AMP Kicks Off Its Public Library Project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Kristin Szremski
Director of Media and Communications
American Muslims for Palestine
10101 S. Roberts Road
Palos Hills, IL 60465
708.598.4267

(Palos Hills 08/20/09) – The American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) kicked off its public library project Thursday by hand-delivering books to libraries in Bridgeview and Palos Heights in suburban Chicago.

The multi-year project is in keeping with AMP’s mission to educate the American public about issues pertaining to Palestine and its rich cultural heritage, said Munjed Ahmad, AMP vice chairman. The organization currently has 36 libraries in California, California, Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey in line to receive the donation of nine books. “We hope to have books in 100 libraries by the end of the year,” Ahmad said. “In this first phase, we chose libraries near some of our chapters.” AMP has 12 chapters in eight states. Getting the books into each library’s collection is a painstaking process. Many libraries put book donations into their book sales and not into their permanent collections. AMP is contacting each library individually and will only send donations to libraries that guarantee the books will be placed into circulation.

The books in AMP’s gift package cover a wide range of topics and genres and come from esteemed professors, a politician, doctors and journalists. Professors Rashid Khalidi and the late Edward Said, former U.S. Congressman Paul Findley, and Time magazine’s former Jerusalem bureau chief are among the authors.

The Public Library Project is an effective tool in the campaign to educate Americans, said Awad Hamdan, AMP national program director. 

“We chose credible and well-researched books on history and politics as well as two very compelling memoirs,” Hamdan said. “We feel very gratified in the response we’ve been receiving from librarians across the country. They like the books we’ve chosen because they are credible and come from respected authors.”

AMP’s mission is to bring the Palestinian narrative to the American public. AMP believes that once Americans learn and understand the truth about Israel’s illegal, unjust and inhumane occupation of the Palestinian people they won’t accept it and will pressure their elected officials to change U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

The Public Library Project is an ongoing project that will continue indefinitely. According to the American Library Association, there are 123,000 libraries in the United States. AMP won’t rest until we can get books into the collections of these libraries.

Each package costs AMP approximately $200.

The American Muslims for Palestine is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the American public and media about issues relating to Palestine and its rich cultural heritage. For more information or to make a donation, call 888.404.4AMP.