Date:

December 30, 2015

Interviews from 2015
Arab Voices will air portions of several interviews conducted with different guests in 2015, including:

Remi Kanazi
Poet, writer, and organizer based in New York City. He is the author of the new released collection of poetry Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine.

Zakaria Odeh (in occupied Jerusalem)
Executive Director of the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem.

Chris Hedges
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author who writes a weekly column for the online magazine Truthdig.

Phyllis Bennis
Fellow and the Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. She is also a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. She has been a writer, analyst, and activist on Middle East and UN issues for many years.

Dr. Clovis Maksoud
Former ambassador and permanent observer of the League of Arab States at the United Nations and its chief representative in the United States for more than 10 years.

Date:

December 23, 2015

1st Segment:
We will first air the statement by the US Council of Muslim Organizations (US-CMO), a coalition of leading national and local Muslim organizations, announcing major educational, outreach and civic empowerment initiatives to address growing Islamophobia in America and to enhance national security through the promotion of freedom and justice.
 
We will also air few minutes from an interview Amy Goodman conducted on Democracy Now! on December 22, 2016 with Pulitzer-winning veteran journalist Seymour Hersh  about a new report he published in the London Review of Books that says the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has indirectly supported Bashar al-Assad in an effort to help him defeat jihadist groups!
 

2nd Segment: Vijay Prashad
Vijay Prashad is the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity College. He is the author of sixteen books, including The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South, Arab Spring, Libyan Winter, (co-edited with Paul Amar) Dispatches from the Arab Spring, and No Free Left: The Futures of Indian Communism. Vijay's latest book is Letters to Palestine: Writers Respond to War and Occupation. He is the chief editor at Leftward Press, and writes regularly for The Hindu, Frontline, Jadaliyya, Counterpunch, Himal and Bol. Vijay also served as the Edward Said Chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut (2013- 2014).
 
We will speak live with Vijay about ISIS and the how it is able to extract and smuggle oil from the oil fields it controls in Syria and Iraq to other countries including Turkey and Israel to fund itself.

Date:

December 16, 2015

Rev. Ronnie Lister
Reverend Lister is an ordained minister in the National Baptist Convention. He is a social activist, scholar, and an advocate for the poor. He co-founded (with his wife, Minister Ann Lister) the International Center for Spiritual and Social Activism, committed to . He has also served as a teaching assistant at the Interdenominational Theological Center, and Candler School of Theology at Emory University both located in Atlanta, GA. Reverend Lister holds a Master of Arts Degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, and has pursued post graduate studies at California State University, and the Interdenominational Theological Center.

Mustafaa Carroll
Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas, Houston Chapter. He has more than 23 years' experience in business and leadership, and 18 years as a corporate management consultant specializing in leadership, service and diversity. Mustafaa began his civil rights activism at 16 as President of the NAACP Youth Council in his hometown of Gary, Indiana. Prior to his arrival to CAIR's Houston office in June 2010, he served on the CAIR-TX DFW board from 2004-2006 and the Executive Committee as Board President in 2007, and was appointed as Executive Director in June 2007. Carroll has also served on several other boards including the North Texas Islamic Council, Masjid Al-Islam, Dallas, the Islamic Medieval Studies Group, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas, the advisory committee of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and he was a founding member and Chair of Humanitarian Day-DFW Event for 5 years. Together with the board and staff of CAIR-TX, Carroll is helping to develop and execute strategies that assure justice and civil rights for Muslims in the Greater Houston Community.
  

We will speak live with our guests about the anti-Muslim sentiment that is on the rise in the US; recent spike in attacks on American Muslims and their religious institutions including hate crimes, vandalism, shootings, harassment, and arson. We will talk about Islamophobia, fearmongering, stereotyping, racism, racial profiling, and surveillance of Muslims, Arabs, and mosques.
 
We will also talk about ways community organizers, organizations and religious institutions of different faiths work together to counter these issues through interfaith work/relations, and how to deal with the negative image portrayed by media outlets, politicians, presidential candidates and others.

Date:

December 9, 2015

Date:

December 2, 2015

ACC's Annual Unity & Friendship Gala
The Arab American Cultural & Community Center in Houston held its 22nd Annual Unity & Friendship Gala on November 14, 2015. This year's theme was "Embracing our Community's Needs and Aspirations", and it highlighted the culture and people of the Kingdom of Jordan. The Gala Chair was Mayada Al-Kaisi Coleman, and the Gala Co-Chair was Sarah Rabie. The Master of Ceremonies was Phil Snyder. Today on Arab Voices we will listen to most of the remarks made at the Gala.
     
This year's ACC honorees were the late Dr. Amer Sabbagh (2015 ACC Outstanding Community Service Award, presented by Wafa Abdin, ACC Board Member, and Abdel ElKhadiri, ACC Treasurer), and Dr. Samir Tuma (2015 ACC Lifetime Achievement and Leadership Award, presented by Dr. Kamal Khalil, ACC President).
  
There was also special recognition for FADI'S Mediterranean Grill (2015 ACC Business Community Award, presented to Fadi Dimassi by Wadih ElHajj, ACC Second Vice-President), and FotoFest (2015 ACC Service to the Arab Culture and Art Award, presented to Frederick Baldwin and Wendy Watriss, co-founders of FotoFest, by Dr. Rudeina Baasiri, ACC Board Member at Large).

Date:

November 25, 2015

Paul Gottinger
An independent journalist based in Madison, WI whose work focuses on the Middle East. He recently wrote an analysis of the "war on terror" in an article titled "Despite 14 Years of the U.S. War on Terror, Terror Attacks Have Skyrocketed Since 9/11". In this analysis, Paul Gottinger says: "Terror attacks have jumped by a stunning 6,500 percent since 2002, according to a new analysis by Reader Supported News. The number of casualties resulting from terror attacks has increased by 4,500 percent over this same time period. These colossal upsurges in terror took place despite a decade-long, worldwide effort to fight terrorism that has been led by the United States." "The analysis, conducted with figures provided by the U.S. State Department, also shows that from 2007 to 2011 almost half of all the world’s terror took place in Iraq or Afghanistan -- two countries being occupied by the U.S. at the time.
 

