TAKE ACTION: Sign onto a Petition to Demand the Immediate Dropping of Charges
The
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) protests in the
strongest possible manner the arrest and detention of civil rights
worker Rasmea Yousef Odeh, on October 22, 2013, from her home in
Chicago.
Ms.
Odeh, a Palestinian lawyer, arrived in the United States 20 years ago
after suffering brutal arrest and torture in Israel for her work for
Palestinian freedom and rights. And that arrest led to Rasmea being
subjected to years of unspeakable, inhumane, and illegal torture by
Israeli prison authorities. Since her arrival, she has worked for the
civil and human rights of Palestinians and Arabs. Since 2004, she has
worked with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) as the Associate
Director. She also managed
the Arab Women’s Committee of the AAAN and fought to defend women’s and
immigrants’ rights. She recently won the Outstanding Community Leader’s
Award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance.
Ms.
Odeh was charged with an immigration violation, but we believe that
this is an excuse to remove an effective human rights worker from the
American society and instill fear in others who dare to work for human
rights and equal rights for Palestinians.
As with the Grand Jury subpoenas of the 23 Palestinian human rights and
anti-war activists in Minneapolis and Chicago in 2010, the inhumanely
long prison sentence of the Holy Land 5, and the infiltration and
targeting of Muslim groups by FBI informants, the arrest of Ms. Odeh is
meant to send a message to those who work for and believe in human
rights for all people: the U.S. will not tolerate criticisms of its pro-Israeli policies and support.
This
reflects a long history of collaboration between the United States and
Israeli government, military and police in repressing popular movements
for justice and liberty and organizations that work on their behalf.
Beyond the Palestine liberation movement, this includes the Black
Liberation Movement, the South African anti-apartheid struggle, the
United Farm Workers, the Center for Constitutional Rights and countless
others. Most recently, the US National Security Administration was
exposed for spying on its general population and sharing the information
it gathers with the State of Israel. The lead contracting agencies the
NSA partners with in its spying are run by former personnel of the
intelligence branch of the Israeli military.
IJAN
calls on the US Attorney Barbara McQuade to drop the charges against
and immediately release Rasmea Yousef Odeh, and the cessation of
policies to instill fear in human rights activists and workers.
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Example script and talking points to use:
“Hello,
my name is ________ and I am calling from _________. I am calling to
demand that U.S. Attorney McQuade drop the immigration charges against
Rasmea Yousef Odeh. She is a beloved leader in the community and has
worked tirelessly to serve and help empower Palestinian, Arab, and
Muslim families throughout the Chicagoland area.
Rasmea
is a community icon and was recently awarded an "Outstanding Community
Leader" award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance for her over 40 years
of dedication and service to people across the Arab World and the U.S.
These
charges are a political attack on her as an individual, and on
Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities across the U.S. as a whole. I
stand in unequivocal support of Rasmea and demand that these charges be
dropped immediately!”
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Join us to pack the courtroom on either November 13 or 14 for
Rasmea’s first hearing in Detroit. And if you cannot make it to
Detroit, participate in a national day of action to support Rasmea
wherever you are. Stay tuned for the specifics.
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Send us your pictures holding up the following message:
"I am ________ and I support Rasmea!"
You
should fill in the blank with a self-identifier: your name, your
occupation, or any other description. Some examples are "I am a
stay-at-home dad and I support Rasmea!" "I am a youth organizer and I
support Rasmea!" and "I am a supporter of Palestinian human rights and I
support Rasmea!"
Hold the sign up and snap a selfie, then send it to cppr@aaan.org.
Put it up as your Facebook/Twitter profile pic, Google Account image,
or anything else! Just remember we may use your image in future
publications and informational pamphlets that get published online or
distributed as hard copies.
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Stay tuned to www.stopfbi.net for updates on the case, and for more information about our work upholding Palestinian rights to Equality, Self-Determination, and Return, and defending Rasmea and other Palestinians under attack, go to www.uspcn.org.
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