(CLEVELAND, OH – 5/19/2023) – The Cleveland and Northern Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) welcomed the grandson of the late Nelson Mandela, Chief Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela to Cleveland State University. Chief Mandela is an elected member of the South African National Assembly representing the African National Congress.
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As part of his U.S. tour to commemorate the 75th year since Al-Nakba, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) along with the Cleveland & Northern Ohio Chapter of CAIR-Ohio, Cuyahoga Community College and the Palestinian Youth Movement arranged for Chief Mandela to speak on the connection between the apartheid struggle and Palestine, as well as the Black Liberation Movement. During his speech, Chief Mandela called for the end of imperialism and championed the cause of oppressed people everywhere.
Al-Nakba, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe, was the forced removable of more than 800,000 Palestinians from their indigenous land on May 15, 1948. The displacement and subsequent massacres of the Palestinian people occurred on this day, made way for Zionist occupying forces to create what is now known as the state of Israel.
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CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland & Northern Ohio Interim Executive Director Faten Odeh said, “My father was born in 1947 in Palestine. He is older than the state of Israel, so how can some say that the land of Palestine was a land without a people? This rhetoric of erasure is unacceptable. Just like the indigenous Native American population, we were there, we are still there, and we will not be erased.”
Odeh added, “The Council on American-Islamic Relations supports peace, justice and equality for all those living in the holy land and that means for Palestinians, too.”
The event was held in Berkman Auditorium and attracted attendees from Cincinnati, Cleveland, Youngstown and other neighboring cities.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. CAIR-Ohio’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. CAIR-Ohio has offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland & Northern Ohio Interim Executive Director Faten Odeh, fodeh@cair.com, 216-830-2247