Wikipedia

Mafaz Al-Suwaidan

Mafaz Al-Suwaidan (born November 21, 1990) is a US academic and current doctoral candidate at Harvard University. She is also a producer and writer for American Muslims (2024),[2] a series of short documentary films about Muslims in America.[3]

Mafaz Al-Suwaidan
Born (1990-11-21) November 21, 1990 (age 33)[1][citation needed]
Oklahoma, United States
NationalityUS
EducationHarvard University (PhD student)
Harvard Divinity School (MTS)
Emerson College (MFA)
Toronto Metropolitan University (BJourn)
Parent
Websitemafazalsuwaidan.com

Early and personal life

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Al-Suwaidan was born in Oklahoma, the Sooner state, to Islamic author and speaker, Tareq Al-Suwaidan,[4] a leader of Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood.[5][6] Born in the US, she has also lived in Kuwait and Canada.[7]

In 2010, Mafaz married Kuwaiti singer/songwriter Humood AlKhudher.[8][9][10] The current status of the nuptials is unknown.

Education

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Al-Suwaidan received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in 2011.[11] She then worked briefly as a journalist in Kuwait.[12][13][14] In 2016, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts.[15][7]

She earned a Master of Theological Study (MTS) degree from Harvard Divinity School in 2018.[16] She is currently a PhD candidate at Harvard University in Philosophy of Religion, focused on Islam and Modern Thought, with a secondary degree in African and African American Studies. She is also a member of the university's Committee on the Study of Religion.[17]

Activism

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Al-Suwaidan has been a vocal supporter of social justice, human rights, and specifically, Palestinian liberation, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[18]

She has also participated in conversations and writings about racism in the Arab world in context of the Black Lives Matter movement.[19][20] She started the #ArabsForBlackLives campaign with Egyptian-American community organizer, Rana Abdel Hamid, about how Arabs can work to resist and eliminate anti-Blackness from their communities and more broadly.[21][22]

In 2021, when philosopher Cornel West had threatened to (and eventually did) leave Harvard after his request for tenure was denied; Al-Suwaidan, who had trained with West as a master's student, organized a letter of support for him, which was signed by more than 60 other doctoral candidates.[23]

She was one of the representatives of HGSU-UAW who wrote a letter in February 2024 to Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), on behalf of the UAW Arab Caucus, demanding the union divest from Israel.[24]

In March 2024, she withdrew her participation from a Lowell House panel on antisemitism and Islamophobia, following criticism of the range of political views offered by the panelists.[25]

References

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  1. ^ @maysalsuwaidan (2020-11-21). "Happy birthday to this luminous human being, Mafaz Al-Suwaidan, so small in size, so grand in spirit. You give me hope in the world little sis" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ "Creative Team". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  3. ^ "The Project". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  4. ^ "Pro-Jihad Kuwaiti Islamic Scholar And Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan: Muslims In The West Should Advocate Against Zionism On University Campuses — Like My Daughter At Harvard". MEMRI. 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  5. ^ جدلية, Jadaliyya- (2012-04-18). "Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood". Jadaliyya – جدلية. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  6. ^ "TV preacher fired for Brotherhood links". Al Jazeera. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  7. ^ a b Adams, Heather; Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz; Bains, Chamandeep; Mann, Sharon Cairns; Campbell, Catherine; Domenicucci, Julia; Fritz, M. Leanne; Fulton, Christina; Hausler, Kat (2015-08-04). Rozlyn: Short Fiction by Women Writers. Rozlyn Press. ISBN 978-0-9833260-2-1.
  8. ^ Mahmoud, Rowaida (2023-03-08). "من هي زوجة حمود الخضر". موقع نواعم (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  9. ^ Dr.TareqAlSuwaidan [@tareqalsuwaidan] (2010-06-21). "بحمد الله تمت خطبة إبنتي العزيزة مفاز Mafaz Al-Suwaidan على الشاب المتميز و المنشد المبدع الإبن حمود عثمان الخضر... http://fb.me/Bdbrto0C" (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Dr.TareqAlSuwaidan [@tareqalsuwaidan] (2010-12-23). "من حفل زفاف ابنتي مفاز على الشاب الفاضل حم ود الخضر http://twitpic.com/3iswty" (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Vandezande, Luke (2011-02-09). "Egypt hits close to home". archive.ryersonian.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  12. ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2011-07-14). "Poetry as a reflection of life". Kuwait Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via Issuu.
  13. ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2011-07-15). "SPEAK up to be heard: 'People would rather suffer in "psy-lence" than get treatment'". Friday Times. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via Issuu.
  14. ^ Nurulain, Lisa (2015-06-24). "Gambar Isteri Humood Alkhuder" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  15. ^ "Emersonian 2016". issuu.com. 2017-05-15. p. 104. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  16. ^ "2018 HDS Dean's Report by Harvard Divinity School". issuu.com. 2018-12-10. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  17. ^ "Mafaz Al-Suwaidan". studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  18. ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2008-05-30). "More than just a chic checkered scarf". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  19. ^ Daoudi, Safae. "Understanding Racism in the Arab World". The Daily Q. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  20. ^ Biskup, Holly-Rose (2020-08-21). "Black Lives Matter in the Middle East and North Africa". YDS. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  21. ^ "Missing in Plain Sight: Who Are the Afro-Arabs and Where Are They in the World?". Amaliah. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  22. ^ Hsieh, Eileen (2020-07-03). "Arab-Americans tackling anti-Blackness in the Middle East". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  23. ^ Krantz, Laura (2021-03-08). "Cornel West leaving Harvard teaching post after tenure dispute". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  24. ^ MLToday (2024-03-04). "UAW Arab Caucus Demands Stronger UAW Action on Palestine". Marxism-Leninism Today. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  25. ^ Montgomery, Asher J. (2024-03-21). "Lowell Panel on Islamophobia and Antisemitism Canceled After Panelists Withdraw". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
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