I think the interesting thing here
is that most of our community voted for Joe Biden in 2020.
Um, and we thought that this was a lesser of two evils,
that this would be good for the Arab,
the Muslim, the Palestinian community.
But here we are. Over 40 to 180,000 people have been massacred in Gaza.
The DNC itself, um,
the Democratic Party, has given $12.8 billion since October to.
In Israel, um,
in military funding to Israel.
Last week,
Joe Biden approved another $20 billion in arms deal to Israel.
So we’re seeing again is that this lesser of two evils, um,
system that we’ve kind of been entrenched in,
people have awoken from it
and that we no longer will be accepting
of the luster of two evils standard
and that we demands more. Um,
and that the luster of two evils still is evil.
I was born and raised in Bridgeview,
Chicago, also known as Little Palestine on Google Maps.
And I think what’s so special about Little Palestine is that it,
it name speaks for itself.
Everywhere you go, there are signs in Arabic.
You really feel like you’re in Palestine
because, again,
it is the biggest population of Palestinians in the United States.
For me, I remember my first, um,
memory in general was going to a protest, um,
an anti IDF war protest in Chicago.
So growing up in little Palestine and not only offered me that, um,
that clarity and identity of who I am
and being Rooted in my Arab and Muslim identity.
But also
it made me grow up in this very highly politicized environment. Um,
of being very aware of the genocide in Palestine,
of the occupation of Palestine,
of Adolf, of different causes.
That was just a part of our day to day routine.
I remember post 9 11 mobs coming to burn our masjids down,
us being on lockdown.
So this very highly politicized environment was just kind of unusual,
um, usual to us.
Of being used to being demonized for our identity and background.
Was honestly a part of our routine,
and how we thought the US viewed us.
Um, so I think in the past 10 months,
I’ve seen this community go through immense loss and mourning.
We have members in the community
who have lost over 40 members of their family.
Um, from the death of Wadi al Fujaymi,
again, our son,
our community member, a six year old boy,
who was stabbed 26 times. And I think in that moment,
I realized that this community itself is a family.
Thousands of people were at his janaza.
And this wasn’t just strangers or anybody.
This was the community that came together as a family to mourn and cry
and Sabbath at the loss of Wadi al Taumi.
So I think when you talk about what this community has dealt with,
it’s not only immense loss and devastation,
but it’s also this awakening that we’re seeing
of everybody from the Youth,
from children to college students to
even amwas and Carlos are elderly
that have awoken and see that it is up to us,
the people in the community,
to invest in ourselves to.
To liberate Palestine and to advocate and fight for justice.
And that we no longer rely on these institutions and systems
that promise us, um,
justice. Because what we’ve seen is that they’ve let us down
over and over and over again.
And I think since October,
the, the Palestine community in,
in Chicago, in Little Palestine,
has done everything from disrupt stations to call
to college campuses to the streets.
We have been in the streets of Chicago every single Saturday
for the past 10 months without missing a week.
We demand, um,
representation and a party that is true to the word of the people
and that will instill justice in every sense of the word.
And this doesn’t only include the Palestinian community.
This includes workers, uh,
black people in Chicago. Um,
all these movements have come together in the DNC week
to show that we demand more,
that we do not owe them our vote anymore.
They cannot expect the black vote,
the Muslim vote that out of vote
simply because
they think that they’re better than the Republican Party.
And that is no longer the truth.
As we are seeing that both parties are guilty of genocide.
I think this moment represents two very interesting things. Of, first,
what I’ve seen in The community is that first
they have empowered and embolden their identity.
So what I mean by that is,
even look around this cafe,
you’ll see images of his hall painting.
You’ll see flags everywhere you go in the community.
Um, in front of our mosque,
we have a Free Palestine sign.
There are pictures of martyrs everywhere you go.
So we have not only invested in our own community and kind of in.
In the love that we have for each other,
but also externally.
We have promised to be principled in our call for justice,
no matter what that looks like.
Um, and I think when it,
when it comes to where we go from here,
the path is simple,
that we will continue to fight and advocate for a liberated Palestine
from the river to the sea.
And for us as Arab and as Muslims,
we believe that is not only it is not a matter of if,
it is a matter of when.
And that when comes closer with every passing day to our community,
to all people all around. I want to tell them
to not fall into the same cycle of the lesser of two evils,
to think critically about how we got here,
how did we get here, to this genocide of Faza?
I think when it comes to where we go from here,
the answer is simple. To invest in the people and the community first.
Because we know that people is Power
and to stay true to the path that we’ve been on for the past 10 months
of advocating and fighting for justice and a liberated Palestine
from the river to the sea,
and a liberation for all people everywhere,
from when it comes to the Congo to Sudan
to different areas to Yemen
that are all suffering
under the structure of occupation and imperialism.