Date:

May 16, 2012

Dr. Allam Jarrar
Member of the Steering Committee for the Palestinian NGO Network (an umbrella organization comprising over 130 member organizations), and director of the mental health and rehabilitation department who has over 25 years of experience working with the NGO sector in Palestine and has been very active in civil society as a member of Palestinian networks and forums. Dr. Jarrar has several publications including The Palestinian NGO Sector: Development Perspectives.

A live conversation with Dr. Jarrar who is currently in Washington, D.C. with a delegation of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) that includes representatives from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Yemen, Sudan, and Iraq (ANND is a regional network operating in 11 Arab countries with 7 national networks and 23 NGO members, focusing on economic and social policies and rights in the Arab region). The delegation just released a position paper titled "Overview and Suggestions for Improving Key Areas in US Foreign Policy Towards the Arab Region", in which the authors perceive that ongoing changes in the Arab region have necessitated the revision of several areas in US foreign policy towards the region. We will talk with Dr. Jarrar about this including the two main points in the position-statement: "The Centrality of Recognizing the Palestinian Rights to Democratic and Development Processes in the Arab region" and "Rebuilding the Credibility of US Foreign Policy: Expanding Dialogue with Various Stakeholders".

 
64th Anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba
We will also listen to remarks made by several Houstonians who participated in the demonstration held on May 13, 2012 in Houston (organized by the Palestinian American Council) to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.

Date:

May 9, 2012

Free Palestine Art Show
A conversation with Rania Awwad, a volunteer for Palestine Children's Relief Fund and a physician about PCRF, which is holding a unique event titled "Free Palestine Art Show" on May 11. The event will showcase 25 to 30 artists from Houston whose original work was created to show compassion and solidarity with the people of Palestine. We will also talk with Tito Fabian, one of the artists participating in this unique art show.

Houston Palestine Film Festival
A conversation with Sary Joudah about the annual HPFF (May 12-13 & 18-19). Sary is a member of the Board of Directors and sits on the Film Selection Committee of HPFF.

Date:

May 2, 2012

1st Segment: Sahar Francis
Director of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association based in Ramallah, occupied Palestine, who is also a Human Rights Lawyer and lives in Ramallah. We will talk with Sahar about the thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli jails, and the latest on the hundreds of prisoners that are on hunger strike.

2nd Segment: Rev. Alex Awad
Pastor of East Jerusalem Baptist Church, who serves under the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He is also Dean of Students and Professor at Bethlehem Bible College in occupied Palestine. We will talk with him about Christians in occupied Palestine and the United Methodist Church General Conference held today in Florida in which he is participating and calling for a resolution for prompt divestment from companies complicit in Israel's decades-old occupation.

Date:

April 25, 2012

Ziad Abu-Rish
A doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also Co-Editor of Jadaliyya electronic magazine. Ziad has published widely on numerous topics related to the Middle East and the Arab Uprisings. Ziad Abu-Rish will be joining us LIVE from Sweden.

A live discussion with Ziad Abu-Rish (currently in Sweden attending a conference on the Arab Uprisings) about the Arab Uprisings and his views on what is happening in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and Bahrain. We will also talk about the U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, the ongoing war rhetoric against Iran and nuclear weapons, and much more.

Date:

April 18, 2012

Marcel Khalife
Lebanese master of the oud (Arabic lute), recipient of numerous international awards and declared an Artist for Peace by UNESCO, pioneer in blending Arabic music with Western elements and instruments, and one of the most revered cultural icons of the Arab world. Khalife has aligned his musical vision with a political cause, giving voice to the suffering of Arabs and other people throughout the world living under oppression, and in war-torn homelands.
   

Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Marcel Khalife's remarks and some of the questions and answers that followed his talk in Houston on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at the Rothko Chapel. Marcel discussed the interconnection of culture, creativity and freedom in a talk titled “No Culture without Freedom”.
   

Marcel Khalife & Al-Mayadine Ensemble will perform LIVE (FALL OF THE MOON, An Homage to the Poet Mahmoud Darwish and a Salute to the Arab Spring) on Friday, April 20 at the Jesse H. Jones Hall in Downtown Houston (presented and sponsored by The Arab-American Educational Foundation in association with the Society for the Performing Arts). Purchase tickets online between now and Thursday, April 19 and receive 50% off tickets priced at $37 & $47 (discount code: AAEF).
     
