Teach-in on WAR, PALESTINE, and ISLAMOPHOBIA, November 30, 2010, UC Berkeley

The war in Iraq has been declared over, yet 50,000 American troops still occupy the country. The troops that were brought home have been replaced by thousands of new mercenary fighters, or have been reassigned to fight in Afghanistan. Nobel Peace Prize President Obama’s war budget of over $700 billion for 2010 was the largest military budget ever. And while the government spends these billions on wars expanding into Pakistan, Yemen, and Africa, Americans have seen cuts to education and social services. Meanwhile, civil liberties are under assault as the FBI is unleashed on antiwar activists. While millions of Americans are forced to leave their homes due to foreclosure, thousands of Palestinians continue to be kicked off of their land by Israeli forces. Decades of Palestinian suffering under Israeli occupation is becoming clearer, and many are demanding an end to U.S. aid to apartheid Israel through boycott divestment and sanctions. The recent controversy over the “Ground Zero Mosque” highlighted mainstream currents of Islamaphobia within American society, but only mirrored government persecution of Muslims through mass arrests, wiretaps, deportation and targeted assassinations at home and abroad. Could America’s wars be possible without such widespread anti-Muslim sentiment, or vice-versa? Time to restore civil liberties, end America’s wars and free Palestine!!!

The teach-in on American Wars, Palestine, & Islamophobia in America will take place Tuesday, November 30, at 7pm in the East Pauley Ballroom of the MLK Student Union on the UC Berkeley campus (right off of Bancroft and Telegraph).
Donations suggested – no one turned away for lack of funds
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Speakers: Hatem Bazian, Prof., UCB • Michel Shehadeh, defendant, LA 8 • Ziad Abbas, Palestinian activist • Barbara Lubin, Dir., Middle East Children’s Alliance • Prof. Masao Suzuki, Committee to Stop FBI Repression • Jeff Mackler, National Coordinator, United Nat’l Antiwar Committee • Yanin Senachai, Berkeley Alliance Against Torture • Blanca Missé, UCB Student Worker Action Team • Rep., Cal Students for Justice in Palestine • Rep., UCB Muslim Student Assoc.