Dr. Victor Batarseh
Mayor of the City of Bethlehem, Palestine.
LIVE from Bethlehem
 
  
 
Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh
Co-founder of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, member of Al-Awda-CT steering committee and the national steering committee of the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, Vice President of the Middle East Crisis Committee, author of several books including Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human rights and the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle, self-syndicated columnist whose articles appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, and Al-Ahram in Egypt.

Christians in occupied Palestine, the Israeli measures against them, the occupation affect on the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, the Israeli Apartheid Wall set to divide the village of Aboud (mainly Christians) in the West Bank into two parts, and the call by many churches in the U.S. for a boycott of Israeli products and divestment from Israeli investments.

Dr. Lisa Hajjar
Associate Professor in the Law and Society Program at the University of California-Santa Barbara, author of Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza, member of the editorial committee of Middle East Report, an expert on Geneva Conventions, human rights, humanitarian Law, contemporary Middle East, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and the politics of law.

Secret orders by President George W. Bush to the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without ever seeking court approval, and how kidnapping of foreign nationals, the use of secret detention facilities, torture and abuse in jails have affected the US image and credibility in the Middle East and beyond!

During the first hour (9-10), we will run a special report about CAIR-Houston's annual banquet, and listen to  speeches made by Dr. Tareq Hussein, CAIR-Houston President, Dr. Pervez Ahmed, CAIR-National Chairman, Captain James (Yusuf) Yee, former army chaplain at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Al Green, Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace, and Houston City Councilman MJ Khan.
   
During the second hour (10-11), we will conduct a live interview with Samir Khader, Program Editor for Al-Jazeera Satellite TV News Channel, based in Doha, Qatar, who is well-known for being featured in the documentary film Control Room, when he was Senior Producer at Al-Jazeera.  We will talk with Mr. Khader about targeting and bombing Al-Jazeera offices in different countries, the killing of Al-Jazeera reporter, and President George W. Bush's planned attack on Al-Jazeera Headquarters in Qatar.

Captain James (Yusuf) Yee
Former U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain, third generation Chinese American who converted to Islam. He traveled to Syria and studied the Arabic language and the traditional Islamic sciences. Chaplin Yee was imprisoned in a naval prison for 76 days after being wrongfully and unjustly accused of spying, espionage, and aiding the alleged Taliban and Al-Qaeda suspects being held at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Chaplain Yee's new book "For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire", the charges brought against him that were later dropped, and the abuse and mistreatment of detainees that he witnessed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Mona El-Ghobashy
Professor of political science at Columbia University.  Her work on Egyptian politics has appeared in Middle East Report, and the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

The significance of the current historical Egyptian Parliamentary Elections (November 9 through December 7, 2005) that come at a time when the current government is under domestic and international challenges: a vocal pro-democracy movement at home and intense international pressures for political liberalization.

Dr. Robert Jensen
Professor of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and author of the book "Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity".  Dr. Jensen says whatever the lies told about WMDs, the core of the U.S. motivation to invade Iraq was the drive to control the politics, and hence the energy resources, of the Middle East.

The situation in Iraq, and the increased concerns over the U.S. involvement in the war, including voices from congressmen and other officials who are now calling for an investigation.

Special report about IBDAA, the Palestinian Folkloric Dance Troupe’s performance in Houston on November 11, 2005, that had come to the US from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Palestine.
 
Interviews with different people who attended the Arab-American Cultural & Community Center's (ACC) 2005 Gala on November 12, 2005 in Houston:  Yasmena Samahey, ACC 2005 Gala Chair, Dr. Aziz Shaibani, ACC President, Abla Amin, ACC 2005 Gala Silent Auction Chair, Mayor Bill White, City of Houston, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Omar Elfarouk Hassan, Consul General of Egypt, Dr. Amin Bohsali, Honorary Consul of Lebanon, Sabir Amawi, Honorary Consul General of Jordan, Nermin Fahmy, President & Chairman of the Mosaic Foundation and wife of the Egyptian Ambassador to the US, Malea Abdel Rahman, Founding Member of the Mosaic Foundation and wife of the former Palestinian Ambassador to the US, Hassan Abdel Rahman, Rim Abboud, Trustee of the Mosaic Foundation and wife of the Lebanese Ambassador to the US.
 
Membership Drive

Ahmad Alyasin
President of the Jordanian American Association and President of the Jordanian American Chamber of Commerce, talking about the attacks in Amman Jordan on western hotels.
 
 
Ziad Abbas
Co-founder and Director of Ibdaa Cultural Center, located in Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine, talking about the Upcoming IBDAA Folkloric Performance in Houston.
 
Membership Drive

Dr. Ussama Makdisi
Associate Professor of History and the first holder of the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University, a leading expert on Arab and Ottoman history, comparative colonialism, American involvement in the Middle East, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has published many books and articles.  His current research focuses on American missionaries in the Middle East.