Date:

November 18, 2015

Date:

November 4, 2015

Remi Kanazi
Poet, writer, and organizer based in New York City. He is the author of the new released collection of poetry Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine. He is also the author of Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine, and the editor of Poets For Palestine. Remi's political commentary has been featured by news outlets throughout the world, including The New York Times, Salon, Al Jazeera English and BBC Radio. Kanazi has toured hundreds of venues across the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, and he has appeared in the Palestine Festival of Literature as well as Poetry International. He is a Lannan Residency Fellow and an Advisory Committee member for the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. He has taught poetry workshops from Oklahoma to the West Bank, given talks from New York City to London, and has performed at hundreds of venues, from New Orleans to Amman.

Date:

October 28, 2015

Political Terrorism in the US: The Assassination of Alex Odeh
Today on Arab Voices we will air a special Pacifica Radio Archives documentary from interviews with law enforcement agents, possible suspects, politicians, and community members concerning the October 11, 1985 murder of Arab-American political activist Alex Odeh.
 
Thirty years ago this month Alex Odeh, who was the West Coast Regional Director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) at that time, was assassinated in his office, and to this date, the murder case of Alex Odeh remains unsolved by the FBI.
  
"Political Terrorism in the United States: The Assassination of Alex Odeh" is an early look at the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack. This documentary features the voices of Alex Odeh, family members, the FBI and from the Jewish Defense League, an organization originally named by investigators as the probably culprit of the crime. Just who killed Alex Odeh remains a question to this day.
   

Visit www.ADC.org for more details.
   
Born in Jifna, Palestine in 1944, Alex Odeh became a poet, lecturer and Arab-American peace activist. He originally studied to become an engineer at Cairo University in Egypt. When the Six Day War ended in 1967, Israeli authorities prevented Odeh from returning to his hometown in the West Bank. Living a life of exile changed him, starting off a life in politics. Alex Odeh immigrated to the United States in 1972 eventually continuing his studies with a Masters degree in political science from Cal State Fullerton. In 1982, the Palestinian activist joined the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, a newly formed group aimed at combating grotesque Arab stereotypes in the media and bias in Middle East reporting. A year later, Odeh became the West Coast Regional Coordinator, setting up an office in Santa Ana, California. Death threats haunted Odeh on nearly a daily basis. On October 10, 1985, a local television station interviewed him about the Achilles Lauro hijacking and murder of Leon Klinghoffer. Odeh spoke condemning terrorism across the board but argued that the media was too quick to link the attack to the PLO. As fate would have it, the activist opened the door to his officer the next morning for what was to be another routine day at work. When the door swung open, a powerful pipe bomb exploded killing Odeh.

Date:

October 21, 2015

Zakaria Odeh (in occupied Jerusalem)
Executive Director of the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (an independent, non-governmental, non-profit coalition of organizations, institutions, societies, and associations dedicated to the promotion and protection of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem). We will speak with Zakaria (in occupied Jerusalem) about the situation in occupied Palestine, especially in Jerusalem, and the ongoing Israeli atrocities and killing in occupied Palestine (more than 51 Palestinians were killed over the past three weeks including 11 children and 1 pregnant woman, and nearly 6,000 Palestinians were injured).
 
We will also hear the reaction and statements of several local Houstonians who participated in a demonstration/protest held in Houston on Saturday, October 17 to protest Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Date:

October 14, 2015

Susan Abulhawa
Palestinian-American human rights activist, novelist, award-winning author and a frequent political commentator. She was born to Palestinian refugees from Jerusalem, where her family had lived for centuries. She is the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine, an organization dedicated to upholding Palestinian children's Right to Play. Susan received her Master's degree in Neuroscience from the University of South Carolina. She is a science writer for medical journals, and has contributed to several anthologies and has been published in several US and international newspapers and other periodicals. Her first book of poems was titled My Voice Sought the Wind. Her first novel, Mornings in Jenin, was an international bestseller, with rights sold in twenty-six languages, and her second novel (just released) is titled The Blue Between Sky and Water, and was sold in nineteen languages before its release. Susan tried to visit Palestine in July 2015 as a US citizen, but was denied entry by the Israeli occupation forces.
 

Date:

October 7, 2015

Fall Membership Drive
Arab Voices Needs YOUR Support to Raise $2,940
     
Please call during the show on Wednesday between 7 and 8 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge (all gifts to KPFT are tax-deductible).
 
Click here for a list of the "Thank-You Gifts" offered.
     

Membership Drive

Date:

September 30, 2015

Fall Membership Drive
Arab Voices Needs YOUR Support to Raise $2,940
     
Please call during the show on Wednesday between 7 and 8 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge (all gifts to KPFT are tax-deductible).
 
Click here for a list of the "Thank-You Gifts" offered.
   

Membership Drive

Date:

September 23, 2015

Fall Membership Drive
Arab Voices Needs YOUR Support to Raise $2,940
     
Please call during the show on Wednesday between 7 and 8 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge (all gifts to KPFT are tax-deductible).
 
Click here for a list of the "Thank-You Gifts" offered.
   

Membership Drive

Date:

September 16, 2015

Shireen Jasser
Social Worker, community organizer and President of the Syrian American Council Houston Chapter.
 
We will speak with Shireen about the Syrian Refugee Crisis where more than half of the Syrian population (over 12 million) are now refugees as a result of the ongoing bloody and destructive war in Syria. We will also talk about the Syrian refugees in Houston, and how the Houston community is dealing with the situation, and also talk about ways to assist.

Date:

September 9, 2015

Chris Hedges
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who writes a weekly column for the online magazine Truthdig. He spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. Hedges left the Times after being issued a formal reprimand for denouncing the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. In 2012, he sued President Barack Obama after the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. Hedges authored numerous bestselling books, including Empire of Illusion; Death of the Liberal Class; War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning; Days of Revolt which he co-wrote with Joe Sacco; and his most recent book Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt. Hedges received many awards and recognitions over the years. He was part of the team of reporters at The New York Times that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, and he also received the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. Hedges is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York City. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University and The University of Toronto. He currently teaches prisoners at a maximum-security prison in New Jersey. Hedges holds a B.A. in English literature from Colgate University and a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. Hedges speaks Arabic, French and Spanish and studied classics, including ancient Greek and Latin, at Harvard.
 

We will speak with Chris Hedges about the US Foreign Policy towards the Middle East; ISIS; the crisis in the Syria, Iraq, Yemen and other countries in the Middle east; the BDS Movement; and more.
 
