EP 322: The Jerusalem Gangster | Emad Saadeh - a podcast by SIM

Emad Saadeh is an author, lecturer and counselor for victims of violent crimes. A story of a Palestinian boy who was born in Jerusalem and lived there under Israeli occupation for the first 12 years of his life. His father migrates to the USA in 1973 to escape constantly being arrested and jailed by the Israelis. The young boy and his siblings are finally reunited in 1978. The sweetness of that reunion is short-lived because of his father's physical and mental abuse which drives him to flee his home for the streets of Chicago where he is introduced to the world of Chicago street gangs. He finds himself being arrested many times for his gang activities until he is eventually sentenced to state prison in 1985. In 1987 he is released so he attempts to lead a clean law-abiding life but the lucrative drug trade sucks him in and is eventually arrested by the DEA, after a jury trial he is sentenced to 160 months in federal prison. He is released after almost serving 13 years and finds a changed Chicago with a very disunited family and not much love for each other. 

Books: Thee Jerusalem Gangster Book: https://a.co/d/eHpvCWV My Land Palestine: https://a.co/d/aAe9X0Z

0:00 - Intro

2:50 - Life in Jerusalem

7:00 - Fighting kids in America

15:00 - Running Away

25:25 - Police Beating

42:30 - Cocaine

49:00 - Barakah

53:30 - Living on Borrowed Time

1:15:00 - World Trade Center Attacks

1:25:30 - African American Muslims

Support Imam Siraj Wahhaj's masjid: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/h...

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