Women without Borders/SAVE

TWN's Response to the Recent Derry Bombings

2012-01-23T14:53:00.004+01:00

Norma Shearer, Chief Executive Officer of the 'Training for Women Network', based in Northern Ireland, shared her response to the recent bombings in Derry:

"I am happy to report that there was no loss of life caused by the explosions of the two devices in Derry. The two devices were placed outside the Derry Visitor centre and Convention Bureau and at the Department of Health, Social Services and public Safety offices near Derry City Council offices.

Norma Shearer

While there were no fatalities, this proved to be a miracle, as one of the devices was left opposite sheltered accommodation for elderly people. While no group has yet to claim responsibility, PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) believe that it was a dissident Republican grouping, most likely either the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann.

One of the direct consequences of this attack has been that Derry has failed in its bid to host the 2013 All Ireland Fleadh festival (a traditional Irish music festival). It was rejected because the governing body of the Fleadh believed that the threat posed by dissident Republicans was too great to risk the safety of attendants and participants. The loss of the festival strikes a huge blow to the Executive’s drive to make Northern Ireland a top tourist destination in 2012, not to mention the 41 million of lost revenue that the festival would have generated for Derry during this time of economic hardship.

Unfortunately, these attacks are part of a recent upsurge in dissident Republican activity. In fact, as I write, there are security alerts are in two villages in counties Antrim and Londonderry, where a gas cylinder with some wires coming out of the top was discovered behind a wall by a local resident.

TWN would like to take this opportunity to condemn the recent attacks in Derry and to reaffirm our position that these acts of violent extremism can not be allowed to disrupt the peacebuilding journey that Northern Ireland has begun. It is important that the peace and reconciliation work taking place throughout the province continues as it is only through this can peace be assured, allowing democratic dialogue to determine the path the province takes in the future, not violence, as has been the case in the past.

In other news, researchers involved in Boston College’s Belfast Project are involved in a legal battle in the United States to stop interviews they conducted in 2001 being handed over to the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland). The Belfast Project took place for five years after 2001 and involved academics, historians and journalists conducting interviews with former Republicans and Loyalists such as Dolours Price about their activities during the Troubles. The interviewees were promised at the time that their accounts would remain confidential until after their deaths. This has caused great controversy. Researchers fear for their personal safety if the guarantees they made to interviewees can no longer be kept, and also worry that such a decision could hinder research in the future by removing interviewees' ability to give full disclosure."

Two bombs exploded in Derry last week (photo by BBC News)

For more information on TWN, please visit their website: http://www.twnonline.com

Reflections on Tajikistan

2011-11-29T15:33:00.001+01:00

I am writing to you from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where I am on a very interesting factfinding trip in cooperation with the OSCE to explore the potential of women to stand up against the threat of extremism, including along the Afghan border, which is only 100 miles away from the capital.

It is a country where men are sparse; the majority of the males migrate to Russia for most of the year and often find new loves and lives there, leaving behind their wives who have to fend for themselves in a country where 40% are below the poverty line. Forced marriages and trafficking are also prevalent.

Tajikistan is a country in transition. There is a huge youth bulge without hope and without a promising future, which provides fertile ground for radicalization amidst few efforts to create counter-narratives.

With the withdrawal of the troops from Afghanistan in 2014, the situation will be even more volatile.

This is a SAVE moment here!

The SAVE Team visits Tajiki students

Edit Schlaffer

Mona Eltahawy Arrested in Tahrir Square

2011-11-24T11:53:00.001+01:00

Egyptian-Americanjournalist Mona Eltahawy was arrested in Tahrir Square yesterday night, shortly afterher interview with the BBC in which she boldly stated: “People are determinedto get their defiance across to the Supreme Military Council, and tell them wewant nothing short of a civilian leadership for Egypt”. (Scroll down for link tointerview)

Mona Eltahawy

Soon afternews of Eltahawy’s arrest came out, her Twitter account sent a tweet that said “Beatenarrested in Interior Ministry”. The tweet was reportedly sent from the journalist’sblackberry device while in prison.

Activistsand supporters of Eltahawy have started an online campaign on Twitter entitled #FreeMona.According to the New York Times, the US Department of State was informedof the journalist’s arrest.

Eltahawy was released this afternoon following 12 long hours in detention. Soon after her release, she tweeted "I AM FREE" and "12 hourswith Interior Ministry security forces and military intelligence combined. Can barelytype - must go xray arms after CSF beat me." The journalist also claimed that she was sexually harassed while in prison.

Eltahawy isan award-winning journalist and public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues based in New York. She is a columnist for Canada's Toronto Star, Israel's JerusalemReport and Denmark's Politiken. Her opinion pieces have also been published inThe Washington Post and the International Herald Tribune.

Over theyears she has tackled critical issues such as media censorship and women’srights in Egypt and the Middle East.

Recentdevelopments in Cairo strongly demonstrate the Egyptian people's determination to continue protesting until they receive the civilian leadership they have been demanding for the past 8 months.

Egyptian women demanding an end to military rule and the establishment of a long-awaited civilian government (By Al Jazeera)

Mona’sinterview with the BBC prior to her arrest can be viewed here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15864726

SAVE visits the graduates of the competence and confidence building income-generating workshop in Mumbai

2011-11-21T16:30:00.001+01:00

On November 20, SAVE Global visited the graduates of the SAVE competenceand confidence building income-generating workshop in Mumbai, India. Theparticipants, all wives of constables in the Mumbai police force, recentlyfinished the second session of this 8-week training course. Vinita Kamte, thewife of Ashok Kamte (who lost his life on 26/11 after shooting the onlysurviving terrorist), andthe person who organized the training on the ground, was also present for this finalsession.

Over the course of the SAVE training, the women gained computer literacy,learned basic accounting, and took English courses. Once a week, the women alsoparticipated in hour-long SAVE confidence and competence-building workshops toencourage them to gain a voice within their families, to recognize their ownself-worth, and to create a support network among the women, many of whom areneighbors, but who had never even spoken to one another before.

Recognizing one's own agency within the family, and being able to draw in asupport network of others within the commit who might be in a similar position,are cornerstones of positioning these women to become active players in thesecurity arena and in empowering them to combat violent extremist ideologies. Allof these women have first-hand experience with the devastating consequences ofterrorism, as their husbands were on duty during the deadly three-day siege ofMumbai that began on November 26, 2008. After participating in the training,the women clearly said that they felt much more confident to speak up withintheir families and to guide their children and husbands in the right direction.

The feedback was overwhelming:

"You have given Indian women the space to stand up."

"This training was so helpful-for the first time we were able toopenly discuss our concerns, because at home I felt like I had to be strong andno One listened. Now, however, I can help my children and speak up."

SAVE Global's training of the wives of police involved in the Mumbai bombings was widely covered in the press:

Times Of India:

Indian Express – Mumbai Newsline

Free Press Journal:

Saamana:

Sakal:

The Tribune:

India and Pakistan Side by Side at the UN Security Council, By Mehru Jaffer

2011-11-09T16:14:00.002+01:00

The United Nations Security Council

The announcement of India and Pakistan’s admission into the UN Security Council is very good news for the people of South Asia.

The recent win of a two year term on the UN Security Council by Pakistan shows that when they are truly willing to make the effort, India and Pakistan can stand by each other. India defied international expectations when it recently voted for regional rival Pakistan in the elections for a non permanent seat on the 15-member UN Security Council.

A visibly happy Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN Security Council, addressed journalists after his win, and received a congratulatory call from his Indian counterpart. This was a moment that did not go unnoticed by the media of a region in which the majority of the one billion inhabitants crave nothing more than peace between the South Asian rivals, and the end of a war that has lasted for over half a century.

Manjeev Singh Puri, India's deputy permanent representative to the UN, embraced Haroon after the vote, and stated that he welcomed the election of Pakistan into the Security Council. "Pakistan and India share a common perception on so many global issues, and we look forward to working with them," Puri said.

Last year Pakistan had also voted in favor of India for the same position at the UN Security Council. Now the two countries will work together on this international forum as a shining example of multilateralism, without allowing regional rivalry to come in the way.

The question is, why not practice similar camaraderie at home?

When it comes to international issues, India and Pakistan have always been thick as thieves. However the two neighbors continue to be boorish, belligerent and threatening when it comes to regional matters.

The question is why?

Haroon promised to avoid the usual tendencies adopted in the past as he praised dialogue between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

Let us hope that all the problems of the past will not prevent India and Pakistan from practicing at home, what both keep promising abroad.

Women urged to put their stamp on Arab Spring

2011-11-04T09:52:00.000+01:00

(Reuters) - Women should voice demands about their rights during the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world to avoid being short-changed by post-revolutionary governments, Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi said.

Ebadi, a practicing Muslim, also expressed hope that Arab men and women would learn from Iran's 1979 revolution, when the overthrow of the shah led to the establishment of an Islamic republic which imposed sharia-inspired laws many women regard as restrictive of their rights.

Egyptian women chant slogans as they attend a demonstration

in Tahrir Square, Cairo-Reutors

"I think it is too early to talk of an Arab Spring, which should be used when democracy has been established and people can determine their own destiny and are equal and free. And we cannot forget half of society -- the women," Ebadi, a human and women's rights activist, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"If women cannot gain equality and the right to set their own destiny then that is not a real revolution and won't lead to democracy.

"Our experience in Iran's 1979 revolution proves this. We saw that people got rid of a dictator but instead of democracy he was replaced by religious despotism and many of the laws on polygamy, men's power of divorce ... and stoning were passed."

Since long-time leaders were toppled in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, many -- not least in the West -- have fretted that their departure will leave the door open for Islamist groups to take power.

In Tunisia, some women have expressed concern over the victory of the Islamist party Ennahda in elections last month, though its leaders have said they will not alter laws that guarantee women equal rights to men in divorce, marriage and inheritance.

"DO YOU SUPPORT EQUAL INHERITANCE?"

Unless Arab women speak up soon, they risk being sidelined by the region's new governments, Ebadi said.

"Women should raise their egalitarian demands and the people should put forth their civic demands early on and oblige groups that are seeking power to answer," said Ebadi, a defense lawyer for Iranian dissidents who has lived outside Iran since 2009.

"These issues should be raised early, otherwise after a party reaches power it may be too late."

Egyptian feminist Nawal al-Saadawi has called for women to move fast to secure their rights as the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood targets large support in a parliamentary election later this month, following Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

"In Iran, the error committed by feminists and political groups was to put off the egalitarian demands of women until after the overthrow of the shah... But the women's problems were not resolved and things even got worse after the regime changed," Ebadi said.

"Pushing for transparency is the best way for this. Feminist groups should directly ask parties 'Do you support polygamy, yes or no?' ... Or ask "Do you support equal inheritance for men and women?' So that people would know a party's stand on rights issues before they take power," Ebadi said.

The leader of Libya's National Transitional Council Mustafa Abdel Jalil caused consternation last month when he took to the podium at a celebration of the country's "liberation" and said polygamy would no longer be outlawed.

Ebadi rejected charges by some Islamists that demanding women's rights and more modern laws was part of a Western-inspired attack on Islam. Equally she said Islam was compatible with women's rights.

"I believe that if Islam is interpreted and applied correctly we can have totally egalitarian laws for women and strike punishments such as stoning and cutting hands from out of

law books," she said.

