Employees Are Being Be Fired For Supporting BDS
Start writing a post
Politics

An American Employee Was Fired For Protesting Injustice And You May Be Next

I may be fired in the future for supporting this cause: it's not the KKK, satanism, or even Nazism.

145
An American Employee Was Fired For Protesting Injustice And You May Be Next

I was afraid to publish this article with my name on it, but here I am. I was compelled to write this after seeing mainstream media (aka the New York Times) report on this problem because, unfortunately, I don't have the security of free speech to talk about this.

I may be fired in the future for supporting this cause: it's not the KKK, Satanism, or even Nazism.

Recently, there have been many headlines pointing to Texas speech pathologist Bahia Amawi who refused to sign a contract saying that she would not boycott Israel before the end of her term at that school. She was fired. Her choice to buy this brand and not a brand that supports Israel cost Amawi her job.

This is the plight of many supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement, commonly referred to as BDS. This movement has its roots in fighting the illegal and deadly occupation that Israel has over the Palestinian people. The goal of this movement is to use non-violence to fight the injustices that have been thrown upon the Palestinians since 1948, the commencement of their struggle to remain in their homeland. These are people for whom the UN has set up hospitals and schools, which were bombed by the Israeli army.

Many scholars are calling it apartheid, mirroring the apartheid in South Africa almost three decades ago. You know what Nelson Mandela, and many anti-apartheid groups, preached? The use of boycott against the state that is doing harm to innocent people. Something else Mandela preached? The freedom of the Palestinian people. On the UN's International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in 1997, he said, "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians." He also commented "that injustice and gross human rights violations were being perpetrated in Palestine," and in 2003 posed to the world, "Why [is the US] not seeking to confiscate weapons of mass destruction from their ally Israel?" Clearly, this champion of human rights that Americans love to praise is calling on us to take action against the monstrosities committed by the State of Israel.

No one is saying that Americans have to support this movement. I am, along with American professors, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Dianne Feinstein, taking a stand against this restriction of our first amendment.

How is it that Americans can be a part of hate groups but cannot support a cause that is backed by Nelson Mandela's ideology? Why can't an American citizen criticize the actions of a foreign government?

The answer is, we can. And we should be allowed to. Period.

The laws that stopped Amawi from being employed in Texas are being proposed in Congress. Right now. If we let cases like this Texas residents pass by without serious ridicule, Congress could start chipping away at our first amendment rights.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

21 Drinks For Your 21st Birthday

Maybe don't try them all in one day...

139
21 Drinks For Your 21st Birthday

My 21st birthday is finally almost here. In honor of finally turning 21, I thought I'd share 21 fun drinks since it's finally legal for me to drink them.

Some of these drinks are basic, but some of them are a little more interesting. I thought they all looked pretty good and worth trying, so choose your favorites to enjoy at your big birthday bash!

Keep Reading...Show less
Politics

Ancient Roman Kings: 7 Leaders of Early Rome

The names and dates of the reigns of the first four kings, as well as the alternation of Sabin and Latin names, are more legendary than historical. The last three kings, of Etruscan origin, have an existence which seems less uncertain.

1994
inside ancient roman building
Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash

It is evident that all this is only a legend although archeology shows us little by little that these kings if they did not exist as the ancient history, describes them, have at least in the very Outlines were real as chief of a shepherd’s tribe. The period when kings ruled Rome could estimate at 245 years.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Love Lost

Being the girl that is falling for the boy is never easy.

2792
Love Lost
Pexels

You constantly text my phone telling me that you want to see me and hang out, even though we may not have sex we cuddle and that’s intimacy in its own. I’m tired of buying you food and being there for you like a girlfriend when you consistently tell me you aren't ready for a girlfriend. I am constantly feeling I’m getting slapped in the face because I’m doing all these things and getting nothing in return. Every day I feel myself liking you more which is just crazy because why would I even waste my time liking someone there isn’t a future with. I just want you to be honest with me and with yourself, tell me how you feel from your heart, stop just saying you aren’t ready. You are wasting time telling me you aren’t ready because while you are “getting ready” some guy somewhere else is telling me that he likes me and thinks I’m beautiful and wants to date me. I’m not asking for much, but I at least want exclusivity because you ask me for all these things but in return you give me nothing.

Keep Reading...Show less
Pretty Little Liars

From reading the books in eighth grade to watching the television show all throughout high school, "Pretty Little Liars"basically defined my teenage existence. I was completely and totally obsessed on all accounts. However, even though I loved the fact that the books and the show are starkly different, there are simply just some ways in which the books are much better. Let's take a look:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

To The Girl In The Back Row

I just want you to know you are loved. You are loved so very much.

2657
To The Girl In The Back Row
Sojo.net

Recently I was blessed to be a counselor at a wonderful camp, secluded in a cornfield somewhere in Virginia. I consider myself to be a seasoned camp counselor, as I have not only been a camper for most of my life but have been privileged enough to work multiple camps with all kinds of different facilities. I have worked camps with multi-thousand dollar facilities, with zip lines, rock walls, ropes courses, and boats. I have worked at camps with amazing water sports, camps with paintball, camps with canoes and paddle boats and floating blobs or trampolines in the middle of the water. I have worked at camps with in ground pools and camps without any pools, and even some camps with go-karts. I've had problem kids, kids who refuse to listen to anything I say, kids who sneak out after lights out to meet a significant other, and kids who are every camp counselors dream.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments