ARAB-AMERICAN ACTIVISM

PHOTO LAWRENCE SUTHERLAND Chief Representative of the Palestinian Delegation to Canada Mona Abuamara encourages advocates to never back down or soften their language in response to pressure and threats.

number of personal Nakba-related “touch points” that have informed her own trauma and activism.

At the moment of her birth in Beirut, where her parents were living as refugees, the city was being bombed by Israel and electricity was cut off from the hospital. “That was the beginning of my PTSD, which stays with me until now,” she said. Abuamara has lived with a fear of losing her parents, feelings of anxiety at the sound of military jets and a phobia of soldiers for her entire life.

“During my childhood, there was such a big dark cloud over my head, even though I was one of the lucky ones,” she explained. Other Palestinian kids have seen much worse horrors, she noted, particularly those who have grown up in Gaza over the past decade.

Abuamara also discussed the challenges Palestinians face when attempting to narrate their own stories. “It would be helpful to just keep the narrative on us for once and let us narrate our stories the way we want to, not the way the world wants us to,” she said. Palestinians are always pressured to acknowledge “the other side” while their own suffering is typically ignored or undermined, she added.

For this reason, Abuamara has been pleased by the recent wave of reports from human rights organizations noting the apartheid nature of the Israeli government. “It felt like a breath of fresh air to read the [Amnesty International] report” and see what Palestinians have been saying for decades finally being recognized, she said.

Closer to Canada, she praised the important and difficult work of those who advocate for Palestine. Unlike Palestinians who fight for their own rights, she noted that allies freely give their time and talents to the cause. “You guys, you didn’t choose this, you are doing it for your values, for your principles,” she said. “I just want to thank you all so much for coming and doing all that you do. It means the world to the Palestinian people.” The Palestinian cause is “not an easy one to stand for,” she acknowledged, as many in the West have been targeted and punished for their advocacy.

Abuamara knows well the consequences of strongly supporting Palestine. She has been accused of anti-Semitism, but said she has no plans to soften her language when speaking about the occupation and the 15 year-old siege of Gaza. Specifically, she advised the audience to think carefully about their words when they discuss Palestine, advising against using the word “conflict” to describe what is happening to the Palestinian people. Instead, she suggested activists note that Palestinians are participating in a “struggle under occupation.”

Independent Jewish Voices Winnipeg and the Mennonite Church’s Palestine Israel Network organized the evening event. Members of partner organizations, such Peace Alliance Winnipeg, the Canada-Palestine Support Network, the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, the United Jewish People’s Order and Canadian Friends of Sabeel, were all in attendance. —Candice Bodnaruk

Arab Americans Hold Candidates Night

The non-partisan New Dominion PAC (NDPAC) and the Arab American Democratic and Republican caucuses of Virginia held their 32nd annual Northern Virginia Candidates’ Night Dinner at the Tysons Corner, VA Marriott on Oct. 16. NDPAC invites candidates running for office in Virginia to meet with the Arab American community over a hearty dinner—because, of course, good food is required in their hospitable culture. The evening started with a uniquely Arab American rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” strummed on the oud with lyrics in English and then Arabic.

NDPAC president Dr. Maher Massis welcomed more than 150 guests, and said he was happy to get together after COVID interruptions and the death, on Sept. 17, 2020, of NDPAC founder Sabah Shami. “We’re here to help you connect with your candidates. We care about our families, our local community and our dear country,” Massis said, so encourage everyone in our community to honor our American duty to vote, volunteer and donate to campaigns.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) recorded a message saying he mourned the loss of Shami, who he said helped him understand the Arab American community—some who’ve been here for generations and others who are new Americans. “You keep us true to what we say about ourselves,” he said. He urged everyone to vote in the midterm elections because “It’s time for all of us patriots to link arms and support candidates who share our values.”

Massis gave a quick overview of Arab American political activism, beginning in 1982 with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when Arab Americans were upset by the silence of their government and resolved to become more politically active. Sometimes, in the beginning, their support and campaign donations were not welcome (Walter F. Mondale returned checks from Arab Americans in 1984). “But it’s truly amazing how far we’ve come since the 1980s,” Massis said, noting that both Re-

publicans and Democrats running for office in Virginia or their surrogates were in attendance tonight.

The Arab American vote made a difference in the 2020 elections because while they may be only 1 percent of the total voters, they are concentrated in battleground states and they turn out in high numbers. Arab Americans are 5 percent of voters in Michigan and 1.7 to 2 percent in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In Virginia, with a population of 150,000, Arab Americans are between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of voters, Massis said.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who had just been endorsed by Emgage Action, a Muslim-American advocacy group, said he always keeps his door open to Arab Americans. He reminded listeners that he was the first member of the House to condemn Egypt’s crackdown on demonstrators and helped obtain the release from Egyptian prison in 2017 of dual citizen Aya Hijazi. Connolly, along with 25 House

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STAFF PHOTO D. HANLEY

NDPAC’s board of directors present a posthumous award to trailblazing founder Sabah Shami, noting Shami gave awards to others at every candidate’s night but never received an award for his own work to motivate and bring respect to Arab American voters.

Democrats, condemned the destruction of Palestinian homes and the forced relocation of residents in Sheikh Jarrah in May 2021. Recalling Trump’s Muslim travel and refugee bans, he concluded, “Democracy is on the ballot this election and if there is a community that has a stake in this election it’s you. Make sure your voice is heard.”

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) said she is a strong supporter of free speech. Wexton said she listened to her constituents and voted against an anti-BDS resolution. Wexton also sent a letter signed by 80 members of Congress to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 3, 2022, urging the administration to take concrete steps to address Israeli settlement growth and settler violence against Palestinians and evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes.

A surrogate for Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) said the congressman was proud to write a letter to Blinken urging him to verify that all U.S. travelers, including Palestinian Americans, are treated equally at all ports of entry that Israel controls. Under Israel’s new policies, Americans are subject to onerous and restrictive screening processes designed to deny entry to those who express political positions deemed unacceptable by Israeli authorities. Some are forced to deposit bonds of up to $20,000 upon entry and are coerced into disclosing information on friends and relatives. He urged all Arab Americans to tell their representatives to sign Beyer’s letter.

Rep. Robert Wittman (R-VA) also sent a letter on Oct. 14, 2022 to Secretary Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas regarding Israel’s restrictions on Palestinian Americans entering Israel or Palestinian cities. He cited the July 22 experience of his constituent Kamal Nawash, an attorney who holds a Jordanian passport and was denied entry. Wittman concludes his letter by saying he’d “appreciate your consideration to these concerns as you work with the Israeli government to negotiate admittance into the Visa Waiver Program and see that all U.S. citizens receive equal treatment and freedom of travel regardless of national origin or ethnicity.”

This year, speakers agreed, Arab American voters should follow the trail blazed by Sabah Shami and vote for legislators who care about their civil rights at home and abroad. —Delinda C. Hanley