About Us
Our Mission:
- Serve as a voice for the Arab community at AUP to promote human rights, civil liberties and freedom for all people living in the Middle East and beyond, especially the Palestinian people.
- Counter stereotypes and discrimination affecting Arabs living, studying and/or working or otherwise participating in our AUP community.
- Promote greater understanding of Arab history and culture within our community, to foster a dialog that is both meaningful and constructive.
- Advance the cause for transnational social justice in solidarity with all communities — especially oppressed, dispossessed and indigenous peoples around the world.
Our Beliefs:
- We believe in the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity.
- We believe in advocating for justice and freedom through peaceful means.
- We are an inclusive movement—we welcome people of all nationalities, faiths, races, genders and most political beliefs (see below).
- We fundamentally reject racism. We believe hatred, punishment and revenge lead to cycles of violence that must be broken.
And finally, we believe in the inherent dignity and in the equal and inalienable rights of all members of our human family—as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. We believe the Palestinian people must be afforded the protections enshrined in international law*, including and especially:
- The right to life, liberty and the security of person,
- The right to self determination,
- The right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives,
- The right to be free from occupation, arbitrary arrest, dispossession of land, detention or exile,
- The right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State,
- The right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.
*These rights derive from the Universal Declaration on Hunan Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the latter adopted by signature, ratification or accession by both France (4 Nov 1980) and the United States (8 Jun 1992).