Week in Review
8/25/24
8/2 evening at Islamic and Arabic Centers
Two Islamic Centers and Arab Americans of MoCo hosted me at the Islamic Center of Maryland (ICM) for a presentation on Health and human rights consequences of the war on Gaza, and an in depth Q&A. Joined again by Just World Books and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
The New Rules Governing Student Conduct at Colleges Across the Country
Roundup of new restrictions on campus protest for upcoming school year. Free-speech advocates, including faculty and some national organizations, say the new rules will sharply curtail expressive activity by limiting the hours in which demonstrations can take place and where they may be held.
Urgent health update: Consequences of war on Gaza and West Bank/East Jerusalem- August 18, 2024
Israeli air, land, & sea bombardment continues across Gaza, causing further civilian casualties, displacement, & destruction of houses & other civilian infrastructure. Food shortages, crumbling infrastructure, a failing medical system, flowing sewage, waste buildup, & summer heat have turned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza into a serious epidemiological threat. Ground incursions & heavy fighting also continues, as does rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups toward Israel. A case of polio has now been confirmed in a baby.
8/4 Potters House Discussion and reading about lack of Palestinian voice and features in children's literature, A Conversation with Alice Rothchild: Where is Palestine in Children's Literature, shared my analysis and several readings from Finding Melody Sullivan and Old Enough to Know
8/3 Elkridge Branch library
Howard County for a Free Palestine, Columbia Howard County MD "An Informal Conversation on Palestine with Authors Alice Rothchild and Ramsey Hanhan." Let's talk about hard things that often make folks uncomfortable: Zionism, settler colonialism, the war on Gaza, and combating false accusations of antisemitism. Amazing Q&A with an incredibly diverse and activist community.
Here Is the Speech That the Uncommitted Movement Wants to Give at the DNC
This kind of policy conflating Jewish identity with the ethno-nationalist political ideology of Zionism is very dangerous in terms of suppression of free speech and political views, and ignores the many anti-zionist Jews who are questioning the idea that a state that is grounded on the premise of harming Palestinians is the kind of state we can support.