SPEAKERS
Invited speakers for ICPKL 2023
Invited speakers for ICPKL 2023
Miko Peled is a writer and human rights activist born and raised in Jerusalem. He is considered by many to be one of the clearest voices calling for justice in Palestine, support of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, (BDS) and the creation of a single democracy with equal rights on all of historic Palestine.
Driven by a personal family tragedy to explore Palestine, its people and their narrative he has written a book about his journey called “The General’s Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine.”
In the forward to the book, Pulitzer prize winner Alice Walker writes: “There are few books on the Palestine/Israel issue that seem as hopeful to me as this one.”
Ralph Nader wrote: “The story of Miko Peled, his mother and father, reveals how facts, compassion and a universal sense of justice took hold and inspires this energetic and informed voice for peace.”
Pulitzer prize winner journalist Seymour Hersh called it “A brilliantly rendered saga.”
Naomi Wolfe called it, “A critically important memoir.”
Jim Miles of Foreign policy journal writes in his review: “There are many powerful books written on the topic of Palestine/Israel but few if any are as masterfully written as Miko Peled’s “The General’s Son.””
The book covers the work in which Peled’s family has been involved since his grandparents immigrated to Palestine in the early 20th century, as part of the Zionist project, describing their work and their life in detail. Peled’s maternal grandfather was a signer on the Israeli Declaration of Independence; his father was a General in the Israeli army; in the 1970’s his father pioneered the Israeli Palestinian dialogue and eventually met with Yasser Arafat.
A special 10th anniversary edition of The General’s Son is currently available.
In 2016 Peled published a second book, “Injustice, The Story of The Holy Land Foundation Five.” The book describes the persecution and the closure of what was America’s largest Muslim charity organization, The Holy Land Foundation, and the subsequent trials and convictions of five innocent Palestinian Muslim-Americans.
Pulitzer Prize journalist Chris Hedges wrote: “Miko Peled shines a light on one of the most egregious cases of injustice committed to date against Muslim leaders in the United States.”
Dr. Hatem Bazian, of Zaytuna College in Berkley wrote: “Miko is a dedicated storyteller who approaches the difficult and complex Holy Land Foundation case in a sensitive, careful, and methodical manner.”
Human rights lawyer Michael Duetch wrote, “Miko Peled’s book conveys the humanity of the HLF5 and their families, and should be read widely and shared liberally to help support an international campaign for their freedom.”
Prof. Dr. Sami A. Al-Arian, Director and Public Affairs Professor, Center for Islam and Global Affairs, İslam ve Küresel İlişkiler Merkezi who himself was the subject of persecution and wrongful prosecution writes: Injustice is a must-read book for anyone who wants to know how after 9/11, the US criminal justice system has been undermined and become another tool utilized by the pro-Israeli camp to silence and intimidate Palestinian Americans. Peled thoroughly presents the decade long campaign to criminalize the giving of humanitarian aid to other Palestinians living in poor communities and squalid refugee camps, and how the US government has failed to uphold its ideals as these men came to the US for freedom, only to be ultimately denied their freedom.
Peled is a contributor to Mint Press News, he authors a blog, mikopeled.com and a podcast at Pateron/mikopeled.com dedicated to tearing down the separation wall, the right of return and advocating the creation of one democratic state with equal rights. He travles regularly to Palestine and he has been arrested several times by the Israeli authorities for his activities.
Educated in Jerusalem, Japan and the United States, Peled was a professional martial artist. He holds a sixth-degree black belt in karate. For 23 years Peled operated a martial arts school that was dedicated to teaching leadership skills and peaceful conflict resolution through martial arts.
In 2012 Peled sold his school and is now dedicating his time to writing third book, speaking around the world, and activism focused on transforming the racist Zionist regime in Palestine into a democracy with equal rights.
Miko is a regular contributor to MintPress News, a podcast that can be found on patreon.com/mikopeled and youtube channel. For more on Miko’s work please go to mikopeled.com. To enquire about speaking, please write to booking@mikopeled.com
Rana Shubair is a Palestinian author based in the Gaza Strip. She holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Hull.
She’s an author of two books: In Gaza, I Dare to Dream, and My Lover is a Freedom Fighter. She’s also a freelance writer for various online publications including mondoweiss.net, wearenotnumbers.org, morningsun.com and others. She blogs at ranashubair.com.
Her publications evolve around life under besieged Gaza, the Great March of Return, and being a mother while surviving various Israeli aggression. She was interviewed by various groups and media like Aljazeera English, Code Pink, Jewish Voice for Peace, Days of Palestine, Salaamedia on the latest aggression in August, and others.
A native Palestinian born and raised in the town of Bethlehem, and a graduate of Birzeit University with a degree in Sociology. He worked with different humanitarian, human rights, and advocacy groups including the UN, the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the YMCA & YWCA, and Badil Centre for residency and refugees’ rights, his work experience also included working with the National Council of the YMCAs in Sri Lanka and Silver Bay association in NY.
