane conditions Israeli Occupation and blockades imposes on Palestinians. Click here for more details.

Date:

April 25, 2018

Date:

April 18, 2018

1st Segment: Noor Harazeen (in Gaza)
Palestinian journalist, freelance film producer, and TV correspondent for TeleSUR and CGTN, based in Gaza city, occupied Palestine. Will speak with Noor about the horrific situation in the Gaza Strip, the killing of 33 Palestinians (including children and a journalist) and injury of 4,279 (including 642 children, 243 women, 66 journalists and 44 medical personnel) by the Israeli occupation forces since March 30, 2018. We will talk about the Great March of Return, the effect of the Israeli blockade on the children of Gaza, targeting of journalists and the Israeli killing of Yasser Mortaja, 30 years old Palestinian journalist who was a colleague and a close friend of Noor Harazeen. 
  
While covering the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza, Noor Harazeen was almost killed when Israel fired a missile at the clearly marked TV vehicle she was riding in. Moments after she got out of the TV vehicle, it was targeted by Israel, and her driver was killed.
          

2nd Segment: Reese Erlich
A Freelance journalist who began reporting from Syria in 2002, and has covered the Middle East for over 30 years. He writes the syndicated column "Foreign Correspondent", and has authored several books including "Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect", and the best-selling book "Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn’t Tell You". Erlich has produced several major radio documentaries and has won numerous journalism awards.
 
We will speak with Reese about the crisis in Syria and the recent bombing of Syria by the United States, Britain, and France on April 13, 2018. Reese says "The official version of the U.S. missile attack on Syria is already unraveling. The supposed chemical weapons factory bombed by the U.S. didn't leak chemicals. There have been no independent confirmations that the bombed sites had any connection to chemical weapons." Robert Fisk, award-winning journalist with the British Independent, just reported from Douma, Syria that a doctor he interviewed there told him people died from a lack of oxygen in underground tunnels, not chemical weapons.

Date:

April 11, 2018

1st Segment: Mustafaa Carroll
We will speak with Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) about the stabbing and apparent bias-motivated attempted murder of a Muslim woman in Houston last week, April 5, 2018, and the rise of hate crimes against Muslims in the U.S.
    
The 31-year-old victim, who is white and wears an Islamic head scarf (hijab), says she was driving home early Thursday morning from her job as a nurse when her vehicle was almost sideswiped by a red SUV. When the victim pulled over and got out of her vehicle to check for damage and to collect herself following that near accident, the attacker made a U-turn and pulled up behind the victim’s vehicle. He then allegedly got out of his SUV and began shouting obscenities and racial and religious slurs such as, “Oh my God, it’s a raghead,” “It’s an f**king raghead,” “sand n**ger” and “desert monkey”. The victim tried to get back in her vehicle, but the passenger side door was locked. At that point the attacker began waving a knife in the victim’s face and then hit her on her shoulder and arms.
     
CAIR-Houston is offering $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attacker.
      

2nd Segment: Rami Almeghari (in Gaza)
We will speak with Rami Almeghari, independent journalist and commentator in Gaza, occupied Palestine, about the dire situation in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli siege and strangulation of nearly two million Palestinians (health situation, economy, unemployment, poverty, lack of building materials, borders, etc.), and The Great March of Return where tens of thousands of Palestinians began on March 30, 2018 a major peaceful protest against the ongoing Israeli atrocities and strangulation of Gaza and calling for their right of return, only to be faced with a massacre by the Israeli occupation forces. Since March 30, 2018, at least 30 Palestinian civilians (including children and a journalist) were shot and killed and more than 3,000 were wounded! A new video that went viral on social media, shows Israeli soldiers cheering after shooting unarmed Palestinian youth in Gaza.

Date:

April 4, 2018

1st Segment: Dr. Riyad Mansour's Remarks at the UN
Ambassador and Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, and the non-resident Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. He joined the Permanent Observer Mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to the UN, New York, in 1983 as Deputy Permanent Observer, and has since represented Palestine in several committees and bodies of the UN. Dr. Mansour has published several studies and articles about the Palestinian community in the US, lectured in several American universities, and has participated in numerous international conferences, symposia, seminars and panel debates as a representative of Palestine. He is also a member of senior officials committees of the State of Palestine and the PLO.
 
We will listen today to Ambassador Mansour's remarks delivered at the United Nations Security Council on March 30, 2018 in response to Israel's massacre in Gaza where 17 Palestinian civilians were shot and killed and more than 1400 others were wounded by the Israeli occupation forces!
  

2nd Segment: Poems from Rafeef Ziadah & Remi Kanazi
The month of April is National Poetry Month, and today on the show we will listen to a few poems on Gaza and Palestine by Rafeef Ziadah, Palestinian spoken word artist and human rights activist based in London, UK. Her performance of poems like ‘We Teach Life, Sir’ and ‘Shades of Anger’ went viral within days of its release. Her live readings offer a moving blend of poetry and music. Since releasing her first album, Rafeef has headlined prestigious performance venues across several countries with powerful readings on war, exile, gender and racism. We will also listen to poems from Remi Kanazi, a poet, writer, and organizer based in New York City, and author of the collection of poetry Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine. He is also the author of Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine and the editor of Poets For Palestine.
    

3rd Segment: "I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, April 4, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the greatest civil rights leaders, ever!
 
In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we will air today on Arab Voices his most famous and historic speech “I have a Dream” calling for racial equality. He delivered that speech on August 28, 1963 during the historic march on Washington, where hundreds of thousands of people marched for civil and economic rights. It was one of the largest demonstrations for human rights in United States' history.

Date:

March 28, 2018

"Digital Humanities of the Underground: The Palestinian Revolution Website" by Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti
The Department of History and the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Arab Studies at Rice University hosted Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti on October 17, 2017, where he presented his "Digital Humanities of the Underground: The Palestinian Revolution Website" project. Abdel Razzaq Takriti is Associate Professor and Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston. He is the author of the award-winning book Monsoon Revolution: Republicans, Sultans, and Empires in Oman, 1965-1976 (Oxford University Press, 2013) and co-author and co-curator of The Palestinian Revolution website learnpalestine.politics.ox.ac.uk (2017).
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti's presentation on the "Digital Humanities of the Underground: The Palestinian Revolution Website".

Date:

March 21, 2018

8th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival
Live conversation with Houda Jarrah, board member with the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC-Houston) and volunteer on the festival committee team, and Mona Fareed, board member with the Palestinian American Cultural Center and chair of the festival committee team about the 8th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival scheduled to be held March 24-25 at Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston.
   
This year's festival is being held under the theme "We Are Jerusalem, We Are Palestine". It will include folkloric and contemporary music and dance, Palestinians culture and cuisine, traditional fashion show and wedding, grand bazaar, and kids fun zone. The festival will include two nights of performances by international singer Maher Al-Attili and Wessam Aljundi (Abu Batata), as well as Salem Omran, Aladeen Alhayek, DJ Ashraf, and Houston's favorite - Jabour!
 

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

March 14, 2018

Melvin Goodman
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.
 
Note that we are offering two of Melvin's books during the show today (see below). 
    
We will speak live with Melvin about Trump's firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo (known for his opposition to the Iran deal and his bias against Islam with Islamophobic views and association with an anti-Muslim hate group) to replace Tillerson, and Gina Haspel, CIA Deputy Director (known for her leading role in torture of detainees) as a replacement for Pompeo.
        

KPFT continues its Spring Fund Drive, and Arab Voices Needs Your Support to raise $1,500. We are offering the following "Thank-You" Gifts 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)
   

• "Ralph Nader: Empowering People in the Trump Era" DVD $100
   

• "All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone" DVD $100
   

• "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" DVD $120

Please call 713-526-5738 between 6 pm and 7 pm central time on Wednesday and support your commercial-free community radio station. You can also send email to info@ArabVoices.net with your name and the amount you'd like to pledge. Thank you.
 

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

March 7, 2018

KPFT continues its Spring Fund Drive, and Arab Voices Needs Your Support to raise $1,500. We are offering the following "Thank-You" Gifts during this drive:

• "Ralph Nader: Empowering People in the Trump Era" DVD $100
   

• "All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone" DVD $100
   

• "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" DVD $120

Please call 713-526-5738 between 6 pm and 7 pm central time on Wednesday and support your commercial-free community radio station. You can also send email to info@ArabVoices.net with your name and the amount you'd like to pledge. Thank you.
 

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

February 28, 2018

1st Segment: Khanh Pham, JD
Staff Attorney with Boat People SOS-Houston (BPSOS), a non-profit social and legal services provider whose purpose is to empower, organize, and equip immigrant communities in their pursuit of liberty and dignity. It provides education, information, and direct assistance to immigrant and refugee families on potential health and legal issues prevalent in the immigrant communities.
  
We will speak with attorney Pham about the various services provided by Boat People SOS-Houston (BPSOS) to the communities, including the Arab American community, where they have staff on board, Rhoda Jazairy, that can speak and translate to Arabic-speaking members of the community.
       

2nd Segment: ACC's Annual Gala (Part 2 of 2)
We will continue to air the remaining remarks delivered at the Arab American Cultural and Community Center's (ACC) Annual Unity and Friendship Gala held on December 8, 2017, where they highlighted the Culture and People of Syria. We will listen today to the keynote address delivered by Fares Ksebati, Co-Founder and CEO of MySwimPro and the son of Syrian immigrants, and also listen to the remarks of the Gala Honorees Said Fattouh, recipient of the 2017 ACC Outstanding Arab Media Award, and Amer Al-Nahhas, who received (on behalf of the Syrian American Club) the 2017 ACC Outstanding Refugees Service Award, as well as the announcement about the ACC Young Writers Award Contest winners.
   
