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American political scientist and author Anne Norton described Palestinian resistance as a beacon of hope for humanity.

She emphasized that the Palestinian issue “has a presence throughout the world, in thought and in people's political beliefs and actions.”

Speaking to Anadolu at the Reorienting Resistance, the fourth Critical Muslim Studies conference in Istanbul, an event uniting academics and researchers from around the world, Norton emphasized that the conflict in the Gaza Strip extends beyond the region.

“In the United States and elsewhere, we are facing authoritarianism that we never saw before and we are facing the consequences of actions we took in the past,” said the professor.

“But these are now being challenged by the students in their encampments, by the people in the streets, and I have hope that something powerful and emancipating will come out of this,” she added.

Norton described the US involvement in the tragedy in Gaza as a great shame for her country.

“Everything is broken in Gaza -- the mosques, the hospitals, the schools -- but something remains in the steadfastness of the people, in their search for their freedom and their ability to stand up to military power at its most brutal,” said Norton.

Addressing media pressures, especially in the West, Norton said: “The media has a big part in that they have been reluctant to give space to those voices. … When the media is closed, people find alternative media, or they find ways to present themselves to the media that the media has trouble shutting down.”

She also noted the support of the art world. “There are artists who take it up, and media coverage for those is critical because otherwise, the audience is too small,” she said.

Norton highlighted growing authoritarian tendencies in the US. “Donald Trump is an authoritarian. He wants to be king. Americans, Muslims say, ‘No kings.’ Trump does not want us to be free. The people who support him do not want us to be free. They want us to surrender to their view of world politics and to their view of politics at home, which is one in which the voices of many people of workers, of women, of people who favor Palestine, of Muslim Americans, of people who are their allies and supporters,” she said.

Norton shared her experience working at a Muslim-Christian understanding center at Georgetown University and said one researcher there was arbitrarily detained and sent to a private prison in the state of Louisiana. “They've spent months in detention, in terrible prisons and in prisons that are for profit. So, someone is profiting from this, which is a shocking thing in itself,” she said.

Reflecting on the past, Norton said that early American society held a more positive view of Islam, noting that figures like former US President Thomas Jefferson respected the religion and supported religious inclusivity.

She added that early US treaties affirmed the country was not founded as a Christian nation but as one open to all faiths.

Norton emphasized that the Palestinian struggle is a clear example of the right to protect liberty and rebel, as stated in the US Declaration of Independence.

She cited the Trump administration’s targeting of pro-Palestinian activities on campuses, noting a literature event she attended in October, the “Palestine Rights Conference,” which featured children’s books, face painting and family activities but was targeted as a “terror event.”

Stressing the US’ shifting global image, Norton added: “The image of the United States has been changing in the view of the world. … As we remember in the past, we say that America is a liberal country. There is democracy in there. The people are free, but now the narrative is now just changing.”