Please note that Chris Hedges will receive the Houston Peace and Justice Center HPJC's 2015 National Peacemaker Award and give the keynote address at the Awards Dinner in Houston on November 14, 2015. For more details on this event or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.hpjc.org/dinner2015.

Date:

September 2, 2015

Phyllis Bennis
Fellow and the Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. She is also a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. She has been a writer, analyst, and activist on Middle East and UN issues for many years. She helped found and remains on the advisory board of the U.S. Campaign to End Israeli Occupation. Phyllis plays a leading role in US and global movements against wars and occupation, and writes and speaks widely across the U.S. and around the world as part of the global peace movement. She continues to serve as an informal adviser to several top UN officials on Middle East and UN democratization issues. She is the author of numerous books including "Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict", "Ending the Iraq War: A Primer", "Understanding the US-Iran Crisis: A Primer", and "Before & After: US Foreign Policy and the War on Terror". Her most recent book (just released) is titled "Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror: A Primer".
 

We will speak with Phyllis about her new book "Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror: A Primer". We will also get her views on the US foreign policy towards the Middle East, the turmoil that is engulfing several areas in that region, and more.

Date:

August 26, 2015

National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) National Medical Convention
The National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) will hold its 37th National Medical Convention in Houston from September 4th through the 7th. Today on Arab Voices we will talk about this important convention with Dr. Samir Tuma, founder and first President of the Arab American Medical Association in Houston (1979), co-founder of the National AAMA (1980), and co-founder and former President of the Arab American Cultural and Community Center in Houston (2009-2010). He is also co-founder of the prestigious Ben Qurrah Award. Dr. Tuma was born in Acca, Palestine, and has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years.
   
Dr. Bassem Youssef, renowned Egyptian satirist who turned his show, Al Bernameg, into the most watched program in the Middle East (by uniquely criticizing most political and public figures in Egypt) will be attending the convention. NAAMA will be honoring Dr. Youssef at the convention with the 2015 award for his accomplishments as a cardiothoracic surgeon and for his contributions to elevate the public awareness about civil rights. We will listen to some of Dr. Youssef's remarks during the show today.
 
In addition, we will listen to the special remarks of Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Arab-American medical doctor (born in Algeria), world-renowned physician, and former Director of the National Institutes of Health, that he delivered at the Biennial Ben Qurrah Award Gala held by the Houston Chapter of the Arab American Medical Association few years ago to honor Arab-American physicians who have made remarkable contributions in the field of medicine and who have succeeded in the worldwide advancement of science.

Date:

August 19, 2015

Ghada Mukdad
Board member with the Syrian Civil Coalition (a lobby of nearly 100 Syrian civil society organizations). She is a Syrian peace activist who was forced to leave Syria in 2012 and has been in the U.S. since then. She was the representative for the Syrian Women's Forum for Peace. In 2007 she ran as an independent candidate for parliament in Syria. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where she is actively involved in community efforts calling for an end to violence against civilians in Syria and peaceful resolution to the conflict.
 

We will speak with Ghada about Syria; the current situation there; Sunday's brutal massacre in Douma (one of many over the past few years); the refugee crisis; civil society in Syria; nonviolent opposition; women's involvement/role; foreign interventions; the letter sent yesterday from the Syrian Civil Coalition to the UN Security Council and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria calling on sending mandated human rights monitoring mission to Syria; the best way out of the current crisis; and more.

Date:

August 12, 2015

Dr. Rania Masri's Houston Remarks on "Gaza: One Year Later"
The Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC Houston) organized an event titled “GAZA: One Year Later”. It was held at and co-sponsored by the Arab American Cultural & Community Center as well as the Ramallah Club of Houston and Beirzirt Society. It was a fundraising event benefiting KinderUSA humanitarian relief projects that benefit children and families in Gaza. The keynote speaker was Dr. Rania Masri, Associate Director of Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut, and an associate producer of The Status Hour.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the remarks delivered at the event by Dr. Rania Masri.

Date:

August 5, 2015

▪ $300 "Palestine 4 Film Pack" - FOUR documentaries (on DVDs) on the Israel-Palestinian crisis and history. The 4 Film Pack includes:
   1 - "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series)
   2 - "The Price of Oslo"
   3 - "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land"
   4 - "Occupation 101"

▪ $85 "The Battle for Justice in Palestine" book by Ali Abunimah

▪ $200 "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East" book by Rashid Khalidi

▪ $150 “National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism” book by Melvin Goodman

▪ $200 “Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education” book by Nurit Peled-Alhanan

▪ $250 Edward Said Tribute 6 CD SET

▪ $180 “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” book by Miko Peled

▪ $240 "Dirty Wars" Combo (book and DVD) - documentary film and hardback book by Jeremy Scahill

▪ $150 "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series) DVDs

Membership Drive

Date:

July 29, 2015

Dr. Rania Masri
Associate Director of Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut, and an associate producer of The Status Hour. She has been active on issues of human rights and justice since 1993. Before leaving North Carolina to Lebanon in 2005 to be a professor of environmental science at the University of Balamand, Rania was the Director of the Southern Peace Research and Education Center at the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, NC. She also served as a national board member of Peace Action, a member of the Steering Committee of the United for Peace and Justice national coalition, and a state board member of the American Civil Liberties Union-NC. Her research and activism have centered on anti-sanctions/anti-war (Iraq), anti-occupation, anti-apartheid (Palestine), environmental justice, and civil rights. She served as an expert in the Court of Conscience on the Israeli 2006 War on Lebanon during which she presented expert testimony on the Environmental Impact of the Israeli War on Lebanon. She also serves on the advisory board of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
 

We will speak with Dr. Masri about the ongoing occupation of Palestine; the crisis in Gaza one year after Israel's war on it; the BDS movement; the latest on the Syrian crisis; the U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East; and much more.
  
Note: Dr. Rania Masri will be speaking in Houston on Sunday, August 2 at a special event titled "Gaza: One Year Later". One year after the Israeli war on Gaza, where are we now? What has happened in Gaza since? What has happened throughout Palestine? And how can we, as individuals and as a movement committed to justice, organize and respond? Click here for more information about this event.