Last week (archived online at www.ArabVoices.net), we aired the remarks of Mrs. Hadia Mawlawi, Gala Co-Chair, Dr. Faiza Zalila, ACC President, and Dr. Aziz Shaibani, recipient of the 2017 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award.

Date:

February 21, 2018

ACC's Annual Unity & Friendship Gala (Part 1 of 2)
The Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) in Houston held its Annual Unity and Friendship Gala on December 8, 2017, under the theme "Elevating Humanity", and it highlighted the Culture and People of Syria. The Gala Chairs were Mrs. Hadia Mawlawi and Mrs. Mariam Haddad. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Gina Gaston, reporter and co-anchor at KTRK-TV ABC13 News in Houston.
    
The ACC honorees were Dr. Aziz Shaibani (2017 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award), Mr. Said Fattouh (2017 ACC Outstanding Arab Media Award), and The Syrian American Club (2017 ACC Outstanding Refugees Service Award).
      
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks made at the Gala, including the remarks of Mrs. Hadia Mawlawi, Gala Co-Chair, Dr. Faiza Zalila, ACC President, and Dr. Aziz Shaibani, recipient of the 2017 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award (introduced by Dr. Ussama Makdissi and Dr. Michael Newmark).
   
Next week, we will air the keynote address by Fares Ksebati, and the remarks of Said Fattouh and Amer Al-Nahhas, as well as the ACC Young Writers Award Contest winners.

Date:

February 14, 2018

1st Segment: Maha Freij
Deputy Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer at ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), and a leading visionary in the Arab American community with regard to philanthropy and building strong institutions to strengthen the voice of the community in American civil society. Under her leadership, the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP), a national institution of ACCESS, has established itself as the only national Arab American community foundation in the U.S., connecting philanthropists across the country and helping them to make a greater impact. Maha is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the American Task Force for Palestine’s 2011 Distinguished Service in Philanthropy Award; the Arab American Association of New York’s 2010 Community Service Award; the Arab American Heritage Council’s 2010 Community Leader of the Year Award; Alternatives for Girls’ 2005 Role Model Award; Crain's Detroit Business, Best Managed Non-Profit Organization, 2000; and New Detroit, Inc.’s 1996 Richard Fisher Fiscal Integrity Award.
 
We will speak with Maha about ACCESS, CAAP, and the upcoming Threads of Giving Gala that will be held in Houston on March 16, 2018, honoring businessman and innovator Farouk Shami with the first ever Outstanding Arab American Philanthropist Award, recognizing his charitable efforts both at home and internationally.
           

2nd Segment: Shireen Al-Adeimi
A doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she has been conducting research on improving students’ writing outcomes through whole-class, dialogic discussion. Shireen was born and raised in Yemen, and has been working on bringing attention to the crisis there. She recently published an article titled "Only Americans Can Stop America’s War on Yemen," which states: "Yemen continues to suffer in silence as the world turns away from its ongoing misery."
  
We will speak with Shireen about the crisis in Yemen, the dire situation there as a result of the Saudi-led war on Yemen that devastated the country, the U.S. involvement, and what it takes to stop the war.

Date:

February 7, 2018

1st Segment: Mustafa Tameez
Founder and Managing Director of Outreach Strategists, a bipartisan public affairs firm. His firm serves clients and projects ranging in size and scope from small local interests to national governments. He is working in conjunction with the Alliance for Compassion and Tolerance to spread awareness about the ACT: NOW! Hotline to the community. Mustafa Tameez’s long career in communications and public affairs has focused on helping clients overcome challenges at home and abroad.
 
We will speak with Mustafa Tameez about the newly established ACT: NOW! Hotline (832-680-0108), a service of the Alliance for Compassion & Tolerance in partnership with Crisis Intervention. It provides emotional support, crisis intervention, suicide prevention services, and is sensitive to any cultural issues of importance. We will talk about cultural stigmas against mental illness/loneliness/depression, issues facing young adults from our community today, signs parents should look for, the kinds of actions parents/community leaders should take, and the kinds of actions young people should take.
        

2nd Segment: George Joseph
Criminal justice, immigration, and national security reporter. His work has appeared in many outlets including Foreign Policy, The Intercept, The Guardian, NPR, The Atlantic, The Nation, ProPublica, The Verge, Slate, and CityLab. His area of focus is on surveillance, law enforcement, the use of “big data” in criminal justice systems, and how data is interpreted by law enforcement. George has just published an EXCLUSIVE report at Foreign Policy after he obtained a newly leaked internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) draft report calling for "long-term" and continuous monitoring of "at-risk" immigrants, focused exclusively on young, Sunni Muslim men.
 
We will speak with George about the newly leaked internal DHS report he obtained, and his exclusive report on it, titled "Draft DHS Report Called for Long-Term Surveillance of Sunni Muslim Immigrants".

Date:

January 31, 2018

Ariel Gold
National co-director of CODEPINK, who also manages the organization’s campaigns for Palestinian rights. She is a Jewish-American activist who visited occupied Palestine several times and stayed for months in Palestinian homes to experience first-hand what life is like under military occupation. Her last visit was a few months ago where she met Ahed Tamimi and her family in Nabi Saleh. During her last visit to occupied Palestine, she was attacked by an Israeli colonizer. Ariel’s colleagues and co-founders of CODEPINK, Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, were detained on Saturday, January 27, 2018 in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron along with Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro and CODEPINK activist Tighe Barry. Benjamin, Evans and Barry traveled to the West Bank to join with Palestinian activists in their struggle to end Israel’s systems of apartheid and occupation. They entered the country despite the recent announcement by the Israeli government "Israel's BDS Black List" that the leaders of CODEPINK, along with 19 other organizations worldwide, are banned from entry into Israel because of their campaigns for Palestinian freedom and equality. Ariel has also organized several US speaking tours for Palestinian activists, Iyad Burnat, Bassem Tamimi, and Issa Amro.
    

We will speak live with Ariel about her experience in occupied Palestine and what she is hearing from CODEPINK's activists currently there, the efforts and actions underway nationally and internationally to free Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian political prisoners, especially today, January 31, 2018, on Ahed's 17^th birthday, Jerusalem, and more.

Date:

January 24, 2018

“Sectarianism and Anti-sectarianism in the Modern Arab World” by Dr. Aziz Al-Azmeh
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Chairs at both Rice University and the University of Houston hosted and co-organized the "Arab Traditions of Anti-Sectarianism Conference", held December 1-2, 2017 at Rice University and the University of Houston.
   
The keynote address at the conference was delivered on December 1, 2017, at Rice University 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:

January 17, 2018

1^st Segment: Sana Shahid
Houston activist, and one of the organizing leaders and Outreach Specialist for the 2018 Houston Women's March (last year, nearly 22,000 attended the women's march in Houston). She is also the Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Southwest Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby.
    
We will speak with Sana about the upcoming 2018 Houston Women's March, scheduled for Saturday, January 20, 2018.
      

2^nd Segment: "Living Our Faith: Defending Freedom"
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (Houston Chapter) held its Annual Banquet on November 12, 2017, in Houston under the theme "Living Our Faith: Defending Freedom". Several local community members, faith leaders, and elected officials attended the event that featured an awards ceremony recognizing several individuals. It was a celebration 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 at the event, and today we will listen to some of them, including those of Dr. Tarek Hussein, CAIR Houston President; Mike Floyd, elected member of the Pearland ISD Board of Trustees, one of the youngest elected officials in the United States, and recipient of the 2017 CAIR-Houston Political Activism Award; and Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of CAIR-Houston, and recipient of the 2017 CAIR National Leadership Award.

Date:

January 10, 2018

1^st Segment: Bassem Tamimi (Ahed's Father, in Nabi Saleh, occupied Palestine)
A long-time Palestinian activist and head of the Popular Committee in Nabi Saleh. He is the father of Ahed Tamimi, the 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was taken from her house three weeks ago in the middle of the night by the Israeli occupation army and has been placed in Israeli occupation jail since then. Bassem's wife, Nariman, has also been arrested and placed in jail. Bassem Tamimi was arrested himself at least a dozen times by the Israeli occupation forces and spent several years in Israeli jails. Amnesty International designated him "a prisoner of conscience", and the European Union described him as a "human rights defender".
    
I had met Bassem Tamimi in person in 2015, and today he will join us via phone from Nabi Saleh, occupied Palestine to talk about the village of Nabi Saleh and the struggle of its residents and the Tamimi family against the Israeli occupation, the jailing of Bassem's daughter, Ahed and his wife, Nariman, and more.
       

2^nd Segment: Mohammed Nabulsi
Palestinian-American attorney and community organizer. He is currently the Project Development Coordinator for the Palestinian Youth Movement. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) organization, one of 20 organizations placed on a "BDS Blacklist" published by Israel on January 7, 2018, barring its members from entering Israel because of their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Mohammed Nabulsi was one of the main organizers of the recent NSJP conference held in Houston and has since been attacked by Zionist hate groups for his role in organizing the conference.

We will speak with Mohammed about SJP, the Israeli occupation and its decision to blacklist 20 organizations, including NSJP. We will also talk about the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and more.

