Recent events in the Middle East have raised concern for one group on campus, Students For Justice and Peace in the Middle East (SJPME), who are making their cause heard beyond the Cal Poly campus.
SJPME focuses on the Middle East in general, engaging in political activism and education to advance their cause, which often counters pro-Israel groups and clubs.
Club Co-President Grace Kirschner said its the club’s mission to increase understanding of the recent events in Palestine.
“Lately, we had a vigil to remember the victims from the violence in Gaza,” Kirschner said. “And we held a protest on Israel’s violation of international law.”
Kirschner joined the club after SJPME sponsored a campus speaker who discussed the recent violence and turmoil throughout the Middle East, she said.
“I think it’s important to know many of us aren’t from the Middle East, but what we all have in common is raising awareness on human rights concerns,” she said.
All 10 members of SJPME access mainstream news to get clued in on occurrences throughout the Middle East. Kirschner listens to Democracy Now, and alternative news sources like Al Jazeera and the BBC to get more accurate information, since she believes that American media offers a limited view on the world.
Haroun Idris started participating in SJPME activities to raise concern for parts of the world where violence occurs almost every day. His participation has earned him the respect and admiration from members of the community.
“I started to become a very active member this past year, and I organized the protest that was held at Mission Plaza regarding the events in Pakistan, and the video protest on campus,” Idris said. “I also helped with the vigil that was held concerning the Gaza Strip.”
These two events were successful in the community as SJPME had the chance to expand outside of Cal Poly, Idris said.
SJPME is looking to increase its membership and is ramping up its freshmen recruiting in an effort to keep members longer.
“We welcome people with different political view points, and we want to change the discourse of the subject,” Kirschner said.
The group claims that it is focused on presenting the most accurate information in an unbiased way to students and the community, strictly to raise concern, she said.
The club recently showed the controversial 2004 documentary “Peace Propaganda in the Promised Land” that, according to the film’s Web site, “analyzes and explains how – through the use of language, framing and context – the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media.”
The documentary argues that the influence of pro-Israel media has led to distored public perceptions of the conflict.
“We’re showing this film because we don’t want people to forget what is occurring in Palestine, and occupation continues to exist,” Kirschner said.
The club will hold a week long event in May, focusing on a different country each day to further expose the culture and new issues each country faces, Kirschner said.
SJPME meets every Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon in the Frank E. Pilling Computer Science building, room 251 and is open to anyone interested in learning more about events in the Middle East or what direction the club should take.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of club profiles the Mustang Daily will be featuring this year. Check back for features on Hillel and other on-campus clubs.