More than 1000 members and guests attended the Fifth National Covention of the El Bireh Palestine Society, whose American members trace their roots to the Muslim town of El Bireh north of Jerusalem. Speakers at the August 15 to 17 meeting in Dearborn, Michigan included former Illinois Congressman Paul Findley, author of They Dare To Speak Out, Master of Ceremonies Rafeek Farah, President of the El Bireh Michigan chapter which hosted the event; El Bireh Society President Hasan Hasan; Film Producer Tito Howard; Dr. James Zogby of the Arab American Institute; Hasan Abdul Rahman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Information Office in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Hatern Husseini representing Al Fatah, Reyad Mansour representing the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP); Fouad Rafeddi representing the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP); Osama Siblani, editor of Sada al Watan, a Detroit Arabic language newspaper; Nasir Arouri, former president of the Arab American University Graduates (AAUG); and Sheikh Muhammad Musa of the Dearborn Mosque.
New officers elected included President: Izzedin Naser; Vice President. Ahmad Attalla; Executive Secretary: Fouad Rafeddi; Treasurer: Wasfi Bahur; Recording Secretary: Ziad Sarsur; and Secretary of Education: Rafeek Farah.
The group adopted a resolution naming the PLO as “sole and legitimate representative” of the Palestinian people, awarded scholarships for study at West Bank colleges to West Bank students, and provided a grant to the secondary school in El Bireh to purchase instructional equipment. The El Bireh Palestine Society’s next national convention will be held August 16 to 18, 1987, in New York City.
