First, thanks again to Bill for hosting last Saturday, and with a nice variety of savory and sweet.

  • Iqraa hosted 8 runs this year, plus an aid station at the MCC 20-mile training run. All possible, thanks to the generosity of Basel, Basma, Bill, Cathy, Shobi, Siva, and me!

And now it’s MCM week: challenge accepted by Cathy, Bill, and Reza!

And some MCM day thoughts from a bird’s eye:

  • Gratitude. We’re blessed in so many ways to enjoy the physical and emotional freedom to run. Most people for a variety of reasons can’t dream of what you’ll do this weekend.
  • ·        Enjoyment. If you’re looking for a PR, go for it! But don’t let that stand in the way of taking in the experience and enjoying the return on your investment in the training program.  
  • ·        Goodness. Use your run for good. Running for a brighter Palestine makes the miles meaningful. Palestinians need our support more than ever.

Friends, the training year is ending. We hope you’ll stay for the Winter Runs—let me know to sign you up. It’s a more informal program: free miles, no frills.  

  •  In December we’ll have an Iqraa dinner at Mama Ayesha’s; keep an eye out for the date.

Even so, we keep Palestine in mind and in our prayers.

  •   Don’t ever feel discouraged. If you take action, you’re making a difference.  

There’s much you can do to help. The links below are just a small part of what you can do:

  •  The Arab American Institute organizes Arab-Americans into an effective constituency for all aspects of civil life. Arab American Institute (aaiusa.org)
  • ·        The Council on American Islamic Relations, founded to advance Muslim civil rights in America. https://www.cair.com/
  • ·        Churches for Middle East Peace is a collective of more than 30 national-level churches that promotes conflict resolution, especially on Israel-Palestine. https://cmep.org/
  • ·        Jewish Voice for Peace, the world’s largest Jewish organization supporting Palestine (with all their hearts, I’d add). https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
  • ·        Providing resources to the US-based Palestine solidarity movement, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. https://uscpr.org/
  • ·        Palestine Legal protects the civil and constitutional rights of those supporting Palestinian rights. https://palestinelegal.org/
  • ·        United Palestinian Appeal empowers Palestinians in health, education, community, and socioeconomic development. https://upaconnect.org/
  • ·        Iqraa, Running for a brighter Palestine since 2008 (share with friends). https://iqraadc.org/
    • We’ve raised more than $28,000 and need your contribution to surpass $30,000—30 scholarships: UPA Team Iqraa 2025

Last week/this week. Last Saturday at Candy Cane City, Bill, Cathy, Peter, Reza, Basel, and I ran or walked 8 miles. This Saturday at Camp Rosslyn, we’ll do our last organized run together in 2025.

My greatest wish for this group is to see you all again regularly, running for a brighter Palestine!