From independence movements in the 20th century to the Arab uprisings of 2011, to today’s ongoing movements in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, and Lebanon, protests have marked key turning points for opening up new dialogues and drawing international attention to the Middle East as citizens speak out against injustice in their governing systems. Today we are witnessing not only Lebanon and Iraq’s powerful protest movements calling for greater rights and an end to corruption, but also solidarity movements in Palestine and Syria supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.
What common goals are shared by protest movements across the Middle East? What lessons can the civil resistance currently surging in the United States learn from social movements and activism in the Middle East, and vice versa? What impact has COVID-19 had on ongoing protests in Lebanon and Iraq? Join our panel of experts as we discuss the outcomes, lessons learned, and future of social movements across the Middle East.
This event is part of a series on human rights in the MENA region in the face of Covid-19
Speakers:
Zahra Ali
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University-Newark
Ahmed Abu Artema
Palestinian journalist and peace activist
Razan Ghazzawi,
Doctoral candidate, University of Sussex
Lokman Slim,
Director, Hayya Bina and UMAM
Zahra Hankir (moderator)
Freelance journalist and author, Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World