Mondoweiss
'It is time to break the silence': Palestinian professor speaks out after
having speech cancelled under pressure
Sa'ed Atshan on August 9, 2017
Sa'ed Adel Atshan
"I never knew there was affirmative action for terrorists!"
Coming from the Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker institution that has been
in Palestine since the 1800s, I had not expected such remarks as a freshman
at Swarthmore College, particularly considering our Quaker ethos. Overall, I
loved my college experience, and such challenging moments ultimately shaped
me into a stronger person who vowed never to be silenced again. After
earning a doctorate at Harvard and postdoc at Brown, I am back at
Swarthmore, as a professor in the Peace and Conflict Studies program.
One of my closest friends at Swarthmore was a Jewish classmate. He supported
me after the "terrorist" comment and on many occasions. I broke bread with
his family during Jewish holidays. I was a groomsman in his wedding. This
dear friend had graduated from Friends' Central School, so when Friends
invited me to speak in February, I did not hesitate to accept.
The invitation came from teachers Ariel Eure and Layla Helwa, who were
advising the Peace and Equality in Palestine club, which was started by a
Jewish student. I prepared an uplifting presentation, tailored to a high
school audience, about Israeli and Palestinian heroes of mine who advocate
for nonviolence, human rights, equality, and coexistence in
Israel/Palestine. I also planned to speak about my experiences at Seeds of
Peace, a camp in Maine for teenagers from conflict zones, including Israeli
and Palestinian youth.
Several days before the talk, Friends Head of School Craig Sellers decided
to cancel the event. He had received complaints from some parents who
objected to the school's hosting a Palestinian speaker. As a Quaker, I am
deeply committed, as a matter of faith and practice, to pacifism and seeing
the light of God in every human being. Thus, it came as a shock that a
Quaker school was backpedaling in its invitation to a Quaker speaker who is
a professor of peace studies at a historically Quaker college.
After 65 students and the two teachers silently walked out of Quaker meeting
for worship in protest of the cancellation, the school suspended the
teachers. Though this was all covered extensively in the media, I remained
silent. But now, according to Mark Schwartz, the teachers' attorney, the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating the treatment of
the teachers, and I believe it is time to break that silence.
The media portrayed this controversy as a "Jewish vs. Palestinian" dispute,
ignoring the many Jewish Friends' Central community members who disagreed
with the administration and supported the teachers. And I was disheartened
by the anti-Semitic responses to this coverage. We must unequivocally
disavow and dismantle all forms of anti-Semitism. And we must recognize the
heterogeneity of Jewish voices and listen deeply to progressive Jewish
individuals and communities who are asking us not to perpetuate the false
notion that the most reactionary voices speak on their behalf.
It is possible, and imperative, to simultaneously critique Israeli policies
while working against anti-Semitism. Jewish progressives have modeled that
beautifully. Refusing to recognize this blinds us to Jewish-Palestinian
solidarity, with which I have had intimate experience. That solidarity is
fundamental to achieving peace, security, rights, and justice for all the
inhabitants of Israel/Palestine - and ensuring that American involvement in
the conflict is as ethical as possible.
Quaker schools, like many institutions, are not immune from the broader
political environment in the United States. We must all address stereotyping
and marginalization, including that which stems from anti-Arab racism and
Islamophobia. As a gay Palestinian Christian, I am accustomed to my
personhood being dismissed in discourses on the conflict, yet I understand
the inextricably interlinked nature of all struggles for dignity. That is
why, after receiving an apology and reinvitation from Friends' Central, I
graciously declined and explained that I could not, in good conscience,
speak there until the teachers were reinstated.
Though there has been an outpouring of love and support from the Quaker
world to the former Friends teachers and myself, there have been frustrating
moments. I tried to respond to a fellow Quaker, for example, who believes
the fired teachers' identities as queer women of color are irrelevant to how
they were treated. I patiently ask such individuals how they would feel if
they were - outside of the proper Quaker decision-making process - stripped
from their workplace and community overnight and then had to deal with
unemployment, stigmatization, and all the media coverage and misinformation
that resulted from acting upon caring for their students.
The most difficult moment for me since the talk's cancellation came after
speaking at an American Friends Service Committee event. A Friends' Central
student approached me, sharing that she had come imagining a "monster" based
on what she was told about Palestinians. She was genuinely surprised to see
that was not the case and felt comfortable approaching me. It took a lot for
me to restrain my tears.
That student and the many people who have responded to Friends' Central
embody our precious Quaker testimonies. The former Friends teachers are an
inspiration, and I proudly stand with Ariel Eure and Layla Helwa.
They are all part of what makes America great: building robust institutions
and communities, including faith-based movements, to affirm and protect
pluralism and democracy in the face of creeping authoritarianism, regardless
of where it emanates from on the political spectrum.
Quakers know very well that our deep silence grounds us spiritually - and it
is from the depth of that silence that we are able to speak truth to power
with love and compassion. Writing this piece was an attempt to bring
together prayer and activism, the inward and outward, silence and the
breaking of silence.
A version of this story originally appeared on Philly.com.