Ahmad Ibsais: Law & the Power of Words | Sumud Podcast

🎙️ This week on the Sumud Podcast, we’re joined by Ahmad Ibsais, a law student, writer, and poet whose work captures life, loss, and defiance under siege. Through his acclaimed newsletter State of Siege, Ahmad documents a generation’s struggle for justice, blending legal insight, faith, and art to reclaim narrative power in a world determined to erase it.

In this episode, Ahmad speaks about courage on campus, finding strength through community, and how words can challenge systems of fear and censorship. He also shares his poem “Living in Memories,” a haunting reflection on endurance and remembrance amid unimaginable suffering.

Reflecting on his journey from Nablus to the University of Michigan, he navigated a law school environment steeped in Zionist influence while remaining steadfast in his convictions. He shares how speaking out for Palestine has come with professional risks, yet also profound purpose, and how faith and community have anchored him through moments of isolation and doubt.

Ahmad discusses the limits of the American legal system, its complicity in silencing pro-Palestine voices, and how young lawyers can still use the law as a site of resistance. From the courtroom to the classroom, he exposes the ways repression is disguised as “neutrality,” and why Palestinians must continue to name genocide even when institutions refuse to.

In this conversation, we explore:

➡ The making of State of Siege and documenting lived experience

➡ Speaking truth to power in academia and law

➡ Faith, memory, and the psychology of steadfastness (sumud)

➡ The role of poetry and storytelling in collective healing

➡ How young advocates are redefining resistance through word and action

Sponsored by: The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com

This video is for educational purposes only. It provides historical and political analysis to inform and educate viewers.

📌 Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Introducing Ahmad Ibsais

04:00 – Palestine & the Power of Community

06:00 – Speaking Out in the Legal Field

10:00 – Censorship, Courage & Campus Activism

17:00 – The Birth of State of Siege

19:00 – The Role of Poets & Journalists in Gaza

21:00 – The Duty Not to Look Away

24:00 – Law, Power & the Limits of Justice

31:00 – Imagining Liberation: One State, One People

34:00 – “Living in Memories” – Poem Reading

36:00 – Closing Reflections: Free Palestine

🎬 Full episode on Sumud Podcast: https://sumudpod.com

📲 Follow: @ahmad.ibsais

📲 Follow our host: @dredhasan

📝 Read State of Siege:

https://substack.com/@ahmadibsais

https://ahmadibsais.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

#Palestine #SumudPod #Resistance #EndGenocide #FreePalestine #StandWithPalestine #Steadfastness #BoycottIsrael

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