Date:

July 22, 2015

Conflict in Yemen: The New Iran-Saudi Proxy War?
The World Affairs Council of Houston held an event on June 30, 2015 titled "Conflict in Yemen: The New Iran-Saudi Proxy War?". The guest speaker was Sama'a Al-Hamdani, an independent writer, researcher and analyst focusing on Yemeni politics. Her work has been published in Al-Monitor, Yemen Observer, Yemen Times and several other publications and academic journals. She is also a regular expert commentator for major international media outlets including: CNN International, BBC World Service, Al-Jazeera, and The Huffington Post.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Sama'a Al-Hamdani's remarks and some of the questions and answers that followed her talk. During the event she addressed several points including what is happening in Yemen, the key players in the conflict, the Houthis and other groups, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the reasons many countries are participating in the war on Yemen, the possible outcomes of this conflict, the role of the US, and more.

Date:

July 15, 2015

Jamal Abdi
Policy Director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and Executive Director of NIAC Action. Abdi leads NIAC Action’s efforts to monitor policies and legislation, and to educate and advocate on behalf of the Iranian-American community. He previously worked in the US Congress as Policy Advisor to Representative Brian Baird (D-WA). As one of a small number of Iranian Americans working on the Hill, he served as a Congressional advisor, liaison, and expert on foreign affairs, immigration, and defense. Abdi has written for The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Foreign Policy, Huffington Post and The Hill, and he is a frequent guest contributor in print, radio, and television.
   

We will speak with Jamal about the historic long-term comprehensive nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 -- the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany -- along with the European Union; the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOA) agreed to by all parties; the reactions in Iran and the region to the deal; the effect of the deal on Iran and the region; U.S.-Iran future relations; the sanctions imposed on Iran; nuclear weapons; Iran-Gulf States relations; and more.

Date:

July 8, 2015

Noha Radwan
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies at the University of California-Davis. She is an Egyptian literary scholar and was assistant professor of Arabic Literature at Columbia University. Her research interests focus on modern Arabic poetry and fiction. Radwan was born in Cairo, Egypt. She received her MA from the Department of Arabic Studies at the American University of Cairo and her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. In February 2011 she spent 18 days with demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square protesting the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and was attacked and beaten by a mob of Mubarak supporters. She authored a book titled "Egyptian Colloquial Poetry in the Modern Arabic Canon: New Readings of Shi'r al-'Ammiyya (Literatures and Cultures of the Islamic World)", and also published a report in the Journal of Higher Education titled "Egypt's Revolution, in Verse".
 

Date:

July 1, 2015

 
We will first talk about the vote that took place yesterday, June 30, 2015, and that is the vote by the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, calling for boycotts and divestment from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. 80% of the United Church of Christ delegates voted for the divestment. It was a landslide vote with 508 delegates in favor, 124 against, and 38 abstentions.
 

David Heap
Steering committee member of the Canadian Boat to Gaza, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and one of the organizing groups for Freedom Flotilla III. He is associate professor (French and Linguistics) at the University of Western Ontario, Canada and father of two. He participated in the 2009-2010 Gaza Freedom March. He was on board the Tahrir when it was stopped by Greek authorities in July 2011, and again in November 2011 when captured by the Israeli navy. Deported to Canada after six days in Israeli prison, he also joined the Swedish ship to Gaza Estelle for part of its voyage in September 2012, representing the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and he visited Gaza in October 2012 with a group of linguist colleagues (including Noam Chomsky). He has spoken about previous Freedom Flotilla voyages and the Gaza Ark campaign (2012-2104) to challenge the blockade from Palestine from the inside out.
 

We will speak with David about Freedom Flotilla III (four boats carrying 47 people from 17 countries sailing to the besieged Gaza Strip to challenge the blockade of 1.8 million Palestinians), and Israel's attack on Monday on the "Marianne" one of the 4 boats (a Swedish vessel) while it was in international waters on its way to the Gaza Strip, and the kidnapping by force of the 18 participants on board (including Dr. Bassel Ghattas, Member of the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Moncef Marzouki, ex-President of Tunisia, Ana Miranda, Member of European Parliament, and several journalists). Four were released, but fourteen participants remain hostage in Israeli jails. During the attack on “Marianne”, Israeli soldiers used violence against the participants.

Date:

June 24 2015

Dahr Jamail
Staff reporter at Truthout and author of several books including "The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan", "Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq", and his recently released book "The Mass Destruction of Iraq: Why It Is Happening, and Who Is Responsible". Jamail reported from Iraq for more than a year (one of only a few independent and unembedded US journalists in Iraq), as well as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey over the last ten years. Dahr’s stories have been published widely, and his writing has been translated into many languages. Dahr has reported for Democracy Now! and Al-Jazeera, and has appeared on numerous media outlets around the globe. Dahr’s reporting has earned him numerous awards, including the Martha Gellhorn Award for Investigative Journalism, the Lannan Foundation Writing Residency Fellowship, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage, and five Project Censored awards.
 

We will speak with Dahr about Iraq and the situation there. We will also talk about the lawsuit filed by Sundus Saleh, an Iraqi single mother, suing members of the George W. Bush administration for their role in the war in Iraq, and the amicus brief filed on June 2, 2015 by an international group of lawyers (which includes former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark) in support of Saleh's claims.  

Date:

June 17 2015

MPA Speakers' Remarks of Imam Ali & Comedian Obeidallah

The Muslim Professional Association (MPA) held a special anniversary event on March 28, 2015 in Houston titled "Building Strength: The Future of Muslims in America". There were several speakers at the event, and today we will listen to the remarks of Imam Wazir Ali, recipient of the Muslim Journal's prestigious "Imam of the Year Award" for 2010, and the keynote address by award-winning comedian Dean Obeidallah.
 

Imam Wazir Ali
Recipient of the Muslim Journal's prestigious "Imam of the Year Award" for 2010 and is the imam of the historic Masjid Warithud-Deen Mohammed and Masjid Al-Qur'an, both located in Houston. Imam Ali has co-trasnslated and has assisted in research for multiple Islamic texts. He is an entrepreneur, kinesiologist, registered dietitian and board certified specialist in renal nutrition, who also owns a private nutrition consulting firm in Houston. Imam Ali holds multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology, nutrition, and kinesiology and is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in clinical nutrition.
 

