GUEST: Sofia Farah, human
rights activist, Melton Fellow, and Development Director for
Mondoweiss, talks about the organization's efforts to bring
the struggle of the Palestinian people to larger audiences
around the world.
Mondoweiss
Since there isn't much debate about Israel in our media, on-line publications like Mondoweiss are critical to understanding US support for this apartheid regime.
There was a time when taking action against apartheid was very different. In the 1980s, our media didn't cover the fight for human rights in South Africa. People just didn't know about how our country was making racist oppression possible in Africa. I remember handing out leaflets outside some national banks that were still investing in South Africa. People took and read them. They had no preconceived notion opposing our anti-racist message.
A high school teacher in the 1980s brought in a white South African to talk to his history classes. The guest was a farmer and had talked in other schools as well. As a member of the faculty, I sat in on this class, just to see what the farmer had to say. He started with the concept of what a Zulu is: "either a cattle rustler or a killer."
After a few similar comments, I raised my hand and said that in this country, such talk is labeled racist. The students seemed stunned. Here were two adults disagreeing on something that was obviously emotionally charged. The history teacher, however, was more than shocked; he was furious. What right did I have coming into his classroom and saying such things to his "guest"?
So I thought education was the key to ending US support for Apartheid South Africa. If we could convince enough people on the grassroots level, well things would change. I used to apply that same logic to Palestinian rights, and I have handed out my share of leaflets over the last decade or so.
But the efforts to educate Americans face several roadblocks. The Zionist Lobby has tons of money to bribe members of Congress. Check out Open Secrets to see how much your members of Congress got last year:
Another problem is that both the right wing Jews and Christian evangelicals have made Israel into a religion. Criticizing Israel is now labeled as "antisemitism." Even writing that the Israel Lobby gives out millions to our politicians might be condemned as racist talk. So people in the US are confused, and that is just the way that apartheid Israel likes things to be. Apartheid wrapped in the Star of David.
That's why newsletters like Mondoweiss are so important. It is an open discussion of race, religion, the state of Israel, and the US role in the oppression of the Palestinians. The truth is right there, and it is wonderfully written. What more could an anti-racist ask for?
