Karim Alrawi: Biography, Facts and Career

Karim Alrawi (Arabic: كريم الراوي) is a writer born in Alexandria, Egypt. He has taught at universities in the UK, Egypt, US and Canada including at the American University in Cairo, Penn State University, Oakland University and the University of British Columbia. He was an International Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa and taught creative writing at the university's International Writing Program. While in the UK, he was active in the anti-racist movement, writing for publications including those of the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism and, in 1984, was a speaker at the Greater London Council's anti-racism conference. He is a long-time peace activist and proponent of a Palestinian state. He was a keynote speaker, in 1982, at the founding conference of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in London. In 2003, he testified before the US Congress making the case for strengthening civil society institutions and supporting independent media in the Middle East and North Africa. He was also a delegate to Madrid+15 conference in 2007 to develop a framework for a two-state solution, laying the groundwork for the Annapolis Conference between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. In Egypt he was deputy secretary general and foreign press spokesperson for the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and president of Egyptian Pen (the local branch of the international writer's organization) from 1992 to 1994 replacing Mursi Saad El-Din. He was followed in the position by novelist Gamal El-Ghitani. He was in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011–2013 working with the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights. After the return of military rule, Alrawi was among 190 Egyptian human rights and civil society activists charged by Egypt's State Security Investigations Service under case 173–2011. The charges pertained to his previous work with the EOHR training journalists in media ethics, democracy and use of the internet, purportedly a contributory factor to the Arab Spring 2011 uprising. On December 20, 2018, an Egyptian court dismissed the charges. The decision was confirmed by the court of appeal on December 4, 2020. On March 20, 2024, an investigative judge declared the case closed. In April 2026, he was a signatory to the Defend Our Juries letter to the British Court of Appeal supporting Palestine Action’s right to peaceful protest and a fair and juried trial.

Quick facts about Karim Alrawi

• Full name: Karim Alrawi
• Born: 1952-01-01
• Nationality: Canada
• Known as: Author
• Wikidata ID: Q149499

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.