Date:

December 19, 2012

1st Segment: "Islam's Future & You"
A live discussion with Iesa Galloway, blogger at MuslimMatters.org and Strategist for the "Islam's Future & You" convention about the upcoming convention scheduled to be held December 22-24, 2012 in Houston.

2nd Segment: Afra Jalabi
A live discussion about Syria with Afra Jalabi, Member of the Syrian National Council, and Member of the Executive Committee on the Day After Project. Before the Syrian revolution she was a signatory in the Damascus Declaration. Jalabi is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Law and Religion at Hamline University, and has worked as columnist in the Arab Press for 12 years. She is a Montreal based writer, and a frequent lecturer on issues related to Islam and the Middle East, and recently more specifically about Syria.

Date:

December 12, 2012

MPA Anniversary Event: "The Future of Muslims in America: Building a Strong Community"

The Muslim Professional Association in partnership with Rice University’s Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance held a special event last month in Houston bringing together leaders to provide a road map for building a strong American Muslim community. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to some of the remarks made at the event, including those of:
  
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative who has been a pivotal figure in the struggle of American Muslims to find their voice.
 
Ramsey Clark, a former US Attorney General, who has been a tireless advocate for the rule of law and the rights of all Americans, particularly minorities.
  
Professor Liyakat Takim, a widely respected scholar and former Imam who has authored numerous academic works on the progress of Muslim communities in North America.

Date:

December 5, 2012

1st Segment: Life in Syrian Refugee Camps
A special program produced by Al Jazeera English that speaks to Syrians displaced by the ongoing violence, where more than half a million Syrians were forced to flee their homeland. This segment looks at what life is like in the refugee camps. The guests are Mouaz Moustafa, Board Member with the Coalition for a Democratic Syria, Panos Moumtzis, Regional Refugee Coordinator at UNHCR, and "Siba", Activist with SRDH NGO.

2nd Segment: Khaled Elgindy
Fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He served as an advisor to the Palestinian leadership in Palestine and was a key participant in the Annapolis negotiations. He held a number of political and policy-related positions in Washington. Elgindy writes on Arab-Israeli affairs, Palestinian politics, and Egypt’s transition.

Date:

November 28, 2012

Sharif Abdel Kouddous (in Cairo)
Egyptian journalist and Correspondent for the award winning independent Radio & TV program Democracy Now!. We will speak with Sharif (in Egypt) about the current situation in Egypt and the recent constitutional declaration by president Morsi, and also talk about what Sharif has witnessed in his recent visit to Gaza after Israel's military assault on the Gaza Strip.

John Quigley
Professor of international law at Ohio State University, who is active in international human rights work. His numerous publications include books and articles on human rights, the United Nations, war and peace, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Quigley's books include "The Statehood of Palestine: International Law in the Middle East Conflict". We will speak with professor Quigley about the Palestinian struggle for statehood and the Palestinian UN Statehood Bid.

Date:

November 21, 2012

Mustafa Barghouti (in Gaza)
Co-founder and Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, a physician and a social, political and human rights activist, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council who served as "Minister of Information", a former candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority, advocate for peace in the Middle East, and a 2010 Peace Prize nominee.

Raji Sourani (in Gaza)
A human rights lawyer in the Gaza Strip, Founder and Director of the Gaza based  Palestinian Center for Human Rights, member of the International Commission of Jurists and Vice President of the International Federation of Human Rights. Raji is recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.

Haidar Eid (in Gaza)
Associate Professor at al-Aqsa University in Gaza, who has written widely on the Arab-Israeli conflict, including articles published at Znet, Electronic Intifada, Palestine Chronicle, and Al Jazeera. He has also published papers on cultural studies and literature in a number of journals.

A discussion with Dr. Barghouti, Mr. Sourani and Professor Eid (all in Gaza) about the latest Israeli bloody assault and massacre on the Gaza Strip (the latest in a series of war crimes committed against the Palestinians), in which more than 150 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded (the majority of them are civilians including women and children). We will talk about the current situation in Gaza, what they are witnessing there, the cause of this latest attack, and much more.

