Kamal Nawash
Encyclopedia
Kamal Nawash is a Muslim Palestinian
-born American lawyer, working for the Nawash Law Office in Washington, D.C.
Nawash was the first Arab American
and Muslim
to be nominated to run for the Virginia State Senate (2003), which he did as a Republican
. Interviewed by PBS
in May 2004, and asked his view on President Bush, he said: "I think he understands the dangers of terrorism in the world, and as a Muslim who realizes that most of the victims of terrorism are actually Muslims – it's actually up to 80 percent – most Muslims don't realize that."
In 2004, he founded and became President of the first American Muslim organization dedicated to combating extremism and support for terrorism among extremists. The name of the organization is the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
.
In August 2004, his organization asked that the Islamic Saudi Academy of Washington to stop using the textbook that it used to teach its first-graders, inasmuch as its teachers' edition suggested emphasizing that: "All religions other than Islam are false religions." Nawash opined that to explicitly tell first-graders that Jews and Christians practice a false religion could breed extremism, and expressed the view that the academy: "must be sure to instruct students to have the utmost respect for other religions."
In May 2005, Nawash's coalition sponsored an anti-terrorism rally which brought together thousands of Muslims in Washington, D.C., and was creating a curriculum for Islamic schools, using the Koran to discredit what Nawash callsedthe "sick ideology" terrorists use to justify mass murder. Nawash, while remarking that most of the victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims, said: "The Muslim leadership has not done its fair share, and what they have done has been useless. What good is it to take out ads in newspapers non-Muslims read and make speeches non-Muslims hear? It's a public-relations ploy to prevent backlash."
In June 2005, Nawash’s work with the Free Muslims was recognized by the U.S. government when the White House
appointed him to represent the U.S. before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Nawash addressed leaders of Europe and the former Soviet republics in a speech on tolerance at an international conference in Spain.
In addition to being recognized by the White House, in March 2006 Nawash was invited to Jerusalem to advance an alternative approach to solving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. In summary, Nawash argued that in light of the passionate claims both Palestinians and Israelis have for the same territory the only solution for them is to become equal citizens in a confederacy
rather than splitting the territory into two sovereign states.
In a CNN
interview in December 2006, he said:
Commenting in June 2009 on radical Islam that some terrorists practice, Nawash said: "It's a ridiculous form of Islam". He noted that some converts, particularly those who have been incarcerated, practice "the most extreme version of the religion", and have their own personal and political grievances.
He is a regular commentator on CNN
, Fox
, BBC
, NBC
, ABC
, CBS
, Al Jazeera
h, Al Arabiya
, Voice of America
, and many U.S. radio stations.
In recent years Nawash has directed his energy towards resolving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. He is working to create a bi-nation state of Palestinians and Israelis with no internal borders. He believes that Israel/Palestine is indivisible as is Jerusalem is indivisible. Nawash believes that the solution to the conflict is to give equal rights to Palestinians and for Palestine to join Israel in a confederation to form one United Country. Nawash has joined together with similar minded Israelis and Palestinians to start a movement of Palestinians and Israelis who want to live together as equals. Nawash began advocating for a united country of Palestinians and Israelis in 1986. Among the more recent leaders of a shared future are Yehuda Schwartz, Kamal Nawash, Josef Avesar, Mazin Qumsiyeh, Tsvi Misinai, Ali Abunimah and Gershon Baskin to name a few. They understand that Jews and Palestinians have a right to live in Israel/Palestine and that it is inherently unfair that an American Jew can move to Israel and become a citizen while a Palestinian who emigrates from his home is not allowed to return.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
-born American lawyer, working for the Nawash Law Office in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Nawash was the first Arab American
Arab American
An Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
to be nominated to run for the Virginia State Senate (2003), which he did as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Interviewed by PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
in May 2004, and asked his view on President Bush, he said: "I think he understands the dangers of terrorism in the world, and as a Muslim who realizes that most of the victims of terrorism are actually Muslims – it's actually up to 80 percent – most Muslims don't realize that."