Dean Obeidallah
Dean’s comedy comes in large part from his unique background of being the son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. He is an award winning comedian who was at one time a practicing attorney, and co-starred in the Comedy Central special “The Axis of Evil.” He is a also columnist for The Daily Beast and has written for CNN.com and The Huffington Post. Dean is the co-director/co-producer of the comedy documentary “The Muslims are Coming!” featuring a stand up comedy tour of Muslim-American comedians performing free shows across the South and West in the hopes of fostering understanding. He was also the co-creator of Comedy Central.com’s critically acclaimed Internet series “The Watch List” featuring a cast of all Middle Eastern-American comedians. In addition to performing comedy throughout the US, Dean has performed across the Middle East. For more details, visit www.deanofcomedy.com.

Date:

June 10 2015

Nick Rahall and MJ Rosenberg on "How Does the Israel Lobby Influence Congress"
On April 10, 2015, a conference was held in Washington, DC called “The Israel Lobby: Is It Good for US? Is It Good For Israel?”. It was organized by the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. It was unprecedented gathering that focused on the Israel lobby in America. There were several speakers at the conference including former Congressmen Paul Findley and Nick Rahall, Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy, former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk, Palestinian-American lawyer and human rights advocate Huwaida Arraf, photojournalist and radio host Jeffrey Blankfort, founder and Director of Palestine Solidarity Legal Support and Cooperating Counsel with the Center for Constitutional Rights Dima Khalidi, Israeli writer and activist Miko Peled, Internationally acclaimed author and media critic Jack Shaheen, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy Grant Smith, and other well-known experts. There were 6 Panel discussions at the conference:
 
 - What Is the Israel Lobby and How Does It Work?
 - Are Critical Voices Silenced?
 - Is Freedom of Speech Encouraged on American Campuses?
 - Is the Lobby Good for Israel?
 - How Does the Lobby Influence Congress?, and
 - Is There an Iraq-Iran Continuum?
 
Today, we will listen to some of the remarks delivered during the “How Does the Lobby Influence Congress” panel by former AIPAC employee MJ Rosenberg (his talk was titled “Is it all about the money?”), and former congressman Nick Rahall (his talk was titled “My experience with the Israel Lobby; The use of dark money”).
 
For a full list of the speakers and to listen to their remarks including the question and answer sessions, visit www.israellobbyus.org.

Date:

June 3 2015

Wardah Khalid
Scoville Fellow, focusing on research, development and presentation of non-violent policy solutions to counter the self-described Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as highlighting why U.S. militarism is undermining locally-led peace building approaches in these countries and throughout the region. Prior to joining FCNL, Wardah worked as a CVE consultant in Houston, focusing on creating a community plan to counter violent extremism in the local Muslim American community. Wardah recently graduated from Columbia University where she obtained a masters in International Affairs focused on Human Rights and Middle East Studies. While at SIPA, she interned for various UN and international agencies including UNRWA, UNDP, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate where she conducted research on Lone Wolf Terrorism from a UN perspective. She is also the author of the “Young American Muslim” blog for the Houston Chronicle.
 

We will speak with Wardah about last week's incident where Asher Abid Khan was arrested in Houston for allegedly trying to join ISIS (Wardah Khalid attends the same mosque as Asher) and the impact this incident had on the community. We will talk about ISIS; the true Islamic values; what attracts some youth to join ISIS; why is ISIS successful in its recruitment efforts; why young Muslims and others should reject ISIS; what should communities do to counter ISIS and its ideology; how to steer youth from violent extremism; how to combat this threat effectively; and ISIS and the U.S. foreign policy. We will also talk about the rise of Islamophobia in the U.S. and last week's protest that was held outside a Phoenix Mosque; and the recent historic Supreme Court ruling in Abercrombie & Fitch Hijab Case.

Date:

May 27, 2015

Robert Naiman
Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy, who visited Iran earlier this month to participate in the aid boat to Yemen. Mr. Naiman edits the Just Foreign Policy news summary and writes on U.S. foreign policy at Huffington Post. He is president of the board of Truthout, and is on the Steering Committee of Gaza's Ark, a project to bring a boat out of Gaza filled with Palestinian exports in defiance of the blockade. Naiman has worked as a policy analyst and researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. He has masters degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Illinois and has studied and worked in the Middle East.
 

Date:

May 20, 2015

Dr. Clovis Maksoud
Former ambassador and permanent observer of the League of Arab States at the United Nations and its chief representative in the United States for more than 10 years. He is a lawyer, journalist, professor and diplomat, and served as the League of Arab States’ Ambassador to India and Southeast Asia from 1961 to 1966 as well as the League of Arab States’ special envoy to the United States in 1974. He was also a member of the United Nations Development Program Advisory Board on the Arab Human Development Reports. Maksoud founded and served as director of American University’s Center for the Global South. He is the author of several books on the Middle East and developing countries, including "The Meaning of Nonalignment", "The Crisis of the Arab Left", "Reflections on Afro-Asianism", "The Arab Image", and his recently released memoir "From the Corners of Memory: A Journey on the Train of Arab Nationalism".
 

Date:

May 13, 2015

67th Anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe)
This week marks the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe). Today, we will talk about that and air portions of special documentaries about Al-Nakba. We are also offering special "Thank-You" gifts today during KPFT's membership drive, and they include:
  
"Palestine 4 Film Pack" - FOUR documentaries (on DVDs) for $300
You get 4 films on the Israel-Palestinian crisis and history, some of which are multi-part series. The 4 Film Pack includes:
 
1 - "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series) - $150 by itself
2 - "The Price of Oslo"
3 - "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land"
4 - "Occupation 101"
  
See full list below for additional offerings.
 

Spring Membership Drive
 
Arab Voices Needs YOUR Support to Raise $2,400
     
Please call during the show on Wednesday between 7 and 8 pm central time and pledge your support (713-526-5738), or send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name and the amount you want to pledge (all gifts to KPFT are tax-deductible).