Date:

November 14, 2012

Arab Voices was preempted for a special Pacifica Radio Archives National Fund Drive (broadcast on all Pacifica stations in the US).
  

Date:

November 7, 2012

Amy Goodman
The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope

Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan with Democracy Now! were in Houston last Friday, November 2, 2012 for a talk and book signing for their new book "The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope". Today on the show we will listen to portions of Amy Goodman's talk in Houston about her new book, the uprisings in the Arab world (especially in Tunisia and Egypt), media coverage, wars, the militarization of Police, surveillance of Muslims and Arabs in the U.S., and much more.

Date:

October 31, 2012

1st Segment: Citizenship Week
As the City of Houston prepares for its Annual Citizenship Week (Nov. 11-17) celebrating the many faces of Houston, we will talk about the Citizenship Week, Know Your Rights as a Citizen, Understand the Value of Your Civic Participation, Challenges in Immigration & Citizenship, and the upcoming events in Houston including a free Citizenship Workshop. The guests for this segment will be Benito Juarez, Senior Manager of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs - Office of International Communities (City of Houston), Mustafaa Carroll, Executive Director of CAIR-Texas, and Tatyana Delgado, Supervising Attorney for the citizenship program at Catholic Charities.

Date:

October 24, 2012

Elik Elhanan
(under house arrest in Israel)
Former paratrooper in the Israeli military (and refuses to serve as a reserve soldier), who was onboard the Ship to Gaza Sweden named "Estelle" on Saturday when it was hijacked by the Israeli Army from international waters (who used violence and tasers against the passengers). Elik was kidnapped from Estelle, jailed, and is currently under house arrest in Israel. Among the ship passengers were six members of the European Parliament, activists and civilians.

A discussion with Elik (under house arrest in Israel) about the Estelle Ship to Gaza, which was carrying humanitarian aid, medical supplies, toys and books for the Palestinian children in the besieged Gaza Strip. We will also talk about his personal experience from serving in the Israeli army to becoming an activist who refuses to serve as a reserve soldier, to his latest ordeal on the Estelle.
 

Membership Drive

Date:

October 17, 2012

Nurit Peled-Elhanan
Lecturer in Language Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an award-winning Israeli peace activist, poet and author, and one of the founders of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. Nurit is the daughter of Israeli General Matti Peled. In 2001 she was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights and the Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.

A discussion with Nurit (in Israel) about her newly released book "Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education". In her book, Nurit examines the ways in which the Israeli education system indoctrinates young Israeli Jews with negative stereotypes of Palestinians and prepares them for service in the military, where many of them will be tasked with enforcing Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands. She analyzes the presentation of images, maps, layouts and use of language in History, Geography and Civic Studies textbooks, and reveals how the books might be seen to marginalize Palestinians, legitimize Israeli military action and reinforce Jewish-Israeli territorial identity.
 

Membership Drive

Date:

October 10, 2012

Russell Tribunal on Palestine
On October 6-7, 2012, the 4th and Final Session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine was held in New York city, where distinguished guests and Jurors from around the globe participated, including Ilan Pappé, Peter Hansen, Huwaida Arraf, John Quigley, Raji Sourani, Diana Buttu, Noam Chomsky, and Phyllis Bennis. The hearings were part of an international people’s tribunal created in response to the international community’s inaction regarding Israel’s recognized violations of international law. The focus was on the responsibility of the United States and the United Nations regarding the Israeli breaches of international law towards Palestine.
 
Today, we will listen to some of the remarks made by prominent figures on the importance of this Russell Tribunal on Palestine, and also listen to the press conference held on Monday, October 8, where the Jurors revealed their executive summary of the findings of the 4th and Final Session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine.

Date:

October 3, 2012

James Paul
Executive Director of Global Policy Forum, and a prominent figure in the NGO advocacy community at the UN. He is a well-known speaker and writer on the UN and global policy issues. Paul has worked for and served on several boards and committees including the Middle East Research & Information Project, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, and the International Federation of Human Rights at the UN. His honors include the World Hunger Media Award and a "Peacemaker" award by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

A live discussion with Mr. Paul about the United Nations and it's recently held General Assembly; the U.S. and its foreign policy; Iran; Israel; nuclear weapons; and more.

