A New Era of Activism for Palestine
By Deanna Othman
This Thanksgiving weekend, the American Muslims for Palestine will be holding their Fourth Annual National Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Ill. The event is entitled, “The Conference for Palestine in the United States: A New Era of Activism,” and in light of recent events, the title has become more and more relevant.
Driven by the momentum of the Arab Spring, activism has been enlivened with renewed zeal. The 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has spread from New York to Los Angeles. A Yemeni female journalist, politician and human rights activist, Tawakel Karman, has become the first Arab woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Israeli government and Hamas have reached an agreement to free more than 1,000 prisoners. The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) have recently held their first conference at Columbia University in New York, in an effort to network and organize the SJP chapters scattered across the nation.
Extraordinary things are happening, but every cause has its detractors.
According to Kristin Szremski, the Director of Media and Communications for AMP, on Wednesday, October 13, the ADL issued its latest report on student activism, attempting to portray work in support of Palestinian human rights as “anti-Israel.”
The report, "Emerging Anti-Israel Trends and Tactics on Campus," targets SJP and AMP, which are not affiliated, and accuses them of fueling "anti-Israel" programming on their respective campuses, while charging AMP facilitates the growth and development of these students’ groups.
As evidenced by such attempts to vilify groups and individuals who advocate for the Palestinian cause, the need for consistent support of our organizations that work to disseminate accurate information is imperative and necessary.
“Attending the Palestine conference is a form of keeping the memory of Palestine alive. We shouldn't wait for a crisis to happen in Palestine to act, rather we should always be proactive in trying to bring justice to Palestine, and educating yourself by attending this conference is one of the best ways of being proactive,” said Awad Hamdan, AMP National Programs Director.
AMP’s conference will feature speakers from across the United States, in addition to internationally renowned scholars and activists from the revolutions in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other Arab countries. Toyor Al-Jannah, a prominent children’s group, will also perform for the first time in the United States at the conference.
Additionally, registration discounts are still available if you register now. “We urge everyone to take advantage of this conference as this cause belongs to all humanity, not just to Palestinians,” said Hamdan.
On the upcoming holiday weekend, take a vacation close to home and take advantage of a program packed with the most conversant speakers on the Palestinian cause, food catered from Al-Bawadi Restaurant and free breakfast for all attendees throughout the conference. Babysitting is available for children of all ages.