Just released from PeacePeople.com: Press release 1st January, 2025 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE PROFESSOR MAZIN QUMSIYEH, BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE
Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, today nominated Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh for the Nobel peace prize. Maguire said 'I have great pleasure in nominating Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh for the 2025 Nobel peace prize. I have met professor Mazin and have followed his inspiring peace work for many decades.
Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is a life scientist, teacher and activist for peace, nonviolence and the sustainability of human and natural communities over the past 50 years. Qumsiyeh was born in Beit Sahour, the Shepherds' field on the outskirts of Bethlehem. He got his formal education in Jordan and the USA in areas of biology and medical genetics. Yet the pressures of the Israel occupation on his people and the pressure on the environment that culminated in genocide and ecocide ensured Qumsiyeh pursued a life focused on peace-making, non-violent resistance, service to people, and service to nature. In the l990's he created peace groups like the Triangle Middle East dialogue and led the Palestinian American congress. He activated and led a chapter of the American Arab anti-discrimination committee receiving the Raymond Jallow award for activism. He organized a petition garnering over one million signatures supporting the right of Palestinian refugees. He was the key founder of the Palestine right to return coalition. (PRRC). He co-organized what was at that time the largest demonstrations for Palestine in Washington DC with over 5000 attending (only in 2024 during the genocide in Gaza did larger demonstrations happen). He founded the Wheels of Justice bus tour promoting non-violence with justice. Between 2000 and 2006 the tour team reached 48 states speaking at over 1200 colleges and universities, over 400 schools and hundreds of community centers, churches and mosques (more background on Prof. Qumsiyeh on qumsiyeh.org )
He oversaw many conservation projects including formulating the national biodiversity strategy and action plan and creating a new protected area network and landscape for nature conservation. But perhaps his most enduring legacy is the tens of thousands of children empowered in peacemaking and environmental stewardship including with the mobile educational unit. More background here
Mairead Corrigan Maguire (www.peacepeople.com) ============= The Pope spoke about Gaza (excellent message): "Yesterday they did not allow the Patriarch (of Jerusalem) into Gaza as promised. Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war," The Pope also sent a message to us at Bethlehem University available in several languages here
We concluded this 10 year anniversary year (2024) successfully. This video highlights our achievements in ten years and garnered over 2500 views: and a booklet describing the achievements. Children at our institution thank you (49 seconds). Here is a message I recorded at end of year.
Do support us (volunteering, donating, networking etc) and do come visit us in Bethlehem.
Stay Humane and keep hope alive
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine
facebook pages Personal Institute
French