What's Happening in Lebanon?  We will talk with Dr. Makdisi about Lebanon's culture, history, diverse political and religious communities, and the latest tension internally, and between Lebanon, Syria and the U.S. in light of the recently released U.N. report implicating some in Lebanon and Syria in the assassination of the late Lebanese Prime Minster Rafiq Hariri.  What does this all mean, and what will happen next?

Dr. Bassam Haddad
Lebanese/ Syrian-American, assistant professor of political science at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, editor of the Arab Studies Journal, and author of several books and articles.  He is also part of a collective that produced the documentary film "About Baghdad".

Syria and the pressure imposed on it by the US and others.

Rahul Mahajan
Long-time activist, member of the Steering Committee of United for Peace and Justice, and publisher of the blog Empire Notes, and occasionally teaches at New York University. He has been to Iraq twice and reported from Fallujah during the siege, and author of "The New Crusade: America's War on Terrorism" and "Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond".

The new proposed Iraqi Constitution set to be voted on in few days.

Erik Leaver
Research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and the policy outreach director for the Foreign Policy In Focus Project.  He is the co-author of a new report, The Iraq Quagmire: The Mounting Costs of War and the Case for Bringing Home the Troops.

The Iraq Quagmire: The Mounting Costs of War and the Case for Bringing Home the Troops.

Ali Abunimah
Vice-president of the Arab-American Action Network, a well-known media analyst, writer, and commentator on Middle East and Arab-American affairs, and co-founder of Electronic Intifada.net and Electronic Iraq.net, the two leading portals for information about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the occupation of Iraq, and their depiction in the media.

The increased Israeli air bombardment of the Gaza Strip, and the escalation of extra-judicial assassinations, kidnappings and destruction of schools, roads, houses and other buildings in the occupied Palestinian territories, as today marks the 5th anniversary of the Palestinian Uprising against the Israeli occupation of their land.

George Galloway
 
Rerun of FlashPoints (interview with George Galloway).

Greg Rollins
Canadian advocate of nonviolence, member of the Christian Peacemaker Team, who has just returned from a three-month stay in Iraq, his fourth visit to that country. He has written several articles including "The Other Iraq," "A Police State" and "Life in the Green Zone."

Mr. Collins' first hand eyewitness account of what he saw in Iraq, including the current situation there.

Karim Alrawi
Executive Director of the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum talking about the Economic Forum.
 
Group of Houstonian Muslims: Jim Coats with Islamic Circle of North America, Fatima, with Muslims of Greater Houston, Yousef Saeb with Islamic Relief, Iesa Galloway with CAIR-Houston, talking about the Muslim and Arab Efforts in Houston to assist the victims of Katrina.

Flynt Leverett
Senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. He has served as senior director for Middle East affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, and as a senior Middle East analyst at the CIA. He is editor of the recently released book, The Road Ahead: Middle East Policy in the Bush Administration’s Second Term.

The U.S. Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East.

Michael Tarazi
Legal Advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization.  A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Mr. Tarazi spent most of his professional career as a corporate lawyer living in New York City, Helsinki, Paris, Istanbul and Budapest. He now serves as a legal advisor to the PLO’s Negotiation Team.

The "Gaza Disengagement" plan.  What it means to Palestinians and Israelis.  Will there ever be other withdrawals or is this it!  We will also talk with Mr. Tarazi about the permanent status negotiations with Israel including Israeli colonies, borders, refugees, and occupied Jerusalem.   LIVE from occupied Jerusalem

Dr. Naba Saleem Hamid
Professor at the University of Baghdad in Iraq, scientist, trainer and founder of New Horizons for Women, an Iraqi-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Iraqi women as leaders of the new Iraq. Dr. Hamid says in a recent New York Times front-page article on violence in Iraq, "It has become part of our daily lives. Just like there is eating, sleeping, there is bombing." But she is tireless in her efforts to ensure the indispensable participation of women in the process of creating the new Iraq.

The participation of women in the process of creating the new Iraq, Life Under Bombs, the Human Cost of War, and the current situation in Iraq.

Samar Jarrah
Author of the new book "Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts", journalist, former contributor to CNN World Report, teacher, member of the Islamic Community of Southwest Florida, former adjunct professor of media and International Relations at the University of South Florida, and peace advocate who visited Jordan, Kuwait, and Egypt recently.

"Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts" - A new Book by Samar Jarrah, that supports the efforts of Arab-American institutions that work hard to show the human side of the Arab people. It covers critical issues like the Palestine Peace Process, the Iraq War, terrorism, democratization in the Arab World, religious issues, and social and educational issues. The book also shows through the voices of three Christian Arabs the rich and well-preserved heritage of Christianity in the heart of the Muslim world.