We are offering the following "Thank-You" Gifts during the fund drive:
 
"Palestine 4 Film Pack" - FOUR documentaries (on DVDs) for $300
You get 4 films on the Israel-Palestinian crisis and history, some of which are multi-part series. The 4 Film Pack includes:
 
   1 - "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series)
   2 - "The Price of Oslo"
   3 - "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land"
   4 - "Occupation 101"
  
We are also offering additional "Thank-You" Gifts:
 
▪ $85 "The Battle for Justice in Palestine" book by Ali Abunimah
▪ $200 "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East" book by Rashid Khalidi
▪ $150 “National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism” book by Melvin Goodman
▪ $200 “Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education” book by Nurit Peled-Alhanan
▪ $250 Edward Said Tribute 6 CD SET
▪ $180 “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” book by Miko Peled
▪ $240 "Dirty Wars" Combo (book and DVD) - documentary film and hardback book by Jeremy Scahill
▪ $150 "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series) DVDs
  
As another special thank you to members who contribute during KPFT’s 2015 Spring Membership Drive, everyone who becomes a new member, renews their membership, or makes an additional gift will be automatically entered to win an iPad Mini! We have three iPad Minis to give away and we’ll be choosing a winner on Thursday April 30, Thursday May 7 and Thursday May 14. The sooner you pledge the more chances you have to win!
  
Thank you! 

Membership Drive

Date:

May 6, 2015

Houston Palestine Film Festival
We will speak live with Houston Palestine Film Festival board members Thomas Locke, Vice President, and Amal Rammah, Secretary, about the 9th edition of the Houston Palestine Film Festival. This year HPFF will be screening the best contemporary Palestinian films for three consecutive weekends. The festival will include 7 feature films, 3 shorts, and a video art installation during the last weekend. The festival starts this Friday, May 8th and continues through May 23rd (6 evenings and 2 matinees).
      

Membership Drive

Date:

April 29, 2015

Joe Lauria
United Nations correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. He has been a independent journalist covering international affairs and the Middle East for more than 20 years, and has been an investigative reporter for The Sunday Times of London. He has also corresponded from the U.N. in New York for numerous newspapers, and his work has appeared in many publications. Mr. Lauria has taught journalism at two American universities and travelled widely throughout the Middle East and the world. He is the author, with former U.S. Senator and American presidential candidate Mike Gravel, of A Political Odyssey: The Rise of American Militarism and One Man's Fight to Stop It.
 

A live conversation with Mr. Lauria about the crisis in Yemen, and the efforts made to reach a political deal before the Saudi airstrikes began, and why they failed. Lauria co-wrote and just published the piece "Former U.N. Envoy Says Yemen Political Deal was Close Before Saudi Airstrikes Began," which states: "Yemen’s warring political factions were on the verge of a power-sharing deal when Saudi-led airstrikes began a month ago, derailing the negotiations, the United Nations envoy who mediated the talks said.
    

Membership Drive

Date:

April 22, 2015

Fuad Foty
An oud instrumentalist and a vibrant vocalist with over thirty years of performance and musical instruction experience. Born in Ramallah, Palestine, an integral part of Fuad’s childhood involved learning the classical Arabic songs of the musicians and composers of the time. His passion for the oud quickly evolved and he joined various Arab bands, and started playing music to inform the American public about Palestine and the Palestinian cause. Despite engaging in formal studies, obtaining his Masters of Science in Computational Mathematics and later practicing for over thirty years as a mathematical statistician, Fuad has continued to embrace his true passion, performing around the country and teaching Arabic music to Arabs and non-Arabs alike. He has also frequently lectured on topics involving Arabic music, the most recent of which chronicled the resistance songs of the Palestinian struggle in honor of the annual Nakba Commemoration. Fuad Foty is Co-Director of Music Performance & Instruction at Foty Fusion Productions.
 

Ziad Foty
An emerging independent filmmaker. He holds his Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College in English Literature with a concentration in Film, and a Masters of Philosophy in Film Studies from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. His films explore a range of counter hegemonic orientations associated with the process of representation. In his work he has addressed topics related to identity, feminism, and racism. Ziad is a 2012 recipient of the Jack Shaheen Mass Communications Scholarship and his short film The Strange Ways of the Occident (2013) was screened at the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival and the Alwan Film Festival. In addition, he is trained in classical and Arabic Piano, voice, and “tabla” (Arabic drum) and continues to perform and compose along with the other musicians in his family, incorporating hip-hop and other Western genres of music with the traditional Arabic style. Ziad Foty is Director of Film at Foty Fusion Productions.  
 

Date:

April 15, 2015

1st Segment: The 1st Annual Lebanese Festival
A live conversation with Fadi Dimassi, Festival Chair and Wadih Elhajj, Festival Co-Chair, and Saadallah Masri about the 1st Annual Lebanese Festival scheduled to be held April 18-19 at Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston. Fadi, Wadih and Sam are also Board Members with the American Lebanese Cultural Center in Houston.
     
2nd Segment: Arab History & Studies at the University of Houston
The Arab-American Educational Foundation and the University of Houston hosted a special reception on April 10, 2015 to celebrate the Arab History & Studies at the University of Houston. This reception recognized those who generously provided support for the growth of UH Arab Studies through the creation of an endowed chair, scholarship and lecture series. Today on the Arab Voices, we will listen to the remarks made at the event by Dr. Steven Craig, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at UH, Dr. Aziz Shaibani, President of the Arab-American Educational Foundation, Dr. Emran El-Badawi, Program Director and Assistant Professor of Arab Studies at UH, and the finalist to the position of AAEF Chair in Modern Arab History at UH.

Date:

April 8, 2015

Rooted in Faith, Growing Through Service: CAIR Texas Annual Banquet

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas (Houston Chapter) held its Annual Fundraising Banquet on April 4, 2015 in Houston under the theme "Rooted in Faith, Growing Through Service". Several local community members, faith leaders and elected officials attended the event that featured an awards ceremony recognizing several individuals. CAIR discussed the challenges ahead, debut upcoming projects and goals, and showcased the results of the work done by CAIR locally and nationwide.
  
There were several remarks made at the event, and today we will listen to the remarks about CAIR delivered by Dr. Yusuf Shere, CAIR Texas President; and the keynote speech about civil rights delivered by Linda Sarsour, Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York and Senior Strategist for Take on Hate, a recently launched campaign which aims to change perceptions of Arabs and Muslim Americans including refugees. 

Date:

April 1, 2015

Shibley Telhami on "The politics of identity post-Arab Spring"
Last month, the Center for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute held the “Divided Societies, Volatile States: The Politics of Identity Post-Arab Spring” conference. Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to the keynote address delivered at the conference by Dr. Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland, College Park; and Nonresident Senior Fellow, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, The Brookings Institution. In his keynote address, Telhami explored changes in the way the peoples of the Middle East define or think about themselves.
 