We will also be giving away one pair of tickets to Marcel Khalife's event on Friday, so tune in and listen!

Date:

April 11, 2012

This week marks the 10th anniversary of Arab Voices on KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston. Over the past 10 years Arab Voices has produced over 500 shows and conducted more than 500 interviews with over 500 distinguished guests from across the globe covering a wide range of topics. On this anniversary special, we will have two separate segments: the first one will be a live conversation with Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!", and the second segment will be a live conversation with Sonali Kolhatkar of "Uprising".

Amy Goodman
Host and Executive Producer of the award-winning national news program Democracy Now!, a daily, independent global news hour, which airs on more than 1000 public television and radio stations worldwide. Amy is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize' for “developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.” Amy is author of four New York Times bestsellers. Her latest book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, proves the power of independent journalism in the struggle for a better world.

Sonali Kolhatkar
Host and Executive Producer of the nationally syndicated radio show "Uprising". She is an artist, singer/song-writer, and an activist who speaks on issues such as women’s rights and US foreign policy in Afghanistan. She is one of the founders and co-director of Afghan Women’s Mission. She is also author of “Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence”.

Note: Sonali will be speaking in Houston on April 13 about citizen journalism, social justice, the role of the media and the budding "Human Spring," the story of the phenomenal protestors around the world from the global Occupy Movement, to European Austerity demonstrators, to the regime changing Arab Spring. Click here for the details.

Date:

April 4, 2012

The first annual Civil Rights Conference “Civil Rights in the 21st Century: Uniting Communities for Justice” was held in Houston on March 31, 2012 covering various topics and discussions. One of the topics was titled "Understanding Civil Rights Post 9/11". Today, we will listen to the remarks made at that panel discussion, moderated by Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of CAIR Texas.

National Security/Privacy Issues
Speaker: Matt Simpson
 
Policy Strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas. He leads the organization's advocacy efforts at the Texas Legislative and state agencies.

Right to Protest/Free Speech
Speaker: Rick Halperin
 
Director of the Embrey Human Rights Program at Southern Methodist University, a human rights educator and longtime activist, and twice chair of the board of directors of Amnesty International USA.

Date:

March 28, 2012

1st Segment: Palestinian Festival
A conversation with Amer Taha with the Palestinian American Cultural Center and Director of the Palestinian about the 2nd Palestinian Festival scheduled to be held March 31-April1 at Jones Plaza in Houston.

2nd Segment: Civil Rights Conference
A conversation with Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, about the CRC Conference “Civil Rights in the 21st Century: Uniting Communities for Justice” (keynote speaker will be Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!) to be held March 31 at Houston Community College.

3rd Segment: Linda Sarsour
Community activist, advocacy and civic engagement coordinator for the National Network for Arab American Communities and ACCESS, and director of the Arab American Association of New York, who was honored recently at the White House as a "Champion of Change". We will talk with Linda about the anti-Muslim sentiment in New York; NYPD's role in the documentary film "The Third Jihad"; spying on Muslims in New York; and civil rights/liberties for Arabs and Muslims in the U.S.

Date:

March 21, 2012

On November 4, 2011, the Palestine Center held its Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. One of the panel discussions was titled "U.S. Foreign Policy toward a Revolutionary Region: Opportunities and Responsibilities" with Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, Dr. John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Mr. Philip J. "P.J." Crowley, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.
 
Today, we will listen to portions of the remarks made at that panel discussion, and some of the questions and answers that followed.

Date:

March 14, 2012

Jennifer Loewenstein
Faculty Associate in Middle East Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is an expert on contemporary Middle East: history, politics, culture, religion and U.S. foreign policy in the region. She is a freelance journalist, a human rights activist, volunteer for the Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza, and founder of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project. In 2010 she received the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Rachel Corrie Award.

A live discussion with Jennifer about various topics including the uprisings in the Middle East. We will talk about Syria, Iran and Israel's extrajudicial executions of Palestinians and its latest attack on the Gaza Strip that killed 26 and injured more than 90 Palestinians including children, women and elderly. We will also talk about the double standard of the U.S. foreign policy, especially when it comes to Palestine and Israel.

