Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests and ideals -letters I sent to my Senators regarding BDS

United Nations Dove of Peace, presented by Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his visit to the United Nations, 2 October 1979

Dear Senator Toomey

Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests.... Go visit Israel as often as you like- on your own dime, please.

Go idolize and worship what ever you want to idolize and worship in Israel, but please do not force all Americans to fund and applaud your personal religious preferences and investments.

Violence is very very wrong.  BDS is a NONVIOLENT movement and American leaders seeking to make BDS illegal only make matters worse here, there and everywhere...  If America only allowed Christians full freedom and rights here in America, and if America had an official religion and religious scholars funded by taxpayers I would hope that people would be able to boycott that blatant injustice and discrimination.

Substitute the word "Israel" for "America" in the following sentence to better understand the situation:  It does not mean destroying America, it means making America more just and fair for all people, regardless of religion.

Thank you for your time & trouble

&

Dear Senator Casey


Please stop putting Israeli interests before American interests.  BDS is a nonviolent movement and American leaders seeking to make BDS illegal only make matters worse here, there and everywhere...  If America only allowed Christians full freedom and rights here in America, and if America had an official religion and religious scholars funded by taxpayers I would hope that people would be able to boycott that blatant injustice and discrimination.

Substitute the word "Israel" for "America" in the following sentence to better understand the situation:  It does not mean destroying America, it means making America more just and fair for all people, regardless of religion.

Thank you for your time & trouble

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

Fruit and vegetable market in Al Naassra ( #Nazareth ) #Palestine Circa 1920...

Thanks Mike!

"Doing what they have been doing for thousands of years: #Palestinian woman picking olives in #Palestine circa early 1900's"

From my dear friend Mike Hanini Odetalla

Doing what they have been doing for thousands of years: #Palestinian woman picking olives in #Palestine circa early 1900's

Rashida Tlaib wears a Palestinian dress to be sworn into Congress and inspires #TweetYourThobe

Rashida Tlaib with Mayaar, the daughter of filmmaker Adam Shapiro and human rights attorney Huwaida Arraf. (Photo: Twitter)

"Writing in Elle today, Tlaib explained why she opted against business attire to pay homage to her mother and her Palestinian heritage with the dress:

“Throughout my career in public service, the residents I have had the privilege of fighting for have embraced who I am, especially my Palestinian roots. This is what I want to bring to the United States Congress, an unapologetic display of the fabric of the people in this country. This is why I decided to wear a thobe when I am sworn into the 116th Congress.

My Yama (mother in Arabic) came to the United States at age of 20, and just like any immigrant parent, she wants all of her children to succeed, but without giving up on our roots and culture.

As a young girl, I watched my mother hand stitch thobes while sitting on the floor with a lamp at her side. She would make the small designs of flowers and different shapes. Just thinking about it brings up so many memories of my mother and how proud she was of being Palestinian.” "  Rashida Tlaib wears a Palestinian dress to be sworn into Congress and inspires #TweetYourThobe

Noura Erakat:

"Thank you for inspiring *several* generations @RashidaTlaib. #TweetYourThobe"

Huwaida Arraf

In Growing Gardens for Palestine, inspired by Susan Muaddi Darraj, creator of the marvelous #TweetYourThrobe" pro-heritage campaign

Amman-based artist Nasser Jafari: #TweetYourThobe !

"Look at this beautiful image by Amman-based artist Nasser Jafari!!! I LOVE THIS!!! It says "Gharidi biThowbek," or TweetYourThobe in Arabic." Susan Muaddi Darraj , creator of the marvelous #TweetYourThrobe" pro-heritage campaign

2019 #TweetYourThobe creator Susan Muaddi Darraj

2019 #TweetYourThobe creator Susan Muaddi Darraj

Author of A Curious Land

Winner of the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction

 

> & The Inheritance of Exile

AMAZON.COM "Susan Muaddi Darraj won the 2016 American Book Award for her second short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home. She is also the author of The Inheritance of Exile, as well as numerous young adult biographies, articles, book reviews, and essays. She also has been awarded the Grace Paley Award for Short Fiction and the Arab American Book Award, and A Curious Land was also shortlisted for the Palestine Book Award. You can visit her at www.SusanMuaddiDarraj.com or via Twitter at @SusanDarraj. She has been recognized twice by a literary grant by the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance recently named her one of its 2016 Ruby's Literary Arts grant awardees. She lives in Baltimore, MD."

Tatreez & Tea & Rashida Tlaib & #TweetYourThobe : "Today... she was all of us"

Wafa Ghnaim: "I was interviewed by the New York Times today to discuss the significance in the first Palestinian-American congresswoman @rashidatlaib wearing a traditional Palestinian thobe to her swearing in ceremony today. Palestinian women and their artistry have long been invisible in history and today our maternal ancestors were seen in the halls of Western power. Rashida’s decision to wear her thobe to a significant moment in her life is one Palestinian women naturally think to do for any momentous achievements in career, life and family. Today, Rashida’s thobe stood for all Palestinian women. She was all of us."

Author of

Tatreez & Tea

Grandma says! #TWEETYOURTHOBE God bless #Palestine & #America & all the World!!!

Palestinian Village Embroidery Designs

By artist Maya Amer

KEEP CALM and TWEET YOUR THOBE !!!

Susan Muaddi Darraj Thank you, Kay Tarapolsi at A Crafty Arab!!!

Codebreaker! From the initiator of the marvelous #TweetYourThobe Twitter/Facebook campaign, Susan Muaddi Darraj:

Susan Muaddi Darraj,  "Wondering what all the symbols mean on Palestinian thobes? The 2nd half of Leila ElKhalidi's book has a "dictionary"!..."

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on the significance of wearing a Palestinian thobe:

"As a young girl, I watched my mother hand stitch thobes while sitting on the floor with a lamp at her side. She would make the small designs of flowers and different shapes. Just thinking about it brings up so many memories of my mother and how proud she was of being Palestinian."   

NPR: Congresswoman Tlaib Inspires Palestinian-Americans With A Dress And A Hashtag

Institute for Middle East Understanding ( IMEU )

IN HONOR OF RASHIDA TLAIB #TweetYourThobe ...Beautiful Palestinian Christian Women from Bethlehem, Palestine