Date:

September 26, 2012

Jennifer Loewenstein
Political activist and 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 Jennifer received ADC's Rachel Corrie Award.

The ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine and its effects on the Palestinians, the recent verdict by an Israeli court about the murder of Rachel Corrie, the U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, Romney's recent comments about the Palestinians, the Arab uprisings, and more.

Date:

September 19, 2012

"Upholding the Constitution, Defending Our Faith: Celebrating 10 Years of Success"

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (Houston Chapter) held its Annual Fundraising Banquet on September 15, 2012 in Houston. During the event, CAIR raised nearly $150,000 in contributions to support CAIR's civil rights work.
 
There were several remarks made at the event, and today we will listen to few of these remarks, including Welcome and Acknowledgment by Dr. Tarek Hussein, CAIR Texas President, CAIR National Address by Omar Zaki, Chairman of CAIR National (he spoke about what's happening on a national perspective in the American Muslim community), and the Keynote Address by Shahid Buttar, Executive Director of Bill of Rights Defense Committee (he spoke on what power is doing to the community, some of the challenges that confront our community (FBI, congress, courts), and what you can do every day to change these issues).

Date:

September 12, 2012

Ralph Nader
Prominent Lebanese-American, political activist, three-time presidential candidate, consumer advocate, crusading attorney, one of the most unique, important, and controversial political figures of the past half century, author of countless books and publications, who was honored by Time and Life magazines as One of the 100 Most Influential Americans of the Twentieth Century, and named by The Atlantic as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history.

A live discussion with Mr. Nader about the U.S. presidential elections, why is Jerusalem listed as a key issue on both parties’ platforms as they race for the White House, Mr. Nader's views on the Arab Uprisings and the latest developments in the Middle East, the U.S. foreign policy, and Mr. Nader's views on how he sees the U.S. on the 11th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack on the U.S.

Date:

September 5, 2012

Arab Voices was preempted for a special Pacifica live coverage of the Democratic National Convention.
  

Date:

August 29, 2012

Arab Voices was preempted for a special Pacifica National coverage of the Republican National Convention.
  

Date:

August 22, 2012

1st Segment: Mustafaa Carroll
Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations-Texas, Houston Chapter, and former Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Dallas/Ft. Worth CAIR office. CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization.

2nd Segment: Mohamed Elibiary
A Texas-based Muslim community leader, and a national security expert who serves on the Secretary's Advisory Council at the Department of Homeland Security. He is founder of Lone Star Intelligence, LLC, and served as president of the now closed Freedom and Justice Foundation.

During the first segment, we will speak live with Mustafaa Carroll about the recent spike in attacks against Muslims in the U.S., and the increased anti-Muslim sentiment amongst some politicians and media outlets. During the second segment, we will speak live with Mohamed Elibiary about the accusations against him by Michele Bachman and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) of leaking secret documents and having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood (charges found baseless by DHS, and prompted Secretary Napolitano to defend him last month in Congress).

Date:

August 15, 2012

Daoud Khairallah
Attorney and professor of international law at Georgetown University. He also teaches at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Khairallah was Deputy General Counsel at the World Bank where he acted as legal counsel to several Board committees and also as Chairman of the Conflict of Interests Committee.

A live discussion with Dr. Khairallah about the foreign intervention by the U.S. and other countries in the historic Arab uprisings we are witnessing in the Middle East.
 

Membership Drive

Date:

August 8, 2012

Naseer Aruri
Chancellor Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He is founder, former chair, and now member-at-large of the Board of Directors of the Trans-Arab Research Institute, and a member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the International Institute for Criminal Investigations at The Hague. He served on the Board of Directors of Amnesty International, USA, and the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch/Middle East, and was a member of the Palestinian National Council. Dr. Aruri is author of numerous publications and several books, including "Dishonest Broker: the U.S. Role in Israel and Palestine", and "Obstruction of Peace".

A live discussion with professor Aruri about various topics including the ongoing uprisings in the Middle East. We will talk about Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, the U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, Romney's recent comments while in Israel, and much more.

