Speakers
Shadia Qubti
Keynote Speaker
Shadia Qubti is a Palestinian Christian from Nazareth, currently an arrivant on the unceded and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her fifteen-year engagement in faith-based peacebuilding work in Palestine/Israel has focused on amplifying marginalized voices, particularly through initiatives like the "Women Behind the Wall" podcast, which platforms Palestinian women's narratives. Her academic trajectory includes International Relations and English Language studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by a Master's in Conflict Resolution and Nonviolent Action at Trinity Dublin College, Ireland. In 2022, she completed a second Master's in Interreligious and Indigenous Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology, where her thesis explored "A Theological Conversation between Palestinian and North American Indigenous Understandings of Land." Shadia serves as the Community Engagement Animator at Trinity Grace United Church in Vancouver and as Commissioner to General Council 45 of The United Church of Canada.
Read Shadia’s most recent article on Palestine, Christian Faith, and Hope: HERE
Jonathan Kuttab
Keynote Speaker
Jonathan Kuttab is a well-known Palestinian human rights attorney. Jonathan received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Virginia Law School and was the head of Legal Committee negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO. He is a founding director of Just Peace Advocates Mouvement pour une Paix Juste, an international law human rights not-for-profit organization based in Canada and is the current executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). Kuttab is also the co-founder of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and co-founder of Nonviolence International. Jonathan presently practices in the US, Palestine, and Israel and is a resident of East Jerusalem, where he is a partner of Khoury, Kuttab, and Hanna Law Firm. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Bethlehem Bible College and is President of the Board of Holy Land Trust. Jonathon provides nuanced and specialized analysis concerning the reality of living in Palestine as a Christian Pacifist and accessible information on International Law and Human rights beyond a two state solution as well as the foundational principles and effects of Christian Zionism.
Momodou Taal
Speaker
Momodou Taal is a UK law graduate from the University of East Anglia. After obtaining his LLB, Momodou travelled to Cairo to study at Al-Azhar Mosque where he received an Islamic license in Islamic law and Arabic. Momodou is currently in the third year of his PhD at Cornell University in the Africana Department. His research focuses on conceptualizations of sovereignty, with a particular focus on West Africa. Momodou is the host of a popular podcast, The Malcolm Effect, dedicated to political education.
Listen to Momodou Taal discuss his experience concerning the social and political retaliations associated with speaking out against the ongoing Nakba in Palestine: Watch his interview with Middle East Eye HERE.
Munther Isaac
Keynote Speaker
Munther Isaac is a Palestinian Christian theologian who serves as the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour. He directs the Bethlehem Institute of Peace and Justice as well as the distinguished Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. Additionally, he has held the position of academic dean at Bethlehem Bible College. His PhD dissertation, completed at the Oxford Center for Mission Studies, was published as From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land. He is also the author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. Through his theological and pastoral work, Munther Isaac has become an influential voice for peace, justice, and reconciliation concerning Israeli-Palestinian relations. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac will present his new book Christ in the Rubble, as a keynote panelist, and guide following discussions with co-organizers of this conference, Prof. Jane Barter and Prof. Michel Andraos.
