Annual Washington DC event highlights DAWN's impact on U.S. foreign policy reform, accountability for Middle East human rights abuses
(Washington D.C., October 4, 2024): DAWN's annual Washington D.C. gala has honored two leading figures—renowned conflict medicine surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan—with the organization's 2024 Integrity Awards, which honor individuals who exemplify Jamal Khashoggi's dedication to freedom, democracy, and human rights.
DAWN's gala at the National Press Club commemorated the anniversary of Khashoggi's assassination by Saudi Arabia's government and highlighted DAWN's work to reform U.S. foreign policy, hold Middle East abusers accountable and protect the integrity of U.S. democracy from foreign influence. Over 190 leading journalists, civil society leaders, elected officials, business leaders, ambassadors, student activists, and guests from across the United States, the Middle East, and South Africa attended the event.
"DAWN believes we have a significant moral and political responsibility to reform the U.S. government's policies in the Middle East because continued support for authoritarian and apartheid regimes is not only devastating the region but undermining the democratic integrity of our own country," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN. "We are at an inflection point where the U.S. must choose whether it supports democracy, human rights and international law or is going to sacrifice them for nefarious political interests that erode the safety and security of everyone around the world."
Speakers included DAWN's Executive Director, Sarah Leah Whitson; Senior Advisor Josh Paul; Board Member and Nobel Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman; Professor Dana Sajdi of Boston College; Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah; MSNBC's Ayman Mohyeldin; Zeteo's Mehdi Hasan; DAWN Board Member and Rutgers Law School Professor Sahar Aziz; and DAWN Board Chairman and Executive Director of CAIR, Nihad Awad.
"Today marks six years after the murder of my friend Jamal Khashoggi… His fight, his values, and his principles did not die. They thought that when they silenced him, they would silence his voice. The opposite happened. His voice became stronger and stronger," said Tawakkol Karman. "DAWN gives me a lot of hope and courage. I believe in DAWN's mission as the organization founded by my friend Jamal Khashoggi, and I carry with him the same values, the same struggle for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law in the Arab region and the Middle East and North Africa."
In a statement sent exclusively to DAWN for the event, Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reflected on Jamal Khashoggi's legacy and the importance of aligning U.S. foreign policy with his principles. "To honor Jamal, American foreign policy should follow his example. We must recommit ourselves to his unfinished mission of seeking truth and accountability: with our allies, our adversaries, and ourselves," said Van Hollen. "As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I am committed to ensuring that our actions align with our values — including respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law."
Prof. Sajdi introduced DAWN's 2024 Integrity Award recipient, Dr. Abu-Sittah, her long-time friend, who is currently in Beirut treating wounded patients. Dr. Abu-Sittah heads the Division of Plastic Surgery and founded the Conflict Medicine Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He is renowned for his expertise in treating victims of war, particularly in Gaza, where his recent service attracted global praise and attention. His dedication to conflict medicine has made him a leading voice in advocating for the health and rights of those living under siege.
Introducing Dr. Abu-Sittah, Professor Sajdi lauded his contributions, saying, "Besides Ghassan's evident dedication to his chosen field and practice as a doctor, he has an expansive intellect that constantly works for a singular goal. This goal is radical critique for the pursuit of justice through any discursive means necessary."
"As a doctor, I believe prevention is better than cure. Organizations like DAWN that take up the fight against those who commit crimes, those politicians who decide these policies, and that lead to these wars have to be the solution for the injuries that I see in children in Palestine, and that I've seen in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq," said Dr. Abu-Sittah, speaking live from Beirut. "Organizations like DAWN are the reason why we are able to feel that we are not just addressing the symptoms of war—the war injuries, the shattered bodies, the broken souls—but that we are trying to stop the very policies that lead to these injuries, in a very basic public health way of trying to end the causes of those diseases, as war injuries have become like an endemic disease in this region."
Ayman Mohyeldin then introduced Mehdi Hasan as a recipient of the 2024 DAWN Integrity Award. Hasan, a prominent journalist and founder of the new media organization Zeteo, was recognized for his fearless reporting on the Middle East. He consistently challenges harmful narratives and exposes Western governments' complicity in supporting authoritarian regimes and apartheid policies in the region.
"At the core of what Mehdi does is not about titles or positions. For in any capacity, if you have watched him or read him over the years, he has pursued one true North Star: To speak truth to power while confronting lies and dissecting spin," said Mohyeldin. "I am very honored to be able to present this award to Mehdi because, at the end of the day, he reminds us what that journalism is all about and, more importantly, what a world, what a country we would be in if we had more journalists like Mehdi Hasan."
"From Gaza, to Yemen, to Lebanon today, the Middle East is on fire. The Middle East burns, while Joe Biden fiddles," said Hasan. "By the time we leave this gathering tonight, an hour from now, many more Palestinian and Lebanese civilians will have been killed by an Israeli war machine armed to the teeth by our government, just down the street from here, funded by our tax-payer dollars and protected by many in our media who choose to look away."
"That is why we need a truly independent organization like DAWN in Washington, D.C., in a town where so many organizations are bought off by foreign governments. That is why we need an organization like DAWN that isn't afraid to speak out, not just about Palestine, but also Yemen, also Sudan, also a whole host of other US-backed dictators and autocrats across the Middle East," said Hasan.
Josh Paul, who served as the event's MC, recognized all those who resigned in protest from the Biden administration over its continued support for Israel in the face of its atrocities in Gaza and student activists involved in the campus protest movement, commending the many resigners and activists attending the event.
"Well before last year, I knew DAWN as an organization that dared to rise to the challenge of boldly advocating for human rights, which I saw firsthand through my interactions with them from where I then sat at the State Department," said Paul. "Now, from this side of the table, I can say that this impression has only been confirmed and deepened, and it has been an honor to work with an incredibly dedicated and expert group of humanitarians and advocates from whom I learn and am inspired every day."
The tribute to Khashoggi featured a moving musical performance by the Arabic ensemble Music Without Borders.
The dinner's sponsors included the Tawakkol Karman Foundation, the Center for Egyptian-American Dialogue, the Arab Center Washington D.C., Sethi and Mazaheri LLC, Emgage Action, Busboys and Poets, the Amed Khan Foundation, the Council on American Islamic Relations, and American Muslims for Palestine.
The Host Committee included Jim Bowley, Tony Gerber, Chris Jochnick, Tawakkol Karman, Amed Khan, Lynn Nottage, Dr. Esam Omeish, Kathleen Peratis, Prof. Dana Sajdi, Andy Shalal, and Patrick Taurel.
*Short clips from the event will be posted on DAWN's X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook in the coming days.