Ebadi was Iran's first woman judge but lost that job following the Islamic revolution because the country's new leaders said women were too emotional to be judges.

She became a human rights lawyer but, after suffering harassment, she left the country in 2009.

"It's no good if a dictator goes and he is replaced by another. I hope Arabs who have risen up in revolutions learn from Iran's experience."

(Reporting by Isabel Coles; Editing by Robert Woodward - REUTERS)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/03/us-arabs-women-ebadi-idUSTRE7A253G20111103

Women must play greater role in conflict prevention, peacebuilding - UN Security Council

2011-10-29T13:12:00.000+02:00

28 October 2011 – The Security Council today welcomed efforts by countries to implement a landmark resolution calling for strengthening women’s participation in peacebuilding, peacekeeping, conflict prevention and mediation process, but voiced concern over continuing gaps in implementing the resolution.

Several senior UN officials – including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN Women – and representatives more than 50 countries addressed a day-long debate at the Council on progress since resolution 1325 was unanimously adopted in 2000.

Women from Um Dersay IDP Camp (North Darfur) participate
in a gender awareness training, United Nations

The resolution calls for action to reverse the egregious and inhumane treatment of women and girls during conflicts, the denial of their human rights and their exclusion from decision-making in situations of armed conflict, in peacemaking and peacebuilding.

In a presidential statement the 15-member Council commended the countries that have formulated or updated their national action plans and strategies to increase the participation of women in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

“The Security Council, however, remains concerned about the persistence of gaps and challenges that seriously hinder the implementation of [the] resolution, including the continued low numbers of women in formal institutions of conflict prevention and resolution, particularly in preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts,” the statement said.

It also noted that the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes committed against women and girls has been strengthened through the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other tribunals. It also reiterated its intention to enhance efforts to fight impunity and uphold accountability for serious crimes against women.

“The Security Council continues to encourage Member States to deploy greater numbers of female military and police personnel to United Nations peacekeeping operations and reiterates that all military and police personnel should be provided with adequate training to carry out their responsibilities,” the statement added.

Earlier, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the greater involvement of women in conflict prevention and mediation, the essential building blocks in reinforcing democracy.

“Women’s participation remains low, both in official and observer roles. This has to change,” he said, pledging that the UN would lead by example, and noting that the number of women leading UN peacekeeping, political and peacebuilding missions had gone up over the past year to six out of 28 missions.

He said the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) had increased the proportion of female candidates in its roster of senior mediators, team members and thematic experts to 35 per cent. In the field, UN teams are supporting women so they can engage in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, management and reconciliation, he added.

The Council received Mr. Ban’s latest report on the women and peace and security, presented by UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, in which he voiced concern that implementation had been so uneven.

“Proactive steps must be taken to accelerate implementation of key elements of this agenda, such as strengthening women’s engagement in conflict resolution and deterring widespread and systematic abuses of women’s rights during conflict,” he wrote.

The report covers findings in five areas of the women, peace and security agenda – prevention, participation, protection, relief and recovery, and coordination and accountability for results – noting that there is growing recognition of women’s roles in peace and security, and highlighting an increasing number of innovative measures and good practices.

“Member State participants in contact groups supporting specific peace processes should offer negotiating parties various incentives, such as training, logistics support or adding a negotiating seat, in order to ensure women’s inclusion on delegations,” he wrote.

Introducing the Secretary-General’s report, Ms. Bachelet stressed that women’s participation in resolving and preventing conflict is not an optional, but an essential ingredient of peacebuilding.

“As we go forward, we need determined leadership – by all of us – the Security Council, Member States, civil society, and the United Nations, to fully engage women in mediation and conflict prevention. This will advance peace and security and deepen democracy around the world,” she said.

Ms. Bachelet pointed out that the UN system was working to increase post-conflict spending on women’s empowerment and gender equality to a minimum of 15 per cent of overall post-conflict financing within a few years.

The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Lazarous Kapambwe, emphasized women must be fully incorporated in efforts to rebuild societies through playing key roles in negotiating peace agreements, national reconciliation and economic recovery.

Published by UN News Centre on 28 October 2011:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40229&Cr=women&Cr1=conflict+prevention

What does the future hold for Yemeni women? An Interview with Nadia Al-Saakaf, Editor in Chief of Yemen Times

2011-10-28T18:04:00.001+02:00

Nadia Al-Saakaf, Editor in Chief at Yemen Times

Dr. Edit Schlaffer recently conducted an interview with Nadia Al-Saakaf, Editor in Chief of Yemen Times, who is closely following the turbulent developments in Sana'a. On the 26th of October, Yemeni women defiantly burned their veils and headscarves in protest of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s brutal crackdown on protesters that has lasted almost 8 whole months. Nadia expressed her concern over the current situation in her country, and stressed on the fact that Yemeni women continue to be excluded from the current transitional talks, despite their active involvement in the uprising.

1. How does the Yemeni regime officially deal with the ongoing unrest? And how do people deal with the socioeconomic challenges?

Women protesting in the streets of Sanaa-Reuters

Until now, and despite UN resolution 2024, the Yemeni regime does not seem to get it. On Tuesday, a truce was announced between the regime and armed opposition but we are not sure how long it will last. There are huge trust issues at the moment, and so unless the regime decides it is over, we are bound for a civil war of which we are already witnessing signs here and there.

As for the economy, it is the last thing on the minds both the regime and the opposition, and it is a time bomb that will explode soon. There is however a group of respected Yemeni economists who have come up with an economic proposal for the priorities of the country during and after the transition stage. They are in direct communication with the donor community and helping them support Yemen's economic recovery.

2. What is the role of women in the current crisis in Yemen? Will they eventually (or have they already) change the fate of Yemen´s patriarchal society?

So far, unfortunately, women are only seen as lobbyists and campaigners. Despite the fact that Tawakul Karaman won the Nobel Peace Prize, the issue of involving women in the new regime, or instituting a quota for women, remains to be discussed. During a discussion with UN Envoy Jamal Benomar, he personally told me that none of the official delegations from both sides had included a woman, and that the issue of women was not brought up when as they were discussing politics.

During my interview with the Islah leader, I asked him about women and the possibility of a quota, he said: ‘we will think about that later!’ The only positive response I ever got was from the head of the opposition's national coalition who mentioned the possibility of a 20% quota, but there was no concrete action plan so I simply took it as lip service.

The tragedy is not there, it is rather that none of the women's movements or leaders on the ground are campaigning or demanding their share. Eventually, this is going to blow up in our face after the regime falls.

Yemeni women burning their veils in protest-Reuters

3. In Egypt there are no reservations for women. Islamists are supported widely in Tunisia. What are Yemen´s prospects? Are you worried of a possible intervention like what happened in Bahrain?

Yemeni women will not allow to be taken back centuries and they will not let go of the rights they acquired over years of struggle (I know I won't). I think the same goes for Tunisia and Egypt and Bahrain. The good news is that the Islamists are playing it political not ideological. And to ensure the rebuilding of Yemen, we need the support of the international community who will ensure that women are represented and free.

But the point is that the drive for women's equality is not coming from within, it is coming from outside pressures, which is neither healthy nor sustainable. My fear is that the Yemeni women's place in the new system will only be for show and not for real.

ETA publicly renounces violence

2011-10-21T14:58:00.002+02:00

Members of the Basque separatist group ETA have publicly declared the "definitive cessation of armed activity" in a video message released to the media today (BBC News). The news of the end of the 40 year conflict was welcomed by Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who said it was a 'victory over terror'.

ETA has publicly declared ceasefires on numerous occasions in the past, however, many believe that this time the decision is much more serious, as ETA members have officially called for a transition to peaceful methods.

Over the years, ETA has organized many terrorist attacks in Spain and France, which claimed the lives of nearly 800 people. Zapatero hoped that this declaration would bring some peace to the victims' families.

It remains unclear why the Basque group decided to cease its armed activities after so many years. Nonetheless, ETA members declared in a public statement that they faced "a historic opportunity to obtain a just and democratic solution to the age-old political conflict" (BBC News).

Masked ETA members declare their permanent ceasefire - Reuters

SAVE Reaches Out to Libyan Women

2011-10-21T14:40:00.002+02:00

Col. Muammar Gaddfi's death was confirmed today as pictures of the ex-Libyan leader circulated the media. "It's time to start a new Libya, a united Libya. One people, one future" declared Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril as the Libyan people rejoiced in the streets (Reuters).

The doors are now open for a new Libya, and the country's women are bound to play a crucial role in this long awaited democratic transition. SAVE will closely observe the country's developments, and is already reaching out to women activists on the ground to discuss gender-inclusive strategies for a new democracy.

We truly hope that the Libyan women's issues, which were largely ignored in the past, will finally be given the international attention they need. This will in turn facilitate the flow of support and advice crucial to the building of a better future for the country and its women in particular.

Women's demonstration in Tripoli back in September 2011-Reuters

With New Hope, Women Activists Keep Focus on Libya, By Thanassis Cambanis

2011-10-21T13:18:00.003+02:00

Libyan exile Shahrazad Kablan was teaching school in Cincinnati when the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi began in her hometown, Benghazi. She put her house on the market and within weeks had moved to Qatar, where she hosted a taboo-busting show on the pro-rebel Libya TV.

On Wednesday night she was in Manhattan, drumming up support among women’s rights activists for the long slog ahead as Libya rebuilds.

“We need help,” Ms. Kablan said. “I want people to remember that Libya is a story of hope, but we need the international community to play its part.”

Ms. Kablan had joined another Libyan diaspora activist, Sara Maziq, and New York Times reporter Anne Barnard (who is married to the author of this blog post) to discuss the role of Libyan women after Colonel Qaddafi’s ouster. During the uprising, women used their clandestine nongovernmental organization networks to smuggle weapons to rebel fighters and pass intelligence. Ms. Barnard’s reporting on Libyan women activists drew the attention of advocates in the United States, who organized Wednesday’s symposium in New York.

“The idea is to connect people who can bring attention to the cause and offer technical help,” said Jill Iscol, the philanthropist who hosted the meeting in her Fifth Avenue apartment. Ms. Iscol, a longtime patron of women’s causes, is the author of “Hearts on Fire,” a book scheduled to be published in November about social activism.

During the uprising, Ms. Kablan used her show to openly probe topics that normally went unmentioned in public forums, like systematic rape by Qaddafi fighters. Since then, she has been advising Libya’s National Transitional Council on education reform. Her small, mostly self-funded nonprofit already has recruited dozens of American teachers willing to spend next summer in Libya working with special needs children.

Ms. Maziq, a former investment banker, quit her job in Dubai to devote herself full-time to Colonel Qaddafi’s overthrow. She helped supply communications equipment to fighters in Misurata, her home city, and since the liberation of Tripoli her Libyan Civil Society Organization has been working to open women’s centers around the country.

“Most of us dug deep in our pockets. Now we’re tapped out,” Ms. Maziq said.

Ms. Iscol’s meeting, organized in tandem with the Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nonprofit organization that promotes women leaders around the world, sparked some immediate connections.

