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Kamila Shamsie stripped of German literary award over pro-Palestine stance

Kamila Shamsie stripped of German literary award over pro-Palestine stance

"It is a matter of great sadness to me that a jury should bow to pressure," said Shamsie in a statement.
Updated 19 Sep, 2019

The German city of Dortmund has rescinded its decision to award Kamila Shamsie a literary prize, citing her support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as the reason.

The British Pakistani author was announced as this year's winner of the Nelly Sachs Prize (named after a Jewish poet and Nobel Laureate) earlier this month.

However, in a statement yesterday, the organisers shared that the eight-member jury has reversed its decision and that the 2019 award will not be handed to any author.

"Despite prior research, the members of the jury were not aware that the author has been participating in the boycott measures against the Israeli government for its Palestinian policies since 2014," the statement said.

They added, "Shamsie's political positioning to actively participate in the cultural boycott as part of the BDS (Boycott Disinvestment Sanctions) campaign against the Israeli government is clearly in contradiction to the statutory objectives of the award and the spirit of the Nelly Sachs Prize."

Shamsie condemned the decision in her response and said it was a "matter of outrage that the BDS movement that campaigns against the government of Israel for its acts of discrimination and brutality against Palestinians should be held up as something shameful and unjust".

"It is a matter of great sadness to me that a jury should bow to pressure and withdraw a prize from a writer who is exercising her freedom of conscience and freedom of expression," she wrote on Twitter.

Many came forward in support of Shamsie on social media:

In May, the German parliament passed a motion condemning the BDS movement as antisemitic. The movement was launched in 2005 by Palestinians to generate international pressure on Israel to respect Palestinian human rights.

Comments

jg Sep 19, 2019 12:40pm
well done shamsi for standing fir the just cause. a white mans prize has always a catch.......we know their dirty games.
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iftikhar Sep 19, 2019 12:41pm
see how biased these people are , shame for such forums
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Gordon D. Walker Sep 19, 2019 12:51pm
Never trust the Germans... Gordon D. Walker Canada
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Ahmed Sep 19, 2019 02:39pm
Suddenly all the hue and cry for 'freedom of speech' found missing in Germans!
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JawAd Sep 19, 2019 03:19pm
Why are we so interested in these awards if the main motive is politics
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ALI Sep 19, 2019 03:30pm
hat's off for Kamila for taking an extended stand against zionist apartheid, how can this prize named after another zionist be given to you anyway. keep up the great effort, wishing you greater fame honor & glory. Honestly if a Gulf country offers me a prize named after Modi I will decline it myself.
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Saira khan Sep 19, 2019 03:39pm
@jg now if only Indians understand that.
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Zahid Sep 19, 2019 03:58pm
Great minds are known by their ideas and ideals; not by metal pieces of souvenirs.
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Khan Sep 19, 2019 04:09pm
Prize in the name of some israeli writer should never be accepted in the first place
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Wasim Sep 19, 2019 04:33pm
The German city of Dortmund is a blind city and it’s people are dead from inside. They will be put through the harshest of times.
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Pakistani Sep 19, 2019 04:55pm
She has got a much bigger prize for her integrity! No one had heard of the first award. Now we all have heard of why it was reversed.
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Sameer Sep 19, 2019 05:04pm
But Modi gets his medal!
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irfan Sep 19, 2019 05:13pm
Our award is our religion which bound us to remain on right path and stand firm.
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Habib A Zuberi, PhD, Emeritus Professor Sep 19, 2019 05:35pm
Now, even literary awards in Germany are based on political loyalty to Israel? What Germans did to Jews in 1930's has been roundly condemned, to the best of my knowledge, in every Muslim majority country. However, it does not imply that every country should support policies of The outgoing PM of Israel. Such an act was not expected from today's Germany.
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Jehengir Khan Sep 19, 2019 05:43pm
This is outrageous....priyanka chopra can express her political support for a barbaric state but pakistani origin writer can't do the same......hypocrisy....
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Awais Sep 19, 2019 05:58pm
western media's hypocrisy
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Neo Sep 19, 2019 09:12pm
Welldone. What happened to freedom of speech?
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AZAM AKBAR Sep 19, 2019 09:53pm
Ms. Kamila Shamsie is standing for justice and humanity. This is her crime.
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syed ali Sep 20, 2019 05:56am
Boycotting products from an cruel country which does not care for UNO resolution and continue to occupy a country illegally acquired( through war) is a peaceful non violent way to protest.
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Qaiser Sep 20, 2019 05:58am
Nothing new....the Jewish lobby is quite strong and Germany is already apologetic to the them because of their persecution by Hitler....
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S Zafar Iqbal Sep 20, 2019 06:11am
Kamila Shamsie should take it as a badge of honor for her courage to stand up for the rights of the persecuted people.
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Pakistani Sep 20, 2019 06:26am
Shows the western barbarians true colors against Islam and Muslims. Bogus freedom and propaganda democracy = western value.
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Sohail Baig Sep 20, 2019 07:43am
Feel proud of this lady for standing up against injustice. These awards have no value if you compromise your beliefs. Your real honor is your respect in our hearts.
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Jingoman Sep 20, 2019 09:33am
@ALI hope you are not using any medinines invented by zionists for your kids
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ahmedabout Sep 20, 2019 08:23pm
@Gordon D. Walker Don't blame ALL Germans. It is the weak Jury's sad decision to curb free speech for those suppressed by the brutal Israeli government.
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Azad J Sep 21, 2019 04:59am
Kamila you might have lost 1 award but you surely have won the hearts and love of Millions around the globe. Shame on double standards of humanity amongst so called human rights protectors, on one side priyanka can talk nonsense be a war monger and yet remain as UN peace ambassador and on other side things like these happen.
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Babu Sep 24, 2019 02:32pm
Kamila Shamsie has been against radicalization of Pakistan and here earlier books were all set in that background.
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