Darnell Moore, a visiting scholar at NYU’s Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, and Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz, a Jewish Arab writer and co-founder of intersections/intersecciones consulting, joined us on the program. The two recently returned from a delegation as guests of Palestinian Queers for BDS to the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. Following the delegation, the two co-authored an article entitled Our Eyes Witnessed: On People of Color in the United States and the Palestinian BDS Movement.
From the article:
We call upon our brothers and sisters of color in the US to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian movement for self-determination. Our struggles against white supremacy and imperialism across the globe are linked. We must do the hard work of witnessing one another’s struggles so that we can be effective and knowledgeable allies across those struggles. Falling prey to the Israeli government’s Zionist project works against all of our interests. Let us work together to stop this occupation and the US government’s long history of supporting and financing of it. As a quote from an aboriginal woman so aptly states ‘If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, than let us work together.’
Lisa and Darnell were no less eloquent on the live radio broadcast.
Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz:
“There is no doubt, I think, in either of our minds because we witnessed it directly, that what we witnessed in Palestine was apartheid and what we witnessed in Palestine was an insidious, cancerous system of oppression and Zionism that limits and restricts every aspect of Palestinian life.”
Darnell Moore:
“Queerness as a political framework is about demolishing all of those things that separate us – either labels, identities. – and, I think, those walls that we talk about – the the separation wall, the gates, the division – are [physical] manifestations of the very type of separations that queer politics seek to break down. So my vision of a queering of the occupation. And that is a coming down of all the walls, of all the divisive technologies and apparatuses that are used by a colonizing state to oppress a people. And I think that that is a movement for all of us…”
Also on the program, we had an exclusive interview with Taiseer Khatib, a Palestinian living in Israel who, under a law passed in January, is threatened with having his wife torn from his family. In fact, these are conditions which up to 30,000 Palestinians living in Israel who are married to Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank face. Taiseer’s wife was granted a permit to reside in Israel for the next year, but many Palestinians are not so fortunate. And then there is also the consideration for what the state of Israel will decide for Lana, Taiseer, and their two children next year.
DJ Ev Daddy and Matt are also following closely the case of Sheikh Khader Adnan, who, as of February 10, 2012, had been on a hunger strike for 55 days. For just as long, Khader has been incarcerated by the state of Israel without being charged with any crime. This is the longest individual hunger strike in history, and is just twelve days short of the hunger strike of Bobby Sands and a hundred others of the Irish Republic Army.
Sheikh Khader Adnan is now reported to being throwing up blood. He remains shackled to a hospital bed as he has lost 35 kg and has refused to see doctors.
From Palestine News Network:
After the 42nd day of a hunger strike, it is expected that individuals will begin to lose their hearing and vision, and suffer bleeding of the gums, intestines, and esophagus. The body will eventually stop functioning. After the 45th day, there is a high risk of death due to vascular system collapse and/or cardian arrest.
Please, for the sake of humanity, take action to free Khader Adnan.
(Crossposted @ RadioAgainstApartheid.com)
Susan Abulhawa’s opening address at PennBDS: http://vimeo.com/36611494
“People of color”
That has a terribly pretentious odor of condescension…white boy. It’s also an anachronism that those of us who haven’t lived under a rock for the past 30 years, no longer use. I might remind you that one of those “people of color” demographics, Indians, now boast the highest household income in the US, higher even than Jews. Indians are also more likely than any other ethic demographic to possess more than one PhD degree, which makes them highly successful entrepreneurs, especially in science and high tech. They’re conservative and they vote Republican. Small wonder the SPLC and other far-left hate groups loath them with a rabid passion. “People of color” just aren’t supposed to be like that. So while you’re getting in touch with your “feminine activism”, save ten minutes a day for self-criticism regarding your obvious bigotry. Tackle anti-Semitism and race-baiting first. You’ll be a better person for it…we can only hope.