Since 2013 he has been focused on education on Palestine through an initiative called “To Be There”, where he coordinates the different educational visits, including the annual Olive Harvest, Olive Planting, Palestinian Land Day, summer study programs, and Christmas in Palestine. As an educator on Palestine, Mr Hilo has been working on explaining a so called complicated reality imposed upon the Palestinian people by the state of Israel, in an easy to understand way.
During Covid 19, Baha together with family and friends, renovated an old space in the town of Beit Sahour, The Citadel – 1865, and turned it into a multipurpose and cultural space hosting To Be There as well as a wide variety of educational, artistic and cultural events.
Dr. Sharif Abu Shammala is currently CEO of Al-Quds Foundation Malaysia (Yayasan Al-Quds Malaysia) and a senior non- resident scholar at Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies, He is also the Editor-in-Chief of al-Aqsa Online Encyclopedia (Aqsapedia.net).
Dr. Sharif was born and grew in Gaza, Palestine. He graduated his B.A. in Architecture, and Master in Islamic History. Then, he pursued his Ph.D. in Islamic Architecture History at UM, KL. His research focuses on the historical context of the development in architecture, especially Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Masjid Al-Aqsa, Dome of the Rock and other landmarks. He published several books and articles in reputable journals. Dr. Sharif is a member of editing board in “Imam Ahmed Yassin Encyclopedia” and the Editor of The Complete Works of Shahid Ibrahim Maqadema (A Palestinian Leader and thinker). Winner of the first position of the Palestine Youths Creativity Award, Islamic thought section in 2011, and the first position of the young researchers, from The Islamic University Gaza (IUG) in 2007. Dr. Sharif served as The General Director of the Palestinian History and Documentation Centre from 2011-12.
Prof Nazari Ismail is currently the chairman of BDS Malaysia, chairman of Palestine Progressive Association – Malaysia, and the director of the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He was also the former dean of the Faculty of Business and Accounting at the university.
He has written six books including ` The Globalization Debate: A Case of Barking up the Wrong Tree’, and ‘Till Debt Do Us Part – Growth of the global Banking industry and its insidious effects’. The latter was one the winners of the Malaysian National Book Award in 2019.
He has also consulted as well as provided training programs to several public and private sector organisations including The Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia, Proton, Matsushita, The Royal Malaysian Police, and the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
He was the 1999 Fulbright Foundation Malaysian Scholar at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA and also the Fulbright Visiting Specialist at Pfeiffer University, North Carolina, USA in 2005. In June 2005, he was a visiting fellow at Oxford Center for Islamic Studies, Oxford, United Kingdom.
He was one of the participants of the Freedom Flotilla Boat to Gaza in 2018
Dr Fauziah Mohd Hasan is a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She graduated from the University of Tasmania, Australia in 1982 and awarded FRCOG(UK) in 2003.
Her involvement with medical humanitarian missions started in 1999 which included those to Kosovo, the Moluccas Islands, Aceh after the tsunami, Afghanistan, Gaza, Syria and Bangladesh (Cox Bazar in November 2017). In September 2016, she was the doctor on Women’s Boat to Gaza with the aim to break the blockade of Gaza.
In 2014, she received the International Activist of the Year Award from the International Coalition for Palestine and Jerusalem. In October 2016, she was awarded “Khaulah Al Azwar” as Malaysia’s representative on Women’s Boat to Gaza by the Terengganu state of Malaysia.
The 2017 Islamic NGO Leader Award (Ladies Category) was awarded to her in August 2017 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Currently she is the Chairperson of Malaysian Women’s Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine (MWCQP) and General Secretary of Asian Women’s Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine (AWCQP).
Pn Norma Hashim is the founder and co-chairperson of the Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies at Universiti Malaya. She has been involved in advocacy and relief work for Palestine since 2009 and is the treasurer of Viva Palestina Malaysia. She has edited three books on Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons – “The Prisoners’ Diaries“ (2013) that was translated into 7 languages, “Dreaming of Freedom: Palestinian Child Prisoners Speak” (available in Arabic and English) (2016), which has been published in the US too in 2019 in support of a legislative bill for human rights for Palestinian children, and “A Shared Struggle: Stories of Palestinian and Irish Hunger Strikers” (2021).
Samar Sbaih is a Palestinian mother, revolutionary, and activist, born in Gaza in 1983. She holds a BA in Social Work from Al-Quds Open University – Gaza. It is worth mentioning that prisoner Samar is one of the prisoners who gave birth in Israeli jails.
Samar gave birth to her first child, Baraa, on April 30, 2006, through caesarean section under harsh conditions of detention, as her hands and feet were tied during the operation. Her child lived with her in prison for two years until she completed her imprisonment period. She was deprived of family visits because of the security situation imposed on the Gaza Strip, and Israel decided to deport her immediately to the Gaza Strip after she was released in 2007 to become later on one of the activists who defend the prisoners.
Currently, Samar serves as a board member of Waed Captive and Liberators Society – Gaza, after she served before as a board member of the Society and Family Development Association – Gaza.
A Palestinian academician and activist based in Kuala Lumpur
Contact Me: +019-2498150
pcomuslim@gmail.com
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Abeer Barakat is a Palestinian-born activist. She’s a PhD Candidate at the University Putra Malaysia, and a Lecturer of English at the University College of Applied Sciences, Palestine.
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