Date:

August 1, 2012

Vijay Prashad
Chair of South Asian history and director of international studies at Trinity College, in Hartford, Connecticut. He is a well-known commentator on world affairs, and writes regularly in many journals. Prashad has authored and edited over a dozen books, including "The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World", and most recently "Arab Spring, Libyan Winter".

A live discussion with professor Prashad about the Arab Uprisings in various countries; the U.S. foreign policy and intervention in the Arab world; and much more.

Date:

July 25, 2012

Ethnic Cleansing & Resistance in Palestine
Special program from The Michael Slate Show that airs on our sister station KPFK in Los Angeles.
  
In the first part of the show, Salman Abu Sitta discusses the theft of Palestine and the genocidal attempt to erase the Palestinian people from the face of the earth as the longest continual Ethnic Cleansing in history.
  
In the second part, Davidi and Burnat discuss the Palestinian resistance to this ethnic cleansing. Their film "5 Broken Cameras" won the World Cinema Directing Award at Sundance this year. This powerful documentary tells the story Palestinian resistance to brutal oppression by following a Palestinian villager who films the struggle of the people in his village against the Israeli army on a series of cameras. Nodal points in the struggle and the film are marked by the Israeli army smashing each camera. The film begins with his first camera recording the birth of his son...Each of the five cameras tells its own story before it is destroyed.

Salman Abu-Sitta (Founder & Director of the Palestine Land Society); Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat (filmmakers, co-directors of "5 Broken Cameras")

Date:

July 18, 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 is a five-time board member and former President of the Association of Arab-American University Graduates, and co-founder of the Trans Arab Research Institute. She 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 deteriorating situation in Syria; the opposition and its uprising against the regime; the defection of high ranking officials from the Syrian regime; today's bombing in Damascus and the assassination of the Syrian defense minister and his deputy; external foreign intervention; and much more.

Date:

July 11, 2012

Stephen Zunes
Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is recognized as one of the country’s leading scholars on U.S. Middle East policy and on strategic nonviolent action. He serves as a senior policy analyst for the Foreign Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies, an associate editor of Peace Review, a contributing editor of Tikkun, and chair of the academic advisory committee for the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. Professor Zunes has authored several books and scores of articles for scholarly and general readership on Middle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, international terrorism, nuclear nonproliferation, strategic nonviolent action, and human rights.

A live discussion with professor Zunes about the current uprisings in the Middle East and nonviolent movements; the foreign intervention by the U.S., Europe, China, Russia and others in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other Arab countries; the ongoing war rhetoric against Iran by the U.S. and Israel; the recent H.R. resolution 4133 that passed by a vote of 411-2 described by Zunes as "a dangerous piece of legislation which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States"; the prospects for real peace in the Middle East; and much more.

Date:

July 4, 2012

Dr. Stephen M. Walt
Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, and co-author of the book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy". He is a contributing editor at Foreign Policy magazine, co-editor of the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs, and co-chair of the editorial board of the journal International Security.

Today, we will listen to the remarks Dr. Walt made at the Hisham Sharabi Memorial Lecture held at the Palestine Center on May 10th of this year titled "Deja Vu All Over Again?: Iraq, Iran and the Israel Lobby". In that lecture, Dr. Walt addressed the pressure on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East from the Israel lobby and the real and perceived effects it has had on decisions throughout the current and past presidential administrations.

Date:

June 27, 2012

Dr. Samer Shehata
Assistant Professor of Arab Politics at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, where he teaches courses on Arab and Middle East politics, comparative politics, U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East, Egyptian politics, and culture and politics in the Arab world. He is author of numerous publications including the newly released book "Islamist Politics in the Middle East: Movements and Change".

A live discussion about the Egyptian elections and the newly elected President Mohammed Morsi (whom Dr. Shehata has met); how much power will the new president have; the role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces; the Muslim Brotherhood and its influence (if any) on the new president; what is next for Egypt; how will the recent changes affect the region and beyond; will the relations with the U.S. and other countries change after this elections; will the support from the U.S. to Egypt change; and much more.