An officer at a New York foundation volunteered to connect Ms. Maziq and Ms. Kablan with women judges and legal experts who could provide advice to Libyans drafting a new constitution; they agreed to meet the following day. A former prosecutor and a foundation head both offered support for programs helping victims of sexual violence. An official at the American mission to the United Nations invited the Libyans to give a presentation. A Dutch diplomat said his government had money available for women’s activists in Libya.

Ms. Kablan and Ms. Maziq are headed to Libya again in the next month. If they can raise enough funds, both hope to expand the fledgling nonprofits they currently run with support from friends and family.

“Libya has no infrastructure,” Ms. Maziq said. “People tell me, ‘We’ve done what we know how to do. Now, you need to come back and rebuild our country.’”

Thursday morning Ms. Kablan was woken up by a text message from a friend in Libya: Colonel Qaddafi, according to early reports, finally had been captured.

Still in her nightgown, Ms. Kablan smiled and restrained a shout of joy.

“We really needed this,” Ms. Kablan said as she read the latest news on her laptop. “This is a great boost for us.”

Published in the New York Times on 21 October 2011:

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/with-new-hope-women-activists-keep-focus-on-libya/

Former Palestinian prisoners, future peacemakers? By Robi Damelin

2011-10-19T10:30:00.000+02:00

Tel Aviv - The whole country is talking about it: over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were involved in suicide attacks in which lives were lost, will be freed in exchange for the kidnapped Israeli solider Gilad Shalit who had been held in captivity in Gaza for over five years. Today the prisoner's swap dominated world news when Gilad was freed at the same time as 477 of the 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. While it’s clear that everyone in Israel is happy to see Gilad reunited with his family, among bereaved parents there are some who feel that those responsible for the death of their loved ones should never walk free.

I lost my son David in a shooting incident in the West Bank in 2002. Initially, I was told that my son’s killer would be released this week. Now it is not clear whether or not has or will be freed as part of the deal. But when it seemed likely that he would, I took some time out to search deep inside myself to see what I honestly feel. Do I really mean the things that I have been saying all these years about the need for reconciliation between our two peoples? About the need to understand both the pain of the Jewish mother and the pain of a Palestinian mother? How do I really feel about the fact that David’s killer could be freed?

The answer I came up with is that the life of Gilad, and peace for his family is worth everything. Besides, what petty satisfaction and revenge would I feel if the man who killed David stayed in jail for the rest of his life? That wouldn’t fill the void which is always in my heart. There is no revenge for a lost loved one. I too would have released the whole world in order to get David back.

I belong to a group of Palestinians and Israelis called the Parents Circle - Families Forum. We are more than 600 families who have lost an immediate family member to the conflict. Our long-term vision is to create a framework for reconciliation process that would be an integral part of future political agreements.

When it was first disclosed that David’s killer may be walking free I received phone calls from my Palestinian friends, also members of the Parents Circle - Families Forum. They had listened carefully to the names of the prisoners released and when they had heard that David’s killer might be amongst them, they were in great turmoil. They wanted to come to my house, some from the West Bank, to be with me. They said they were proud of my reaction and that they also understood how painful it is.

I think of the pain of the Palestinian mothers in our group. Their pain is the same as mine and the tears are the same colour. Some of the men in our group had served jail sentences and today they are tireless campaigners for reconciliation.

I have been influenced by my meetings with ex-prisoners in South Africa and Ireland who have at least as much blood on their hands as some of the prisoners here. But they have turned around and have become central to the reconciliation process in their countries. Perhaps we too should be exploring the path of restorative justice?

In South Africa I met a bereaved white mother who set up an organisation to help ex-combatants together with the man who had been responsible for the death of her daughter. This is part of understanding how to overcome the state of being a victim.

I don’t want to be anyone’s victim. I won’t be the victim of the young man who killed my son. I will try to understand why he did what he did. It was very painful for me but at one point I went to see his lawyer to find out who this young man is. The road to reconciliation passes through understanding.

I think of my beloved son David. If he had not been killed by a sniper, he probably would have been at the tent supporting the Shalit family. He would have understood the value of human life. He would have understood that in the conflict in Ireland and in South Africa, prisoners with blood on their hands were freed so that an impetus for negotiations could be created. Some of the greatest peacemakers in those two countries came out of dark cells.

Reconciliation is all-inclusive. Prisoners and all sectors of Israeli and Palestinian society should come to the peacemaking table and take part in forging a peaceful future. We must find a way to reconciliation. Let us allow the Shalit family some dignity, grace and solace. Let us hope that the Palestinian prisoners, who after so many years are now being embraced into their families, will have a non-violent and peaceful future.

* Robi Damelin is a member of the Parents Circle - Families Forum, Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli Families for Reconciliation. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 18 October 2011, www.commongroundnews.org

The Cairo Revolution is Far from Over: the Egyptian Women's Revolution has Only Just Begun, by Evita Mouawad

2011-10-15T22:28:00.000+02:00

Shahira Amin during a discussion at the Amerikahaus

Contrary to popular belief, the revolutionin Egypt is far from over. In fact, the military's repression of Copticprotests in Cairo last Sunday can be described as the most violent incidentsince the overthrow of the Mubarak regime last February. Twenty five died andmore than 300 were injured as soldiers drove their vehicles into crowds ofprotesters demanding to know the truth about the attack on a church in Aswanlast month.

The Coptic Christians are not the only onesstill fighting for their rights in the country, Egyptian women are alsostruggling to be treated as equals to their male counterparts. Issues such asthe continuation of the Egyptian revolution and the role of women inpost-revolution Egypt were discussed on Thursday by renowned Egyptianjournalist Shahira Amin. The event entitled 'Post-revolution Egypt: InclusiveDemocracy in the Making, A Journalist's View' was organized by theinternational advocacy group Women without Borders and their Sisters AgainstViolent Extremism (SAVE) initiative, in cooperation with the American Embassyin Austria.

In February 2011, at the height of theEgyptian revolution, Amin's face was seen on television screens around theworld, as she resigned from her post of seniorcorrespondent for state-run Nile TV on live television. While supportersof the Mubarak regime stormed Tahrir Square and began attacking protesters,Amin was given a script to read that made no mention of what was happening thatvery moment outside her studio, and so, she simply walked out.

Today, Amin has become a symbol of thecontinuing fight for freedom of the press in her country. "I find ittragic that in post-revolution Egypt civilians would get killed for simplyexpressing their demands which are very legitimate. Their church had beentorched and they were calling for the protection of their places ofworship" said Amin, referring to the recent Coptic protests.

As for the role of women in her country,Amin stated that, while female political participation remains considerablylow, it is undeniable that Egyptian women played a major role in the revolutionthat ousted Mubarak's 30 year old regime after just 18 days of protests. "Let's not forget that it was young female activists, likeIsraa Abdel Fattah and Asmaa Mahfouz, who instigated the mass uprising, byposting videos of police brutality on Facebook." she said.

Nonetheless, shortlyafter the ousting of Mubarak, women activists realized that their fight was farform over. After the interim government formed what Amin dubbed a 'committee ofso-called wise men' to draft the first constitutional amendments, not a singlewoman was invited to take part. As for today, there is only one woman ministerin Egypt.

Furthermore, women who were celebrating Women's Day inTahrir Square on the 8th of March were physically assaulted. Amin said thewomen "were humiliated by what we were led to believe were conservativebearded men who shouted 'go home where you belong'." But the journalistbelieves that in reality these men were 'thugs' hired by the remnance of theold regime to 'scare' women away from the political scene.

The journalist also denounced the 'virginity tests' thatwere conducted by the military on seventeen female protesters who were arrestedin Tahrir Square in March. Amin interviewed one of the generals of the SupremeCouncil of the Armed Forces two months after these tests allegedly occurred,and when asked if the rumours were true, the general claimed the military haddone it in self defense, so that the imprisoned women could not later claim they were sexually assaulted bythe army. "As if this wasn't sexual assault already" said Amin.

Amin also urged the West to adopt a more ‘balanced’attitude towards the region as other revolutions that have occurred incountries like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and of course Syria have been more or lessignored.

Women whitout Borders founder Edit Schlaffer & Shahira Amin

Despite the post-revolution setbacks, Amin applauded thefact that female candidate Bouthayna Kamel is running for president in Egypt."She knows she may not win, because society is simply not ready for afemale president yet. But at least Bouthayna has shattered the glass ceilingfor all women who wish to run for president in the future" she said,making it clear that the Egyptian women are certainly not planning on giving upthe fight.

Fatima Bhutto and India-Pakistan Relations, by Mehru Jaffer

2011-10-11T17:40:00.000+02:00

Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto warmed Indian heartswhen she said that “you are like me.”

The 29-year-old Bhutto was the star attraction at therecently concluded Kovalam Literary Festival in Kerala, where she delivered thesixth KC john Memorial Lecture on India and Pakistan: Road to Peace.

Dressed in a flowing sari which belonged to hergrandmother and similar to those worn commonly by Indian women, this wasFatima’s first trip to the southernmost tip of the Indian sub-continent.

The granddaughter of slain Pakistan Prime MinisterZulfiqar Ali Bhutto and niece of Benazir Bhutto, the country's first femaleprime minister, who was killed in 2007, Fatima's father Murtaza Bhutto wasgunned down in a political battle in 1996.

Fatima was a teenager at that time, and ever since,she has condemned violent extremism. The Karachi-based writer believes that theroad to peace between India and Pakistan will have to be mapped by building onthe shared heritage and the common social malaise confronting the two nations.And the onus of the task lies with the youth.

"We the people of India and Pakistan are thesame. You are like me. We need more people-to-people contact to promote peace.Our destinies as countries are inextricably linked as our past were... Justiceis within the borders and not outside it.

Despite being separated at birth and with a sharedheritage, India and Pakistan have created an enormous gulf between theirpeople. They cannot visit each other's country without going through enormousofficial procedure.

India and Pakistan over the centuries have sharedsomething hopeful, peaceful - a joint heritage that modern day hostilitiescould not erase.

But there is lack of coordination. We could developpolicies together. But we don't do that - instead we feed the world when thehungry in our country starve.

India and Pakistan have the largest migration historyin the world with the biggest displacement... When we parted, the world shook.

The freedom movement was iconic but the only problemwas that we quickly turned on ourselves. What Pakistan did to India, Bangladeshdid to Pakistan. Punjab was almost a holocaust.

Trade between India and Pakistan is a fraction of thetrade that we do with strangers. Trade between the two countries was muchlarger and we should be giving 40 billion dollars in trade. Many other archrivals have better trade ties,” concludes Fatima convinced that young Indiansand Pakistanis can counter violent extremism in South Asia.

