Thu, 23 August 2012
WPEB 88.1 FM, West Philadelphia's only community radio station, present Radio Against Apartheid, amplifying voices for justice and equality in the Middle East. On this week's show, DJ Ev and Matt are joined by Seff Al-Afriqi and Salima Rashid, the organizers for the Philadelphia Eid Al Fitr Gala this Saturday night. We offer previews of the spectacular performers at the gala, with radio exclusive spoken word pieces from Seff Al Afriqi.
The Eid Gala will feature the spoken word poetry, comedy, and conscious art of Preacher Moss, creator of the 'Allah Made Me Funny' comedy tour, poet Sunni Patterson, hip hop artist Qadir Lateef, and Seff Al Afriqi and Jamarr Hall, both alumni of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement.
Proceeds from the event will go to relief efforts for the people of Syria and Burma facing community devastation and massacres.
Saturday, August 25th
7:00pm - 10:00pm Philadelphia Clef Club 738 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 You can purchase tickets online at their Eventbrite page, by contacting Seff or Salima, or at the door.
Further details are on their Facebook page.
Also this week:
- Hunger strikes continue for Palestinian prisoners inside of Israeli jails, as Samer al Barq is on his 93rd day of hunger strike, and Hassan Safadi is on his 63rd day of hunger strike.
Safadi is now refusing water, after Israeli prison guards beat him unconscious on August 13.
- The US State Department for the first time has recognized settler violence against Palestinians as terrorism in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2011. Given the lack of law enforcement, we remain skeptical of the positive effects this recognition may have for Palestinians.
The news comes as two attacks on Palestinians are reported over the weekend:
On Thursday, Israelis firebombed a taxi with Palestinians, injuring the six passengers, including one four year-old child who remains in critical condition.
Then over the weekend, Israeli youth in West Jerusalem attacked three Palestinians, leaving one unconscious and in critical condition. During the attack, Israeli police are reported to have stood and watched as Israeli youth contributed to what news outlets, including the New York Times, report was a lynching.
- Israel continues to target, imprison, and deport migrants from Sudan, while the Independent reports that the State of Israel is changing the nationality of some migrants and sending them to a country which is not their home, where their lives may be endangered by continued violence and turmoil.
- On Thursday, the state police of South Africa massacred 34 striking workers in Lomnin, at the Marikana platinum mine. The mine is the world's largest platinum mine.
For several weeks, thousands of workers have been on strike demanding better wages for their labor. Their struggle is indelibly connected with the end of Apartheid rule, and the continued inequality in South Africa.
- Artists in San Francisco are exercising their right to free speech and modifying the racist advertisements by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (the collaborative outfit of Pamela Gellar and Robert Spencer). One wheat-pasted bus reads "In a war between the colonizer and the colonized, support the oppressed. Support the Palestinian right of return. Defeat racism."
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Thu, 16 August 2012
West Philadelphia's community radio station, WPEB 88.1 FM, presents Radio Against Apartheid - amplifying voices for justice and equality in the Middle East. Featuring music by M.I.A., Elaine Brown, and Arabian Knightz with MC Gaza and MC Amir.
On this week's podcast, DJ Ev Daddy and Matt Graber have an exclusive interview with Alshima Helmy, an Egyptian activist and blogger who was in Tahrir Square of Cairo from the very beginning of the Egyptian revolution.
Shimaa gives analysis of the political situation in Egypt, first-hand account of her participation of the Egyptian uprising, and reports on the over 12,000 military trials of Egyptian civilians since SCAF took power in February of 2011.
Excerpts:
'the problems that we are facing right now didn't just start with Hosni [Mubarak] becoming president, but [originate from] the establishment of the military dictatorship in Egypt the [1950's], so you're talking about 60 years and not just three decades. Having visited Occupy encampments across the United States and lectured on college campuses, Shimaa has advice for the people in the United States:
Shimaa is active on Facebook, Twitter, and on her blog. She is also featured in the forthcoming documentary, 'If', by Four Corners Media. Check out her work!
Also on the program:
- "Deeming him 'threat to state security', Israel bans Addameer founder from travel abroad", by Ali Abunimah at the Electronic Intifada.
- The government of Israel is calling loudly for a military attack on Iran, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding the Obama Administration to commit to a military strike by the end of September.
Yet the military operations are far from a foregone conclusion, with 46% of Israelis opposed to an attack on Iran without a US commitment. Additionally, there is division on the topic even within the Israeli government, and the people of Israel are also showing that they will not quietly allow their government to attack Iran and murder more innocent Iranians.
A document leaked by blogger Richard Silverstein details the Israeli war plans.
- Islamophobia is becoming more prominent throughout the United States, with Uzma Kolby at Salon.com reporting on Tuesday of eight attacks on Muslim and Arab places of worship over the course of the past 11 days. This comes after the massacre of 6 Sikh worshipers in Oak Creek, Wisconsin last week.
Kolby links the recent attacks to hate speech being promoted by politicians such as Rep. Joe Walsh (R., Ill.), Michelle Bachmann, and Peter King. Many of these same hateful and bigoted ideas are promoted in major media, and are featured in prominent billboard ads in San Francisco and New York (both cases in which are sponsored by the organization of Pamela Gellar and Robert Spencer, the American Freedom Defense Initiative).
