Amidst the carefully curated melting pot that is the prominent universities of Beirut, the Palestinian cause finds a way to establish itself. Through cultural clubs that grapple with administrative restrictions, the Palestinian youth empower themselves and others around them towards mobilization.
Organizing fundraisers, book and film discussion, as well as hosting guest speakers, the Palestinian Cultural Clubs (PCC) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Lebanese American University (LAU) gather a concoction of individuals of Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese nationalities. Members of the PCC aim to learn, teach, and defend the Palestinian identity through means of raising awareness on campus.
Rahaf Abou Jmeiy, member of the PCC at LAU discussed that the transition to online learning due to COVID-19 saw a concentration of the club’s presence on social media through Instagram. The club also held webinars with Palestinian activists speaking at the events. However, Abou Jmeiy shared how the university can narrow down on the guest speakers the PCC might host with the motive behind that being wanting to steer away from politics as some may be outspoken about their political stance. She recounted that when the club wanted to raise awareness about certain Palestinian prisoners, the university shut it down for the same reasons alluded to above.
“If we can’t shed light on Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian freedom, then what are we supposed to shed light on exactly?” Abou Jmeiy said.
Baker Shakhshir, current president of the PCC at AUB, likewise said that the university tends to follow their activity very closely and oversees all the details of their proceedings whereby they run a background check on any guest speaker the club may want to host.
Razan Diab, former president of the PCC, who was a cabinet member pre-pandemic said that administrative contempt extended to the club’s logo which consisted of the Palestinian map morphed into a gun to symbolize the resistance. Diab stressed that they fought for their logo that eventually received a begrudging green light. She mentioned that in many instances, posters promoting their events would be ripped where the logo once was. Similar to other instances, the PCC once attempted to organize an event whereby members would distribute roses with the names of Palestinian martyrs along with them; however, this event was faced with administrative rejection, Diab told Kayani Project. She relayed that the university encouraged events and the hosting of speakers who were more humanitarian and culturally focused as opposed to political.
“But how can you separate politics from what is humanitarian and cultural when it comes to the Palestinian cause. It is just not applicable,” Diab said.
Nonetheless, Shakhshir explained that the PCC, in collaboration with other clubs, is now working on a boycott proposal that would ensure that the university does not affiliate itself with faculty, staff and companies who are associated with forms of Zionism or have taught at Israeli universities for example.
Diab states how important this gesture is.
“Because of the club, something grew inside of me to give back to my community through volunteer work. Being in such an environment causes you to feel like your role matters. You don’t need to be combatting the soldier on the border, You can contribute by boycotting Zionist brands, helping refugees, raising awareness, and that’s what we try to endorse.”