Ep 20 - Student Protests - Soraya Beheshti

In this episode, Soraya Beheshti talks to Radio Inquilab about the massive student protest movement taking place throughout the country. She talks about her experience as student and subsequently as Vice Chair of the Columbia Alumni Association of the UAE, a post she stepped down from after Columbia's President had the student protestors arrested and the military and police marched against them.

Soraya talks about what an education at Columbia meant for her and how the school prepared her to stand up against atrocities and be her true honest self. The current stance of the university and the violence they have displayed against students is not just surprising but also shocking.

Soraya further talks about her experience working in refugee communities and how she learned the true meaning of hope, resilience and love from some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.

Her book, Karavan Kitchen, demonstrates how food is often the central connection many refugees have to their native countries and a means of creating community even when forced to live in difficult conditions many miles from home.

Resources Recommended:

1. Karavan Kitchen, Soraya Beheshti: https://www.amazon.com/Karvan-Kitchen-Soraya-Beheshti/dp/1590566009
2. The UN Refugee Agency: https://www.unhcr.org/
3. International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/
4. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Ilan Pappe
5. The Swimmers, Netflix