Personal Info
- Country of residence: United States
Information
Muhammad al-Dajjani al-Daoudi (born March 19, 1946) is a Palestinian professor and peace activist . Professor Mohamed Dajani Al-Daoudi has gained international recognition for his extensive record in helping to raise awareness about the Holocaust . Implement this educational campaign through television interviews, books, documentaries, articles, conferences, workshops, magazines, Facebook groups, websites, and more. Dajani was active in forming good relationships with Jewish and Christian religious leaders and peace activists to spread the message of moderation for understanding, tolerance, coexistence and brotherhood. In his centrist ideology, Dajani addresses the ideological roots of extremism. In 2014, he became the center of controversy when he led a group of students from Al-Quds University to the Nazi camp Auschwitz . [1]
His upbringing [ edit ]
Dajani was born into one of the historic Arab families in Jerusalem . [2] The honorific Davidic name was added to the family name in 1529 when Suleiman the Magnificent appointed one of his grandfathers as guardian of the tomb of King David on Mount Zion. His family fled to Egypt when Israel declared its independence in 1948, but returned to the Old City of Jerusalem the following year (which had fallen under Jordanian rule). [3]
His parents, well-educated, secular Muslims, sent him to English-speaking Quaker-run schools . While an engineering student at the American University of Beirut, Dajani joined the Fatah movement. [3] Despite receiving military training, he worked in the English Public Relations Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization . [2]
In 1975, Lebanon deported Dajani. Banned from entering Israel and Jordan due to his activities in the Fatah movement , Dajani decided to travel to the United States to continue his education. He eventually earned a doctorate in government from the University of South Carolina and another doctorate in political economy at the University of Texas at Austin . [2] [3]
His professional career [ edit ]
By this time, Dajani's father had succeeded in obtaining a pardon for his son from King Hussein. Dajani was appointed by the Applied Science Private University in Amman, where he established and headed the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy. In 1993, his father obtained permission for Dajani from Israel to allow him to return to Jerusalem. [2] [3]
Dajani accompanied his father for chemotherapy at Ein Karem, an Israeli hospital in Jerusalem, and the younger man was surprised by the way his father was treated: “I expected them to treat him differently - with discrimination - as a Palestinian, an Arab, and a Muslim. “I found out that was not the case, they treated him like a patient.” Dajani saw many other Palestinians receiving medical care from Israeli doctors. Several years later, a second experience with Israeli health care influenced Dajani; His mother fell ill near Ben Gurion International Airport. “I couldn’t believe anyone would help her, being an Arab and going to an airport where the Israelis are very careful about security.” Dajani was surprised when an ambulance was called and paramedics tried to revive his mother for more than an hour. “I was overwhelmed by my enemy, who did his best to help my father and mother. “I began to see the other side of my enemy, which is the human side.” [2] [3]
During the late 1990s, Dajani trained Palestinian civil servants for the United Nations Development Program and various Palestinian organizations. In 1999, he was invited to Turkey to lead a program for Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders, which evolved into a conflict resolution model called “Dream Big, Hope Small.” [3]
Dajani was invited to join the faculty of Al-Quds University in 2001, and the following year, he founded its Institute for American Studies. In 2007, he co-founded Al-Wasatiyya with his brother, Munther Al-Dajjani Al-Daoudi , an organization that promotes the Islamic tradition of nonviolence and conciliation. [2] [3]
Authors [ edit ]
“Democracy and Political Pluralism: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Democracy,” Palestinian Center for Regional Studies, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Jerusalem, 1998. [4]
“Human Suffering: Does Violence Have a Way Out?”, in collaboration with Zeina Mounir Barakat, Dar Al-Mishkat for Publishing and Distribution, Al-Bireh, 2012. [5]
“The Jordanian Political System: Its Pillars and Components,” co-authored with Munther Al-Dajjani Al-Daoudi, Amman, 1993. [6]
“The Bibliography of Al-Quds Al-Sharif: A Record of the Names of Arabic Books Published in Arabic about the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif,” Al-Wasatiya, Al-Bireh, 2009. [7]
“Bibliography of Arabic Books on American Affairs,” Al-Quds University Press, Jerusalem, Palestine, 2009. [8]
“The Future of Jerusalem: Sovereignty in International Law,” Al-Wasatiya, Al-Bireh, 2012. [9]
“Jerusalem Dictionary of International Political, Economic, and Legal Vocabulary and Terms,” Palestinian Center for Regional Studies, 2001. [10]
“Methodology of Scientific Research in Political Science,” in collaboration with Munther Suleiman Al-Dajjani, Al-Mishkat Publishing and Distribution House, West Bank, 1997. [11]
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Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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