“I choose journalism to be close to the people” - Shireen Abu Akleh

Background

Notable Palestinian-American journalist and war correspondent, Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in the head, Wednesday May 11th, by members of the Israeli military while reporting on clashes in Jenin. Shireen, 51, who worked for Aljazeera is one of the most prominent and recognizable names in Arab journalism. A veteran reporter with two decades plus experience, she is widely lauded for her courage and professionalism. Shireen was wearing her Press vest conspicuously when she was shot, leading many to believe she was intentionally targeted by Israeli forces. She is the 55th Palestinian member of the press since 2000 to be killed by the Israeli army while performing their job, according to Aljazeera. More on Shireen's inspirational life and legacy here.

Where Journalists Are Killed, Truth Is The Target.

“The most prominent Palestinian Journalist” - Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Authority's Ambassador to Britain

Global Outcry

Shireen's martyrdom has sparked a local and global outcry. In Palestine, thousands came out to mourn her passing, while all over the world, netizens took to social media to express their grief and to decry the heinous crime.

Let's Do Something About It

While the outpouring of anger and heartbreak on social media shows that the world is paying attention, we worry that the posts and tweets will naturally dissipate by tomorrow, only for today's energy to fall flat. 

Let's instead capture lightening in a bottle and convert our sadness and anger into positive energy that does justice to Shireen, defies the occupation, and empowers young Palestinian women.

We believe that creating a significant memorial scholarship fund in Shireen's memory is the best way to:

1. Commemorate her life and honor her powerful legacy,
2. Protest her murder, a crime that is likely to go unpunished,
3. Protect the truth. This effort will foil the attempts at Palestinian erasure.
4. Empower young aspiring journalism students, particularly Palestinian women, who can carry on the torch of the brilliant and iconic Shireen Abu Akleh.

If one Shireen falls, let ten others rise in her place. Make it happen. She will not be forgotten.

“I love Palestine. I want to stay here.” - Shireen Abu Akleh

This effort was envisioned and executed by a team of US activists and leaders. In parallel we are in process of engaging the family who is en route to where the incident took place. We will update the page as information comes forward.

Our team is as follows:

• Dr. Manal Fakhoury
• Emad Sabbah
• Ahmed Rehab
• Mohannad Malas
• Amani Al-Khatahtbeh

All funds will be received and administered by Baitulmaal, a US registered 501c3 charity with a trusted track record in domestic and international projects. The funds will be dispensed to US partners like Islamic Scholarship Fund for local (US) awarding, and directly to proposed universities in Palestine (Birzeit Univeristy in Shireen's beloved homeland) and Jordan (Yarmouk Univeristy, Shireen's alma mater) for awards there. A special website for transparent reporting will be dedicated to scholarship news.