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Thu, 9 August 2012
From Wisconsin to the Gulf States to Palestine and back to Philadelphia. Radio Against Apartheid on West Philadelphia's community radio station, WPEB 88.1 FM. Amplifying voices for justice and equality in the Middle East.
Featuring a riveting spoken word piece by Amal Kassir on Syria and music by John Legend.
DJ Ev Daddy reports on the murder of 6 Sikh worshipers in Wisconsin over the weekend and the arson attack on a mosque in Joplin, Missouri on Monday.
A report from Vijay Prashad at Counterpunch.org on the pro-democracy protests in the Gulf States of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates and the violent crackdown by United States-supported governments.
Excerpt:
The power of the Gulf sovereigns is increasing, although the sovereigns are less stable. The people have already been through the stages of al-mithaq (the pact) and al-hiwar (the dialogue). Far more is wanted. Night descends. The mukhabarat [political police] and the mutaween [religious police] are on the move. There is gunfire. There are shrieks. There is silence. Violence and murders at the border of Egypt, Gaza, and Israel on the Sinai peninsula. First, an attack on Sunday afternoon left 16 Egyptian soldiers killed, and at least 8 attackers dead. Then, on Wednesday, Egyptian air strikes in the Sinai killed at least 20.
The assaults have led to the closing of the Egyptian border with Gaza, and the Egyptian authorities sealing off the tunnels leading to Gaza, further strangulating the Palestinian people of Gaza as they struggle with the Israeli siege.
Hunger strikes continue in Palestinian prisons, with Samer Al Barq on his 78th day of hunger strike and Hassan Safadi on his 48th day of hunger strike. Both are in critical condition and are in desperate need of medical attention and relief from Israeli prison conditions and abuse.
Also on hunger strike are Ayman Sharawna and Samer Al-Issawi, on days 38 and 7 respectively
Matt Graber reports on the Rise for Syria fundraiser on Saturday, August 4, which raised over $31,000 for food and medical aid to the people of Syria. The fundraiser was organized by Philly for Syria (who joined us on last week's show) and Helping Hand USA.
Violence in Syria continues with 167 people killed on Wednesday, August 8. The people need our thoughts and support. You can give to Helping Hand USA and Islamic Relief to help the people of Syria.
Bassam Haddad, George Mason University professor and co-editor of Jadaliyya.com, offered a prescient analysis of Syria on PBS Newshour on Monday.
Excerpt:
What a lot of the reporting I think has been ignoring, especially from the West, is that Syria is falling apart not just as a regime, but as a country. And that is actually the biggest tragedy that I think is being shoved aside, in favor of focusing on cliche-ish things such as dictatorship and democracy in a situation where even if the Assad regime falls we are looking at a very, very tough process of reconstructing the country. Finally, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 marked the 34 anniversary of the assault on the home of MOVE activists in the Powelton Village neighborhood of West Philadelphia that led to the conviction of 9 activists for the murder of one Philadelphia police officer (known as the MOVE 9). We played an interview with Ramona Africa from 2008 on the program Art Fennell in 2008, recounting the story of MOVE, including the assault in 1978 and the subsequent bombing of West Philadelphia by Frank Rizzo and the Philadelphia Police Department in 1985. To find out more about the MOVE 9 and to get involved in the campaign for their freedom, go to their supporters' website at OnaMove.com.
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Thu, 2 August 2012
Radio Against Apartheid - Amplifying voices for justice and equality in the Middle East. On West Philadelphia's community radio station, WPEB 88.1 FM.
On this week's episode, we are joined by three members of Philly for Syria - Abdur, Ahmed, and Jihad. They tell us all about the Rise for Syria iftar and dinner banquet and fundraiser, this Saturday (8/4) at 6 PM in Houston Hall at the University of Pennsylvania, Houston Hall at 3417 Spruce Street.
To get tickets, you can go to the website of Helping Hands USA, call Abdur at (267) 402-8853, or buy tickets at the door.
Then we discuss the Syrian revolution - what has happened since it began in March of 2011, and what is happening today, after over 15,000 people have lost their lives and millions have been forced from their homes.
News Headlines:
- Mitt Romney recently concluded a foreign policy trip in Israel as US Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. As Common Dreams reports in 'Romney Raises Cash in Israel, Ire in Occupied Territories', Romney held a fundraiser at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. During the fundraiser, Romney had racist statements directed towards Palestinians and Jews, and outraged the Palestinian leadership.
The statement by Romney was reiterating the stances of two large financiers of the Romney campaign, Sand's Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and New York lawyer J. Philip Rosen, both of whom were in the audience at the Romney fundraiser in Jerusalem.
- The New York Times reported on Sunday on the emotional disconnect for US military drone operators, in 'A Day Job Waiting for a Kill Shot a World Away'.
- Democracy Now! reports 'Congressional Probe Reveals Cover-Up of "Auschwitz-like Conditions at U.S.-funded Afghan Hospital'.
- And finally, hundreds took to the streets of Philadelphia on Tuesday to protest the cuts to General Assistance, which eliminates a $200 assistance to close to 70,000 Pennsylvanians, 40,000 in Philadelphia. The cuts affect sexual assault survivors, those with disabilities, those attending drug recovery programs, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. The cuts were implemented on Wednesday, August 1.
WPEB 88.1 is a project of Scribe Video. As a community radio station, WPEB 88.1 relies on the donations of listeners. Please consider donating or ask others to at the Scribe Video website.
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Radio Against Apartheid
Amplifying voices for justice and equality in the Middle East
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