Here it is, my keynote address at the American Federation of Ramallah Palestine Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. The event was lovely. This is a Christian Palestinian organization that is focused on maintaining Palestinian culture within the diaspora in the US. They have numerous cultural events, tours, and annual gatherings. This is the organization that invited me as well as 6 others to tour the Holy Land in October of 2019. My group included three clergy members, two medical professionals, and an educator. The trip was incredible and educational. We visited holy sites of all three Abrahamic religions, swam in the Dead Sea, and rode camels. We visited Tel Aviv and stayed in Jeruselum and Ramallah. We visited numerous Palestinian art and music centers and ate the most delicious food. And of course, as we toured, we witnessed the occupation first hand. It was shocking and humbling. Forever changing. I am grateful I was asked to go on this trip. I was later asked to be the keynote speaker at their annual convention. I'm sorry the quality isn't the greatest, I had one of the attendees film it for me on their phone.
Had a fun time this weekend at a birthday party and wanted to share my GIF. btw..I learned it's pronounced JIFF with a soft G not GIFF with a hard G. The more you know I suppose.
@KimIversen Quick correction on the 8 April episode, around 33 minutes: Ahmad asks whether this is about the fact that women in Iran “have to have a scarf around their shoulders” then adds “it’s the exact same thing in Saudi Arabia” and you agreed with him. That comparison is false. Women in Saudi Arabia do not have to cover. They can wear what they want as long as it is modest, meaning at least to the knees and no bare shoulders. This is clearly stated in official Saudi guidance. Women who cover do so for religious or cultural reasons, not because the law requires it. Earlier in the episode, you were perceptive enough to question selective framing in Iran and why uncovered women are not the ones being shown or interviewed. Yet when Saudi Arabia came up, that skepticism switched off and an old stereotype was repeated as fact. Selective skepticism is not skepticism at all. It is bias.
