Courtesy of Adriano Contreras (The Sitch)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Sitch Features Video of Dr. Mehr's Talk
Ream Kidane of thesitch.com reports
Dr. Ismail Mehr led the only American medical mission to Gaza in late January. Since his return he has been speaking all over the country about the medical needs of Palestinians, the devastation of Israel’s recent attacks, and the people he encountered and became friends with during his stay.
Dr. Mehr is a member of the American Medical Mission to Gaza which seeks to report the medical and humanitarian observations of American doctors traveling to the Gaza strip. Visit the AMMGaza website to find out more about the organization, how you can help as a citizen and as a doctor, and to schedule interview or ask more information from its members.
Video link
Dr. Ismail Mehr led the only American medical mission to Gaza in late January. Since his return he has been speaking all over the country about the medical needs of Palestinians, the devastation of Israel’s recent attacks, and the people he encountered and became friends with during his stay.
Dr. Mehr is a member of the American Medical Mission to Gaza which seeks to report the medical and humanitarian observations of American doctors traveling to the Gaza strip. Visit the AMMGaza website to find out more about the organization, how you can help as a citizen and as a doctor, and to schedule interview or ask more information from its members.
Video link
Thursday, April 9, 2009
4/9/06 Coverage
Audio slideshow: homeless in Gaza
Little hope in Gaza aftermath
Aid convoys to be sent from Scotland and Italy
More US Congressman visit Gaza and recognize crisis, urgency to act
Red Crescent Authority says aid obstacles must be removed
Ron Kovic and George Galloway launch Viva Palestina US
Little hope in Gaza aftermath
Aid convoys to be sent from Scotland and Italy
More US Congressman visit Gaza and recognize crisis, urgency to act
Red Crescent Authority says aid obstacles must be removed
Ron Kovic and George Galloway launch Viva Palestina US
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Gaza Event in Chicago IL
Dr. Imran Qureshi to present on his trip to Gaza earlier this year.
The Fourth Presbytarian Church
8am sharp
Breakfast will be served
(312) 787-4570
126 E Chestnut St (intersection of Chestnut and Michigan Avenue)
Chicago, IL
Entrance is on Chestnut Street
Sponsored by Downtown Islamic Center-Chicago and the Fourth Presbytarian Church
The Fourth Presbytarian Church
8am sharp
Breakfast will be served
(312) 787-4570
126 E Chestnut St (intersection of Chestnut and Michigan Avenue)
Chicago, IL
Entrance is on Chestnut Street
Sponsored by Downtown Islamic Center-Chicago and the Fourth Presbytarian Church
Ithaca NY to Have Event for Gaza
GAZA'S DILEMMA is the title of a talk by Dr. Ismail Mehr
Wednesday, April 15
7:30 in the Annex of the First Unitarian Church
208 E. Buffalo St
Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Mehr, an anesthesiologist from Hornell, NY and an active member of the Islamic Medical Association of North America, has led IMANA medical relief teams to several different disaster areas in recent years. Last December and January he headed a humanitarian aid team to Gaza. His talk will cover the results of that war and also the effects of the 20-month embargo on Gaza.
All are invited.
Sponsored by the Social Justice Council's chapter (now in formation) of UU's for Justice in the Middle East (www.UUJME.org)
Directions & Parking: The Seneca Street Parking garage is only a block from the Unitarian Church annex. The entrances are on Tioga Street and East Seneca Street. Click here for a map. Please note that the event will be held in the meeting hall upstairs, above the Stepping Stones pre-school
Wednesday, April 15
7:30 in the Annex of the First Unitarian Church
208 E. Buffalo St
Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Mehr, an anesthesiologist from Hornell, NY and an active member of the Islamic Medical Association of North America, has led IMANA medical relief teams to several different disaster areas in recent years. Last December and January he headed a humanitarian aid team to Gaza. His talk will cover the results of that war and also the effects of the 20-month embargo on Gaza.
All are invited.
Sponsored by the Social Justice Council's chapter (now in formation) of UU's for Justice in the Middle East (www.UUJME.org)
Directions & Parking: The Seneca Street Parking garage is only a block from the Unitarian Church annex. The entrances are on Tioga Street and East Seneca Street. Click here for a map. Please note that the event will be held in the meeting hall upstairs, above the Stepping Stones pre-school
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
UMass-Amherst to Host Gaza Event
On April 10th, Dr. Ismail Mehr of the American Medical Mission to Gaza will be speaking at the Umass Amherst Campus Center Auditorium. He traveled to Gaza with a team of American doctors only a few days after Israel completed “Operation Cast Lead”, in which 1300 Gazans were killed and 5000 wounded in an aerial assault and land invasion. Dr. Mehr will speak about his experiences during his ten day stay in Gaza, treating the wounded from that war, and what he observed.
