Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities. He is director of the main clinical cytogenetics laboratory and director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Institute for Biodiversity Research. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke, and Yale Universities. He published over 130 scientific papers on topics ranging from biodiversity to cancer. He was chairman of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People and currently serves on the board of Al-Rowwad Children's Theater Center in Aida Refugee Camp. He published hundreds of refereed articles and several books including "Mammals of the Holy Land", "Sharing the Land of Canaan: human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle" (English, Spanish, and German) and "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A history of Hope and Empowerment" (Arabic, English, French, forthcoming in Italian). He also has an activism book published electronically on his web site (http://qumsiyeh.org). His main interest is media activism and public education. He gave hundreds of talks around the world and published over 250 letters to the editor and 100 op-ed pieces and interviewed on TV and radio extensively (local, national and international).
Source
Achievements and Awards
Selected in March 2008 to be honored among "the writers who have enriched our pages with their creative writings and enlightened us with their progressive thinking" by Arab World Books.
Selected Positions held/projects coordinated:
- Board member, Peace Action Education Fund http://www.peace-action.org/(2008-2009)
- Board of Trustees, Siraj Center http://www.sirajcenter.org
- Steering Committee Member of the US Campaign to End the Occupation (2005-07)
- Board Member, Association for One Democratic State in Israel/Palestine (2005-early 2007)
- Executive Committee Member, Palestinian American Congress
- Advisory Board, Sommerville Divestment Project (2006 - date)
- Advisory Board, Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project
- Media Coordinator, Palestinian American Congress, CT Chapter
- Ex-President of the Middle East Genetics Association http://info.med.yale.edu/genetics/clinical/lab_services/mega
- Media Coordinator, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee in North Carolina, Won the Jallow activism award from ADC national in 1998
- Co-founder and ex-national treasurer and ex-media coordinator of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (2000-04)
- Co-founder of the http://AcademicsFor Justice.org and http://BoycottIsraeliGoods.org campaigns.
- Organizer (current) and ex-treasurer (2001-2004) for the Wheels of Justice Tour http://justicewheels.org
- Vice President of the Middle East Crisis Committee http://TheStruggle.org (2003-date)
- Founder and president of the Holy Land Conservation Foundation
- Coordinator with others for the Oral History Project http://www.palestineremembered.com/oralhistory/
- Advisor, American Council on Middle East Policy
- Advisor, National Council of Churches of Christ, USA
- Advisor, Sommerville Divestment Project
- Board Member, Palestine Freedom Project (PFP)
- Member of a number of human rights groups (Amnesty, Peace action, Human Rights Watch, ACLU etc.).
Honors received:
- ADC Alex Odeh award
- Recognized by AFCS Connecticut June 10, 2004
- Years in active
: From
To