Date:

January 3, 2018

"Black November: The Role of Partition in Palestine's History and Destiny" by Ilan Pappé
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston co-hosted with the Palestinian American Cultural Center Professor Ilan Pappé on November 30, 2017, who presented on the centennial of the Balfour Declaration. The title of his lecture was "Black November: The Role of Partition in Palestine's History and Destiny."
    
Today, on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Ilan Pappé's lecture.
   
Professor Pappé is the author of several books, most notably "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" and most recently "The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories." Presently he is the Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter. Professor Pappé obtained his BA degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1979 and the D. Phil from the University of Oxford in 1984. He founded and directed the Academic Institute for Peace in Givat Haviva, Israel between 1992 to 2000 and was the Chair of the Emil Tuma Institute for Palestine Studies in Haifa between 2000 and 2006. Professor Pappé was a senior lecturer in the department of Middle Eastern History and the Department of Political Science at Haifa University between 1984 and 2006. He was appointed as chair of the Department of History at Cornwall Campus, 2007-2009 and became a fellow of the IAIS in 2010. His research focuses on the modern Middle East and in particular the history of Israel and Palestine. He has also written on multiculturalism, Critical Discourse Analysis and on Power and Knowledge in general.

Date:

December 27, 2017

"Jerusalem: Communities Leading Change" by Fayrouz Sharqawi
The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C. held an event titled "Jerusalem: Communities Leading Change" on November 7, 2017. The guest speaker was Fayrouz Sharqawi, Advocacy Director at Grassroots Jerusalem. In her talk, Fayrouz explains the specific and unique political reality that Palestinians face in the city of Jerusalem. She discusses the recent movement for Al Aqsa and the necessity of organizations like Grassroots Jerusalem to build a cohesive political platform through which Jerusalemites can voice their demands and bring attention to the indigenous and independent Palestinian economy outside of the international aid and NGO system.
  
Today, on Arab Voices, we will listen to that talk and some of the questions and answers that followed.
 
Fayrouz Sharqawi is the Advocacy Director at Grassroots Jerusalem and has a broad and experienced understanding of development and resistance under occupation. Ms. Sharqawi’s tours of the city focus not only on the political reality, but also on the potential that lies in the Palestinian economy in Jerusalem, demonstrating the unity of communities across divides, and attempting to cultivate direct support and solidarity to Palestinian initiatives in Jerusalem.

Date:

December 20, 2017

1st Segment: Issa Amro (in Hebron, occupied Palestine)
Palestinian activist and human rights defender based in Hebron, occupied Palestine. He is the coordinator and co-founder of the grassroots group Youth Against Settlements. Issa won the 2009 One World Media award for coordinating the B’Tselem camera distribution project, and in 2010, he was declared "human rights defender of the year in Palestine" by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concern for his well-being and safety due to numerous accounts of harassment from Israeli soldiers and settlers and a series of arbitrary arrests. He has spoken at the UN Human Rights Council regular session at three different occasions. Issa was arrested numerous times by the Israeli occupation army, and was indicted by the Israeli military court with 18 charges against him. In May 2017, Bernie Sanders along with 3 U.S. Senators and 32 Congressmen wrote to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to urge Israeli authorities to reconsider the charges against him. In late September, 2017, after being released on bail from Israeli occupation jail, Issa Amro met Bernie Sanders and members of Congress in Washington DC.
  
We will speak with Issa Amro (in Hebron) about the situation in occupied Palestine, the recent kidnapping and jailing of Ahed Tamimi, 16-year-old Palestinian girl along with her mother and other relatives, President Trump's decision on Jerusalem, and much more.
      

2nd Segment: Tarek Abuata
Palestinian Christian born and raised in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine (the birth place of Jesus Christ). He is the Executive Director of FOSNA, Friends of Sabeel North America, a nonprofit Christian ecumenical organization seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through nonviolent advocacy and education. Tarek was Executive Director at Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, and has also served as Executive Director at Love Thy Neighbor. In addition, he worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT); United Palestine Appeal; Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation; and the Negotiations Support Unit of the Palestinian Authority. Tarek holds a JD from the University of Texas Law School and is licensed to practice law in Texas and DC.
    
We will speak with Tarek about Christians in Palestine and their suffering under the Israeli occupation, the situation there especially as we get closer to Christmas, President Trump's decision on Jerusalem and Christian reaction to it, and much more.

Date:

December 13, 2017

1st Segment: Remarks from Houston's Emergency Rally: Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine
Hundreds of people participated in the "Emergency Rally: Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine" rally that was held in Houston on Saturday, December 9, 2017. It was a protest against President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and his plan to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The rally was organized by several organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston. Participants marched from the corner of Post Oak and Westheimer to the Water Wall in the Galleria area, and held a candlelight vigil.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered at the rally by individuals and representatives from various organizations.
   

2nd Segment: Zaha Hassan
Middle East Fellow at New America, A human rights lawyer and former coordinator and senior legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during Palestine’s bid for UN membership (2010-2012). She is a member of Al Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, and is a contributor to the Hill and Ha’aretz. Her political commentary and analysis has been published by the New York Times, CNN, Salon, the Oregonian, the Detroit News, and other outlets. She is the former cohost of the Portland, Ore.-based radio show, One Land Many Voices, on KBOO 90.7 FM.
 
We will speak live with Zaha about President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We will talk about the occupation of Jerusalem and the situation there.

Date:

December 6, 2017

1st Segment: Walid Khalidi's Keynote Address on Jerusalem at the United Nations
World-renowned Palestinian historian and Scholar (born in Jerusalem); General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies; and author of numerous books and articles.
 
We will listen to professor Khalidi's keynote address on Jerusalem delivered at the UN Headquarters. He gave a historic overview of the history of Jerusalem (including Islam's relationship to its Judaic and Christian antecedents) saying that there had been no conflicts between Islam and Judaism over the city until the advent of Zionism. He also talked about the 1947 UN resolution, and the transformation of the city since its conquest in 1967. Khalidi ends his talk by outlining what he sees as the "pillars" of an honorable and peaceful solution for Jerusalem.

2nd Segment: Ali Abunimah
Co-founder and Executive Director of the award-winning and widely acclaimed publication The Electronic Intifada. Abunimah is a media commentator, an expert on Palestine and the Palestinian-Israeli problem, and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, and One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.
 
We will speak live with Ali about President Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the impact of such a move.

Date:

November 29, 2017

1st Segment: Abdel Razzaq Takriti on “Arab Traditions of Anti-Sectarianism" Conference

We will speak with Abdel Razzaq Takriti, Associate Professor & Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Arab History at the University of Houston about the upcoming “Arab Traditions of Anti-Sectarianism" conference that will take place Friday and Saturday, December 1st and 2nd at Rice University and the University of Houston.
  

2nd Segment: "Viewing Israel-Palestine Through the Lens of Settler-Colonialism" by Ilan Pappé
   
We will air today a speech titled "Viewing Israel-Palestine Through the Lens of Settler-Colonialism" by Ilan Pappé, Professor of History and Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, and author of several books. In that speech, delivered at the Israel Lobby And American Policy Conference held earlier this year in Washington, D.C., Pappé discusses the value of viewing Israel-Palestine through the lens of settler-colonialism, how Zionist myths have been shaped and/or perpetuated by the Israel lobby, and what framework is necessary to overcome these myths and ensure that efforts to resolve the "conflict" are grounded in reality.
 
NOTE: Ilan Pappé will be in Houston speaking at the University of Houston on Thursday, November 30, 2017 on the topic "Black November: The Role of Partition in Palestine's History and Destiny", organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston and sponsored by the Palestinian American Cultural Center. See Community Calendar for more details.

Date:

November 22, 2017

Rami Khouri
An internationally syndicated political columnist, book author and professor of journalism. He was the first director, and is now a senior public policy fellow, at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut. He also serves as a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School Middle East Initiative. He is editor at large, and former executive editor, of the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper, and was awarded the Pax Christi International Peace Prize for 2006. He teaches or lectures annually at the American University of Beirut and Northeastern University. He has been a fellow and visiting scholar at Harvard, Mount Holyoke, Princeton, Syracuse, The Fletcher School at Tufts, Northeastern, Denver, Oklahoma and Stanford universities, and is a member of the Brookings Institution Task Force on US Relations with the Islamic World. He is a Fellow of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (Arab East Jerusalem). He also serves on the Joint Advisory Board of the Northwestern University Journalism School in Doha, Qatar, Georgetown University’s Center for Regional and International Studies in Doha, Qatar, and recently completed a four-year term on the International Advisory Council of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was editor-in-chief of the Jordan Times for seven years and for 18 years was general manager of Al Kutba, Publishers, in Amman, Jordan, where he also served as a consultant to the Jordanian tourism ministry on biblical archaeological sites. He has hosted programs on archaeology, history and current public affairs on Jordan Television and Radio Jordan, and often comments on Mideast issues in the international media. He has a BA and MSc degrees respectively in political science and mass communications from Syracuse University, NY, USA.
  

We will speak live with Rami about the recent internal domestic changes and crackdown in Saudi Arabia (are we witnessing real changes and an end to corruption, or is it about power grab and scare tactics); the surprise resignation announcement of Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri while in Saudi Arabia (on hold after his return to Lebanon); the boycott and blockade on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and others; the catastrophic situation in Yemen as a result of the Saudi-led war on the country; the latest on Syria and what is next; and more.

