Activism and Social Movements in the Arab World

People in the Arab world have a long history of fighting imperialism, occupation, oppression, and for democratic rights. What form that resistance takes is constantly changing - from campaigns that deal with specific issues such as women's rights and the Apartheid wall to mass protests against war and occupation. People in communities in Palestine, Egypt, and Lebanon have been resisting and fighting for their rights under really difficult circumstances. That work is rarely recognized and acknowledged by activists outside the Arab world. The work of these grassroots organizations and communities can be inspirational but also instructive on what issues, tactics and politics the US solidarity movement should support.

Left Turn Magazine "Notes from the Global Intifada" has covered these struggles by having activists on the ground from Palestine to Venezuela report on their work. The magazine has tried to have a more nuanced analysis of those struggles and their context. Left Turn contributors and editors back from visits to Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt will share the challenges and circumstances of activism in the Arab world.

Sasha Wright is a member of the Left Turn editorial collective and an anti-war activist spent this summer working with the Stop the Wall campaign in Palestine.

Uda Walker is a regular contributor to Left Turn, is a steering committee member of the US Campaign to End the Occupation and works for Middle East Children's Alliance. She is active in the Bay Area Palestine solidarity movement and has spent considerable time in Palestine.

Rayan El-Amine is a member of the Left Turn editorial collective and an Arab-American activist who recently came back from a trip to Lebanon and Egypt.

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