On Sunday afternoon, I marched in downtown D.C. behind rows of black-hooded figures in orange jumpsuits, holding a sign that read, “Torture is always wrong.” I was part of a procession commemorating the “National Week of Action Against Torture, Guantanamo, and the NDAA,” and the mock-prisoners walking ahead of me represented the many victims of …
Why I’m scared
In my last post, I said I'm not sure that America is beyond the kind of bigotry and intolerance that led to the internment of Japanese Americans several decades ago. And I think the following video proves my point. Last month, in Orange County, California, Muslim families were attending a dinner hosted by Islamic Circle …
The souls of our shoes: A reflection on Egypt
On Thursday night, as Mubarak defiantly refused to step down from the presidency, the demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square held their shoes high above their heads, making visible their soles and directing them symbolically toward Mubarak. In the Arab world, this action—showing someone the sole of your shoe— is a sign of upmost disrespect. Raising …
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Israel: Denying right to free speech
This report from Al Jazeera English discusses Israel's increasing crackdown on organizations and individuals who dissent against the government or support Palestinian causes. If other recent incidents have not compelled the American government to reconsider its support of Israel, than this must. Rather than cling to an increasingly false notion that Israel is the democratic …
JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 