Khalilah Sabra
Khalilah Sabra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. |
| Education | California State University (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (postgraduate legal studies) PhD in International Law |
| Occupations | Human rights attorney, author, public speaker |
| Notable work | An Unordinary Death: The Life of a Palestinian |
Khalilah Sabra is an American human rights attorney, author, and public commentator known for her work on immigration law, civil liberties, and Muslim American civic engagement. She has been cited in U.S. and international media in discussions of national-security policy, refugee admissions, religious accommodation, and the relationship between surveillance and constitutional rights.[1][2]
Early life and education
Sabra was born in the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory. She later converted to Islam and has stated that faith informed her interest in civil-rights and immigration law.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from California State University and completed postgraduate legal studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. She subsequently received a Ph.D. in international law, with research focused on political asylum and human rights.
Career
Legal advocacy and public profile
Sabra’s legal and advocacy work has focused on immigration and asylum, due-process protections in national-security cases, and civil-liberties issues affecting Muslim American communities.
She was quoted by NBC News in coverage of Muslim American participation in the United States Census and the effects of post-September 11 government scrutiny on civic engagement.[1]
Her analysis of federal surveillance and community relations in North Carolina was reported in Indy Week.[3]
Her commentary on Muslim American identity and public life has appeared in USA Today and The News & Observer.[4][5]
The Monterey Herald described her as a “Defender of the Muslim Faith” in a profile of her civil-rights advocacy.[6]
Broadcast and policy reporting by NPR has included her work in discussions of U.S. refugee policy.[2]
Coverage by the Los Angeles Times and WRAL has addressed issues in which she was involved, including the civilian impact of drone warfare and public debate over religious accommodation at Duke University.[7][8]
Human-rights research and field work
Sabra has contributed to documentation on gender-based violence in conflict through research associated with the Syrian Accountability Project.[9]
Her field research in the West Bank has examined legal and social conditions under military occupation and has been presented in academic and public forums, including participation in dialogue at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv.
Earlier humanitarian work during the 2006 Lebanon war involved assistance to internally displaced civilians and informed her later writing on displacement and exile.
Lectures
Sabra has lectured at national conferences and interfaith events on Islamic ethics, human rights, immigration policy, and Muslim civic engagement. Recordings of presentations at MAS-ICNA conventions are publicly available.[10]
Writings
Sabra is the author of An Unordinary Death: The Life of a Palestinian, published in the Transgressions: Cultural Studies and Education series by Brill/Sense Publishers.[11]
External links
References
- ^ a b "Many U.S. Muslims wary of census surveys". NBC News.
- ^ a b "Why the U.S. isn't taking in more Syrian refugees". NPR.
- ^ "In Raleigh, Muslims view FBI with fear, mistrust". Indy Week.
- ^ "Concerned Muslim women rethinking hijab". USA Today.
- ^ "American Muslims and the politics of belonging". The News & Observer.
- ^ "Defender of the Muslim Faith". Monterey Herald.
- ^ "U.S. drone warfare and civilian impact". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Duke reverses plan to amplify Muslim call to prayer". WRAL.
- ^ "Syrian Accountability Project".
- ^ "MAS-ICNA Convention".
- ^ An Unordinary Death: The Life of a Palestinian. Brill.