Contact: Mira Nabulsi,
Office: (415) 405-2668
What: A Teach-In and Emergency Meeting: “The Anatomy of Politics & Collective Action in Arab & Muslim Communities”.
When: Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 4 – 7pm.
Where: College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University, room: EP 116.
Who: The Arab & Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative (AMED), College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University.
Background:
Last month a Tunisian young man put himself on fire to protest his unemployment and the fact that he was banned a permit to sell fruits on a mobile cart. This incident unpredictably lit massive demonstrations all over the country. Tens of thousands took the streets to protest unemployment, widespread corruption and years of restricted liberties. After few weeks of continued demonstrations the Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali could handle the public pressure and fled the country with his family. Tunisians continue to protest in the streets until now calling for a government that would be representative of all political parties including those that were banned during Ben Ali times. The revolution in Tunisia encouraged masses in other Arab countries to go to the street protesting against dictatorships in their countries, demonstrations continue to take place in Jordan, Yemen, Libya and other countries.
In Egypt, calls were made via facebook and other social networks for people to protest the 30-years long rule of Husni Mubarak on January, 25. Thousands of regular people went to the streets in the largest wave of protests in years and they are still in the streets to this moment. In Cairo’s biggest square “Midan Al Tahrir” and other areas of Egypt people including thousands of youth continue to camp in the streets determined not to leave until the regime is toppled.
The Arab & Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative (AMED) is organizing a public teach-in to analyze the rapid developments in the Arab world, we will offer a historical background and contextualize the current developments.
Speakers will be available for interviews during the day, if interested please call or email.