World Leaders Draw Attention to Central Role of Women's Political Participation in Democracy

2011-09-22T11:11:00.000+02:00

United Nations, New York — Women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders. Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman. The 30 percent critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries. At a high-level event today, during the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders made a strong call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders signed on to a joint statement with concrete recommendations on ways to advance women’s political participation.
“It is a solidarity that we see represented here today among this important group of women around me,” said Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the event. “We are bound by a common goal — to open the way for women to participate in all decisions affecting not only their own lives, but the development of our world, at the global, regional, national and local levels. By making full use of half the world’s intelligence — the intelligence of women — we improve our chances of finding real and lasting solutions to the challenges that confront us.”
Signatories of the joint statement included: H.E. Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil; Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; H.E. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America; Rt. Hon. Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission; H.E. Roza Otunbayeva, President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Lilia Labidi, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Republic of Tunisia; Helen Clark, Under-Secretary-General and Administrator, UN Development Programme; and Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Details of the event, including webcast archive: http://j.mp/WomLeaders
Photos: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjw6ryVk

Joint Statement
On Advancing Women’s Political Participation

New York, 19 September 2011
We, the undersigned Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers, High Representatives, and senior UN officials affirm that women’s political participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace.
We reaffirm the human right of women to take part in the Governments of their countries, directly or through freely chosen representatives, on an equal basis with men, and that all States should take affirmative steps to respect and promote women’s equal right to participate in all areas and at all levels of political life.
We stress the critical importance of women’s political participation in all contexts, including in times of peace, conflict and in all stages of political transition.
We recognize the essential contributions women around the world continue to make to the achievement and maintenance of international peace and security and to the full realization of human rights; to the promotion of sustainable development; and to the eradication of poverty, hunger and disease. Even so, we are concerned that women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalized from decision-making, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices, and attitudes, and due to poverty disproportionately affecting women.
We reaffirm our commitment to the equal rights and inherent human dignity of women enshrined in the United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other relevant international human rights instruments. We call upon all States to ratify and fulfill their obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and to implement fully Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security and other relevant UN resolutions.
We call upon all States, including those emerging from conflict or undergoing political transitions, to eliminate all discriminatory barriers faced by women, particularly marginalized women, and we encourage all States to take proactive measures to address the factors preventing women from participating in politics, such as violence, poverty, lack of access to quality education and health care, the double burden of paid and unpaid work, and to actively promote women’s political participation, including through affirmative measures, as appropriate.
We reaffirm and express full support for the important role of the United Nations system in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women, and we welcome UN Women and its mandate in this regard.

Are Women Better at Peace? by R.M. Schneiderman

2011-09-22T10:50:00.001+02:00

As CGI continues, Leymah Gbowee tells a striking story about women as peace makers.
The empowerment of women: It’s a concept we often think of in moral terms. Yet in an afternoon session at the Clinton Global Initiative today, Leymah Gbowee, the executive director of the Women Peace and Security Network-Africa, told a story that speaks to the importance of empowering women as a social good.
In Liberia, in December of 2003, a brief ceasefire occurs in an otherwise brutal civil war. The United Nations plans to symbolically disarm 300 fighters. But more than 2,000 fighters show up, and the U.N. can’t control the crowd.
Gbowee and others set out to calm the men, to provide them with aid. One day, a woman came to her office in tears. She had been at one of the relief camps, where a young boy whom she was giving food looked up and asked for her daughter.
“My daughter is dead,” the woman said.
And the boy responded: “I know.”
“How do you know?” the woman said.
“Because I killed her.”
Sitting in her office, Gbowee was shocked.
“Did you stop feeding him?” Gbowee asked the woman.
And the woman said no.
“This is what peace building is,” Gbowee said. “To stare at the killer of your child in the eye and continue to show him that kind of compassion. And I’m sorry men … from all my readings I’ve only seen it with Jesus.”
The moderator of the panel, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, echoed this sentiment: “If women are economically and politically empowered … it makes for more stable societies. When I was in office, I went to Burundi and we got women of different ethnic groups to talk to each other when men couldn’t.”
In a world where women comprise more than 50 percent of the population, and many continue to lack the same basic rights and opportunities as men, that’s reason enough to make their rights a priority.

Aicha el-Wafi: "My Pain Grows Worse By the Day"

2011-09-15T12:45:00.002+02:00

This interview contains certain controversial ideas which we are sure will prompt discussion. Please leave your comments in the 'comments' section below.

This article was published in Die Presse on September 11, 2011.

Her son was presumably meant to be the 20th hijacker in the September 11th attacks, but was arrested before that fateful day. His mother recounts how 9/11 also changed her life forever.

A US court condemned him to life in prison for his involvement in the terror plot.

It was the first sentence passed against someone involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In early May 2006, a twelve-person jury in Alexandria (near Washington) sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchman of Moroccan origin, to life in prison. Moussaoui only escaped the death penalty because the jury did not unanimously agree that he had been involved in the 9/11 plot, although he pleaded guilty.

It is possible that he would have flown a plane into the White House as the 20th hijacker, had he not been arrested at a US pilot training school several weeks earlier after making his trainer suspicious. A few days after the sentencing, Moussaoui surprisingly retracted his guilty plea and unsuccessfully filed an appeal. Aicha el-Wafi, the mother of the alleged terrorist, has accused the US of having turned her son into a “martyr.” After the September 11th attacks, she reached out to the families of the victims.

You wanted to raise your son Zacarias to be a perfect French citizen. Why did he nonetheless head down the wrong path; what went wrong?

Aicha el-Wafi: I tried to raise my son correctly, and to show him the path of respect and tolerance. At first he did live like a French citizen; he went out with his friends, drank alcohol, and smoked.

Where did Zacarias first come in contact with extremists?

In a mosque in Great Britain while he was studying there, not in France. He went to England to improve his English.

Did you see any warning signs? At which point did his behavior begin to make you suspicious?

I never saw any warning signs. After he left for Great Britain, he came to visit me multiple times. That’s when I noticed that he was praying a lot. But that is not unusual for a Muslim. I thought he was praying for me. I never would have thought that he was surrounding himself with extremists.

You came to France as a young bride at the age of 17. You worked hard and studied to ensure that your children would have the best lives possible. Did Zacarias accept the image of a woman that you portrayed—firmly anchored in French culture and daily life?

I came to France in 1965; I was 17 years old and already had two daughters: Nadia and Jamila. My sons were born in France. It was a very difficult period in my life: we had no work, we had nothing to eat, and my children’s father regularly beat me. It was really hard. That is why I decided to take charge of my own life and left my husband, with whom I could no longer live.

What about your children?

When my children were young and I picked them up after school, their classmates always asked them whether I was their sister. They were proud of me and respected me; they did whatever I asked of them. That all changed when they left home and went to university. In particular, my sons’ personalities changed a great deal. All of a sudden they wanted me to wear a veil. They no longer went out with friends, stopped drinking alcohol, and no longer smoked. I did not want to accept these changes. My sons were growing up and changing, but I was already grown, and did not change.

Did you never ask your sons about their friends?

In France, my children even had Israeli friends! I never asked too many questions about who they were spending their time with. When Zacarias began attending university in Great Britain, I wanted to go visit him. He told me that I would have to book a hotel room. I asked him why—he had his own apartment. He answered that other people were now sharing his apartment with him—he called them his “brothers.” It did strike me as strange, but I thought that perhaps that was normal in Great Britain. I didn’t visit him in the end, because I did not want to stay in a hotel room. But I was never really suspicious. Only later did I realize that he was referring to the Islamists as his “brothers.”

And then—did you stay in touch with your son?

We did not speak for years, but when I returned home after a long break in Morocco, I suddenly found several messages on my answering machine from Zacarias. He kept saying “Mama I love you,” and “Mama I hug you.” On September 13, two days after the attacks, I went to Great Britain. There were many protests in front of the mosques. I was completely shocked, because this was my first interaction with Islamists. Everyone knew me; they all knew I was Zacarias’ mother. But I did not know anyone.

The 9/11 attacks changed your life forever. But you also changed the mindset of many people in the Western world toward Muslims, because you approached the family members of the victims. What do you learn from those meetings?

I met those families during an extremely difficult time; they had just lost loved ones. We shared those hard times and I learned a lot from them, and I hope they also learned from me. Our fates are similar, but we are different in one key aspect: my pain grows worse every day, because I don’t know how my son is doing. The family members of the victims at least know where their loved ones are: they are dead. The pain those families feel will lessen over time. But Zacarias is buried alive; he has no contact to the outside world. My stomach hurts every single day, because I do not know how my son is doing. I have so many questions that remain unanswered. I cannot and will not accept this.

In your opinion, did your son not deserve this sentence?

I demand to know what exactly the US government is accusing him of having done. Of course I am thinking of the family members of the victims and their pain. But Zacarias was not sentenced to death, he was condemned to life. It is terrible that he moved in Islamist circles, but he did not engage with those people responsible for this terrible act. He was arrested on August 16, 2001 for visa problems.

Zacarias will spend the rest of his life in prison. If he were to accept a visit from you, what would you say to him?

I have been in touch with him for the past five years, but FBI agents are always nearby and listen to our conversations. He couldn’t tell me how he ended up where he is now. I am sure he would have told me if we had been alone. But he cannot speak in front of the FBI agents. So there is always a barrier between us. But he says that he will read letters.

You encourage mothers around the world to be gatekeepers. In your daily work, do you communicate with mothers whose sons may be susceptible to extremists?

My message to all mothers and parents is: be watchful, and show respect and tolerance. It is not easy to raise children. When they are young, they are with us, but when they get older, they leave and you do not know what they are doing. It is not about Black or White, Jews, Arabs, or Christians—we must respect everyone. I am thinking of all the families who have lost someone. But my pain grows worse by the day. My son is buried alive.

Interview by Edit Schlaffer, founder of "Women without Borders" and SAVE (Sisters Against Violent Extremism). Translated by Elaine Hargrove, Anna Gabriel

Shobhaa's Take on Recent Mumbai Blasts, by Shobhaa De

2011-09-12T14:52:00.000+02:00

Yup. It happened. The nineteenth terror attack on the Capital in fifteen years. So far, the body count is 12 deaths and 90 injured. By the time someone takes the trouble to total it all up, India will have moved on (24 hours later, most people already have), and those who don’t live in Delhi will shrug and talk about ‘intelligence failure’, ‘security lapses’, ‘crisis in leadership’. Out-of-work movie stars will tweet away, offering prayers and condolences, and television anchors with grim faces will attempt to grill the usual suspects, embarrass a few and reprimand the rest. There it shall remain. Manmohan Tauji will tut tut ‘It’s a long war’ and beseech the ‘People of India to stand united’, to remain ‘calm’ . Chidambaram Chhacha will issue some more somber sounding statements (does he just recycle them from a master list?). And that will take care of the situation… till the next blast… and the next. And till such time as every Wednesday will make Indians fear it may be another Black one. There is something called immunity. Just as cockroaches, dog ticks, certain strains of bacteria stop responding to powerful drugs and pest control chemicals, human beings too develop a resistance to acts of terrorism. How many times can we go ‘Hai Hai’ and beat our breasts? Those responsible for the safety and security of the nation count on just that. This ain’t America, boss. Nor is it Australia. Or any other country that has declared zero tolerance for terrorists. Here, we keep those accused and convicted of terror attacks in conditions that are denied to a majority of God-fearing, law -abiding citizens. Even the Sri Lankan assassins of a former Prime Minister have been spared from the gallows so far. Afzal Guru? Let’s not even go there! Ditto for Qasab. So long as we play these dangerous political games in a clumsy attempt to prove something dubious to the world (“ Look guys! We are a democracy. Please be impressed.”) we shall have to resign ourselves to living with terror. And slippery, weak politicians whose sole objective in life is to hang on to their kursis and make money.