Date:

November 15, 2017

Date:

November 8, 2017

Date:

November 1, 2017

Alison Weir
Founder and Executive Director of If Americans Knew and President of the Council for the National Interest. She is the author of "Against Our Better Judgment: The hidden history of how the U.S. was used to create Israel". Her essays and articles have appeared in a number of books, magazines, and newspapers; among them The New Intifada, Censored 2005, The Encyclopedia on Israel-Palestine, The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, San Francisco Bay View newspaper, CounterPunch, and The Link. Weir speaks widely throughout the country. Since early 2001 she has given hundreds of presentations, including two briefings on Capitol Hill, speeches at the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine, the National Press Club, and at universities such as Harvard Law School, Columbia, Stanford, UC Berkeley, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Vassar, and the Naval Postgraduate Institute. She has spoken at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, numerous Rotary Clubs, churches, libraries, and other community venues. In addition, she has been invited to give papers at international conferences, including lectures at the Asia Media Summit in Kuala Lumpur for three straight years. A top level British attendee termed her speech "the most brilliant of the entire conference." In 2004, Weir was inducted into honorary membership of Phi Alpha Literary Society. The award cited her as a: "Courageous journalist-lecturer on behalf of human rights. The first woman to receive an honorary membership in Phi Alpha history."
 

Thursday, November 2, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a pledge by Britain's foreign secretary at that time, Arthur Balfour, addressed to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a Zionist leader in the British Jewish community, to establish "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. Today on Arab Voices, we will speak live with Alison Weir about the Balfour Declaration, how did it come about, who wrote it and why, who was behind it, how it got implemented, the connections to the U.S. and World War I, its impact on the Palestinians over the past 100 years, and more!

Date:

October 25, 2017

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 media forums such as the New York Times, the Jewish Press, The Hill, Huffington Post Live, The Real News Network, Al Jazeera English, Mondoweiss, Huffington Post, Law and Disorder Radio, and Radio Tahrir. She is fluent in Arabic and French. Dima is based in Palestine Legal’s Chicago office, and is admitted to practice law in Illinois.
 

We will speak live with Dima about the anti-BDS laws that have already passed in 22 states in the U.S. including Texas (HB 89), aimed at punishing or suppressing boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns for Palestinian freedom. We will talk about the City of Dickinson (south of Houston, Texas) that is requiring applicants for hurricane Harvey rebuilding funds (donated by individuals, not State money) to verify in writing that they will not take part in a boycott of Israel. We will also talk about the federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU on October 11, 2017 challenging a Kansas law on behalf of a high school teacher who is being required by the state to certify that she won’t boycott Israel if she wants to take part in a teacher training program. We will also speak about the constitutionality of these laws and the first amendment, the efforts to counter these anti-BDS laws in the U.S., and what you can do about them.
    
 

Fall Fund Drive

Date:

October 18, 2017

KPFT continues its Fall Fund Drive, and Arab Voices Needs Your Support to raise $2,700. We are offering several "Thank-You" Gifts during this drive including the 3 documentaries/recordings listed below:

• "Ralph Nader: EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP ERA" DVD

• "All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone" DVD

• "The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" DVD

Please call 713-526-5738 between 6 pm and 7 pm central time on Wednesday and support your commercial-free community radio station. You can also send email to info@ArabVoices.net with your name and the amount you'd like to pledge. Thank you.
 

Fall Fund Drive

Date:

October 11, 2017

"Ralph Nader: EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP ERA" - DVD available for $100 contribution
DVD of two talks by Ralph Nader: 1) on the topic of 'Empowering People in Trump Era' based on his latest book 'Breaking Through Power,' given on February 22, 2017 at the University of Laverne (approx. 83 minutes long); 2) 'Ralph Nader In Conversation,' a Scripps Presents event in Claremont on February 21, 2017 (approx. 68 minutes long). The total time is 2:30 hours. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to portions of Nader's talk from the DVD.
 

"All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone" - DVD available for $100 contribution
'All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone' looks at how independent journalists like Amy Goodman, Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Matt Taibbi and others are changing the face of journalism, providing investigative, adversarial alternatives to mainstream, corporate news outlets. The cameras follow as they expose government and corporate deception. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to portions from that documentary/DVD.
 

"The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in The United States" - DVD available for $120 contribution
Israel's ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and its repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world — except the United States. "The Occupation of the American Mind" takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S. Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the film explores how the Israeli government, the U.S. government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel's favor. The Occupation of the American Mind provides a sweeping analysis of Israel's decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people — a battle that has only intensified over the past few years in the face of widening international condemnation of Israel's increasingly right-wing policies. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to an interview we conducted with Professor Sut Jhally, executive producer of the film and also listen to portions of this film documentary/DVD.

Date:

October 4, 2017

1st Segment: The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban
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 segment titled “The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban”.
 
Leading up to the US Supreme Court hearing on Trump’s travel ban, we’ll hear about the order’s impact on people from affected, Muslim-majority countries, and how advocacy groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations are responding. On this edition of Making Contact we begin with the story of a woman who was in flight to the US when President Trump signed his first travel ban. Special thanks to the Stanford Storytelling Project and State of the Human podcast managing producer, Jake Warga.
 
Featuring:
• Nisrin Abdelrahman, Stanford PhD Student in Anthropology
• Zahar Billo, Civil Rights Attorney and Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
    
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to “The Arrival: Trump’s Travel and Refugee Ban” segment.
  

2nd Segment: Dr. Ahmad Tibi's Remarks at the ADC Convention
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage in the USA, held its 37th National Convention on September 22-24, 2017 in Washington, D.C. There were many dynamic and engaging sessions, including a Community Empowerment Luncheon with Arab-American Congressional Candidates, discussions on Charlottesville and the Reemergence of White Supremacy, Criminalization of Race, and the Arab and Muslim Ban. There was a session exploring One State or Two State Solution – What’s Best for the Palestinians featuring experts on the subject, and there were several keynote addresses covering different topics including Civil Rights. ADC also honored several individuals who have committed themselves to the advancement of social justice. There was also a special memorial honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Jack Shaheen.
 
At the September 24, 2017 Palestine Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, the keynote speaker was Dr. Ahmad Tibi, Deputy Speaker of the Israeli Knesset. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to most of Dr. Tibi's remarks at the ADC Convention.

Date:

September 27, 2017

"The Invention of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East" by Ussama Makdisi, Ph.D.
The Center for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy held an event titled “The Invention of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East” on September 20, 2017. The speaker was Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to that lecture.
   
Professor Makdisi is the author of Faith Misplaced: the Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations, 1820-2001. His previous books include Artillery of Heaven: American Missionaries and the Failed Conversion of the Middle East, which was the winner of the 2008 Albert Hourani Book Award from the Middle East Studies Association, the 2009 John Hope Franklin Prize of the American Studies Association, and a co-winner of the 2009 British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize given by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. Makdisi is also the author of The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon and co-editor of Memory and Violence in the Middle East and North Africa. 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. Among his major articles are “Anti-Americanism in the Arab World: An Interpretation of Brief History” which appeared in the Journal of American History and “Ottoman Orientalism” and “Reclaiming the Land of the Bible: Missionaries, Secularism, and Evangelical Modernity” both of which appeared in the American Historical Review. Professor Makdisi has also published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Comparative Studies in Society and History, and in the Middle East Report. Professor Makdisi is now working on a manuscript on the origins of sectarianism in the modern Middle East to be published by the University of California Press. In 2012-2013, Makdisi 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 United States and abroad.

Date:

September 20, 2017

Massacres and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State in Myanmar
Today’s show is about the grave humanitarian crisis, violence and ethnic cleansing we are witnessing in the Rakhine State in Myanmar, where brutal killings, shelling, destruction of villages and rape is underway of the Muslim Rohingya minority. Nearly half a million Muslim Rohingya were forced to flee across the border to Bangladesh.
 
We will listen today to statements on that topic from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the country of Bangladesh where nearly half a million Muslim Rohingya are now refugees, and the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues
 
We will also listen to several Houstonians who participated in a Silent Protest held in Houston on September 17, 2017 including a Rohingya student living in Houston, and statements from several local organizations including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston).

Date:

September 13, 2017

1st Segment: Dr. Aziz Shaibani
President of the Arab American Educational Foundation, and past president of the National Arab American Medical Association and the Arab American Cultural and Community Center in Houston. He is a member of the “Art of the Islamic Worlds" committee at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and also serves on the advisory board of the Arab American National Museum and is a board member at the Rothko Chapel. Dr. Shaibani is the director of the Nerve and Muscle Center of Texas, a clinical professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, American College of Physicians, and American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He is also president-elect of the Texas Neurological Society. In 2014, he authored the award-winning book “A Video Atlas of Neuromuscular Disorders”. Dr. Shaibani is a regular speaker at local, national and international neurology meetings.
 
We will speak with Dr. Shaibani about the short and long term health impact of Hurricane Harvey; the impact it has made on the health care system in Houston; measures people can take to minimize delayed health effects, and more.
   

2nd Segment: Dr. Emran El-Badawi
Program director and associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Houston. He has published in English as well as Arabic and has contributed to Forbes, The Christian Science Monitor and made dozens of national as well as international media appearances, including for The New York Times, Al-Jazeera and the European ARTE network. Dr. El-Badawi has advised law firms, government, and cultural organizations about matters related to Arabs, Islam and the Middle East. Dr. El-Badawi has received numerous awards for his work and research including honorable acclaim by the British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize for his book on The Qur'an and the Aramaic Gospel Traditions. Furthermore, his professional management and scholarly projects have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for several organizations. He can be found on Twitter @EmranE.
 