Date:

March 7, 2012

Rae Abileah
Jewish-American activist of Israeli descent. She is organizer with Occupy AIPAC - a counter-conference that took place across the street from the AIPAC conference held in Washington, D.C. few days ago. Rae is also co-director of the peace group CODEPINK. Last year, an alleged member of AIPAC physically assaulted and injured Rae when she disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in the U.S. Congress.

Josh Ruebner
National advocacy director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (a national coalition of nearly 400 organizations working to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality). He is a former analyst in Middle East Affairs at the Congressional Research Service (a federal government agency providing Members of Congress with policy analysis). Josh is author of the newly-released policy paper entitled "U.S. Military Aid to Israel: Policy Implications & Options".

A live discussion with Rae Abileah and Josh Ruebner about AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and its annual conference held March 4-6, 2012 in Washington, D.C.; the influence AIPAC has on the U.S. foreign policy towards Israel, occupied Palestine and Iran; the amount, impact and legality of the financial and military aid the U.S. provides to Israel every year; and much more.

Date:

February 29, 2012

Gilad Atzmon
Israeli expat who served in the Israeli military, world-acclaimed jazz saxophonist, composer, author and activist. His albums often explore political themes and the music of the Middle East. Atzmon has published numerous political and cultural essays, and he brings his intellect and artistry to bear on Israel’s continuing occupation of Palestine. Gilad's latest book is titled "The Wandering Who? A study of Jewish Identity Politics".

Date:

February 22, 2012

Dr. Hamid Dabashi
Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature and holds a chair in comparative literature at Columbia University. He is an internationally renowned cultural critic and award-winning author of over 100 essays, articles and 20 books including "Post-Orientalism: Knowledge and Power in Time of Terror" and "Iran: A People Interrupted". His book on the Arab uprisings is forthcoming. He is a founding member of the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University, and founder of Dreams of a Nation, a Palestinian Film Project, dedicated to preserving and safeguarding Palestinian Cinema.

A live discussion with professor Dabashi about the latest developments on the Syrian uprising; the roles the U.S., U.N., European Union, Turkey, Arab League, China, Russia, Iran and others are playing; and the reports about CIA, MI6 and Mossad covert operations in Syria. We will also talk about the increased war rhetoric against Iran by Israel and the U.S.

Date:

February 15, 2012

First Segment: Betty Shamieh
Critically acclaimed theatre artist, a playwright, author, screenwriter, and actor. She is author of fifteen plays, and is the first Palestinian-American playwright to have her work premiere off-Broadway. Her plays are currently being taught at universities throughout the United States. Today, we will listen to Betty's remarks at an ADC convention about performing arts and the possibilities for empowerment for Arab-American artists and intellectuals.

Second Segment: Simon Shaheen
One of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process. This unique contribution to the world of arts was recognized in 1994 when Shaheen was honored with the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House. Today, we will listen to a conversation with Simon Shaheen provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. You will hear some of Shaheen’s glorious music and his thoughts about being raised with multiple cultural traditions.

Date:

February 8, 2012

Dr. Edward Said's Remarks
Internationally renowned writer and scholar, whose writings about the Middle East and its relationship with the West have gone far to open new roads in academia and to influence public opinion. Dr. Said was a giant figure in the Arab-American community, and for Arabs in the Middle East and across the world. During the course of his life, he articulated a vision of Palestine and the Arab world that not only recalled the significant contributions of the region’s people, but also offered hope for the future.

During today's show, we will listen to special/selective remarks made by the late professor Edward Said few months before he passed away.
 

Membership Drive  Today's Goal: $1,150  Raised: $1,765

Date:

February 1, 2012

Elaine Hagopian
Syrian-American sociologist, professor emeritus of sociology at Simmons College in Boston, political interviewer for the Arabic Hour TV program, and a leading Arab-American activist. She co-founded the Association of Arab-American University Graduates, and has lectured widely on the Middle East and Third World development in both the US and the Arab world.

A live discussion with professor Hagopian on the latest developments regarding Syria; the situation inside Syria; the brutal actions of the Syrian regime against its own people; the U.N., Arab League and other reactions towards the situation in Syria; and much more.
 

Membership Drive  Today's Goal: $1,150  Raised: $1,011

Date:

January 25, 2012

Philip Rizk  (currently in Egypt)
An independent blogger and filmmaker based in Cairo, Egypt. Through his writings and video, Philip has produced some of the most critical parts of the Egyptian protests over the past few months. Under the Mubarak regime, Rizk was kidnapped by the Egyptian state security and jailed for participating in nonviolent, Gaza-related protests. Philip has also lived in Gaza for two years working with various NGOs and media companies.

