Anti-Palestinian Racism Training
Du’ aa Moharram Visibilize-ing Care Festival
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the training, attendees will have interrogated their own internal biases regarding anti-Palestinian racism (APR)
By the end of the training, attendees will understand the definition of APR
By the end of the training, attendees will be able to identify when APR is happening
Agenda:
Messaging and internal biases: how have we been taught to think about Palestinians?
Defining anti-Palestinian racism (APR) What does APR look like in practice? Who does APR impact?
Why does this matter? What does the data say?
Community agreement:
Use “I” statements when speaking to your personal opinion
Avoid making assumptions about people’s intent
Use respectful language when engaging in dialogue
Share your experience and perspective while keeping space for others to do so, as well Recognize your comfort zone and challenge yourself to step outside of it
Know your limitations and make informed choices about how to be present ...any more to add?
Please take care of yourself. Take a moment, step out if you need to. This topic is heavy.
Definitions
Orientalism: representing Asia, particularly West Asia or the Arab world, with a stereotypically colonialist attitude, often involving contempt or disdain
Book recommendation: Orientalism by Edward Said anti-Arab racism: acts of discrimination, overt or subtle, towards those of “Arab” descent
Southwest Asian/North African (SWANA) vs. Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) vs. Arab ⟶ all refer to slightly different regions, with significant overlap
The Nakba (Catastrophe): 1948; mass expulsion of Palestinian families from their homeland; created 750,000 Palestinian refugees (Institute for Palestine Studies, 2021)
Definitions:
Demographic data and Palestinian identity:
Palestinians have been forced into refuge and exile across the world Palestinians exist across the world. Their “ethnicity” may be listed as Jordanian, Lebanese, or even Chilean Palestinian lineage is valid and exists, even if a Palestinian is not living in Palestine
Note on positionality:
I have experienced APR and can speak to it a little more specifically than I can speak to other forms of discrimination. This is just one part of the conversation around Palestine and there is so much more to be said.
Historical framing
1.History didn’t start on October 7 , 2023 th
a.What is a genocide began long before October of 2023 and has been an ongoing story since the 1900s
2.The escalation of genocide went on for 2 years
a.According to a study in The Lancet by Khatib, McKee, and Yusuf- as of July 2024, the death toll in Gaza was 186,000
b.A more recent study by Drs. Hil and Polya (2025), which used epidemiological modeling to track the death toll now counts it at over 680,000 martyrs with over 300,000 of them being children and still an 80,000 martyrs missing (as of July 2025)
c.Regardless of the number you ascribe to, the death toll and impact on Gaza has been staggering and unimaginable. It will take decades to recover and rebuild infrastracture. The imprint of trauma on Gaza’s children will last for generations to come (Madboly, 2025).
Messaging and internal biases
What are some of the words that come to mind when I mention the word “Palestinian”?
Messaging and internal biases
Myths and stereotypes that exist:
Palestine does not exist
Denying the existence of Palestinians, as a community, or the existence of Palestine as a place, is a form of antiPalestinian racism
Palestinians are violent and/or terroristic, “animalistic”, and/or don’t want peace
Palestinians and Arabs are often stereotyped to be violent. This is an anti-Arab, racist sentiment that leans into Orientalist thinking about non-White civilizations.
Palestinians are uneducated, lazy, or stupid
The literacy rate in Palestine as of January 2023 was 97.7% (United Nations Palestine, 2023)
(The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism, 2025)
Defining anti-Palestinian racism
“Anti-Palestinian racism is a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives. Anti-Palestinian racism takes various forms including: denying the Nakba and justifying violence against Palestinians; failing to acknowledge Palestinians as an Indigenous people with a collective identity, belonging and rights in relation to occupied and historic Palestine; erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians; excluding or pressuring others to exclude Palestinian perspectives, Palestinians and their allies; defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic, a terrorist threat/sympathizer or opposed to democratic values.” - Arab Canadian Lawyers Association
(Majid, 2022)
What does APR look like in practice?
Who does APR impact?
an extension of Orientalism and anti-Arab racism
can be implicit, overt, institutional or systemic the term “anti-Palestinian racism (APR)” is used to describe discriminatory and racist acts against Palestinians and pro-Palestinian advocates the “Palestine Exception” : rights upheld for other individuals and groups are routinely denied to Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists i.e. “progressive except for Palestine”, etc. efforts to address antisemitism should not be used to dismiss or debase the importance of addressing APR
APR and Islamophobia
APR should not be conflated with Islamophobia and cannot be addressed through education about Islamophobia
However, an escalation in one often fuels an escalation in the other (Thames Valley District School Board, 2025)
The conflation of Palestinians and Muslims further perpetuates stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims + mischaracterizes the roots of the struggle as a religious conflict, instead of a fight against settler-colonialism
Experienced by Palestinians, i.e. those perceived to be Palestinians or inherently pro-Palestinian, and nonPalestinians who express support for Palestinian advocacy
Intersectionality
What does APR look like in practice? Who does APR impact?