We will speak with Dr. El-Badawi about Houston's diversity, the size of Hurricane Harvey's tragedy and the lesson of how a strong community empowers a city during large tragedies. Dr. El-Badawi will also share stories of Houston Arab-American citizens and businesses saving lives and helping rebuild Houston, and talk about the near future, new initiatives and how you can help.

Date:

September 6, 2017

1st Segment: Dr. Faiza Zalila
We will speak with Dr. Faiza Zalila, President of the Arab American Cultural & Community Center (ACC) in Houston about the Arab American community in Houston and ACC efforts to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and the drive the ACC launched to collect much needed items to distribute in collaboration with other organizations to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
 

2nd Segment: MJ Khan
We will speak with Mr. MJ Khan, President of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) and former Houston City Council member, about the Muslim American community in Houston and ISGH efforts in the greater Houston area to assist the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and the relief efforts, and opening of mosques as shelters to those in need.
 

3rd Segment: Wafa Abdin
We will speak with Wafa Abdin, Vice President for Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities, where she oversees the Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance, the largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services for low-income and indigent non-citizens and Refugee Resettlement Program. We will speak with her about President Trump's termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program; the impact of the termination on the nearly 800,000 young immigrants, or “Dreamers,” who came to the USA as children and know the United States as their only home; and what needs to happen next.

Date:

August 30, 2017

Date:

August 23, 2017

David Vine
Associate Professor of Anthropology at the American University in Washington, DC. He is the author of Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World. David is also the author of Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. David is also co-author of The Counter-Counterinsurgency Manual or, Notes on Demilitarizing American Society, with the Network for Concerned Anthropologists. David is a contributor to TomDispatch.com and Foreign Policy in Focus.
  

We will speak live with David about his books, U.S. foreign and military policy, U.S. military bases around the world including the Middle East, U.S. involvements with wars in the Middle East, and more.

Date:

August 16, 2017

“Conservation and Sustainability in the Holy Land” by Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh
On June 26, 2017, Palestinian Scientist and Professor, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, spoke at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on the topic “Conservation and Sustainability in the Holy Land”. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to his remarks.
  
After graduating from the University of Jordan, Qumsiyeh received his master's degree in evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. in zoology/genetics from Texas Tech University. He completed a clinical cytogenetics fellowship at the University of Tennessee and clinical molecular genetics fellowship at Duke University. Following a prestigious career in cytogenetics in the US, Qumsiyeh returned to Palestine where he has been on the faculty at Bethlehem University and Birzeit University. In 2014, he founded the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. He continues at PMNH as its director.

Date:

August 9, 2017

No U.S. War Planes Over Syria
On Tuesday, August 8, 2017, a coalition of six organizations (Veterans For Peace, The Nation magazine, RootsAction.org, Watchdog.net, World Beyond War, Daily Kos) held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., calling on the U.S. to remove all military aircrafts from the Syrian airspace. The speakers argued that the U.S. military role in Syria is illegal and immoral and addressed concerns that “global policing” and intervention in Syria is an unwinnable military strategy. The speakers included:
  
John Kiriakou, CIA Whistleblower (he will be speaking in Houston on August 12)
Matthew Hoh, Former State Department official
Christie Edwards, Chair of the ASIL Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict and an advisor to the Center for Civilians in Conflict on international humanitarian, human rights, and gender issues
David Swanson, Author and Director of World Beyond War
Norman Solomon, Co-Founder and Coordinator for RootsAction.org
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the news conference and some of the questions and answers that followed.

Date:

August 2, 2017

Will Picard
Founder and Executive Director of The Yemen Peace Project (YPP). He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in Modern Middle East Studies and Southwest Asian Conflict Studies. His senior thesis explored the importance of the Sa‘dah wars in the context of modern Yemeni history. He first visited Yemen in 1999, and has studied Yemeni history and contemporary affairs ever since. Will directs the YPP’s day-to-day operations, manages the organization’s website and Twitter account, writes for the Blog, and hosts the Mafraj Radio podcast.
 

We will speak live with Will Picard about Yemen, the dire situation there and the effects of the current Saudi-led war on Yemen that devastated the country, and the prospects for resolutions and peace in Yemen. We will also talk about the new report "America’s Role in Yemen 2017 and Beyond" produced by YPP about the United States’ involvement in Yemen.
 
According to the United Nations, Yemen is now the largest global humanitarian crisis where 20 million Yemenis, or 70 per cent of the population, require humanitarian assistance, making it the world's largest food security crisis. In addition, the world’s worst cholera outbreak is currently unfolding in Yemen with nearly 400,000 cholera cases have been recorded in recent months.

Date:

July 26, 2017

Maria LaHood's remarks on "Anti-BDS Legislation and the First Amendment"
Deputy Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights, with expertise in constitutional rights and international human rights. She works to defend the constitutional rights of Palestinian human rights advocates in the United States. She works closely with Palestine Legal to support students and others whose speech is being suppressed for their Palestine advocacy around the country. She also works on the Right to Heal initiative with Iraqi civil society and Iraq Veterans seeking accountability for the lasting health effects of the Iraq war.
 
We will listen to Maria's speech on “Anti-BDS Legislation and the First Amendment: Recent Legislation that Threatens First Amendment Rights of Palestinian Solidary Activists and the Legal Challenges Thereto”. Her talk was delivered at the "Israel Lobby and American Policy" conference held on March 24th, 2017 at the National Press Club, organized by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
  

Said Arikat
Journalist, author, and political analyst. He is the Washington, DC Bureau Chief for the daily Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds (based in occupied Jerusalem), for which he is a writer, columnist, and analyst. He is an adjunct professor at the American University in Washington, DC where he teaches a course on "The Role of the Media in the Arab World". He also served as spokesman and director of public information for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq from 2005 to 2010.
 
We will speak live with Said Arikat about the situation in occupied Jerusalem where Israel shot and killed several Palestinians and injured more than 1000 over the past few days, and has been attacking and preventing Muslim worshippers from reaching and praying at Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

Date:

July 19, 2017

Dr. Missid Ghanem & Mays Kseibi
Dr. Missid Ghanem is a Psychologist, president of the World Wide Mental Health organization (WWHM) and Director of the new Summer of Hope (SoH) program in Houston.
 
Mays Kseibi is an educational management leader and a multicultural educator with an extensive background knowledge in international student services and academic advising. Mays has a masters in educational management development and currently serves as the Core Curriculum Director of the Summer of Hope (SoH) program in Houston.
 
We will speak with both Dr. Ghanem and Mrs. Kseibi about the new Summer of Hope (SoH) program that provides free English language and life skills training to the Syrian refugee children living in Houston.
   

Wajahat Ali remarks on "Israel Lobby Ties to Islamophobia"
Pro-Israel Organizations, Donors and Islamophobia: Findings from Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America
 
We will listen to the full speech given by Wajahat Ali, journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, and lead author/researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America”, discussing the making of Fear Inc. and the Lobby’s role in contributing to Islamophobia at the "Israel Lobby and American Policy" conference held on March 24, 2017 at the National Press Club. The conference was sponsored by the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep).

Date:

July 12, 2017

In Memoriam: Dr. Jack Shaheen
On Sunday, July 9, 2017, Dr. Jack Shaheen, a pioneering Arab-American scholar in the area of media representations of Arabs, an internationally acclaimed scholar, and author, passed away in South Carolina at the age of 81. Dr. Shaheen was a writer and lecturer specializing in addressing racial and ethnic stereotypes. His books include "A is for Arab: Archiving Stereotypes in U.S. Popular Culture", "Guilty: Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs After 9/11", and "Reel Bad Arabs", which was later made into a film documentary "How Hollywood Vilifies Arabs!" by Media Education Foundation. His work focused on racism and orientalism, particularly in popular culture such as Hollywood films. He has given over 1,000 lectures on the issue across the United States and on three continents. Dr. Shaheen was also a former CBS News consultant on Middle East affairs, and professor emeritus of Mass Communications at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He received two Fulbright teaching awards, and was also the Distinguished Visiting Scholar at New York University’s Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies.
 
We will listen today to portions of Dr. Shaheen’s talk in the film documentary "How Hollywood Vilifies Arabs!" by Media Education Foundation, and also listen to his talk at the "Israel Lobby and American Policy" conference on March 24, 2017 at the National Press Club, organized by the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. He spoke on the topic “Strategies to Successfully Push Back Against Harmful Hollywood Stereotypes About Arabs and Muslims, and the Work New Generations Must Take On”.
   

International Day of Quds
We will also listen to portions of the remarks that were delivered at the International Day of Quds rally that was held in Houston outside the Galleria on June 23, 2017. There were many remarks delivered during the rally, and we will air today portions of the remarks of the Reverend Ronnie Lister, Patrick Higgins, Rabbi Joseph Kohn with Neturei Karta, and Abbas Hamideh, co-founder of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition.   

Date:

July 5, 2017

Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh - "A Christian Palestinian Scientist from Bethlehem Talks About Conflict Resolution"
Last week, on June 27, 2017, Palestinian Scientist and Professor, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, spoke at the Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston on the topic: "A Christian Palestinian Scientist from Bethlehem Talks About Conflict Resolution". Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to his remarks at the church.
 
After graduating from the University of Jordan, Qumsiyeh received his master's degree in evolutionary biology from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. in zoology/genetics from Texas Tech University. He completed a clinical cytogenetics fellowship at the University of Tennessee and clinical molecular genetics fellowship at Duke University. Following a prestigious career in cytogenetics in the US, Qumsiyeh returned to Palestine where he has been on the faculty at Bethlehem University and Birzeit University. In 2014, he founded the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University. He continues at PMNH as its director.