What does the average Joe do in such a desperate situation? I received a really dumb email with a request to stand in silence and pray for the dead. Respecting the memory of those innocent people who were blown to bits on 7^th September is one thing. But the pointlessness of such chain mails makes me see red. There was another email which expressed outrage at the fact that not a single politician in the last 5 years was directly affected by terrorist attacks. It was as if the chattering classes would have felt a little better had a couple of netas lost their limbs or lives in similar attacks. This is just such a childish and churlish reaction! But one can understand where it’s coming from. There is so much repressed rage against the ruling class right now, that it would somehow appease the masses if those lofty politicos enjoying z-category protection at tax payers’ expense were as vulnerable as that poor Pawan Jaswal from Gurgaon who had come to the HC to attend a hearing on his employer’s case and was instantly killed. Increasingly, affected people are vociferously articulating their anger and contempt for leaders as was evident when Rahul Gandhi was heckled when he showed up at the RML Hospital. This is the bold writing on the wall that politicians need to pay close attention to. It indicates a shift in people’s attitude towards those in power. So far, the high and mighty have been insulated from such outrage because the cowering masses have grown accustomed to treating VIPs like ‘maap baap’, bowing and scraping in their presence. But, watch out! Nobody is likely to be spared in future, least of all bechara Manmohan Singh, whose kamzor position at present is encouraging dissidents to shout him down, when he trots out platitudes like, “Co-operation, not accusation, is the need of the hour.” Try saying that to 21-year-old victim Amanpreet Singh Jolly’s grieving father. Or to the wife of 54-year-old Vinod Jaiswal, who was blissfully oblivious she’d been widowed till much after 4.30 p.m. when the sad news was finally broken to her by Ashok, Vinod’s brother. Unfortunately, not too many people will remember these tragic stories even a week from now. Not even the media.

The government cannot hope to get away with alibis and excuses each time the nation is shattered by demonic acts of terror. The buck does stop with those in power. It is the primary duty of our elected representatives to protect lives of citizens. People don’t care if it is the ‘LeT hand’, or Harkat, IM or some other terror group’s ‘foot’ that’s responsible for the HC attack. 68% of people polled blamed the blast on ‘the lack of a political will to tackle terrorism.’’

Sharam karo, bhai, sharam karo. The mood of the nation is belligerent. Public anger is as lethal, as dangerous as an IED. All that’s required is a trigger. And such a symbolic blast can cause far greater damage than anything placed in an abandoned suitcase.

It’s ‘champi’ time for politicians. The smart thing to do would be to keep shut and get to work. Oh yes - netas should definitely stay away from the RML Hospital – we don’t need any more casualties there.

SAVE: Commemorating 9/11

2011-09-09T16:56:00.000+02:00

Around the world, we all recognize just how much 9/11 has changed our lives. This recognition is not merely intellectual; it is an emotional reaction to increased security measures when traveling, the constant refrain in the evening news, and a growing suspicion of ‘the other.’

9/11 impacted the family members of the victims most immediately, but also had far-reaching consequences for the global community. Two wars, thousands of deaths, and a divided world have resulted from those terrorist attacks. All of us—not only the West, but also the Muslim world—were shocked to the core. The attacks fundamentally rocked our views, just as the clash of cultures also led to a far-reaching clash of emotions. Belief in military solutions has since dissipated, and SAVE exists to fill this void.

SAVE sensitizes women to their as-yet untapped potential to combat violent extremism. Women witness what is happening in their families and communities every day, and the vast majority want to prevent their children from being drawn into extremist activities. First, however, they need to learn to how to read the warning signals. SAVE’s core belief is once women recognize their role in combating violent extremism, they will serve as the foundation for a valuable new security platform.

SAVE supports the commitment of women to embrace the power of soft power. And women are experts in soft power skills: listening, persistent negotiation, and dialogue. Long-term education programs and alternative security networks are the building blocks of a peaceful future, and the inclusion and promotion of women are integral components of such programs and networks.

SAVE is committed to finding innovative, action-oriented, and purposeful forms of dialogue, which are based on the new world (dis)order. Such dialogue must include civil society in its entirety.

The SAVE Sisterhood is growing. We have had the privilege of hearing first-hand the experiences of Phyllis Rodriguez, who lost her son on 9/11. Phyllis has reaffirmed our belief that you have to “talk to the enemy.” There are mothers on the ‘other side’ as well, and we need to learn from each other to strengthen our bonds. By including such women, we can create a new solid security block.

Take, for example, Esther Ibanga and Khadijah Hawajah. Esther and Khadijah live in Jos, Nigeria, a state racked by ethnic tensions that have resulted in the bloody murder of hundreds on both sides of this ethno-religious divide. Esther, the senior pastor of Jos Christian Missions, and Khadijah, Chairperson of the Plateau State Muslim Women Peace Forum, have only recently begun to question prevalent stereotypes by reaching out, first to each other, then to the other community at large, to build a tangible and emotional bridge between women on both sides who are committed to ending the atrocities. After receiving encouragement from SAVE, Esther went against her community’s wishes to initiate a dialogue with Khadijah, with whom she now travels internationally to underscore the deep commonalities, rather than the entrenched divides, between their societies and customs.

In Indonesia, Lily Munir has implemented groundbreaking youth campaigns to empower students to challenge latent radical ideologies in their school and community settings. Girls especially have been given the opportunity to explore how extremist currents are affecting their daily lives during weekend-long workshops, and to develop innovative, creative, and student-driven campaigns to create a more stable and communal future for themselves. The Indonesian student network has expanded organically through alumni and class meetings to include hundreds of young future leaders committed to a world without violent extremism.

The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks drives home once again the urgent necessity of finding new approaches to combating violent extremism. Terrorist acts take place with appalling frequency, and a new, female-led civil society movement to counter radical ideologies and to provide alternatives for a stable and secure future will be the way forward.

It is a privilege to work with these dedicated women who are transforming their losses into a commitment to build a safer future for all of us. Over the past ten years, I have learned so much from them, and from all the women who courageously stand up against violent extremism.

I have learned that we are all truly Women without Borders, and that we will change the world.

Join SAVE: Together we will stand up against violent extremism the world over.

A Call To Action After the Abuja Attacks, by Esther Ibanga and Khadija Hawaja

2011-09-09T16:33:00.005+02:00

Nigerians woke up to a rude but not unexpected news of violence visited on the United Nations building in Abuja on Friday 26^th Aug 2011. It is no longer news that global terrorism is right on the doorsteps of Nigeria. We join the millions of shocked peace-loving people within and outside Nigeria to condemn in strong terms the senseless and wicked killings of innocent lives and the destruction of property that achieves nothing in gaining any support or sympathy for the violent ideologies of the perpetrators of this crime.

The violence in Abuja, the nation’s capital, is just a build-up of what had been going on in Jos, Plateau state, where we have consistently been decrying violent extremism in this country. We only hope that this will be a wakeup call for the government of this nation and every peace-loving human being to be more proactive and vigilant in curtailing this monstrous cancer called terrorism.

Our sympathy goes to all victims and their grieving families at this time and we pray for God’s comfort at this time of pain.

We also call upon the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to step into the 21^st century in its rescue efforts and equipment as we decry the 4ft wooden ladder that was used to bring out a wounded woman, stripping her almost naked in the process. It is also a show of shame that the national hospital did not have the facilities to treat victims and they had to be flown abroad.

If we would not learn from history, we become history.

-Esther Ibanga, Senior Pastor, Jos Christian Missions

The bombing of the UN office in Abuja was quite alarming. It took me by surprise because it was something I never contemplated, not even in my wildest dream.

The bombing is condemnable and inhuman. It can never be justified.

I do not subscribe to violence of any form as a way of expressing dissatisfaction or anger. There is a better way of doing so without resorting to violence.

We must all fight against violence so that the World will be a safe place for you and I!

-Khadija Hawaja, Chairperson of the Plateau Muslim Women Peace Forum

Anti-corruption movements in India and Pakistan gather momentum with women's participation

2011-08-23T12:29:00.003+02:00

Anna Hazare’s hunger strike against corruption in India has caught media attention worldwide. The 74-year-old man of slight built has emerged as a hero for adopting the Gandhian way of non violence to exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a strict law against corruption and demanding the creation of an ombudsman to deal with corruption in public offices.

Hazare first went on a hunger strike in April 2011 to make his point and since then has inspired nationwide support for his anti corruption campaign. Women – both political figures and grassroots activists – are among the strongest supporters of the campaign.

Priya Dutt, a Congress member of Parliament who met anti corruption activists outside her Mumbai home on 22 August, has promised to extend full support to the anti corruption campaign.

The young parliamentarian said that she is in favour of strong anti-corruption legislation and stressed dialogue between the government and civil society activists as the way forward. Writing an open letter to the India Against Corruption movement, Priya said that she supports all efforts for "a corruption-free nation".

The inspiring role played in the anti corruption movement in India today by women like Priya and Kiran Bedi, a retired female police officer is so infectious that it has found solidarity with populations across the border in Pakistan. Zohra Yusuf, head of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, admitted that corruption is an ever-growing menace in Pakistan.

Tired of widespread corruption in his country, a 68-year-old Pakistani businessman recently announced plans to go on a hunger strike in Islamabad. Jehangeer Akhtar complained that corruption is a serious disease in Pakistan and recommends parliament to pass an anti-corruption law.

Jehangeer is in the photography business and apart from corruption what also bothers him is money spent on defense instead of education and infrastructure. He plans a Gandhi-like non-violent protest against corruption and military buildup in his country.

Ansar Burney, another Pakistani and former minister for human rights declared that he will soon organise an anti-corruption and anti-terrorism campaign in Pakistan.

Ansar told the media that corruption and terrorism are destroying the future of children in Pakistan. He is fed up of corruption and against violence that has spread across the country. He feels it is up to civil society to take steps to rid the country of the evil.

He describes his campaign as an attempt to unite the nation against corruption and terrorism.

People-to-people initiatives instrumental in reducing suspicion caused by terrorism between India-Pakistan

2011-08-17T11:27:00.001+02:00

The verdict is out. A majority of people surveyed in India recently say that terrorism has no religion and belongs to no country. This majority opinion is important at a time when the world seems so volatile and the official relationship between India and Pakistan remains somewhat frail.

The constant reminder that both India and Pakistan are sitting on an arsenal of nuclear weapons does not help people to sleep soundly, not just in South Asia but around the world.

In a CNN-IBN-CNBC-TV18 State of the Nation Poll conducted in association with Forbes India soon after the terror attack in Mumbai on 13 July 2011, it is found that more people reject the notion that terror is somehow related to one religion, openly delinking acts of terror with Islam.

In this most recent survey a majority of those talked to categorically stated that a terrorist can come from anywhere and strike anyone. Previous opinion polls have shown that the populations of both India and Pakistan prefer increased trade, cultural exchanges and easy cross border travel within South Asia. The majority of the population has time and again demonstrated a demand for more dialogue, debate and many more people-to-people initiatives.

In India, women were more optimistic than men about the future of peace prospects between the two countries and agreed that rapport between people is helpful for a lasting peace in the region. These women spoke out in a 2010 opinion poll sponsored by Aman ki Asha, or hope for peace, to mark the first anniversary of the joint peace initiative by the Jang Group of Pakistan and The Times of India.

This friendly attitude between the people is the greatest hope for forging new ways towards a more inclusive peace process, involving the design of a dream agenda that includes different sections of society, including women and members of the young population in both countries.