In 2004, he founded and became President of the first American Muslim organization dedicated to combating extremism and support for terrorism among extremists. The name of the organization is the Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism is an Islamic organization, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., made up of American Muslims and Arabs dedicated to taking a stand against terrorism. FMCAT is also known by the shorthand name of the "Free Muslims Coalition" or an even shorter name of...
.
In August 2004, his organization asked that the Islamic Saudi Academy of Washington to stop using the textbook that it used to teach its first-graders, inasmuch as its teachers' edition suggested emphasizing that: "All religions other than Islam are false religions." Nawash opined that to explicitly tell first-graders that Jews and Christians practice a false religion could breed extremism, and expressed the view that the academy: "must be sure to instruct students to have the utmost respect for other religions."
In May 2005, Nawash's coalition sponsored an anti-terrorism rally which brought together thousands of Muslims in Washington, D.C., and was creating a curriculum for Islamic schools, using the Koran to discredit what Nawash callsedthe "sick ideology" terrorists use to justify mass murder. Nawash, while remarking that most of the victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims, said: "The Muslim leadership has not done its fair share, and what they have done has been useless. What good is it to take out ads in newspapers non-Muslims read and make speeches non-Muslims hear? It's a public-relations ploy to prevent backlash."
In June 2005, Nawash’s work with the Free Muslims was recognized by the U.S. government when the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
appointed him to represent the U.S. before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Nawash addressed leaders of Europe and the former Soviet republics in a speech on tolerance at an international conference in Spain.
In addition to being recognized by the White House, in March 2006 Nawash was invited to Jerusalem to advance an alternative approach to solving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. In summary, Nawash argued that in light of the passionate claims both Palestinians and Israelis have for the same territory the only solution for them is to become equal citizens in a confederacy
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
rather than splitting the territory into two sovereign states.
In a CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
interview in December 2006, he said:
After 9/11 ... unfortunately, many of the Muslim organizations in [the U.S.], refuse to recognize that we have a problem with extremism and instead take the role of victimization and accuse anyone who notices that we have a problem with extremism of being anti-Islam. I think human beings in general would rather talk about how the world is against them, as opposed to talk about hey, we need to look inward. We have a problem.
Commenting in June 2009 on radical Islam that some terrorists practice, Nawash said: "It's a ridiculous form of Islam". He noted that some converts, particularly those who have been incarcerated, practice "the most extreme version of the religion", and have their own personal and political grievances.
He is a regular commentator on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
h, Al Arabiya
Al Arabiya
Al Arabiya is a Pan-Arabist Saudi-owned Arabic-language television news channel. Launched on March 3, 2003, the channel is based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates, and is majority-owned by the Saudi broadcaster Middle East Broadcasting Center ....
, Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, and many U.S. radio stations.
In recent years Nawash has directed his energy towards resolving the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. He is working to create a bi-nation state of Palestinians and Israelis with no internal borders. He believes that Israel/Palestine is indivisible as is Jerusalem is indivisible. Nawash believes that the solution to the conflict is to give equal rights to Palestinians and for Palestine to join Israel in a confederation to form one United Country. Nawash has joined together with similar minded Israelis and Palestinians to start a movement of Palestinians and Israelis who want to live together as equals. Nawash began advocating for a united country of Palestinians and Israelis in 1986. Among the more recent leaders of a shared future are Yehuda Schwartz, Kamal Nawash, Josef Avesar, Mazin Qumsiyeh, Tsvi Misinai, Ali Abunimah and Gershon Baskin to name a few. They understand that Jews and Palestinians have a right to live in Israel/Palestine and that it is inherently unfair that an American Jew can move to Israel and become a citizen while a Palestinian who emigrates from his home is not allowed to return.
External links
- About Kamal Nawash
- Former Campaign site for Kamal’s senate campaign
- More U.S. muslims Run for Office
- Kamal Nawash’s speech before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
- Washington Post
- Solving the Palestinian Israeli Conflict
- There is NO Military Solution for the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict
- apology for 911
- Islamic reformation
- www.nawashlaw.com