A discussion with Philip Rizk (in Cairo, Egypt) about Egypt as today marks the first anniversary of the historic Egyptian revolution that toppled the Mubarak regime. We will talk about the current status, the recent multistage parliamentary elections, the partial lifting of the state of emergency, and much more.
 

Membership Drive  Today's Goal: $1,300  Raised: $1,195

Date:

January 18, 2012

Tariq Ali
Writer, filmmaker, long-time anti-war activist, historian and novelist who lives in London. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Bush in Babylon: The Recolonization of Iraq, Conversations with Edward Said, The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Obama Syndrome, as well as five novels in his Islam Quintet series and scripts for the stage and screen. He is also an editor of the New Left Review.

A live discussion with Tariq Ali about various topics, including the U.S. Foreign Policy, the Arab revolts, Iran, Palestine/Israel, and much more.
  
Note: Tariq Ali will be speaking in Houston on Monday, January 23 at the Rothko Chapel and signing copies of his new book On History. For more info, click here.

Date:

January 11, 2012

Reverend Maurice Restivo
Pastor at Most Holy Trinity parish in Angleton, Texas and a member of the Congregation of Saint Basil. He has served in various apostolates of the Basilian Fathers in parishes, missions and educational ministry, and also served as the director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Fr. Restivo has traveled to occupied Palestine and Israel on several occasions. In November 2011, he was on a delegation with the Christian Peacemaker Teams, spending the greater part of his time in Jerusalem, Al-Khalil (Hebron) and the surrounding areas.

A live discussion with Fr. Restivo about his experience/eyewitness account of what he observed during his various visits to occupied Palestine; the ongoing atrocities of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine; how Christians in the U.S. view the Israeli occupation of Palestine; the prospects for peace/solution to the problem; and much more. We will also talk about the third anniversary of the Israeli war crimes and massacre committed in the Gaza Strip in December 2008/January 2009.

Date:

January 4, 2012

Jeremy Varon
Associate Professor of History at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, specializing in modern US history, and European and American intellectual history. He is also with the group Witness Against Torture, which has just begun ten days of protests, fasting and lobbying in Washington, D.C.

Pardiss Kebriaei
Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights. Her work has focused on representing men detained at Guantánamo Bay in their habeas corpus challenges, before international human rights tribunals, in diplomatic advocacy with foreign governments to secure resettlement for men who cannot return home, and in post-release reintegration efforts. Her clients have included men from Yemen, Syria, Algeria, and Afghanistan.

A live discussion with Varon and Kebriaei about President Obama's signing of the National Defense Authorization Act few days ago that allows the military to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely without due process on American soil, and how that affects U.S. citizens and immigrants and their civil liberties and rights.

Date:

December 28, 2011

On November 13, 2011 the Rothko Chapel, one of the world’s most celebrated twentieth century sacred spaces and an institution committed to advancing human rights and interfaith understanding, presented its Oscar Romero Award to Madame Nassera Dutour (an Arab Woman) for her tireless efforts on behalf of the families of approximately 7,000 men and women who disappeared in Algeria (including her own son) in the 1990s. Madame Dutour was recognized in a public ceremony at the Chapel, and also spoke about her work.
 
Larry Cox, former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA was also present and he delivered the keynote address about the global implications of human rights violations and their redress.

Today, we will listen to the remarks made at the Rothko Chapel by both Madame Nassera Dutour and Larry Cox.

Date:

December 21, 2011

First Segment: Raed Jarrar
An Iraqi-American blogger and political analyst based in Washington, D.C. Raed was born in Baghdad and spent most of his life in Iraq. After the 2003 invasion, Raed was the country director of CIVIC Worldwide, the only door-to-door casualty survey in post war Iraq. Raed is frequently featured on numerous media outlets.

We will speak live with Raed Jarrar about the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and what "ending the U.S. occupation" means to Iraqis.
 