The greatest asset of both India and Pakistan today is its population of young people. It is said that 51% of India's population of 1.1 billion people is under 25 years of age and two-thirds is under 35 years of age. Experts also warn that this youth bulge can turn into a demographic disaster if the young are not gainfully engaged in education and employment activities.

In Pakistan 30 to 40 percent of the nation's males are between the age of 15 and 29. This large energetic yet untapped pool of young people on both sides of the border has the potential to play a huge and lasting role in contributing to peace and prosperity in the region. It must not be forgotten that half of this population is female, another section of society that is confident in its skills and capabilities and yet is little involved in contributing to peace initiatives. As the number of symposiums, think tanks and forums on global issues increase around the world, the absence of women from both global and local decision making bodies has become even more obvious.

The appointment of Pakistan's first female foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who is 35 years old, is a positive sign, bringing a woman into official peace talks between India and Pakistan.

Officials may compare the relationship between Indian and Pakistan to the treatment of two patients whose only disease is an allergy to each other, but ordinary citizens are far less cynical. The polls are proof that an overwhelming support for friendship is there. In India the perception that all terror attacks in the country are related to Pakistan is already down to 42% from a previous record of 75%. This significant change in the collective perception of a society comes from campaigns that encourage people-to-people contact and build social and cultural bridges. The polls reveal a high degree of optimism expressed by ordinary citizens about the possibility of an end to hostilities one day and they unanimously agree that the task of making peace is too important to be left only to the government. About 70% of Pakistanis and 74% of Indians said that they want peace and only a tiny minority of 17% in India and 8% in Pakistan are reluctant to let bygones be bygones.

The polls covered six Indian cities and eight cities in Pakistan including 36 villages. People-to-people contact is seen as an effective instrument to encourage peaceful coexistence by 81% of Pakistanis and Indians.

Now that a majority of Indians have denied past allegations that Muslims are responsible for all acts of terror it is time to come together and to look for new ways to move into the future.

This good news from the grassroots is a golden opportunity to talk of a more collaborative peace process, involving citizens from all walks of life, including women and youth leaders.

The optimism amongst the majority population is very precious and needs to be nourished before further political failures and terrorist attacks cement walls in the minds of the people that may prove to be far more difficult to tear down than geographical boundaries.

Looking to a future without fear on Indian and Pakistani Independence Days

2011-08-16T14:40:00.000+02:00

Last weekend both India and Pakistan celebrated Independence Day on 14 August and 15 August respectively. In the midst of joy it was also reiterated by some that it was a tragedy to divide South Asia, first into Pakistan on 14 August in 1947, and later into Bangladesh as well in 1971.

However more and more people want to move beyond the painful memories of divided families and material loss. Six decades after partition there is a desire now to reverse the relationship between India and Pakistan from mutual suspicion to mutual benefit, particularly amongst the young.

“We are poised to be the fifth most populous country in the world in a few years. With 60 percent of Pakistan’s 187 million-strong population below the age of 24, the youth of Pakistan form a potentially powerful force for change. We must be nation builders. It is our greatest responsibility and burden,” wrote Shehrbano Taseer, the Lahore based journalist on the eve of Independence Day celebrations in Pakistan.

“In 1947, Pakistan may have got its independence from the British Raj but 64 years later, with a moth-eaten country, we are still waiting for a new dawn...Crimes against women must also be stopped. A society cannot progress unless and until women are treated equally,” writes Mehmal Sarfaraz, the youthful editor of Pakistan's Daily Times.

Marvi Sirmed is an Islamabad-based student of international relations and counter terrorism. She has nicknamed herself “a Pakistani with a bindi” (the red dot on the forehead that Hindu women wear) and her thoughts on independence are focused on the future. Sirmed is a firm believer in cultural roots rather than oneness through religion and is convinced that the solution of Pakistan's current problem is to be a secular state whether Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan endorsed it or not.

“Being a secular state is to Pakistan’s best benefit. What Jinnah said or did not say more than half a century ago is hardly relevant to the solution of Pakistan’s current problems,” says Sirmed.

Salman Latif, a Pakistani blogger said that Pakistan's best hope is the youth. He feels that 64 years are sufficient to attempt a discourse over whether or not a nation should have been founded. “It’s about time we moved on and talked of something more constructive. We are the future of this nation and it’s up to us to shape this future,” Salman says.

In Dawn, Pakistan's oldest English language newspaper analyst Adnan Rehmat writes, “We have tried India as an enemy and it has cost us dearly. It’s time to try India as a friend because the cost of being a friend is far, far less than the cost of being an enemy.”

For Indians, improved relations with Pakistan will also mean diverting a little from precious resources away from security matters into programs that will provide the majority population a little more freedom from poverty, illiteracy and gender inequality.

In her Independence Day address Pratibha Devisingh Patil regretted on 15 August that there is a decline in the gender ratio in the 0 to 6 age group. “It has touched a low level of 914 girls as compared to 1000 boys. It reflects the continuing preference for boys in our society and the bias against the girl child. We need to fight social prejudices which have resulted in this situation, and also work to eradicate the practices of dowry, child marriage and female foeticide, which we continue to battle even in the 21st century,” said the president. Clearly the call is to fight social evils and not neighbors.

India's first female president lauded the success of the movement of self help groups in the country, 80 percent of which are all-women groups. They operate at the lower rung of the economic strata and carry out activities on a limited scale. These groups have provided women not only with possibilities of income generating activity, but have given them confidence and a sense of self-esteem.

In his message to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Independence Day, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was filled with hope that dialogue between India and Pakistan will help to take bilateral issues forward. Gilani expressed his desire to see friendly relations restored between the two countries in the interest of peace in the region, socioeconomic progress and prosperity for the people.

Members of civil society held a candlelight vigil at the Wagha border in the Indian city of Amritsar. Led by Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar and film-maker Mahesh Bhatt the vigil was joined by local people who marched in candlelight to the border with Pakistan where prominent Indian and Pakistani artists met each other and staged performances. With so much goodwill amongst the people, can peace be far behind?

A letter of reconciliation that brings hope to two nations

2011-08-12T17:19:00.000+02:00

Hats off to Farida Singh. With one gesture so full of grace she has flicked away the doubts that very often cloud the thoughts of those dreaming of a little more peace and a little more friendship amongst people worldwide. She has revived our faith that talking to each other is the most valuable gift both India and Pakistan can give to the youthful population of their respective countries.

Farida is the daughter of an Indian pilot, Jahangir Engineer, whose civilian aircraft plane was shot down by a Pakistani fighter pilot during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. Recently Farida reached out to the same Pakistani pilot to tell him that she and her family had never nursed bitterness or hatred towards him.

The great generosity of spirit demonstrated by Farida did not fail to bring tears to many eyes, and has hopefully shamed many a war monger.

Engineer’s plane had apparently drifted off course along the border between India and Pakistan and was shot down by Qais Hussain, a Pakistani pilot, more than four decades ago.

A few days ago Hussain wrote an email to Singh, saying that he was sorry for the loss of precious lives during the incident and that he was acting under orders from his superiors.

The email confession of Hussain says that he felt elated once he had accomplished his mission and landed back at a Karachi air base. However his mood changed when he heard a radio report that the plane he had shot down was a civilian aircraft with eight innocent Indians on board.

Hussain, 70 is a Lahore resident today. He wrote in his apology that he had shot down the Beechcraft after it showed up on the Pakistani radar, having drifted many miles away from the Indian coast and going up and down over the borders of Rann of Kutch.

“Nonetheless, the unfortunate part in all this is that I had to execute the orders of my controller,” wrote Hussain. “Mrs Singh, I have chosen to go into this detail to tell you that it all happened in the line of duty and it was not governed by the concept that ‘everything is fair in love and war’ the way it has been portrayed by the Indian media due to lack of information.”

“I did not play foul and went by the rules of business but the unfortunate loss of precious lives, no matter how it happens, hurts each human and I am no exception. I feel sorry for you, your family and the other seven families who lost their dearest ones. I feel greatly grieved that you lost your brother Noshir recently,” wrote Hussain.

In her spontaneous reply Farida confessed that the loss of her father was a life-defining incident for her.

She was barely in her teens, and life was very difficult for her after the loss of her father.

“But in all the struggles that followed, we never, not for one moment, bore bitterness or hatred for the person who actually pulled the trigger and caused my father's death. The fact that this all happened in the confusion of a tragic war was never lost to us. We are all pawns in this terrible game of war and peace,” Farida Singh said in her reply, accepting Hussain's apology.

In yet another gesture of generosity Farida gives all credit to the courage of Hussain for tracing her out after all these years to write to her. This is the beginning of a dialogue and the beginning of a friendship for both of them who are now in the autumn of their lives.

Both Farida and Hussain appeared on an Indian television channel soon after their respective emails were picked up by the media, which has gone overboard celebrating the generosity shown by both souls. It was on television that the two saw each other for the first time.

Farida said that at this stage in her life nothing is more important to her than peace of mind and Hussain’s apology has provided her that peace.

Hussian said that if an opportunity ever arose that he could meet Farida to condole the death of her father, he would grab it with both his hands.

Hussain has publicly requested Farida to convey his feelings to other members of the family who were equally hurt by the untimely departure of the Indian pilot whose plane he had shot down.

Farida says that she learnt the generosity of spirit and intuitive understanding of the pain of others from her late father and is convinced that he would have liked nothing more than to bring about a spark of forgiveness between our two peoples, who after all were one.

Now that Farida has put into practice what was taught to her by her father, her gesture is sure to teach the same to many a young person on both sides of the borders who are desperately in search of role models and of the inspiration that can empower youth and lead them away from hopelessness towards a more human path.

By Mehru Jaffer

Reassessing our perspectives on terrorism: lessons from Norway

2011-08-04T14:28:00.001+02:00

Almost a fortnight has passed since 77 innocent lives were lost in the terror attack in Norway, but the reasons for the tragedy remain uncertain.

The questions surrounding the tragedy won’t go away easily, particularly because the incident took place in one of the most peaceful and tolerant countries of Europe.

We should take inspiration from Norway, a country that is determined not to change its tolerant way of life. Instead it vows to encourage more openness and to fight back against the terror attacks that shocked the nation and the world through more democracy and more tolerance than ever before.

“Norwegians will defend themselves by showing they are not afraid of violence and by participating more broadly in politics,” promises Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

The determination and solidarity of the Norwegian people was evident in the rose march held outside the Oslo City Hall in which some 250,000 people participated. Tens of thousands of Norwegians have rejected the gunman amidst them and his anti-immigrant rhetoric by strewing the streets of their capital city with thousands of flowers until Oslo's florists ran out of blossoms.

Arne Walther, Norwegian ambassador to Japan, said that the gatherings on the streets of Oslo and across the country with roses and candles “share grief and comfort those who have lost their loved-ones, and not least send a strong message of unity in safeguarding the democratic values upon which our country and open society are built.” Walther called 2011 “a year of tragedy and sorrow” for Norway, identifying the attacks as a “one-man made human atrocity.”

Even amidst the sorrow that Norway is facing, the rest of the world can take a cue from the country.
Norway has shown that this is not the time to retreat away in fear and mistrust, but instead to increase engagement with one other in debates and discussion on how to make communities we live in more open, democratic and inclusive.