Friday, April 10, 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
UMass Amherst - Campus Center Auditorium
Email: umassmsa@gmail.com
Muslim Students Association! (MSA)
Friday, April 10, 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
UMass Amherst - Campus Center Auditorium
Email: umassmsa@gmail.com
Muslim Students Association! (MSA)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
InFocus News Reports on Ahmed Kasem and Dr. Ismail Mehr
Physicians, lawyer on relief mission to Gaza
Mona Shadia of InfocusNews (Anaheim CA) reports
GAZA STRIP, Gaza City — Dr. Ismail Mehr’s Gaza relief trip wasn’t his first. He has been on relief missions to places like Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami and Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake that shook the country’s capital.
But there was something especially disturbing about the anesthesiologist’s recent Gaza trip.
"You can answer the questions about the Tsunami or the earthquake, it’s an act of nature," Mehr said. "But when a kid asks you in Gaza, you can’t answer this question, because this shouldn’t be happening, because it’s a man-made conflict. And it was difficult to accept as a physician."
Mehr was one of nine doctors who traveled to the hard-hit Gaza after the last Israeli strike that ended the lives of many innocent men, women and children.
On this relief mission was Ahmed Kasem, a Costa Mesa lawyer, who traveled along with the doctors to interpret for them.
The trip was sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America, a nonprofit organization with members who travel to war-torn and disastrous areas to assist with relief efforts.
Mehr, who’s a member of IMANA, was asked to coordinate the trip. At the time Israel invaded Gaza, Kasem was visiting Egypt. From there, he worked to get through the Egyptian border and to get authorizations for him and the rest of the doctors to enter into Gaza, which was very difficult, he said.
"To get through the Egyptian border, you had to be persistent," he said. "There was a Turkish group there, and it took them five days to get there. It took us one day."
The doctors and the lawyer began planning their trip before the ceasefire went into effect. But the team made it there a few days after. Once there, they spent a week in January performing surgeries and helping those who were affected by the war and others who suffered from chronic illness. About 75 surgeries were performed on patients during their visit, Mehr said.
Along with those who were affected by the war and needed immediate help, there were hundreds who suffered from chronic diseases that went without treatment because of the embargo that has been imposed on Gaza for more than two years.
The Israeli-imposed embargo keeps the Palestinians in Gaza isolated by land, sea and air.
Kasem recalled the story of a child with a tumor that grew to the size of a ball due to lack of medical equipment and treatment in Gaza.
"The medical infrastructure is almost nonexistent, not because of the war but because of the embargo," Mehr said. "People are dying every day because of things that can be prevented."
For Kasem, whose trip was the first-ever to a war-torn area, being there was also especially striking. "It was kind of surreal going in," he said. "The Palestinian issue is central to international politics and to the U.S. foreign politics. When I got there, I felt like we were at the center of the conflict. It was surreal. But there was also so much life there. When you strip away all the man-made things, there’s life."
And with all of their troubles, Kasem said, the people in Gaza were not bitter, even though he had not met anyone who had not lost a loved one. This, he said, was the good part of his trip.
But the sad part for Kasem extended beyond seeing the lost lives and the damage the war caused.
"It was going into a place where these people are demonized. I felt really heartbroken," Kasem said.
And although they stayed for one week, the doctors and IMANA have committed to further helping the medical situation in Gaza.
Mehr said they have three goals to reach: Relax the borders to help humanitarian teams enter into Gaza, help build the medical infrastructure and train the doctors.
Kasem said everyone knows the United States is the biggest financial supporter to Israel. So, at the end of the day, "as a U.S. citizen, you should have the right to know what’s going on. Especially at a time when the entire economy is struggling, why shouldn’t people care about what’s being done with their money?"
Mona Shadia of InfocusNews (Anaheim CA) reports
GAZA STRIP, Gaza City — Dr. Ismail Mehr’s Gaza relief trip wasn’t his first. He has been on relief missions to places like Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami and Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake that shook the country’s capital.
But there was something especially disturbing about the anesthesiologist’s recent Gaza trip.
"You can answer the questions about the Tsunami or the earthquake, it’s an act of nature," Mehr said. "But when a kid asks you in Gaza, you can’t answer this question, because this shouldn’t be happening, because it’s a man-made conflict. And it was difficult to accept as a physician."
Mehr was one of nine doctors who traveled to the hard-hit Gaza after the last Israeli strike that ended the lives of many innocent men, women and children.
On this relief mission was Ahmed Kasem, a Costa Mesa lawyer, who traveled along with the doctors to interpret for them.
The trip was sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America, a nonprofit organization with members who travel to war-torn and disastrous areas to assist with relief efforts.
Mehr, who’s a member of IMANA, was asked to coordinate the trip. At the time Israel invaded Gaza, Kasem was visiting Egypt. From there, he worked to get through the Egyptian border and to get authorizations for him and the rest of the doctors to enter into Gaza, which was very difficult, he said.
"To get through the Egyptian border, you had to be persistent," he said. "There was a Turkish group there, and it took them five days to get there. It took us one day."
The doctors and the lawyer began planning their trip before the ceasefire went into effect. But the team made it there a few days after. Once there, they spent a week in January performing surgeries and helping those who were affected by the war and others who suffered from chronic illness. About 75 surgeries were performed on patients during their visit, Mehr said.
Along with those who were affected by the war and needed immediate help, there were hundreds who suffered from chronic diseases that went without treatment because of the embargo that has been imposed on Gaza for more than two years.