Date:

June 28, 2017

                

Summer Fund Drive

Date:

June 21, 2017

               

Summer Fund Drive

Date:

June 14, 2017

Nawal Abou-Awad
We will speak with Nawal Abou-Awad, PAC Youth Ambassador, about the planned "Know Your Homeland Camp2" organized by the Palestinian American Council (PAC). It is a trip to Palestine from July 15 to July 30, 2017. For more information and/or to register, visit www.pac-usa.org.
   

Congressman Al Green's Houston Iftar Remarks
More than 1,500 people attended the annual Houston Ramadan Iftar Dinner on May 28, 2017. The keynote speaker was Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston. Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke via a pre-recorded video message, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also spoke at the event, amongst many others. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the remarks of Congressman Al Green that he delivered at the event. The event was organized by Abu Dhabi, Baku, Basrah, Istanbul and Karachi Sister City Association along with the Islamic Society of Greater Houston.
  

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's March & Press Conference on Anti-Hate
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee held a march and a press conference on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at the Mickey Leeland Federal Building in Houston, with members of the Muslim Community, to stand against hate for Islam. It was a counter demonstration to the anti-Muslim marches held the day before across the US including the Houston area by ACT for America, an anti-Islam hate group. The group's founder and chairman, Brigitte Gabriel, believes Arabs “have no soul”, and “every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim” and that a Muslim “cannot be a loyal citizen of the United States”. She also argues that “America is at stage two Islamic Cancer". ACT for America supports anti-Islam legislation and unequal treatment for Muslims. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks made at the press conference including those of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, HISD Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, former Houston City Council member and President of ISGH MJ Khan, Executive Director of CAIR-Houston Mustafaa Carroll, Reverend Sadraque Cius, Muslim Child Yousef, and Imam Majid Siddiqui.

Date:

June 7, 2017

Melvin Goodman
Senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, 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 (just released) is "Whistleblower 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.
    
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the remaining 22% of Historic Palestine (Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem), the longest enduring military occupation in the world. Today on the show, we will talk about this 50th anniversary (Arab Voices' commentary).
 
We will also speak live with Mr. Melvin Goodman about what he saw during the six-day war in June 1967 while working at the CIA, and the lies Israeli officials at the highest level made to the White House about the start of the six-day war. Mr. Goodman helped draft the report that described Israel’s attack against Egypt on the morning of June 5, 1967. In a new piece he just published, The Six Day War and Israeli Lies: What I Saw at the CIA, he says "There were sensitive communications intercepts that documented Israeli preparations for an attack, and no evidence of an Egyptian battle plan. The Israelis had been clamoring about indications of Egyptian preparations for an invasion, but we had no sign of Egyptian readiness in terms of its air or armored power. The assumption was that the Israelis were engaging in disinformation in order to gain U.S. support.".
 
We will also speak with Mr. Goodman about his new book "Whistleblower at the CIA: An Insider’s Account of the Politics of Intelligence" (City Lights Publishers, 2017).

Date:

May 31, 2017

Arab Barghouti
We will speak live with Arab Barghouti, son of the Palestinian leader, parliamentarian, and political prisoner, Marwan Barghouti (who is being held in Israeli jails for more than 15 years and recently led the massive hunger strike that lasted 40 days). We will speak with Arab about the Palestinian political prisoners' hunger strike, its importance and the fight for dignity for all Palestinians. We will also speak with him about his dad, Marwan Barghouti, and more.
  
 
Houston Stands with Palestinian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Houston organized a protest on Thursday, May 25, 2017 in front of the Israeli consulate in Houston in solidarity with more than 1500 Palestinian political prisoners that were on hunger strike that lasted 40 days to protest Israel's inhumane treatment of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners. The protesters also participated in the global #SaltWaterChallenge that was launched by Arab Barghouti, son of the Palestinian leader and political prisoner Marwan Barghouti, in support of the demands of the Palestinian political prisoners.
     
Today on Arab Voices, we will hear the remarks of several local Houstonians who participated in the protest including the remarks of the Reverend Ronnie Lister.

Date:

May 24, 2017

1st Segment: Zaha Hassan
Human rights attorney, Middle East Fellow at New America, and former coordinator and senior legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during Palestine’s bid for UN membership from 2010-2012. As a New America fellow, she will complete a novel, Die Standing Like Trees, which deals with a Palestinian-American woman’s search for answers twenty years after her mother’s violent death during the height of the Oslo peace talks. Zaha received her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, an LLM in transnational & international law from Willamette University, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in political science and Near East languages and civilizations. She has been co-host for the last two years of the Portland, Oregon radio show, One Land Many Voices, on KBOO 90.7 FM and is a contributor to the online magazine, The Civil Arab.
  
We will speak live with Zaha about President Trump's visit to occupied Palestine, the ongoing (37 days and counting) Palestinian Political Prisoner's Hunger Strike, and more.
 
Please note there will be a protest "Houston Stands with Palestinian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike" this Thursday, May 25, 2017, in front of the Consulate General of Israel in Houston organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston. Click here for more details.
       

2nd Segment: Sahar Aziz
Professor of law at Texas A&M University School of Law where she teaches courses on national security, civil rights, and Middle East law. She also serves as a Nonresident Fellow at Brookings Doha Center. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Professor Aziz served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she worked on law and policy at the intersection of national security and civil liberties. Her academic articles have been published in the Harvard National Security Journal, George Washington International Law Review, Penn State Law Review, and the Texas Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Journal. In 2015, Professor Aziz was named an Emerging Scholar by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and received the Derrick Bell Award from the American Association of Law Schools Minority Group Section. She is a blogger for the Huffington Post and the Race and the Law Profs blog. She also serves on the board of the ACLU of Texas. Professor Aziz earned a J.D. and M.A. in Middle East Studies from the University of Texas where she served as an associate editor of the Texas Law Review.
 
We will speak live with Sahar about President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Sahar published oped on CNN titled "Trump's Doublespeak in Saudi Arabia", in which she says "If there's one thing we've learned about Donald Trump, it is that he has no qualms about contradicting himself to get what he wants. In Saudi Arabia, he wanted a $110 billion arms deal -- not to promote peace and tolerance, as he later proclaimed in his Sunday speech. Thus, his speech will not "be remembered as the beginning of peace in the Middle East," as he loftily put it, but rather a boost to the war that is ravaging it. Nor will Trump's speech put an end to the Islamophobia and bigotry that he has spent the past two years inciting. After all, he needs scapegoats to blame when the terrorism in the Middle East inevitably reaches the United States.".

Date:

May 17, 2017

"Israel's Politics of Fear and the Palestinians" by Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
The Arab-American Educational Foundation Lecture Fund and the History Department at Rice University sponsored a talk titled "Israel's Politics of Fear and the Palestinians" on April 4, 2017, at Rice University with guest speaker Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian from Jerusalem.
 
The talk was based on Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian's newly published book about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict entitled Security Theology, Surveillance and the Politics of Fear. By drawing attention to violence against Palestinians, and by pointing to legal, symbolic and material means of dehumanization, Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian explores the production of racialized and violent forms of surveillance and fear that results in human suffering. In connecting the structures of Israeli power with the invisible and mundane lives of the colonized Palestinian people, the talk shares data, including photos, videos, and relevant laws, to show how the personal has become profoundly politicized. Moving from the dead to the newborn, from the graveyard to the womb, from the attack on home to homeland, Shalhoub-Kevorkian discusses the way in which intimate agonies are political sites of colonial governance. Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian is the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law-Institute of Criminology and the School of Social Work and Public Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian's lecture on "Israel's Politics of Fear and the Palestinians".

Date:

May 10, 2017

1st Segment: Dr. Faiza Zalila
We will speak live with Dr. Faiza Zalila, President of the Arab American Cultural & Community Center (ACC) in Houston about the center, and the new community-wide needs assessment survey the ACC is conducting to obtain feedback from the community and constituents, Arabs and friends of Arabs, about social service needs and cultural programs you want to see offered at the ACC Center, as the ACC is looking to align its services and programs with the community needs and interests in order to better serve the community. We will also talk about the upcoming free Family Health Fair for the community at large, to be held Saturday, May 13th, where the ACC in partnership with other organizations will be offering free screening of vital health signs, vision, cholesterol, blood pressure, fitness tests, in addition to smoking cessation, mental health counseling, dental exams, and much more.
    

2nd Segment: Mustafaa Carroll
We will speak live with Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) about the new civil rights report titled "The Empowerment of Hate" released yesterday, May 9, 2017, by CAIR documenting a spike in Anti-Muslim bias incidents. The report reveals a 57 percent increase in 2016 anti-Muslim bias incidents over 2015. This was accompanied by a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the same period. Other issues covered in the report include public officials conditioning American audiences to fear Muslims, flying while Muslim, closure of bank accounts linked to Muslim names, the FBI, the impact of Islamophobia in educational institutions, watch lists, and workplace discrimination. We will also talk about the new Texas Senate Bill 4 signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott banning "sanctuary cities" in Texas and requiring local police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and allowing police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain.

Date:

May 3, 2017

1st Segment: Houston Palestine Film Festival
We will speak live with Mayk Chahine, Board Member with the Houston Palestine Film Festival (HPFF) about the 11th Annual Houston Palestine Film Festival (It's time to share stories from and about Palestine)! The festival will be held Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7 at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Rice University Media Center. Click here for more details and Program Lineup.
    