This is a moment to together defend our freedom to express different thoughts, even as we condemn violent extremism and strengthen our resolve for a smarter security system.
It is a time to reiterate daily to our children that no view is illegal but that violence used to express a view is unacceptable.

This is a golden opportunity for all of us to revisit ideas that will further enrich our pluralistic existence on this planet. It is time to redefine the relationship between the majority and minority population in a fair and creative manner.

Today, societies everywhere are struggling to find the proper balance between preserving valued traditions and living side by side with individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs. The spirit behind integration and assimilation everywhere is to make everyone feel that they are an integral part of life on this planet. The need of the hour is to make newcomers in any society feel at home and to provide space where a common identity is allowed to eventually flower.

At the policy level the task is to manage and harness the potential of diversity both in education and unemployment. Experts warn that poor integration, alienation and resentment within immigrant and minority groups is fodder for radical groups forever on the lookout for new recruits amongst disenfranchised populations.

Author of Love in a Headscarf Shelina Zahra Janmohamed regrets that as soon as news of the Norway killings broke, some news commentators were quick to point a finger at Muslims, who after September 11 became highly visible.

“The attacks of September 11 changed the nature of the discourse about the place of Muslims and migrants in the West. Last week's tragedy in Norway can and must change it again,” writes Shelina.

Shelina does not think that this is the time for triumphalism either, but believes that the loss of these 77 innocent lives should be a turning point. She would like the collective mind of the world to focus on resetting the terrorism narrative.

“This is the moment to subject previously unchallenged views to rigorous scrutiny. All those involved in the discourse around extremism and violence would do well to take away some big lessons from the past week to steer us away from the polarised trajectory we are on. First, we must be more precise in the language we use for such incidents. Just as it is not right to describe the September 11 perpetrators as "Muslim" terrorists, so it is not right to describe Breivik as a "Christian" terrorist,” suggests Shelina, who is a British Muslim writer.

At this time, societies that felt threatened by outside forces are beginning to look at terrorist tendencies within their own society as well. Shoma Chaudhury, managing editor Tehelka, a New Delhi weekly news magazine, believes it is time to reassess our perceptions of terrorism, even down to the language we use to describe it.

“It is important for all of us to correct the way we talk, write and look at the Muslim world and to learn to celebrate diversity,” says Shoma.

Empowering Indian women to tackle extremism on the home front

2011-08-03T16:21:00.003+02:00

Archana Kapoor, coordinator of the SAVE “Indian Women Say No to Violent Extremism!” program, was sure that no-one would turn up for the workshop the day after a fresh terror attack in Mumbai on 13 July, 2011. But on the morning of 14 July she was pleasantly surprised.


Group of participants in the brain-storming session, November 2010

“The morning of 14 July saw 100% attendance at our workshop. All the 80 participants were there and also the trainers, some of whom continued to commute from far flung areas of the terror stricken city,” recalls Kapoor, referring to the second three-month phase of SAVE’s workshop in Mumbai.

“I was amazed. I was overwhelmed,” adds Kapoor.

SAVE recently successfully completed the pilot phase of its income-generation, empowerment and anti-extremism workshop in Mumbai. The pilot workshop ran from April to June and involved 100 women. Due to the success of the pilot workshop, SAVE decided to immediately continue with a second workshop for a further 80 women. This second workshop had barely been launched when Mumbai was hit by a series of bomb blasts that killed 26 people.

Archana is convinced that the reason women don’t want to miss out on the workshop despite the traumatic events is due to the fact that the first workshop proved so useful to its participants. She suspects that the positive change seen in the women who participated in the pilot SAVE training was noticed by their neighbours, some of whom have joined the second phase.

Before they came to the workshop, many of the women felt they had little choice but to watch the world pass by helplessly. They lived in a narrow world of their own, with little insight into the motivations and risks of their children’s behavior. The participants now seem far more vigilant and aware about their children’s activities.

SAVE India first visited the neighbourhood where members of Mumbai’s large police force live soon after the three day terrorist siege of Mumbai in 2008. Most of the women SAVE talked to were deeply traumatized by the attack on their city, especially as most had male relatives who had been on duty during the siege. Some had lost family members in the attacks.

Many of the women felt helpless in the face of the changes that were taking place so rapidly in the world around them. They did not understand why their lives were threatened, and most were totally dependent on male members of the family. Most of them had no experience of formal education and no income of their own.

SAVE decided to introduce concepts of self-empowerment to these women, initially through a week-long workshop called Our Stories, Our Future in April 2010. Storytelling was used as a tool to get the participants to find their voice, to articulate personal encounters and to make the lived experiences of those impacted by violent extremism heard. Before this exercise, the women had no outlet to voice either their pain or their joy.

This was followed by Swimming into the Future with the aim of providing a new skill but also creating a bond between participants. Swimming was chosen as a tool conducive to confidence building that helped participants to feel comfortable with their body.

In November 2010, SAVE organized a brainstorming session with the women to discuss what skills they would like to learn in order to make their life more meaningful for themselves, their families and the communities in which they live. After initial hesitation, the women found their voice and the unanimous answer was that they wanted to learn a skill that would also help them to generate an income.

Reacting to the women’s wishes, SAVE decided to launch a pilot project in the midst of these women who spend their entire lives supporting male members of the family in the police force. As the agenda of the workshop took shape with the help of professionals including EduGuru India, a skill-providing agency, an integrated program of income-generating activities, empowerment and anti-extremism training was designed by SAVE especially for these women.

By the end of the eight week training, participants said that their time-worn perceptions of themselves and of the world that they live in had changed.

For example Sandhya Nikam, a housewife in her mid 30s said that the SAVE training is not just about leaning a skill, but about learning a life-changing skill.

Sandhya was part of SAVE’s Our Stories Our Future workshop and has returned for computer lessons and more confidence building. She says that she has come a long way since she was married at the age of 22 to a policeman with a meager salary. The family grew to three children but the income did not. At that time Sandhya probably believed that a life of deprivation was her fate. She lacked confidence to think of an alternative. But then she signed up for the computer training program, which changed her life.

“The success of the first workshop made it easy for us to begin a second one so soon after,” Archana points out.

However both the workshops were organized in the face of multiple challenges, says Archana.

The 80 participants in batches of four alternated in shifts between two small rooms that had to be fully renovated before the workshop was able to begin. While one group of ten learnt computer skills in one room the second room held English language lessons for another group of ten.

The workshop opened its doors at 10.30 am to the first group of participants and the day ended at 8.30 pm with barely a break of 15 minutes in between for the trainers.

“The problem of time, space and budget are real challenges but the thrill of engaging more and more women in activities that inspire us to take our life into our own hands is what will make me do this over and over again,” Archana concludes.

After Norway: Women's Voices for the Way Forward

2011-08-02T10:14:00.008+02:00


Floral tributes to those who lost their lives in Norway © Johanne Dohlie Saltnes

The attacks in Norway are a wake-up call for all of us. Social polarization among Europe`s diverse ethnic and religious communities has the potential to challenge the fundaments of social cohesion which is the fabric that holds open societies together. Stereotypical assumptions about “the other” rather than robust bridgebuilding efforts have set the stage for the ideologies of hate, social polarization and exclusion.

Norwegian flag flies at half mast © Johanne Dohlie Saltnes

Multiculturalism is not a promise and not a threat, but always a work in progress, and its success is based on open communication, participation and fairness from and for all parties involved. Our daily observations will certainly confirm research findings showing that interactions across communities have not been established except for high-level dialogue efforts which have tended to take place between elites, while prejudice, real and projected problems and mutual suspicion in society at large have persisted. Systematic people-to-people contact across community divides at all levels need to be encouraged. The function that women can play in this regard is significant. Their role as educators of the next generation and key players of civil society is often under-estimated or overlooked.

SAVE is currently reaching out particularly to mothers to build their self-confidence and political awareness, and sensitize them to currents of radicalization in their communities in order to position them as key allies in the creation of the social cohesion needed to ensure a stable future for all of us.

Please read the perspectives of SAVE Sisters and leading women from around the globe on how Europe and the wider world can move towards a future where we are able to live together peacefully.

Farah Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim Communities, U.S. State Department
In my role as Special Representative to Muslim Communities, I have traveled all over the world -- to every region -- and I see firsthand the impact lexicon and actions have to communities. How we talk about each other, treat each other, and talk with each other matters. It is important that people of every faith, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic group treat each other with dignity and respect. Knowledge of “the other” is immensely important. If you can learn about someone who is different, you can form the foundation for a relationship and increased understanding. One way to build respect is to work on projects or issues that are of mutual interest to distinct communities. By working together on challenges like health, childhood education, or the environment, bonds can be formed that are stronger than the differences between people. At the U.S. State Department we are mobilizing President Obama’s call to action for mutual interest and mutual respect. This year, Secretary Clinton launched the 2011 Hours Against Hate campaign (www.facebook.com/2011hoursagainsthate), which asks young people around the world to volunteer their time for someone who doesn’t look like them, live like them, pray like them. Bigotry and hate-language is increasing around the world, while at the same time I see young people across the planet talking about the world they want to live in—a world where old barriers are broken and people can come together to work on common challenges. This campaign is one small step toward creating stronger communities that embrace and celebrate diversity. We all must do our part.

Anita Pratap, Indian journalist living in Oslo
This tragedy is so deep it has wounded Norway's soul. Not even in their wildest nightmares could Norwegians conceive that a disaster of such epic proportions would strike them. A shocked and bereaved nation stands united. They are united not only in their grief, but also in their shared values. This tragedy is a wake up call to remind us that serpents lurk even in Eden. For, if there is a paradise on earth, it is indeed Norway - not only for its spectacular natural landscape but also in epitomizing the best human values of tolerance, peace, egalitariaism, gender rights, transparency, ethics and rule of law. While they could not prevent this tragedy, Norwegians have also shown us how to move forward - with the silent majority strongly reaffirming multiculturalism as well as these cherished universal human values that Norway epitomizes. Muslim immigrants and ethnic Christian Norwegians mourned together - for among the dead were young Muslims who had integrated with the democratic political mainstream. Despite the national outrage against the perpetrator, Norwegian citizenry defended his legal rights. It is by exercising our cherished human values and reaffirming our faith in multiculturalism during times of gravest provocation that we defeat violent extremists who are the real enemies of peace and tolerance.

Sasha Havlicek, CEO/Director, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London
What we have seen with the tragic events in Norway is how certain narratives that have regained mainstream momentum across Europe can provide a sense of moral justification to those that would do harm. With such painful evidence of how dangerous extremist ideology is in all its guises, we must also tackle the subtler, widespread narratives that serve to part-justify those views. We must stand together across communities to be successful. Women who have been directly affected by extremism are doing just that through SAVE. Whether extremisms lead to violence or just to fuelling suspicion and division, they are a problem that weaken our society and that we have to address together.

