As the Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference draws near, Georgetown continues to host speakers offering diverse perspectives on the Middle East conflict.
Today, the College Republicans are hosting peace activist Dr. Tawfik Hamid, who was once a member of an Islamic terrorist group while studying at an Egyptian medical school. During his experiences within these groups, he became close to Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has been described as Osama bin Laden’s “lieutenant.”
Hamid later chose a different path from that of his former colleague, however, and now condemns the hatred that he found in Muslim communities towards Jews and Israelis.
“It is not unusual in many areas of the Arab world to see highly educated Muslims celebrating with happiness the killing of a child in Israel, just because he is a Jew,” Hamid proclaimed on his web site. “It is difficult for the Western mind to even imagine such degree of hatred.”
Anthony Bonna (MSB ‘09), speaker coordinator for the College Republicans, lauded Hamid’s upcoming appearance as an opportunity to see the personal triumph of peace within an individual.
“The College Republicans wanted to provide a peaceful alternative to the point of view [that will be seen] this weekend,” Bonna said, referring to the PSM conference. “Dr. Hamid has an incredible story and persuasive argument.”
Some students, however, worry that speakers such as Hamid might appear to be spokespeople for the Palestinian cause. Sarah Dajani (COL ‘06), a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, expressed concern regarding the event.
“I support the College Republicans’ right to bring in speakers of their choice, as I supported the GIA’s same right in the past to bring in Arab speakers to speak on the Palestinian-Israeli issue,” she said. “However, it’s important to realize that these speakers are not representative of Arabs and/or Palestinians as they are made to seem.”
