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The Office of the President of the American University of Beirut (AUB) issued a statement announcing the establishment of the Shireen Abu Akleh Memorial Scholarship at the university.
The statement included, “The murder of the iconic Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022 did more than deprive the world of a brave, determined, accomplished woman journalist of the highest caliber. It removed an undeterred champion of Palestine, a symbol of hope, a voice for the voiceless, and an inspiration to brave women everywhere. The Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut and its administration believe that it is vital to preserve Shireen Abu Akleh’s timeless example of hope for Palestinians and women.
To honor her memory, the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut in full partnership with the Yafa Foundation announce the establishment of the Shireen Abu Akleh Endowed Memorial Scholarship. The endowment will fund scholarships for women from Palestine to obtain master’s degrees in media studies at the region’s oldest and finest university, with applications to be considered immediately.
The Yafa Foundation and the American University of Beirut are convinced that the best way to commemorate and celebrate the life of Shireen Abu Akleh, an enduring figure of hope and peace, is to create opportunities for others to follow along her path while blazing their own, to bear witness to the truth and keep hope alive, for this generation and those to follow.”
Shireen Abu Akleh was a Palestinian-American journalist who worked as a reporter for the Arabic-language channel Al Jazeera for 25 years, and was one of the most prominent names across the Middle East for her decades of reporting in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. Abu Akleh was killed while covering Israeli army raids in the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.
According to witnesses and the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have shot dead Al Jazeera’s journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was wearing a press vest and was standing with other journalists when she was killed.