Second Segment: Maria Khoury
An internationally acclaimed speaker, human rights champion, and author of Orthodox Christian children's books including Christina Goes to the Holy Land walking the footsteps of Christ. Maria writes frequently and her articles have been published world-wide bringing awareness to the Christian presence in the Holy Land. She is a volunteer at St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Taybeh (the only all Palestinian Christian village in occupied Palestine), and organizer of the annual Taybeh Oktoberfest. Maria lives in Taybeh with her husband Daoud Khoury, Mayor of Taybeh.

As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas, Palestinian Christians continue to suffer under the Israeli occupation. We will talk live with Maria Khoury about her eyewitness account of life under the Israeli occupation in Taybeh, Palestinian Christians and their suffering under the Israeli occupation, the Israeli settlement expansion near Taybeh, settler attacks, destruction of Palestinian homes, and Maria's personal rebuttal to Newt Gingrich's comment that the Palestinians are an "invented people".

Date:

December 14, 2011

Dr. Abdel Kader Fustok
Founder, past president and advisory board member of the Arab American Educational Foundation; founder, past president and board member of the Arab American Cultural and Community Center; a strong community advocate and a leader in countless organizations. Dr. Fustok was born and raised in Syria, and currently has a private practice specializing in plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery in Houston.

A live discussion with Dr. Fustok about Syria, its history and rich culture, the Arab uprisings in several countries including Syria, the Arab quest for democracy, and much more.

Date:

December 7, 2011

First Segment: Islam's Image and You: Community Platform & Islamic Convention
A live conversation about this unique community platform and convention (to be held in Houston on December 23-25) with Hesham Ebaid, President of MAS (Muslim American Society) Katy Center, that is organizing the convention  in partnership with several other organizations, and Iesa Galloway, Messaging Strategist & Writer and one of the organizers for the convention.
    
Second Segment: Ali Abunimah on ‘Delegitimizing’ Israel
The US government support for Israel has never been stronger. But now a consumer boycott of Israel is gaining steam, and Israeli government officials are being openly confronted and denounced wherever they travel. In this special segment produced by the National Radio Project, author and activist Ali Abunimah says that this is evidence of a global movement against Israeli government policy breaking through. Abunimah explains why he thinks Israel has ‘lost the argument’ over who’s right and wrong…and where he thinks the movement to free Palestine is headed next.

Date:

November 30, 2011

Anthony Shadid
Foreign correspondent for the New York Times, former Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post, and author of two books. Shadid has reported from most countries in the Middle East over a 15-year career. In 2002 he was shot by the Israeli occupation forces in Palestine and in 2011 he was kidnapped, beaten and held hostage by the Libyan forces. Shadid is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize - in 2004 for International Reporting for coverage of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the occupation that followed, and 2010 for coverage of Iraq as the U.S. began its withdrawal.

Anthony Shadid spoke at Rice University in Houston on October 28, 2011 on the topic "What My Eyes Can See: Covering the Arab Revolution". Today, we will listen to Shadid's talk at Rice, which was part of The Arab World: History, Politics and Culture Lecture Series for 2011/12 (sponsored by the Arab-American Educational Foundation).

Date:

November 23, 2011

Sharif Abdel Kouddous (LIVE from Egypt)
Correspondent for the award winning independent Radio & TV program Democracy Now!, who is currently in Cairo, Egypt. Sharif joined the Democracy Now! staff in 2003 as producer and has covered news stories around the world including reporting from Baghdad during the Iraq war and from Egypt during the recent revolution. Sharif grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and he will be joining us LIVE from Egypt.

Hany Massoud
Producer for the award winning independent Radio & TV program Democracy Now! Hany has traveled extensively covering international breaking stories such as the Gaza flotilla and the revolution in Egypt. Hany was Morning Chief Editor at KHOU, which he left to establish Press TV’s Bureau at the UN in New York. Hany grew up in Houston, and he will be joining us LIVE in the studios of KPFT.

Dr. Sherif Zaafran
President of the Egyptian American Society in Houston, board member of the Arab American Cultural & Community Center in Houston, and Vice-President of the Greater Houston Anesthesiology. Dr. Zaafran has just returned to Houston from Cairo, Egypt, and he will be joining us LIVE in the studios of KPFT.

A live discussion with our guests about the latest developments in Egypt, where more than 38 people were killed in Tahrir Square and more than 2000 were injured over the past few days by the Egyptian military as Egyptians were protesting the military rule and as Egypt was preparing for the first election after the historic revolution that toppled Mubarak's regime earlier this year.