Dr. Ezzat Abouleish
Egyptian-American, Professor Emeritus at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, who authored articles and books, including "Contributions of Islam to Medicine".  In addition to being named a fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in Great Britain, he holds numerous other national and international awards for his outstanding work.

Contributions of Islam and Arabs to civilizations, medicine, science, art, music, and a whole lot more.

Ziad Abbas
Co-founder and Director of Ibdaa Cultural Center, located in Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine. Mr. Abbas is a journalist who has worked in TV, films, and with various news agencies to educate the world about the Palestinian situation.

"Apartheid Walls: Palestinian Refugee Youth Speak Out": Palestinian refugee youth from Ibdaa Cultural Center in Dheisheh refugee camp describe their experiences living behind Israel's Apartheid Wall & other walls such as checkpoints, settlements, curfews, prisons & fences. Mr. Abbas will join us LIVE from Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine.

Aaron Glantz
A reporter for Pacifica Radio and other media outlets, who visited Iraq three times during the U.S. occupation. Aaron is a founding producer of Pacifica Radio’s national newscast, Free Speech Radio News. In the course of his work he has also reported from Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, South Korea, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, France, and Denmark.

Aaron's eyewitness account of the situation in Iraq, and his new book "How America Lost Iraq". According to Aaron Glantz, this book tells the story of how the U.S. government squandered, through a series of blunders and brutalities, the goodwill with which most Iraqi’s greeted the American invasion and the elation they felt at the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Issa Touma
An artist from Syria, an accomplished self taught photographer, and teacher of Photography since 1990. In 1991 he established Black and White gallery which was the first gallery solely dedicated to photography in Syria. In 1996 he established Gallery le Pont drawing photographers as well as other artists, mainly from Syria, Europe and USA. Throughout the years Issa has organized numerous photography festivals, including Aleppo's famous Women's Art Festival.
 
Vinod Hopson, press coordinator for FotoFest.

NAZAR - Arab Eyes and A Look Back  (Photographs from the Arab World)
Discussion with the contemporary Arab photographer about his photographic work presented at NAZAR.
  
NAZAR is an exhibit of 17 Arab photographers and 15 photographers from Europe, the U.S., Australia, Iran, and Israel about Arab cultures in the Middle East and northern Africa. The show will present 250 photographic works, most of which have never been seen before in the United States.  Among its many meanings, the Arabic word NAZAR means 'seeing' or 'insight'. The exhibit is a journey through many countries and many ways of seeing.

Hedy Epstein
A survivor of the Holocaust in which she lost both her parents.
 
Hedy will be talking about her experience in occupied Palestine.

Second Segment:  Activists and members of the organizing committee for the upcoming know justice, know peace! conference: Yolanda Birdwell with Latinos Por la Paz, Ken Freeland with Houston Coalition for Justice Not War and Kamal Khalil with Palestine Affairs Council.  We will talk with them about the upcoming know justice, know peace! conference scheduled in Houston on April 29-May 1, 2005.

Two members of the Wheels of Justice, a freelance news radio reporter, media activist and independent journalist, and Danny Muller, co-coordinator of Voices in the Wilderness and an active member of the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

Their recent visits and experiences in occupied Iraq and occupied Palestine, and their current Wheels of Justice tour in the United States including Houston.

Dr. Thomas Abowd
Assistant Professor who teaches Middle East anthropology at Wayne State University. His research interests include the spatial construction of identity in contemporary Jerusalem and questions of colonialism and urban space.  He has conducted several years of research in Palestine and Israel, and has been involved in a number of scholarly and activist projects related to the Palestine-Israel conflict over the last 15 years.

The Israeli colonies in occupied Palestine, including the latest Israeli decision to construct thousands of new illegal Jewish homes on stolen Palestinian land in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank in clear breach of Israel's commitments under the "roadmap for peace" and Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.  We will also talk with him about the recent flip-flop in the U.S. policy/stand towards this.

Dr. Imad Khadduri
Iraqi Nuclear Scientist, who used to work with the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission.  We will talk with Dr. Khadduri about Iraq and the U.S. led war on it, and what two years of military occupation mean to Iraq and its people.  The original reason the U.S. cited for invading Iraq (WMD), and what Dr. Khadduri knows about WMD in Iraq.
   
Mordechai Vanunu
Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower, who worked as a nuclear technician at Dimona, Israel's secret nuclear installation.  We will discuss with him the new indictment against him by the State of Israel for talking to foreign media, including Arab Voices.
 

Dr. David Link
Director of the International Center for Healing & the Law, attorney and dean emeritus of the Notre Dame School of Law who visited Palestine recently.
 


Mohammed Al-Atar
Founder & Director of Palestinians for Peace and Democracy
 
LIVE from Ramallah, Palestine
  
The escalation of Israeli killings of Palestinians (more than 23 in the last few days including many children), the international law and human rights, as well as the upcoming Palestinian elections.