Terrorist murderer Marwan Barghouti supervises MA degrees for Palestinian prisoners
Official PA TV program Giants of Endurance
Al-Quds Open University President’s Aide for Student Affairs Muhammad Shahin: “First of all, we send all the blessings to our prisoners, who are truly a crown of honor on our heads. We hope that everyone is doing well and that they will be released soon and all be among us, because they are truly the noble part of our Palestinian society…
When we talk about studies, we are talking about a basic empowering in strengthening each person. Therefore, I say in the full sense of the word that this program [of studies for prisoners] is defiance within the prisons.We began the program in 2000…
We at Al-Quds Open [University] truly have begun the practical and fixed program in five prisons – namely Rimon, Ketziot, Gilboa, Nafha, and Shikma – as part of an agreement that was signed between Al-Quds Open University; the then [PA] Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs in 2014 currently [called] the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners’ Affairs; and the then [PA] Ministry of Education and Higher Education [currently called] the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.”
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Official PA TV host: “What are the criteria [for selecting the students]?”
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Muhammad Shahin: “The basic issue is connected to the prison, the criteria of the prison. Clear criteria have been established. The most important of these criteria is the presence of a committee of academics that will have no fewer than five [members] in each of these prisons, from among those [prisoners] who have a master’s degree or a doctorate...
Host: “A supervisory committee.”
Muhammad Shahin: “A supervisory committee over the procedures, the exams, the grades, submitting the grades, all the procedures, and especially the academic ones so that they will be in the framework of the rules and criteria found within the university… Likewise, there is [a matter] that is connected to bringing in the books, because we need to bring the books into the prisons. [There is also] a matter of transferring the grades and tests. Even the lawyer, the lawyer of the [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, he is the one who transfers the exams [from within the prisons]. He needs to submit them to the acceptance and registration deanship at the university.”
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Host: “The issue of money, doctor.”
Muhammad Shahin: “The issue of money, really, the issue of money regarding the university is not the main issue. The goal is to serve the prisoners as part of the university’s social responsibility. As I said, from 2000 and until 2014, the program was completely for free. But at the time, a strike occurred inside the prisons and the agreement was signed between the prisoners’ representatives and the prison management. It was said that the Al-Aqsa Open University, through its study system and its expertise in this field, would be the mechanism and the body that would oversee studies for prisoners inside the prisons. But unfortunately- That was the agreement. When the implementation of the agreement began, the [Israeli] prison management violated the agreement and forced the Hebrew Open University (i.e., the Open University of Israel) on [the prisoners in] the prisons, which, to tell the truth, provides programs that have no connection to our heritage, history, and possibilities…
But from 2014, in the framework of this agreement, there was an agreement on 30% of the [study] costs [being paid as] a scholarship for all the prisoners by the university, and the rest would be paid by the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, without collecting [money] from the prisoner.”
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Host: “Doctor Ziyad, not just a bachelor’s degree. The prisoners are also-”
Al-Quds Open University Political Science Department Head Ziyad Ayyad: “A master’s degree.”
Host: “-obtaining a master’s degree diploma-”
Ziyad Ayyad: “Correct.”
Host: “-from the darkness of the occupation, especially in the Hadarim Prison. Let us send blessings to them all and especially to our brother [Marwan Barghouti] ‘Abu Al-Qassam’ (i.e., terrorist, orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered) who is fulfilling a special role in this issue.”
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Ziyad Ayyad: “Regarding our program, the truth is that its beginning was in 2012, when we began with master’s degree [studies] through brother Dr. Marwan Barghouti ‘Abu Al-Qassam,’ who took the initiative to start the master’s degree studies inside the prisons on Israeli Studies, of course. The truth is that this program was a great success. We produced many students bearing master’s degree diplomas.”