On this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Jasmin Zine to talk about her new book on Islamophobia and the 9/11 generation. We discuss how Islamophobia is more than just “fear” or “hate” towards Muslims, and why we should understand it as a “structure of oppression.” We also talk about the surveillance that Muslims students face on campus, the gendered nature of Islamophobia, and evaluate whether Canada is doing enough to address white supremacist and anti-Muslim violence. 

Links from this podcast:

• Jasmin Zine’s book: Under Siege: Islamophobia and the 9/11 Generation

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Earlier this year, McGill students won a major victory when a campus referendum passed by 71% to adopt a Palestine Solidarity Policy. Almost immediately, however, this decision was suppressed by university administrators and the student association. In this episode, Michael is joined by members of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR McGill) to discuss their recent victory, and how they are dealing with McGill’s attempts to crush student activism.

Links from this podcast:

• SPHR McGill on Instagram
• A blacklist is terrorizing pro-Palestine students at McGill (SPHR McGill)
• List of Canadian student unions that have endorsed BDS (CJPME Resource)
• Students at McGill, UofT, and UBC Pass Pro-Palestine Policies (McGill Daily)

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In a legal victory this month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ruled that “Product of Israel” labels on wine from illegal Israeli settlements are “false” and violate Canadian consumer protection law. On this episode, Michael is joined by David Kattenburg and lawyer Dimitri Lascaris, who have led this multiple-year legal battle against settlement wine. We talk about what the legal decision means, the challenges ahead to get accurate labeling, and the importance of ending trade with illegal settlements altogether.

Links from this podcast:

• Statement from Kattenburg and Lascaris: Canadian agency rules “Product of Israel” labels violate Canadian law
• CJPME press release on latest ruling

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Malak El Batroukh, a Palestinian-Canadian based in Waterloo has just launched an exciting new community project called Sporas (Scattered.) Through this project, Malak aims to make Palestinian culture and tradition more accessible to diaspora youth.  In this episode, we talk to Malak about her vision for Sporas, and her broader work as a activist for Palestinian rights and freedom. 

Learn more:

•  Sporas Instagram page
•  Announcement of Malak's undergraduate fellowship from CJPME

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One year ago, Human Rights Watch published a landmark report on Israeli apartheid. On this episode Michael is joined by Omar Shakir, HRW’s Israel and Palestine director, to reflect on the reactions to that report and the growing international consensus on apartheid. In addition, we talk about his experience of being deported by Israel, documenting Israeli war crimes in Gaza, and the how killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh demonstrates Israel’s pattern of violence against journalists.

Links from this podcast:

• HRW Report - A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
• Israel Expels Human Rights Watch Director
•  CJPME Resource: Who is talking about Israeli apartheid?
• CJPME Press Release: Israel’s execution of Al Jazeera journalist requires international investigation

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Among Canadian politicians, NDP MP Niki Ashton has been one of the most consistent voices in support of Palestinian rights. Ashton joins Michael and Tom to talk about why it is important for her to challenge Canada’s complicity in Israeli apartheid. We also discuss what it was like trying to advocate for Palestine under the pro-Israel leadership of Tom Mulcair, assess whether the position of the NDP has improved in recent years, and hear why international solidarity is so necessary.

Links from this podcast:

• Video: Niki Ashton calls on Parliament to condemn Israel’s murder of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
• CJPME NDP leadership assessment guides

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In this special Nakba edition, lawyer James Kafieh joins the conversation.  Kafieh has advocated for the rights of Palestinians and Arabs in Canada his whole life, leading both the Canadian Arab Federation and the Palestinian Canadian Congress at various points.  Kafieh was born in Canada to Palestinian parents who were among the first Palestinian refugees to emigrate to Canada.  Raised as a second generation Canadian, the son of immigrants, hear how his understanding of his Palestinian identity, and the Nakba has evolved over time.  

Links from this podcast:

• Palestinian Canadian Congress
• Canadian Arab Federation

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In this episode, we are joined by Nur Watad, a Palestinian Canadian living in London Ontario who is also the host of the brand new CJPME podcast “All Things Palestinian Canadian.” Tom and Michael speak to Nur about her vision for ATPC, and why it is important to provide a platform for discussions of Palestinian-Canadian identity, history, and culture. We also hear about Nur’s experiences growing up in Jerusalem on both sides of the Green Line, and discuss why Palestinian culture can’t be separated from politics. 

Links from this podcast:

• Podcast: All Things Palestinian Canadian

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In 2021, CJPME co-published the first national survey on anti-Arab racism in Canada,  in collaboration with the Arab-Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) and the Canadian Arab Federation.  In this episode, Dania Majid, president of the ACLA joins us to talk about the survey and what it says about the insidious problem of racism against Arab-Canadians.  Together we discuss both high-level data and personal examples of how this racism undermines the lives and prospects of Canada's Arab community.

Links from this podcast:

• CJPME's Survey Report: Marginalized and Misunderstood: Survey on Attitudes on Arabs and Anti-Arab Racism in Canada
• Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
• Canadian Arab Federation

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Like many Palestinian Canadians, Grace Batchoun came to Canada as a young person, and had to find her way in a new country, with two new languages.  But she never forgot her Palestinian roots, and two decades after arriving in Canada, she co-founded Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).  In this episode, Grace joins Nur to talk about her Palestinian identity, her vision and work for Palestinian human rights, and the challenges she faced along the way.  

• Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East  

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