2nd Segment: The Israel Lobby and Fake Peace Processing by Khalil Jahshan
We will listen to the speech titled "The Israel Lobby and Fake Peace Processing" delivered by Khalil Jahshan at The Israel Lobby and American Policy Conference, which was held on March 24, 2017 at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. The conference was sponsored by the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep).
 
Khalil Jahshan has been serving as Executive Director of Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) since its inception in 2014. Between 2004 and 2013, Jahshan was a lecturer in International Studies and Languages at Pepperdine University and Executive Director of Pepperdine’s Seaver College Washington DC Internship Program. Previously, Jahshan served as Executive Vice President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Director of its government affairs affiliate, NAAA-ADC. Throughout his career he has held numerous positions, including Vice President of the American Committee on Jerusalem, President of the National Association of Arab-Americans, and National Director of the Association of Arab-American University graduates. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Harding University in 1972. Mr. Jahshan has served on the board of directors and advisory boards of various Middle East-oriented groups including ANERA, MIFTAH and Search for Common Ground. He has appeared on various media outlets such as Al-Jazeera, Al-Hurra, CCTV, Al-Arabiya, C-SPAN, and Charlie Rose.

Date:

April 26, 2017

Joe Catron
Organizer with Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. We will speak live with Joe about the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners including children, women and legislative council members held in Israeli jails, and the latest on the massive hunger strike that started 10 days ago on April 17, 2017 (Prisoner's Day) by nearly 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails and detention centers, amidst resentment of Israel’s cruel policies towards Palestinian political prisoners.
 
We will also talk with him about the hearing held yesterday in a Detroit U.S. District Court where a plea agreement was reached to revoke Palestinian American Rasmea Odeh's U.S. citizenship and deport her from the U.S.!

Date:

April 19, 2017

"Beyond the Arab Muslim Ban: Feminist Futures and Joint Struggle" by Professor Nadine Naber
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 March 21, 2017, at the University of Houston. The lecture was titled "Beyond the Arab Muslim Ban: Feminist Futures and Joint Struggle", and the speaker was Professor Nadine Naber.
   
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Professor Naber's lecture on "Beyond the Arab Muslim Ban: Feminist Futures and Joint Struggle".
    
Professor Nadine Naber is a leading Arab-American feminist scholar, author, and social justice advocate. She is an associate professor in the Gender and Women's Studies Program and the Global Asian Studies Program and the director of the Arab American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Professor Naber is author of Arab America: Gender, Cultural Politics, and Activism and editor of Race and Arab Americans; Arab and Arab American Feminisms (winner of the Arab American Book Award 2012); and The Color of Violence.

Date:

April 12, 2017

Philip Giraldi
Former CIA Officer and Army Intelligence Officer who spent twenty years overseas in Europe and the Middle East working terrorism cases. He is the Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest and a recognized authority on international security and counterterrorism issues. He writes regularly on terrorism, intelligence, and security issues, and appears frequently on national and international broadcasts. He holds a BA with honors from the University of Chicago and an MA and Ph.D. in Modern History from the University of London.
  

A live conversation with Mr. Giraldi about the recent U.S. missile attack on Syria after a horrific poisonous gas attack in Khan Shaykhun, south of the Syrian city of Idlib that killed dozens of civilians.
  
Mr. Giraldi is one of several prominent former intelligence and other officials with Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (from virtually every branch of the U.S. national security state) that have released a statement saying "Trump Should Rethink Syria Escalation", and also asking Trump to pull back from his dangerous escalation of tensions with Russia.

Date:

April 5, 2017

               

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

March 29, 2017

The 3rd Annual Lebanese Festival
A live conversation with Hiba Elroz and Fred Davis, members of the Lebanese Festival Committee, about the 3rd Annual Lebanese Festival that will be held Friday through Sunday, March 31-April 2 at Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston.
 
There will be entertainment, food, different activities, great festivities, enjoyable atmosphere for both adults and children, door prizes, music, folkloric dances, performances, and much more. This will not just be a festival...it will be a one of a kind experience as attendees are whisked away on a memorable and exquisite journey to explore all that Lebanon has to offer. The 3rd Annual Houston Lebanese Festival will be unlike any other festival before. It will be filled with surprises that take you to the streets, the sights, and the sounds of Lebanon. This event is hosted by the American Lebanese Cultural Center (ALCC) in Houston. 
              

Spring Fund Drive

Date:

March 22, 2017

1st Segment: The 7th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival
A live conversation with Ruba Afifi, Festival Chair and Board Member with the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC-Houston) and Alma AlQuqa, Festival Co-Chair about the 7th Annual Houston Palestinian Festival scheduled to be held March 25-26 at Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston. We will also speak with Dalal Abu Amneh who will be performing live at the Festival. Dalal is a Palestinian singer singing classical and folk music of the Arabic musical heritage, and also a neuroscientist from Nazareth. She is committed to achieving humanitarian goals through her art and draws from the rich culture of Palestine, and aims to develop this art and spread the Palestinian culture to the wider world. Dalal is crafting a global Palestinian identity and advocating for the Palestinian cause through her music. She has participated in many international and Arab festivals and has represented Palestine in several Arab operettas and also participated in many local and International cultural events. In addition to her participation with her own band, Dalal is the lead singer in the international orchestra MESTO where she performs Arab and Palestinian folk, accompanied by Western musicians and orchestral arrangement. A surprise to many of her fans, besides music and singing, Dalal is studying for a Ph.D. in neuroscience in the Faculty of Medicine at the Technical Institute in Haifa.
  

2nd Segment: ESCOWA's New Report: Israel is guilty of apartheid 
We will talk about a new report published a few days ago by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, ESCOWA, which directly accuses Israel of imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinian people. The report also urges governments to "support boycott, divestment and sanctions activities and respond positively to calls for such initiatives." What did the U.N. do when the report was released? Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ordered the report be withdrawn and removed from the web! Rima Khalaf, the head of the U.N. agency ESCOWA, responsible for this report resigned in protest!

Date:

March 15, 2017

Trump’s Foreign Policy Positions on Palestine and the Middle East
The Palestine Center in Washington, D.C. held an event titled "Trump’s Foreign Policy Positions on Palestine and the Middle East" on February 7, 2017. Panelists Dr. Nathan Brown, Dr. Shibley Telhami, and Professor P.J. Crowley will examine in this panel the foreign policy positions of President Donald Trump with regard to Palestine and the Middle East. Among the many issues related to the subject of this panel are President Trump's campaign promise to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and his appointment of David Friedman, a pro-settlement lawyer with no foreign policy experience, as US ambassador to Israel. The panelists will discuss these issues, while examining the widespread regional and global effects the Trump administration will bring.
  
Today, on Arab Voices, we will listen to that panel.
 
Dr. Nathan Brown is a professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies as well as Director of the Middle East Studies Program at George Washington University. From 2013 to 2015, he was President of the Middle East Association–the academic association for scholars studying in the region. In 2013, Dr.Brown was named a Guggenheim Fellow. Four years earlier he was named a Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For the 2009-2010 academic year, he was a fellow at the Wilson International Center for Scholars.
  
Philip J. (P.J.) Crowley is a professor of practice and distinguished fellow at the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communications at George Washington University, after serving a long career in the U.S. Department of State. He is a specialist on national security and from 2011- 2012 he was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress where he authored detailed analyses on security issues including Safe At Home —a national security strategy to protect the American homeland, improve national preparedness and rebuild the US standing in the world.
  
Dr. Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development and the Director of the University of Maryland critical issues poll. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His best-selling book, The Stakes: America and the Middle East, was selected by Foreign Affairs as one of the top five books on the Middle East in 2003. His recent book, The World Through Arab Eyes: Arab Public Opinion and the Reshaping of the Middle East, was published in 2013. Dr. Telhami was selected by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, along with the New York Times, as one of the “great immigrants” for 2013.

Date:

March 8, 2017

1st Segment: President Trump's new "Muslim Ban"
President Trump signed on Monday, March 6, 2017 another executive order to ban Muslims and Arabs from 6 Muslim countries from entering the United States. This is his second attempt at this after his first executive order to ban Muslims from 7 countries was stopped in courts. Several national organizations voiced opposition and concerns about this second attempt at banning Muslims from entering the United States.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to statements and reactions to this latest executive order from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). We will also listen to a news conference held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
       

2nd Segment: Dr. Michael Fares 
Instructional Assistant Professor of Arabic at the University of Houston. He joined the department of Modern and Classical Languages at UH in 2012. Michael grew up in the Middle East and has spent time in several Arabic speaking countries. He teaches beginning and intermediate Arabic, and is working to develop the curriculum for these courses as part of the department’s newly created Arab Studies Minor. Prior to teaching at the University of Houston, Michael worked as a teaching assistant for the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Texas. He also served as an instructor of advanced Arabic for the University of Texas Arabic Summer Institute. Michael is interested in foreign language acquisition, as well as Medieval Arabic philosophy and literature. He also has several publications and projects, including University of Houston Arabic Speaking Faculty Interview Series, Online Beginning Arabic “Catchup” Lecture Series, The Phenomenon of Interlanguage and its Importance for Teaching Arabic as a Second Language, and Ghassan Kanafani’s “The Stolen Shirt”: A Translation and Introduction.
  
