Mafaz Al-Suwaidan
Mafaz Al-Suwaidan | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1990[1] |
| Nationality | Kuwait[2] |
| Education | Harvard University (PhD student) Emerson College (MFA) Toronto Metropolitan University (BJourn) |
| Spouse | |
| Parent |
|
| Website | mafazalsuwaidan |
Mafaz Al-Suwaidan (born November 21, 1990) is a Kuwaiti academic who is currently a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. She is also a producer and writer for American Muslims (2024),[3] a series of short documentary films about Muslims in America.[4]
Early and personal life[edit]
Mafaz was born in Oklahoma to Islamic author and speaker, Tareq Al-Suwaidan, who is also a leader of Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood.[5][6] Although Mafaz was born in the US, she has lived in Kuwait for most of her life.[7]
In 2010, she married singer-songwriter Humood AlKhudher.[8][9] They have two children.[10]
Education[edit]
Mafaz got her undergraduate degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in 2011,[11] after which she worked as a journalist in Kuwait.[12][13][9] In 2016, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing from Emerson College, Boston.[14][7]
She is currently at Harvard University, where she is a member of the Committee on the Study of Religion. She is a PhD candidate in Philosophy of Religion focused on Islam and Modern Thought, with a secondary degree in African and African American Studies. She also holds a Master of Theological Study (MTS) degree in Islamic Studies.[15]
Activism[edit]
Mafaz has been a vocal supporter of Palestine in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[2]
She has also participated in conversations about racism in the Arab world in context of the Black Lives Matter movement.[16][17]
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 under West as a master's student, organized a letter of support for him, which was signed by more than 60 doctoral students.[18]
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 UAW divest from Israel.[19]
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.[20]
Due to her father's antisemitic statements which resulted in him being banned from the US and Belgium,[21][22] and her anti-Zionist views, Mafaz has been accused of antisemitism by Canary Mission and The Daily Wire journalist Kassy Dillon.[23][24] MEMRI had reported in 2022 about a YouTube video by Tareq Al-Suwaidan in which he described his daughter's anti-Israel activism at Harvard, urging young Arabs at Western universities to collaborate for the Palestinian cause.[25]
References[edit]
- ^ @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.
- ^ a b Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2008-05-30). "More than just a chic checkered scarf". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "Creative Team". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "The Project". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ جدلية, Jadaliyya- (2012-04-18). "Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "TV preacher fired for Brotherhood links". Al Jazeera. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "من هي زوجة حمود الخضر ويكيبيديا – شبكة الصحراء" (in Arabic). 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b Nurulain, Lisa (2015-06-24). "Gambar Isteri Humood Alkhuder" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ The Cognate News Desk (2023-01-13). "Humood AlKhudher - Biography, Age, Wife, Nasheed". The Cognate. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ Vandezande, Luke (2011-02-09). "Egypt hits close to home". archive.ryersonian.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2011-07-14). "Poetry as a reflection of life". Kuwait Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via Issuu.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Emersonian 2016". issuu.com. 2017-05-15. p. 104. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "Mafaz Al-Suwaidan". studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Daoudi, Safae. "Understanding Racism in the Arab World". The Daily Q. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Biskup, Holly-Rose (2020-08-21). "Black Lives Matter in the Middle East and North Africa". YDS. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Krantz, Laura (2021-03-08). "Cornel West leaving Harvard teaching post after tenure dispute". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ MLToday (2024-03-04). "UAW Arab Caucus Demands Stronger UAW Action on Palestine". Marxism-Leninism Today. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Montgomery, Asher J. (2024-03-21). "Lowell Panel on Islamophobia and Antisemitism Canceled After Panelists Withdraw". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Belgium". Refworld. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Kuwait". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Canary Mission [@canarymission] (January 11, 2024). "Mafaz Al-Suwaidan, a PhD student, teaching fellow & anti-Israel activist @Harvard, says "Every Normalizer [with Israel] is a Traitor." Al-Suwaidan's father is Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Kuwaiti leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Holocaust denier & Hamas supporter. http://canarymission.org/individual/Mafaz_Al-Suwaidan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Kassy Akiva [@KassyDillon] (May 2, 2024). ""Harvard has never looked better," writes Harvard PhD candidate Mafaz Al-Suwaidan. She clearly takes after her father, Tareq Al-Suwaidan, who is the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, known for his Holocaust denial and is banned from the U.S." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "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 2024-05-06.