Date:

June 20, 2012

1st Segment: Has Egypt's Revolution Been Hijacked?
A special "Inside Story" program from Al Jazeera English, in which presenter Mike Hanna discusses that topic with Sameh Seif el-Yazal, a retired army general and director of Al-Gomhoreya Institute for Security Studies; Rabab el-Mahdi, an activist and professor of political science at the American University in Cairo; and Amr Darrag, a member of the National Committee of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the party's secretary-general in Giza.

2nd Segment: Dr. James Zogby
Founder and president of the Arab American Institute, co-founder and served as the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a lecturer and scholar on Middle East issues, U.S.-Arab relations and the history of the Arab American community, author of several books and articles, and host of "Viewpoint” TV program. We will speak LIVE with Dr. Zogby about the Arab Uprisings, the elections in Egypt, the Syrian situation, the U.S. stand towards the Arab Uprisings, the presidential elections in the US, and much more.

Date:

June 13, 2012

Sharif Abdel Kouddous
Egyptian journalist and Correspondent for the award winning independent Radio & TV program Democracy Now!, who is currently in Egypt. Over the years, Sharif has covered news stories around the world including reporting from Baghdad during the Iraq war and from Egypt during the recent revolution. 

Last week, Ziad Abu-Rish, Co-Editor of Jadaliyya electronic magazine, conducted an interview with Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Mubarak's Trial, Presidential Elections, and the Return to Tahrir. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to that interview which "begins with an overview of the verdict, the legal process that led up to it, and the eruption of protests in its aftermath. It then tackles the broader context within which the trial and verdict unfolded: the struggle to define the scope of revolution in Egypt. Sharif discusses the (re)emergence of Ahmad Shafiq (Mubarak's last prime minister and retired air force general) in the context of the presidential elections and what this represents about the these elections as opposed to the parliamentary elections. Also addressed is the position of the Muslim Brotherhood vis-a-vis the Mubarak verdict, the presidential elections, and its changing strategic position since the parliamentary elections. In discussing this broader context, Sharif highlights the importance of the coming two weeks, which will feature a constitutional court ruling on the Political Isolation Law as well as another one on the Parliamentary Elections Law. Both rulings have the potential to either consolidate the existing political dynamics or radically alter them. Towards the end of the interview, Sharif discusses the proposed presidential council, noting its origins, viability, and reactions to it, as well as the status of the constitutional assembly".

Date:

June 6, 2012

Ali Abunimah
Co-founder and Executive Director of The Electronic Intifada. Abunimah is an expert on Palestine and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse, and a contributor to The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict. He has contributed to several other books and written hundreds of articles on the question of Palestine in a wide array of publications.

This week marks the 45th anniversary of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and other territories. Today, we will have a live discussion with Ali Abunimah about the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine, the atrocities and aggression Israel inflicts on Palestinians on daily basis, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, Palestinian political prisoners, Israeli colonies, the Apartheid Wall, the BDS movement, the U.S. foreign policy towards Israel and occupied Palestine, the chances of a possible solution to the problem, and much more.

Date:

May 30, 2012

1st Segment: Jihan Hafiz
Freelance journalist living in Egypt, producing for the Real News Network and Journeyman productions. She covered the Egyptian and Libyan revolutions and worked along the Turkish/Syrian border. She co-produced the documentary film Benghazi Rising on the Libyan revolution. We will speak with Jihan (in Egypt) about the recent Egyptian Elections.

2nd Segment: Omar Shishakly
Syrian American activist, and co-founder of Texans for Free Syria. We will speak with Omar about the latest developments on the Syrian uprising, the recent massacre in Houla village in which more than 100 civilians including children were killed, and much more.

Date:

May 23, 2012

Maya Mikdashi
PhD candidate at Columbia University's Department of Anthropology. She is Co-Director of the award-winning documentary film About Baghdad, and assistant director of Arabs and Terrorism documentary series. She is also co-founder of Jadaliyya (an independent ezine produced by the Arab Studies Institute).

A live conversation with Maya about the recent violence that erupted in Lebanon and how that relates to the Syrian uprising; the kidnapping of Lebanese in Syria; the support the Syrian regime has in Lebanon; and the effect of the Syrian uprising on the Syrian relationship with Hizballah in Lebanon.
 

Membership Drive

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 Festival 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 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.