The Israeli-imposed embargo keeps the Palestinians in Gaza isolated by land, sea and air.
Kasem recalled the story of a child with a tumor that grew to the size of a ball due to lack of medical equipment and treatment in Gaza.
"The medical infrastructure is almost nonexistent, not because of the war but because of the embargo," Mehr said. "People are dying every day because of things that can be prevented."
For Kasem, whose trip was the first-ever to a war-torn area, being there was also especially striking. "It was kind of surreal going in," he said. "The Palestinian issue is central to international politics and to the U.S. foreign politics. When I got there, I felt like we were at the center of the conflict. It was surreal. But there was also so much life there. When you strip away all the man-made things, there’s life."
And with all of their troubles, Kasem said, the people in Gaza were not bitter, even though he had not met anyone who had not lost a loved one. This, he said, was the good part of his trip.
But the sad part for Kasem extended beyond seeing the lost lives and the damage the war caused.
"It was going into a place where these people are demonized. I felt really heartbroken," Kasem said.
And although they stayed for one week, the doctors and IMANA have committed to further helping the medical situation in Gaza.
Mehr said they have three goals to reach: Relax the borders to help humanitarian teams enter into Gaza, help build the medical infrastructure and train the doctors.
Kasem said everyone knows the United States is the biggest financial supporter to Israel. So, at the end of the day, "as a U.S. citizen, you should have the right to know what’s going on. Especially at a time when the entire economy is struggling, why shouldn’t people care about what’s being done with their money?"
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Syracuse University to Host Gaza Event
Grief in Gaza: A Doctor's Story
Featuring Dr. Ismail Mehr
7-830PM
March 31, 2009
Hall of Languages
Room 207
Syracuse University
Sponsored by the MSA
Featuring Dr. Ismail Mehr
7-830PM
March 31, 2009
Hall of Languages
Room 207
Syracuse University
Sponsored by the MSA
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Shorthorn Reports on Dr. Mehr's Talk in Texas
Doctor speaks about visit to Gaza, says Israeli embargo must be lifted
Dr. Ismail Mehr said relaxing the Gaza border’s embargo for humanitarian teams is a priority during his March 13 lecture.
Mehr is one of 10 physicians who visited Gaza on a humanitarian medical mission in January. He is the head of anesthesiology at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, N.Y. The Muslim Student Association’s UTA chapter organized the lecture.
“It took us about seven days to get in,” he said. “The borders, on both Israeli and Palestinian side, were not open even to humanitarian teams.”
Mehr offered a brief history of the conflict to help students understand the situation better.
“I had little knowledge about the Palestine-Israel conflict,” engineering junior Pranusha Ravula said. “But Dr. Mehr helped me understand the history well.”
Mehr helped at Gaza City’s Shiffa Hospital.
“There are 13 [government] hospitals in Gaza,” he said. “Two were completely destroyed and numerous were shot and attacked.”
Mehr said novocaine (local anaesthesia), chemotherapy and other medical tools were hard to get into Gaza because of the embargo.
“Nothing will be resolved until the blood of a Palestinian will be respected as much as that of an American,” he said.
Mehr told a story about a 5-year-old boy diagnosed with liver cancer who was denied exit to Israel or Egypt to get treatment.“
There is no chemotherapy in Gaza,” he said. “He would have had a better chance if this embargo allowed him to exit to get treatment.”
Mehr told stories of young children suffering because of lack of medical equipment in Gaza.
“In Gaza, medicine is improvisation,” he said. “This embargo has crippled and choked the medical system.”
A child who fell at home and cut his lip was held down by his mom and stitched, without pain relief, he said.
In Gaza, they don’t use novocaine on a child because there’s no telling how long it might take to get more due to the embargo, he said.
Mehr encouraged Americans to send more humanitarian teams to Gaza.
“Gaza is the largest open-air prison,” he said passionately. “The dilemma is that the rest of the world just sits there and watches.”
The team of 10 physicians visited an orphanage affected by the conflict.
“There were 3,000 new orphans due to this conflict,” he said. “There were some kids diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder because they saw their parents die.”
Mehr said it’s hard to achieve peace until the new settlements being built every year on the West Bank stop.
“The Palestinian people will stand up and be strong every day,” he said. “They are the most hospitable and the bravest people I have ever met.”
Mehr provided help after the 2004 tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
“Tsunami and earthquake were acts of mother nature,” he said. “But with the Gaza situation, you cannot really answer the question why another person did this.”
Mehr asked students to read about the conflict and create awareness.
“History ends up being ‘his’ story,” he said. “It’s not political but if anyone had a human touch, they would stand up for these civilians.”
Mehr’s stories brought tears to some students’ eyes.
Biology junior Mohammed Ali said that he thought the presentation showed reality, and he wished other cultures had attended to increase awareness.
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CORRECTION: It actually took the AMMG team over one day to cross into Gaza, not seven.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Arab Talk Features Dr. Imran Qureshi
Arab Talk co-hosts Jess Ghannam and Jamal Dajani of KPOO 89.5 FM (San Francisco) report:
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