CFJ-Colorado Interview: Mousa Abu Maria

On 1/22/22, Joe Drexler of CFJ-CO interviewed Mousa Abu Maria, resident of Beit Ummar, Palestine, and CFJ-Beit Ummar representative. They discussed Mousa's background (including his time in prison), life under occupation, Mousa's principles of non-violence and sustainability to resist the occupation, all of the accomplishments CFJ-Beit Ummar is making, and the importance of international support.

Mousa Abu Maria has long worked in the agricultural sector, and during his time at university, through his field experience, he became inspired by nonviolent strategic action.

In 2005, Maria began a non-violent movement in Beit Ummar, the purpose of which was to work with Israeli supporters who believed in peace and the rights of the Palestinians and by it, to begin bringing Palestinians and Israelis together.

In 2006, the work expanded, to build an array of programs for the local community. As such, the Center for Freedom and Justice was founded, which would from then on serve the community of Beit Ummar through community empowerment and sustainable agriculture.

Mousa Abu Maria has played an important role in spreading awareness of peace building and has contributed to building international support for the nonviolent movement. He has been very engaged in challenging the Israeli policy of occupation and has repeatedly been hosted by press agencies to talk about his strategy of peaceful action.

The interview can be seen on Facebook or YouTube.