MAS Pace, Dallas Chapter

Please join us on Dec. 9 at 6:30 PM for a screening of the film The Holy Land Foundation Five and a letter writing campaign.

The film will cover the story of the wrongful conviction of the Holy Land Foundation Five. After the screening, we will lead a discussion of the film and write letters to our brothers in prison.

Who are the Holy Land Foundation Five?

Shukri Abu Baker, Mufid Abdulqader, Ghassan Elashi, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mohammed El-Mezain are beloved members of the Palestinian and Muslim community of Dallas who became known as the Holy Land Foundation Five (HLF5). They ran one of the largest Muslim relief organizations in the U.S. known as the The Holy Land Foundation, providing money, food, clothing, medical, and school supplies to Palestinians in Palestine.

Beginning in 2001, within the context of 9/11 and the “War on Terror,” the U.S. government seized all assets of the Holy Land Foundation and designated it as a “terrorist” organization. Abu Baker, Abdulqader, Elashi, Odeh, and El-Mezain were convicted under baseless claims of providing “material support for terrorism.”

Currently, three of the HLF5 continue to serve a prison sentence: Abu Baker (65 years), Elashi (65 years), Abdulqader (20 years). After serving their 15 year sentences, El-Mezain was released from ICE custody and deported to Turkey, and Abdulrahman Odeh was released from prison although he is not truly fully free.

We recognize the conviction and persecution of the Holy Land Foundation Five constitutes an attack on the Palestinian struggle and the role of the Palestinian diaspora in supporting the continued resilience of our people in the face of Zionist colonialism.

DFW: Join us next week at Breckinridge Park (LOT C) in Richardson for our community field day and potluck! We’ll be playing kickball, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and other activities. ⚽️ Bring out your family and friends, make a team, and come meet and hangout with your community organizers on Saturday, November 19 from 2-5 PM! Feel free to also bring a dish for our potluck! 🌯🍕 We will have some light refreshments and tea to serve. ☕️ RSVP form is in our linktree, we look forward to seeing you all there!🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