Mafaz Al-Suwaidan

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Mafaz Al-Suwaidan
Born (1990-11-21) November 21, 1990 (age 33)[1]
Oklahoma, United States
NationalityKuwait[2]
EducationHarvard University (PhD student)
Harvard Divinity School (MTS)
Emerson College (MFA)
Toronto Metropolitan University (BJourn)
Spouse
​
(m. 2010)​
Parent
Websitemafazalsuwaidan.com




Mafaz Al-Suwaidan (born November 21, 1990) is a US academic who is currently a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. She is also a producer and writer for American Muslims (2024),[3] a series of short documentary films about Muslims in America.[4]

Early and personal life[edit]

Al-Suwaidan was born in Oklahoma, the Sooner state, to Islamic author and speaker, Tareq Al-Suwaidan,[5] a leader of Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood.[6][7] Born in the US, she has also lived in Kuwait and Canada.[8]

Education[edit]

Al-Suwaidan received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in 2011,[9] after which she worked briefly as a journalist in Kuwait.[10][11][12] In 2016, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing from Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts.[13][8]

She earned a Master of Theological Study (MTS) degree in Islamic Studies from Harvard Divinity School in 2018.[14] She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard in Philosophy of Religion focused on Islam and Modern Thought, with a secondary degree in African and African American Studies. She is also a member of the the university's Committee on the Study of Religion.[15]

Activism[edit]

Al-Suwaidan has been a vocal supporter of social justice, human rights, and specifically, Palestinian liberation, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[2]

She has also participated in conversations about racism in the Arab world in context of the Black Lives Matter movement.[16][17]

In 2021, when philosopher Cornel West had threatened to (and eventually did) leave Harvard after his request for tenure was denied; Al-Suwaidan, who had trained with West as a master's student, organized a letter of support for him, which was signed by more than 60 other doctoral candidates.[18]

She was one of the representatives of HGSU-UAW who wrote a letter in February 2024 to Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), on behalf of the UAW Arab Caucus, demanding the union divest from Israel.[19]

In March 2024, she withdrew her participation from a Lowell House panel on antisemitism and Islamophobia, following criticism of the range of political views offered by the panelists.[20]

Her anti-Zionist views have been conflated into accusations of antisemitism by the right wing doxing site, Canary Mission and Ben Shapiro's opinion news blog, The Daily Wire.[21][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ @maysalsuwaidan (2020-11-21). "Happy birthday to this luminous human being, Mafaz Al-Suwaidan, so small in size, so grand in spirit. You give me hope in the world little sis" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ a b Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2008-05-30). "More than just a chic checkered scarf". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  3. ^ "Creative Team". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  4. ^ "The Project". American Muslims. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  5. ^ "Mufaz Al-Suwaidan". www.myheritage.com. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
  6. ^ جدلية, Jadaliyya- (2012-04-18). "Kuwait's Muslim Brotherhood". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  7. ^ "TV preacher fired for Brotherhood links". Al Jazeera. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  8. ^ a b Adams, Heather; Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz; Bains, Chamandeep; Mann, Sharon Cairns; Campbell, Catherine; Domenicucci, Julia; Fritz, M. Leanne; Fulton, Christina; Hausler, Kat (2015-08-04). Rozlyn: Short Fiction by Women Writers. Rozlyn Press. ISBN 978-0-9833260-2-1.
  9. ^ Vandezande, Luke (2011-02-09). "Egypt hits close to home". archive.ryersonian.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  10. ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2011-07-14). "Poetry as a reflection of life". Kuwait Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via Issuu.
  11. ^ Al-Suwaidan, Mafaz (2011-07-15). "SPEAK up to be heard: 'People would rather suffer in "psy-lence" than get treatment'". Friday Times. Retrieved 2024-05-05 – via Issuu.
  12. ^ Nurulain, Lisa (2015-06-24). "Gambar Isteri Humood Alkhuder" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  13. ^ "Emersonian 2016". issuu.com. 2017-05-15. p. 104. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  14. ^ "2018 HDS Dean's Report by Harvard Divinity School". issuu.com. 2018-12-10. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  15. ^ "Mafaz Al-Suwaidan". studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  16. ^ Daoudi, Safae. "Understanding Racism in the Arab World". The Daily Q. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  17. ^ Biskup, Holly-Rose (2020-08-21). "Black Lives Matter in the Middle East and North Africa". YDS. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  18. ^ Krantz, Laura (2021-03-08). "Cornel West leaving Harvard teaching post after tenure dispute". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  19. ^ MLToday (2024-03-04). "UAW Arab Caucus Demands Stronger UAW Action on Palestine". Marxism-Leninism Today. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  20. ^ Montgomery, Asher J. (2024-03-21). "Lowell Panel on Islamophobia and Antisemitism Canceled After Panelists Withdraw". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  21. ^ Canary Mission [@canarymission] (January 11, 2024). "Mafaz Al-Suwaidan, a PhD student, teaching fellow & anti-Israel activist @Harvard, says "Every Normalizer [with Israel] is a Traitor." Al-Suwaidan's father is Tareq Al-Suwaidan, Kuwaiti leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Holocaust denier & Hamas supporter. http://canarymission.org/individual/Mafaz_Al-Suwaidan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Kassy Akiva [@KassyDillon] (May 2, 2024). ""Harvard has never looked better," writes Harvard PhD candidate Mafaz Al-Suwaidan. She clearly takes after her father, Tareq Al-Suwaidan, who is the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, known for his Holocaust denial and is banned from the U.S." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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