APR aims to censor and erase Palestinians and their narratives from the public sphere
Tactics: falsely accusing someone of hate, violence or antisemitism, dehumanizing Palestinians, portraying Palestinians as inherently infer people
Results in a “chilling effect” on pro-Palestinian activism
deters or shuts down engagement on Palestine or only encourages a narrow version of acceptable form of activism
Deepens the fear and anxiety of Palestinians to openly identify as such
Ex: Nakba denial, justification of violence against Palestinians, and not acknowledging Palestinians as indigenous to the land of Palestine
Impacts of APR on mental health, self-esteem and physical health
Reported feelings of fear, anxiety, self-doubt, depression, low selfesteem, insecurity, and isolation
Physical symptoms: insomnia, headaches, body pain, loss of appetit
(Majid, 2022)
APR on campus
APR on campus:
Student organizers experienced threats, accusations of being antisemitic or supporting terrorism, intimidation, harassment and disruption of their events, threats to deny funding to their organization
Palestine-related events are often labelled as “controversial”
Subject to additional inquiries before room bookings are confirme
Added costs for campus security or police presence
Police presence may turn events into intimidating spaces for racialized students and can reinforce the stereotype that Palestinians are dangerous
Students who reported such experiences to their DEI offices reported negative interactions in that process
Why does this matter?
TW: the following section of this presentation contains mentions of violence, physical injury, and death
Wadee Alfayoumi
October of 2023
6 year old Palestinian (Wendling, 2023)
Hisham Awartani
Kinnan Abdalhamid
Tahseen Ali Ahmad
November of 2023
All three students were wearing kuffiyehs (Kim, 2023)
Double standard and discrepancy in our work homophobia and transphobia
anti-Semitism
anti-Blackness
anti-Palestinian racism!
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does the data say?
Harvard task forces on combating...
anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim bias
antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias
Nationally:
44% of Americans perceived “ a lot” of discrimination against Muslims in US society, an increase from 39% in 2021
2023 saw “the highest-ever number of anti-Arab incidents since the FBI began collecting data on the category in 2015”
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does the data say?
Students experienced various forms of discrimination:
Doxxing
Verbal assaults, physical assaults
Online hate
Doxxing trucks driving around campuses across the country
Job offers and school acceptances rescinded, professional relationships damaged
“This was the level of violence people of Arab, Muslim, and Black descent were experiencing.” - Faculty
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does the data say?
Regarding online hate:
“And then I’m supposed to come to class and sit next to those students as if it was nothing...You can’t expect us to read those [Instagram stories] and come to class and act normal.” - Student
Climate of fear led to many students feeling a lack of sense of belonging and considering leaving
Retention, student belonging are concepts we value
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does the data say?
Erasure on campus of the conversation to be had around Palestinians’ experiences (ex: University leadership not explicitly using the term “Palestinian” in communication to students and the University community) also part of a broader trend of erasing SWANA (South West Asian/North African) people from data at universities and nationally (ex: no category on the Census for SWANA people until 2020)
Grief
“There is someone [I know] who is personally grieving more than a hundred people in their family.” - Student
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does the data say?
“Because of the genocide of my people, my mental health has been terrible this year, which has negatively affected my productivity. However, I am too scared to bring that up to my advisers because I fear that I would face discrimination, rather than support.” - Written Response, Survey implicit bias, unlearning anti-Palestinian racism has to be part of our praxis
“We need proactive institutional support — not driven by students, more space, and proactive direct communication. ” – Student
”What’s been most striking is how many students report feeling uncomfortable to speak about their experience with religious identity and the conflict in the Middle East.“ – Staff
How do we talk about this in our spaces?
“Antisemitism is understood differently by different people, making it hard to address without initiating such conversations first. The definition of antisemitism doesn’t seem to be sufficiently clear in public discourse. We need to define what we ’ re talking about.” –Faculty member
“If it’s not political to talk about abortion or Ukraine or gender, why can’t we talk about genocide in Gaza?“ – Faculty member
(Harvard University, 2025)
How do we talk about this in our spaces?