The conference also featured three panel presentations at which scholars from around the world discussed topics ranging from sectarianism in the Gulf and social reform for women in Egypt to the future of Israel.

Date:

March 25, 2015

1st Segment: The 5th Palestinian Festival
A live conversation with Ruba Afifi, Festival Co-Chair and Board Member with the Palestinian American Cultural Center (PACC-Houston) about the 5th Palestinian Festival scheduled to be held March 28-29 at Jones Plaza in Downtown Houston. We will also speak live with Dalal Abu Amneh who will be performing live at the Festival. Dalal is a Palestinian singer singing classical and folk music of the Arabic musical heritage, and also a neuroscientist from Nazareth. She is committed to achieving humanitarian goals through her art and draws from the rich culture of Palestine, and aims is to develop this art and spread the Palestinian culture to the wider world. Dalal is crafting a global Palestinian identity and advocating for the Palestinian cause through her music. She has participated in many international and Arab festivals and has represented Palestine in several Arab operettas and also participated in many local and International cultural events. In addition to her participation with her own band, Dalal is the lead singer in the international orchestra MESTO where she performs Arab and Palestinian folk, accompanied by Western musicians and orchestral arrangement. A surprise to many of her fans, besides music and singing, Dalal is studying for a PhD in neuroscience in the Faculty of Medicine at the Technical Institute in Haifa.
  

2nd Segment: Ibraham Qatabi
Yemeni American human rights activist and an expert on Yemen. He is a legal worker at the Center for Constitutional Rights and also serves as a UN/US advisor to the Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, and was a lead advisor on the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Mr. Qatabi is a frequent commentator on Yemeni affairs on various national and international media outlets. Qatabi also co-founded the Yemeni American Coalition for Change (YACC) to support change and the democracy movement in Yemen. We will speak live with Mr. Qatabi about the crisis in Yemen.

Date:

March 18, 2015

Hani Al-Masri
Director General of Masarat, the Palestinian Center for Policy Research & Strategic Studies, and Policy Advisor at Al Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network. He founded and was director general of the Palestinian Media, Research and Studies Centre, Badael, between 2005 and 2011. He has published hundreds of articles, research and policy papers in Palestinian and Arab magazines and newspapers including Al-Ayyam and Al-Safir. He previously served as General Manager of the Printing & Publication Department at the Ministry of Information and as a member of the Committee on Government in the Commission of Dialogue held in Cairo in 2009. He is also a member of the board of trustees at the Yasser Arafat Foundation.
 

We will speak live with Dr. Al-Masri about the current situation in Palestine and the never ending Israeli occupation; the Israeli elections and its effect on future negotiations and/or Israeli actions in occupied Palestine (if any); the prospects for reconciliation and unity between some of the Palestinian factions; the recent projections of a potential collapse of the Palestinian Authority; the Arab, US, European, UN and others stance from the ongoing Palestinian/Israeli problem; the options for a solution to the Palestinian crisis; and more.
    

Please note that Dr. Hani Al-Masri will be speaking at the Arab American Cultural and Community Center in Houston on Sunday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. Click here for more details.

Date:

March 11, 2015

Last year, the Women and Human Rights in the Middle East Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute held the "International Conference on Gender and Human Rights in the Middle East: The Evolving Roles of Women in the Arab World". Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to two of the remarks delivered at the Societal Change Post-Arab Spring panel discussion, delivered by:
   
Dr. Wanda Krause, former assistant professor and coordinator of the Gulf Studies Program at Qatar University. Before coming to Qatar, Krause taught Middle East politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Krause has studied, worked and researched in Germany, Canada, the U.K., Egypt and the Arabian Gulf, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. She spoke at the conference about women's participation in Egypt and Qatar (her paper was titled Post Arab Spring Transformations in need of Feminine Politics).
    
Dr. Dina Kiwan, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Media Studies at the American University of Beirut. Previously, she was a senior lecturer in citizenship studies at Birkbeck College, University of London, and co-director of the International Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship, a joint international center of Birkbeck College and the Institute of Education at the University of London. She spoke about Syrian and Syrian-Palestinian women in Lebanon, and the Syrian refugee crises.

Date:

March 4, 2015

Grant F. Smith
Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington DC. He has published numerous articles and books including America’s Defense Line: The Justice Department’s Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government, Spy Trade, Foreign Agents, Deadly Dogma, and Neocon Middle East Policy. Smith has filed a federal lawsuit last week against the CIA seeking disclosure of thousands of files revealing why the CIA is convinced that Israel stole enough U.S. government-owned weapons-grade uranium in the 1960’s to manufacture over a dozen atomic weapons. This lawsuit comes after Smith's courtroom victory last month against the U.S. Department of Defense to release a report on the Israeli H-bomb development program, laser enrichment of weapons-grade material and 1987 status of its nuclear weapons production sites.
  

Date:

February 25, 2015

Sahar Aziz
Associate Professor at Texas A&M University School of Law, and serves on the board of the Egyptian American Rule of Law Association. She previously served as a senior policy advisor for the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she worked on law and policy at the intersection of national security and civil rights. Her area of scholarship focuses on the intersection of national security, civil rights, and American Muslims. She has been featured on several media outlets and has published many articles including Coercive Assimiliationism: The Perils of Muslim Women's Identity Performance in the Workplace; Policing Terrorists in the Community; and Caught in a Preventive Dragnet: Selective Counterterrorism in a Post-9/11 America. She can be followed on Twitter @saharazizlaw.
  

Date:

February 18, 2015

In Memory of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha
Today on the show, the topic will be about last week’s hate crime and cold-blooded murder of three young Arab-American Muslim students in North Carolina (shot execution style in the head) by their neighbor, a terrorist, Craig Hicks. The victims were Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha.
 
