The Irvine 11, Islamophobia, and Palestine Solidarity Activism in the U.S.

Tuesday, January 31, 7PM at Traditions Wednesday, February 1, Noon at TESC Library

The Olympia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace will host two speaking events by Irvine 11 member Osama Shabaik. Shabaik’s talk, entitled The Irvine 11, Islamophobia and U.S. Palestine Solidarity Activism, will be held at Traditions Café and World Folk Art in Downtown Olympia, Tuesday, January 31th, at 7:00 p.m. Shabaik will also speak at The Evergreen State College Library Lobby Wednesday, February 1, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Osama Shabaik graduated as a Regents Scholar with honors from UC Irvine in June 2010 with a Bachelors in Economics and a Bachelors in International Studies with a focus on Africa/Middle East. During, the four years of his undergraduate studies, Shabaik was active outside the classroom with the Muslim Student Union, serving first as the MSU’s Treasurer and later as its Vice- President. Osama was the first student that stood up and spoke out in protest during Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC Irvine on February 8, 2010.

Shabaik will discuss his recent conviction for his part in the protest against Oren’s speech. He will address how he and other Muslim students planned their protest, why they chose the methods they used, and what occurred during the protest. He will also discuss the reaction by the University and their eventual disipline, as well as the District Attorney’s attempt to charge the protesters with felonies, before settling on two misdemeanors. He will end with the story of the trial and the convictions, and what steps he and his fellow students are taking in order to fight back. Throughout his talk Osama will examine issues of Islamophobia, freedom of speech, and the repression of voices opposed to the Israeli occupation and the oppression of Palestinians by the State of Israel.

Shabaik will be joined for Tuesday’s event by Andrew Meyer, a local organizer with Olympia BDS, TESCDivest, and the Rachel Corrie Foundation, who will relate the experience of the Irvine 11 to Olympia’s own experience with legal intimidation – the current lawsuit against the Olympia Food Co-op over its boycott of Israeli goods.

Tuesday’s event is co-sponsored by Olympia BDS, TESC Divest! and The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.
Wednesday’s event is co-sponsored by the Mideast Solidarity Project, the President’s Diversity Fund, and Evergreen programs “Re-interpreting Liberation” and “Zinn & the Art of Protest”.

Location/Date/Time

Olympia Jewish Voice for Peace presents Osama Shabaik: The Irvine 11, Islamophobia and U.S. Palestine Solidarity Activism:

Traditions Café and World Folk Art, 300 5th Avenue SW, Olympia, Tuesday, January 31, 7:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Evergreen State College Library, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy, Olympia, Wednesday, February 1, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

These events are free to the public. Donations for the Irvine 11 Legal Defense fund will be accepted.

For more information, call Olympia Jewish Voice for Peace at 360-524-2318.
Contact: Vincent Calvetti-Wolf, Olympia Jewish Voice for Peace
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 360-524-2318