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Dr. Azmi Bishara
Place of Birth: Nazareth
Date of Birth: July 22, 1956 Resident of Nazareth Dr. Azmi Bishara is member of the Knesset and
founding member of the
National Democratic Assembly (NDA), representing the Arab minority in Israel
under the banner of national, democratic values. The NDA and Dr. Bishara believe that equality in Israel
rests upon the separation of state and religion, and the transformation of
Israel from a state of the Jews to a state of its citizens. As such, the NDA
combines the struggle for national rights and democracy into one political
program, supporting the Arabs in Israel's
right to run their own
cultural affairs and the right of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to
live in an independent Palestinian state. Dr. Bishara`s
political program is informed by his experience as a student activist and
academic. In 1974, he
established the first National Committee of High School students, and in 1976
was instrumental setting up the Committee for the Defense of Arab Lands and
the first National Arab Student Union.
Upon completing his Ph.D in philosophy at Humbodt University in
Germany, he joined the faculty of Bir Zeit University in 1986, and went on to
head the philosophy and political science departments. Dr. Bishara was the director of
research at the Van Leer Institute between 1990 and 1996 and was active
propagating the Palestinian cause during the Intifada. Dr. Bishara publishes
in Arabic, English, German and Hebrew, writing articles and editing books on
issues of nationalism, national minority rights in Israel, democracy and
civil society, Islam and democracy and the Palestinian question both in
Israel and outside the Green Line.
He is the author of two books, "A Contribution to the Criticism
of Civil Society", and "A Reading in a Ruptured Political Discourse." German & English Links to Azmi Bishara In the web -
Bisharas Articles in Al
Ahram weekly -
Deutsche
Webseiten : Azmi Bishara - The
Israeli Democracy :
Azmi Bishara -
5610
Links to Azmi Bishara in Yahoo IBN RUSHD
PRIZE 2002 in the Press
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