We will listen today to statements by Suzanne Barakat, Deah’s sister, Mohammad Abu-Salha, the father of Yusor and Razan, Farris Barakat, Deah’s Brother; and also listen to many others who spoke at the special Candlelight Vigil that was held last week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Date:

February 11, 2015

The Case of Rasmea Odeh
Rasmea Odeh is a 67 year old Palestinian American community leader who was raped and tortured by Israel in 1969 until she confessed to a crime (participating in two bombings in Jerusalem) she denies committing, and then was jailed for 10 years. After that, she came to the U.S. and became a U.S. citizen in 2004. In October 2013, Rasmea Odeh, Associate Director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), was arrested at her home in Chicago by agents from the Department of Homeland Security. She was indicted in federal court, charged with unlawful procurement of naturalization, an allegation based on answers she gave on a 20-year-old immigration application (for not reporting the Israeli conviction she refuses to accept). In November 2014, without a full and fair trial, Rasmea Odeh was found guilty by a jury in Detroit, detained in a Michigan jail and then was released on bond (during the trial, Rasmea was portrayed to the jury by the prosecution as a terrorist. Rasmea’s bombing conviction in 1969 was discussed, but evidence and discussion of her rape and torture experience was not allowed in court). Her sentencing is scheduled to take place on March 12, 2015. If convicted she will face several years imprisonment, huge fines, loss of her US citizenship and deportation.
 
This week is the National Week of Action to defend and demand justice for Rasmea, and today on Arab Voices, we will speak live with Jim Fennerty, one of her defense attorneys, and also speak live with Muhammad Sankari, representative of the Rasmea Defense Committee.
 
We will also get their reaction to last night's hate crime and cold-blooded murder of three young Arab-American Muslim students in North Carolina (shot execution style in the head). Recently, there has been a rise of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.

Date:

February 4, 2015

Marcy Wheeler
Investigative journalist Marcy Wheeler writes the "Right to Know" column for ExposeFacts. She is best known for providing in-depth analysis of legal documents related to "war on terrorism" programs and civil liberties. Wheeler blogs at emptywheel.net and publishes at outlets including the Guardian, Salon and the Progressive. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy. Wheeler has a PhD in comparative literature, and in 2009 she won the Hillman Award for blog journalism. In October 2013, Newsweek published an article about Wheeler titled "The Woman Who Knows The NSA's Secrets".
 

We will speak with Marcy about the recent trial and conviction of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling; the US "war on terror" and its effects on civil liberties; the involvement of the US in wars in the Middle East; the use of drones; torture; NSA's spying programs; and more.

Date:

January 28, 2015

Funouniyat Palestinian Folklore Troupe
Today, January 28 on Arab Voices, we will be speaking with Houston's very own talented musician Mohamad Hadrous about the special event that will be held in Houston on Friday, January 30 hosting 17 members of Funouniyat Palestinian Folklore Troupe that is coming from Palestine. The Troupe will be performing live Palestinian Folk Dance and Songs at the Stafford Civic Center at 7:30 p.m. The event is organized by the Palestinian American Council.
   

Arab Voices Needs YOUR Support
We are also asking for your support tonight during KPFT's Winter Fund Drive. Arab Voices needs to raise $2,300. Please call during the show today 713-526-5738 and pledge your support. If you are unable to call during the show, please send e-mail to ArabVoices@hotmail.com with your name, phone number, mailing address and the amount you want to pledge.
 
We are offering the following "Thank-You" Gifts during the fund drive:
 
"Palestine 5 Film Pack" - FIVE documentaries (on DVDs) for $365
You get 5 films on the Israel-Palestinian crisis and history, some of which are multi-part series. We will air portions of these documentaries on the show today. The 5 Film Pack includes:

   1 - "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series)
   2 - "Roadmap to Apartheid"
   3 - "The Price of Oslo"
   4 - "Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land"
   5 - "Occupation 101"
 
We are also offering additional "Thank-You" Gifts:
 
▪ $150 "The Battle for Justice in Palestine" book by Ali Abunimah
▪ $200 "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East" book by Rashid Khalidi
▪ $150 “National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism” book by Melvin Goodman
▪ $200 “Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education” book by Nurit Peled-Alhanan
▪ $250 Edward Said Tribute 6 CD SET
▪ $180 “The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine” book by Miko Peled
▪ $240 "Dirty Wars" Combo (book and DVD) - documentary film and hardback book by Jeremy Scahill
▪ $150 "Al Nakba" (award-winning four-part series) DVDs
   
Thank you.
  

Membership Drive

Date:

January 21, 2015

Matthew Hoh
Former State Department Official and Whistleblower; Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy; and previously directed the Afghanistan Study Group, a collection of foreign and public policy experts and professionals advocating for a change in U.S. policy in Afghanistan. Prior to that, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq and on U.S. Embassy teams in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Live discussion with Mr. Hoh about what is happening in Yemen and the U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East. Yesterday, Mr. Hoh said: "You don't have to be an expert on Yemen, the Middle East, Islam or foreign policy in general to realize that what is occurring in Yemen is similar to what is occurring throughout the Greater Middle East. Decades of American interventionist policy, that can be at best be described as inept meddling, with roots going back to the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 and the establishment of the Shah's authoritarian police state, have created, fostered and sustained sectarian, ethnic and religious conflicts that have birthed repressive regimes, extremist terror groups and genocidal civil wars throughout the Middle East. Yemen is one more glaring example of failed American policy in the Middle East, perhaps all the more tragic and absurd as Yemen was cited as an example of success by President Obama when he authorized his seventh bombing of a Muslim nation, Syria, last year."
  

Membership Drive

Date:

January 14, 2015

Rania Khalek
An independent journalist reporting on the underclass and marginalized. She's written for Extra, The Nation, Al Jazeera America, the Electronic Intifada, Truthout, Salon, AlterNet, Citizen Radio and more. To follow her work, check out her website Dispatches from the Underclass and follow her on twitter @RaniaKhalek.
 
We will speak live with Rania about last week's attack on Charlie Hebdo in France, and the hypocrisy some countries, leaders and media outlets have shown regarding this attack. We will also talk about the Senate intelligence committee’s explosive report on the CIA’s worldwide network of torture program, and also talk about the Palestinian efforts to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), and more.
 

Date:

January 7, 2015

Noam Chomsky's Remarks at the UN
Professor Noam Chomsky, world-renowned political dissident, Professor in the department of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, and author of numerous best-selling political works (which have been translated into scores of countries worldwide) spoke at a rare event that took place on October 14, 2014 at a packed hall at the United Nations General Assembly. The event was hosted by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now introduced Noam Chomsky, followed by a question and answer session.
 
Today on Arab Voices, we will listen to Chomsky's remarks and some of the questions and answers that followed his talk.