We will speak with professor Fares about the Syrian refugees and the upcoming “Sketches of the Syrian Diaspora: A night of Music and Storytelling” event that will be held at the University of Houston on March 22, 2017.

Date:

March 1, 2017

Dr. Ramzy Baroud
US-Arab journalist, media consultant, author, internationally-syndicated columnist, founder and editor of Palestine Chronicle, former managing editor of the London-based Middle East Eye, former editor-in-chief of The Brunei Times, and former deputy managing editor of Al Jazeera online. He is the author of several books including Searching Jenin: Eyewitness Accounts of the Israeli Invasion, The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People’s Struggle, and My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story. He is also the co-author, with Samah Sabawi and Jehan Bseiso, of the poetry collection I Remember My Name. His work has been published in hundreds of newspapers and journals worldwide, and is regularly translated and republished in several languages. He has contributed to and was referenced in hundreds of books and academic journals. Baroud has been a guest on many television and radio programs nationally and internationally, and he has been a guest speaker at many top universities around the world. Baroud has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Palestine Studies from the European Centre for Palestinian Studies at the University of Exeter.

Date:

February 22, 2017

1st Segment: Building Resistance: Japanese Imprisonment and the Fight Against a Muslim Registry
Produced by Making Contact (02.14.2017)
 
This year is the 75th anniversary of we now call Japanese Internment. And every year since 1942, Japanese Americans have tried to get the rest of us to remember what happened. To notice the scar that mass incarceration left, not just on the Japanese community, but on all of us. We found ourselves at similar crossroads in 2001 when the Bush Administration used the chaos of 9/11 to push through drastic changes, including the creation of a Muslim registry called NSEERS, the National Security Entry Exit Registration System. But, people fought it. And won. Today, as President Trump moves to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and threatens to build another registry we are faced with similar choices. So, what can we learn from our history? And how do we fight back?
 
Featuring:
Satsuki Ina, documentarian; Mutsu Homma, Roy Ebihara, George Murihiro, Matsuo Watanabe, survivors; Joseph Arsinoe, US soldier; War Relocation Authority. Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center; Anirvan Chatterjee, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action Liz Ouyang, attorney; Mohammad Sarfaraz Hussain; Anirvan Chatterjee, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action; Jason Prado, Sophie Xie, DoBetter.Tech
     

2nd Segment: Lawyers, activists organize against Trump’s Muslim ban
A podcast produced by The Electronic Intifada (02.03.2017)
  
Immigration attorneys and immigrant rights groups continue to fight the Trump administration’s so-called Muslim ban but the executive branch of the US government remains intransigent in its refusal to comply with federal court orders against the ban. The executive order banning persons from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US was signed by President Donald Trump last Friday. On Saturday, thousands of activists poured into airports around the US to demand that Customs and Border Protection (CPB) release people it had detained under the ban. By the evening, a federal court in New York had issued an immediate order against the ban.
 
“What I saw at the protests at SFO [San Francisco International airport] was an organized and focused crowd of protesters … to respond and protest to the immediate implementation of Trump’s executive order,” said The Electronic Intifada’s Charlotte Silver in an interview for the podcast.
 
On Wednesday, immigration attorneys in Southern California told The Electronic Intifada that the US Marshals Service is failing to enforce federal court orders against the CPB at Los Angeles International airport, Silver reported.
 
There have been ”several” instances in the past few days where CBP agents “are telling lawyers, telling congress people, telling activists that they are specifically not complying with the court order, that it is not applying to them,” Silver explained.

She said that there are “serious reasons to be concerned about the Trump administration and its federal agency’s willingness to comply with court orders.”
 
Featured audio: Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, speaking to crowd at SFO, 28 January; crowd chanting and drumming via Palestinian Memes

Date:

February 15, 2017

Panel Discussion about "Immigration Ban Statement"
The Arab American Cultural and Community Center (ACC) in Houston held a panel discussion of local immigration lawyers and experts on February 11, 2017 to help address the community's concerns and help clarify questions in regards to the immigration ban that was put in effect January 27, 2017. The Panel included:
 
Wafa Abdin, Esq.
Vice President for Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities. She oversees the Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance, the largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services for low-income and indigent non-citizens and Refugee Resettlement Program. She has more than 15 years of experience in immigration law and is a frequent lecturer at immigration conferences and has also written several articles and papers on immigration law topics. In recognition of her outstanding work and dedication, she was awarded the Chrys Dougherty Legal Services Award in 2010 by the Texas State Bar.

Norma Ayoub
Attorney at the law firm of Ayoub & Associates, PC. She has been practicing law for about 18 years. Earlier in her career she handled international corporate matters while working overseas. Upon returning to the US, she opened her own office and has handled strictly immigration matters for the past 16 years and is licensed in both New York and Texas. She is admitted in various appellate courts. She speaks fluent Arabic.

Nejd Jill Yaziji
Attorney at Yaziji Law Firm. She has been practicing Immigration & Asylum Law for more than a decade. She represents clients from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt, Ukraine and other countries. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, and is Editor-in-Chief of The Houston Lawyer magazine (2016-2017), the official publication of the Houston Bar Association.
 
Today on Arab Voices we will listen to the remarks made at the panel discussion on refugees, asylum and non-immigrant visa. We will also listen to some of the questions and answers raised during the event such as could a Muslim registry be enforced, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), what do undocumented immigrants need to do, what to do if targeted by ICE, what can we do to counter hate speech and hate crimes, what will happen to TPS, when can one apply for asylum, what is the legality of agents asking for and searching smartphones and laptops at airports, what is the status of DACA, and more.

Date:

February 8, 2017

1st Segment: Wafa Abdin
Vice President for Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities. She oversees the Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance, the largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services for low-income and indigent non-citizens and Refugee Resettlement Program. Ms. Abdin has more than fifteen years of experience in Immigration Law and is a frequent lecturer at Immigration conferences and has also written several articles and papers on Immigration law topics. In recognition of her outstanding work and dedication, Ms. Abdin was awarded the Chrys Dougherty Legal Services Award in 2010 by the Texas State Bar.
 
We will speak live with Wafa about President Trump's executive order, the lawsuits filed to stop it, where does it legally stand now, and more.
  

2nd Segment: Ussama Makdisi
Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University. In 2012-2013, Makdisi 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 United States and abroad. Professor Makdisi is the author of Faith Misplaced: the Broken Promise of U.S.-Arab Relations, 1820-2001. His previous books include Artillery of Heaven: American Missionaries and the Failed Conversion of the Middle East, which was the winner of the 2008 Albert Hourani Book Award from the Middle East Studies Association, the 2009 John Hope Franklin Prize of the American Studies Association, and a co-winner of the 2009 British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize given by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. Makdisi is also the author of The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon and co-editor of Memory and Violence in the Middle East and North Africa. 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. Among his major articles are “Anti-Americanism in the Arab World: An Interpretation of Brief History” which appeared in the Journal of American History and “Ottoman Orientalism” and “Reclaiming the Land of the Bible: Missionaries, Secularism, and Evangelical Modernity” both of which appeared in the American Historical Review. Professor Makdisi has also published in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Comparative Studies in Society and History, and in the Middle East Report. Professor Makdisi is now working on a manuscript on the origins of sectarianism in the modern Middle East to be published by the University of California Press.
  
We will speak live with professor Makdisi about President Trump’s Muslim ban executive order, what it means to U.S. relations with the Arab and Muslim world, President Trump's exempting Christians from his ban, and more. Professor Makdisi published an article last week titled "Trump's executive order pits Muslims against Christians" in which he says "The cynical executive order is not only blatantly discriminatory, but it plays Muslim against Christian, demonizing the former while pretending to be sympathetic to the latter. Trump's politics of sectarian sympathy and the purported protection of minorities has a long history. It has led to more persecution, not less."

Date:

February 1, 2017

Arsalan Safiullah
Staff Attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Texas Houston). He earned his undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal and holds a Master of Biotechnology (M.Biot.) and a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Texas A&M University. In his current position, Arsalan focuses on employment discrimination, civil liberties issues, hate crimes, and know your rights community education.
         

Yolanda Rondon
Staff Attorney for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC National), where she works on legal cases and policy issues related to surveillance, racial and religious profiling, hate crimes, employment discrimination and immigration. She has provided written and oral testimony to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on surveillance, privacy and profiling concerns of the Arab American community, and has provided written testimony and reports to the United States Commission on Civil Rights on religious violations of prisoner rights and religious accommodation issues in immigration detentions. She has also addressed the United States compliance with the Convention Against Torture and privacy issues related to surveillance at the U.S. Department of State – Universal Periodic Review. She has also provide written testimony to U.S. Congressional committees on issues ranging from profiling and countering violent extremism to the refugee crisis and the visa waiver program, as well as oral testimony to the U.S. Department of Education on implementation of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, resource equity, and accountability for English Language Learners.
   

We will speak live with Arsalan and Yolanda about President Trump's executive order to ban Muslims from 7 countries entry to the US, the effect of that on Houston and the nation, the nationwide stay issued by a federal judge halting part of Trump's immigration ban (after ACLU files emergency lawsuit), how should travelers deal with this ban and questioning by authorities at airports, the Texas Muslim Capitol Day that drew the largest crowd ever (held yesterday in Austin), the rise of attacks and hate crimes against Muslims in the US, and more.
   
    
We will also listen to the remarks of Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston and Art Acevedo, Chief of the Houston Police Department (HPD) in the wake of President Trump's executive order on Immigration, and their message to the community.

Date:

January 25, 2017

           

Winter Fund Drive

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