“Students will not feel safe at this institution knowing it is directly or indirectly funding mass atrocities like the one in Palestine. When it comes up again, and it definitely will, it’s worth thinking about it from the student safety perspective” – Student
“Our freedom (of speech) should be exercised, not minimized. ” –
(Harvard University, 2025)
What does this mean for us in higher education?
Action items:
Interrogate your own internal biases
How have you been thinking about the genocide in Palestine?
What assumptions have you made, without realizing it, about Palestinian and Arab students?
How have those assumptions intentionally or unintentionally played into your work with minoritized students impacted by the genocide?
What to do next...
Case studies
A student comes to you in distress, having recently been doxxed along with several other pro-Palestinian students on Canary Mission, a website dedicated to doxxing proPalestinian activists’ names and personal information to expose them to further harm and danger in an already tenuous political environment and vulnerable movement
How would you support or approach the student experiencing this distressing situation?
Case studies
Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, high-level University administrators and Presidents have sent out multiple messages to their communities in an attempt at comfort and inclusion. However, rarely do any of these messages recognize the genocide as such, name “Palestine” and “Palestinians” as a region or people (as opposed to use of the more general and erasive term “Arab”), and highlight antisemitism and the safety of Jewish students with a notable double standard in not mentioning the safety or needs of Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim students impacted by anti-Palestinian racism.
Action item: check in on colleagues and peers who may be impacted by this example of anti-Palestinian racism and the impact of such erasure, compounded by the mental health effects of the genocide itself
Educational resources
Books:
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé
Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History by Nur Masalha Palestinian Identity by Rashid Khalidi
Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine by Noura Erakat
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating the Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory by Nur Masalha
Documentaries to watch:
1948: Creation & Catastrophe
5 Broken Cameras
Jenin, Jenin (free on Vimeo)
Gaza Fights for Freedom (free on YouTube) Farha (Netflix)
The Present (Netflix)
The Crossing (Netflix) Angel of Gaza
Webpage: https://www.antipalestinianracism.com/
Acknowlegements
Allah SWT
My family
Eaman Fahmy, co-founder of Hush & Hum, and successful DEI leader & advisor
Megan McCambley River, my cat
Main takeaways?
Self-care intention and next steps?
Citations
Harvard University. (2025, April 29). Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, AntiArab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias. Harvard University. https://www.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FINAL-Harvard-AMAAAPB-Report-5.7.25.pdf
Hil, R., & Polya, G. (2025, July 11). Skewering History: The Odious Politics of Counting Gaza’s Dead. Arena. https://arena.org.au/politics-of-counting-gazas-dead/ Institute for Palestine Studies. (2021, May 10). The Palestinian Nakba: What Happened in 1948 and Why It Still Matters. Institute for Palestine Studies. https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1651256
Khatib, R., McKee, M., & Yusuf, S. (2024). Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential. The Lancet. Retrieved October 7, 2025, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/obesity-in-adults-role-of-physical-activity-and-exercise
Kim, J. (2023, December 3). Palestinian student shot in Vermont is paralyzed from chest down, his family says. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/12/03/1216852611/palestinian-student-shot-in-vermont-is-paralyzed-from-chest-down-his-familysays Madboly, S. (2025, October 7). Gaza's children face genetic harm 'for generations to come ' from Israel's genocide. Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-generations-children-face-lifelong-genetic-damage-israel-genocide
Citations
Majid, D. (2022, April 25). Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations. Arab Canadian Lawyers Association.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61db30d12e169a5c45950345/t/627dcf83fa17ad41ff217964/1652412292220/AntiPalestinian+Racism-+Naming%2C+Framing+and+Manifestations.pdf
Thames Valley District School Board. (2025). Dismantling Anti-Muslim Racism Strategy. Thames Valley District School Board. https://www.tvdsb.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Equity/TVDSB-Dismantling-Anti-Muslim-Racism-Strategy.pdf
The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism. (2025). Youth Guide: Countering Anti-Palestinian Racist Myths. The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism. https://antipalestinianracism.org/youth-guidecountering-anti-palestinian-racist-myths/
United Nations Palestine. (2023). United Nations Agencies: Education in Palestine must be a priority. United Nations Palestine. https://palestine.un.org/en/216291-united-nations-agencies-education-palestine-must-be-priority Wendling, M. (2023, October 16). Wadea al-Fayoume: Last words of knifed US Muslim boy were 'Mom, I'm fine'. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67085553
Thank you!