Hibaaq Osman, SAVE Board Member, Cairo
This tragedy has touched me in a very personal way. I have children the same age and I send them to camps and just to think that these kids were shot at close range is despicable. The Islamophobia in Europe and the US has been of the utmost concern to us, politically and otherwise, and this tragedy should be blamed on all the political parties, media, bloggers and radio programs that are encouraging these right wing groups and campaigning on this issue. The hatred is now focused on the Muslims but soon it could be on everyone who looks different and thinks different. We should fight together against terrorism, racism and extremism by remembering and taking to heart Pastor Martin Niemöller’s courageous words:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Fahmia Al-Fotih, SAVE Yemen
We have not recovered yet from the heinous terrorist acts that hit Bombay recently. An now the mass killings in Norway have strongly shaken the world specially as the act happened in a place known for peace and a country that annually presents Noble Prize for peace! The heinous act has also shaken some common concepts and stereotypes related to terrorism and extremism in which Muslims are always the first suspect. That has also reassured the world that terrorism knows no religion, no culture and no specific place. It is a threat for all and which rings the alarm for all of us that we should work collectively and look for serious actions and ways to prevent more massacres.

Carla Goldstein, Director of the Women’s Institute of the Omega Institute, New York
The Norway tragedy could happen anywhere - no place or people are immune from terrorist violence. The ending of extreme violence will not happen solely by traditional law enforcement, military, or retributive responses, so we must take up the extraordinary effort of building a new way of living on the planet together. Globalization connected us through transportation and information superhighways, and now we must build a new kind of superhighway – an empathy superhighway -- based on the understanding that the well-being of every individual is deeply connected to the well-being of all people and all living things. This empathy superhighway will connect us through compassionate and loving relationships, and will provide the networks and mechanisms to reconcile our differences, heal past traumas, and find ways to share the world’s precious resources more equitably and sustainably. The good news is that this work is well underway, and women are taking a leadership role in communities around the globe. Women who have suffered from losing their loved ones through violence, or who themselves have suffered from rape or domestic violence, are joining a global anti-violence movement and saying “enough is enough.” They are risking everything to reach across enemy lines and build a more peaceful world. Throughout history there has been a call to the women of the world to join together to end the bloodshed of war -- and the profound grief from Norway raises again the urgency of that call.

Norma Shearer, CEO of Training for Women Network, Research Partner of Women without Borders, Belfast
I stand in solidarity with Norwegian women and the people of Norway following the unacceptable violent attacks on 22 July 2011. This violence is an assault on democracy itself and young people attempting to engage with democratic processes. We in Northern Ireland know something of the grief which accompanies these horrendous and indiscriminate acts of violence and our thoughts and prayers are with the surviving victims and the many grieving families who are left so devastated. Of note in the wake of the attack was the speculation that those responsible were Islamic extremists which brings to light the anti-Muslim ‘tendencies’ that are attempting to embed themselves into Western Europe. There needs to be a policy debate and action from all state actors over whether governments are too ‘tunnel-visioned’ when it comes to combating extremist violence. There is the danger that by focussing solely on Islamic militants it contributes and encourages greater anti-Muslim sentiments as well as detracting from the threat of home-grown radicals not associated with Islam. Combating radical extremism requires dealing with these embedded ‘tendencies’ which in so many cases are learnt in the home, highlighting the important role of the mother in educating the next generation as either radical extremists or tolerant accepters of the “other”. My prayers and thoughts go out to all those in Oslo who have lost innocent loved ones and friends who are the very fabric of the future of society. It will take many years for the grief and hurt to heal and if any good can come of such a tragedy it will require courage, vision and education in order to allow us all to live in peace, understanding and tolerance.”

Siham Abu Awwad, SAVE Palestine
As a human being and especially as a woman, I believe we can always solve our problems through non-violent actions. I believe that Islam is always the religion of peace so I am sending my support to the Norwegian people in the hope that it’s the last violent action in Norway. I live in a crazy country full of violence and daily I meet mothers who are full of pain. As a member of SAVE, I, my organization and my nation are against all the faces of terror.

Pamela Philipose, Senior Journalist and Director of Women's Feature Service, Delhi
I remember reading somewhere (I think it was in Rushdie's Midnight's Children), that on the day Gandhi was shot dead, the one thought running through the minds of Muslims in India was this: "God, let it not be a Muslim." The presence of terrorism inspired by Islam is without doubt undeniable, but the Norway tragedy reminds us how untenable and dangerous are facile positions like "All terrorists are Muslims". In fact it is precisely such attitudes that contribute towards creating the horrifyingly delusional world of killers like Breivek. The Norwegian tragedy reminds us that geographical stereotyping doesn't work in a world connected by rapid travel, the internet and hatreds of various kinds. The bomb attack and shooting exposed the fact that reality is always far more complex than the human imagination can comprehend. This attack should be seized as a moment to build bridges between Europe's diverse communities in ways that are imaginative, humane and non-bureaucratic. The main vehicle for this is education, education and more education. Not just in schools but also in neighbourhoods and government apparatuses. Women are largely absent in conflict resolution. Their voices and experiences must inform policy discussions at all levels.

Beatriz Abril Alegre, who lost her brother Óscar in the 2004 Madrid train bombings
We have just come to realize how dangerous racism is. Maybe some people thought that the threats in Europe come from the outside; however, now we see that this is not a question of nationality or religion, but a question of extremism, whichever form it may take, all of them with fatal consequences. I send my condolences to all those families who have lost their loved ones, whose life has changed forever. I encourage them to fight their grief not with hatred or revenge, but with tolerance and peace: the only way to a better world.

In the Aftermath of Norway: A Call for Unity Against Hate

2011-07-25T15:51:00.001+02:00

On Friday, Norway became the unexpected target of a terror attack that reminds us of the pervasive nature of violent extremism. Norway suffered a bombing in the capital Oslo, which killed 8 people, and what is said to be the gravest mass shooting of modern times, which killed 68. It has emerged that the massacre was the work of a right-wing extremist advocating cultural conservatism, strong restrictions on immigration and the removal of Muslims from Europe. Early speculation claimed that the attacks could be the work of Al-Qaeda terrorist cells, but this was refuted by the 1,500 page manifesto that attacker Anders Behring Breivik published online.

This tragedy reminds us that terrorism is a phenomenon that crosses boundaries and is not restricted to one culture or religion. Terrorists destroy individual lives, but also aim to rip communities apart. We must keep this in mind when formulating responses to terrorism: our approach MUST be inclusive, broad-based and community orientated. We must begin at the grassroots level, rather than relying solely on government responses, addressing all radicalizing forces regardless of the political, social, religious or cultural factors which they exploit. Counternarratives need to be created within Europe, providing alternatives to a growing conservatism that promotes intolerance of difference within our societies. The Norwegian attacker cited Geert Wilders, the extreme right wing Dutch politician, as one of his greatest influences; it is urgent that moderate perspectives advocating for acceptance of the “other” and understanding of cultural difference are strengthened.

For moderate voices to be effective, they must have support at the community level. Women can be a key ally in anchoring tolerance within their community. By targeting mothers especially for self-confidence, political awareness and peace education, they can be empowered to make a stronger contribution to their children’s education, steering the next generation away from discourses of hatred and separatism.

Over-exposure to false narratives that dehumanize the other is a great risk factor for radicalization. Women without Borders / SAVE programs aim to bring Muslim and non-Muslim youth living in the same city together. Through these encounters, they learn more about one another’s lives, ensuring an open mind and removing fear of difference. Knowing the “other” personally makes it far harder to dehumanize and stigmatize entire cultural, religious or ethnic groups, breaking down the potential for the kind of violence that Norway suffered on Friday.

Women without Borders / SAVE practices an integrated approach of empowering women to identify early signs of radicalism in their children and educating them to promote tolerance in the family and community, and targeting youth through educational and exchange programs that re-humanize the “other” and show the human cost and traumatic consequences of terrorism. To learn more about our projects please follow this link: http://women-without-borders.org/projects/underway/

"See Yemen Through My Eyes"

2011-07-20T15:02:00.001+02:00

SAVE Sister and Editor of the Yemen Times Nadia Al-Sakkaf gives a great TED Talk about the real Yemen and its revolution. Visit TED here: www.ted.com.

Further Statements of Solidarity after the Mumbai Bombings

2011-07-15T10:00:00.005+02:00

Yesterday, SAVE Sisters and women leaders from around the world sent in their statements of solidarity with the families of victims of Wednesday's bombings in Mumbai. Further statements continue to flow in, showing the strength of international support.

Arshi Saleem Hashmi, Assistant Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, National Defence University (NDU), Karachi, Pakistan
It is indeed sad to see innocent people becoming the target of those who define humans as mere objects of their cruelty and means to achieve their goals. People dying in Pakistan or India, in Afghanistan or Israel or Palestine - it is not just those who lose their lives but hundreds of associated human lives that suffer every day. The only way to counter these acts of cowardliness is to defy their goal; that is, instead of surrendering to this game of death, we must continue to move forward, and women, more than men, need to take the family forward in defeating them through their resolve. Terrorism succeeds when the other side gives up the fight. Just like Pakistani women who, after every act of terrorism, come out and convince their families to continue their life and not to give up, Indian women are a source of strength and we Pakistanis admire Indian women who challenge and resist any act of injustice and violence. I am sure that this time as well, Indian women will encourage their families to fight violent extremism through collective efforts.

Phyllis Rodriguez, Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, USA
As the mother of a victim of the attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC on 9/11/01, I am deeply saddened by this attack in Mumbai. The rich and long tradition of nonviolence in India makes it all the more disturbing. Re-evaluation of domestic and international policies, plus negotiation, diplomacy and intelligence work are the only meaningful ways to lessen the incidence of such extremist acts. Women can be leaders in this.

Saba Naqvi, Senior Writer, Outlook News Magazine, Delhi
We have been mostly free of the terror and communal debate for the last few years. An event like this is not just tragic because of the horror and the lives lost and damaged, but because it opens the fault lines for communal mobilization. We should not ignore the fact that in recent years Hindu terror groups were found responsible for strikes that were originally blamed on Muslim terrorists. As far as the terror paradigm goes we must keep an open mind. Whoever is behind this it is a great tragedy for a great city like Mumbai to again face this. Mumbai will again endure, survive, and rise above small passions to get down to business.

Samia Al-Haddad, Yemeni Organization for Development and Rehabilitation
The Yemen Organization strongly condemns the outrageous attacks in Mumbai, which took place Wednesday evening, killing 21 people and injuring 113 others. We call upon all regional and international organizations and all the decent people and governments of the world in the East and the West to support Indian efforts to overcome these deplorable terrorist attacks, and to support all countries that are a target to such crimes, mass murders and human rights violations.

Juliann Campbell, Journalist, Derry Journal, Northern Ireland
Obviously this is a tragedy for all concerned and the widespread devastation and fear caused by these latest blasts will last much longer than any clean up operation or police investigation. The international community should unite in condemnation against these terrorists and support the people of Mumbai as much as they possibly can. Violence solves nothing. Discussion and a shared sense of compromise can solve many problems.

Catherine Cooke, Foyle Womens Information Network, Northern Ireland
I am sad and disgusted to hear of the blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday the 13th July 2011 – I send my heartfelt wishes of love, sympathy and sincerity to all those affected by the blasts - We all suffer when freedom is threatened and we are resigned to look over our shoulders again – I would like the women of the world to say enough is enough and we need to double our efforts in building the peace globally!

BREAKING NEWS: Reactions to the Mumbai Bombings

2011-07-14T13:09:00.005+02:00

Yesterday, three bombs exploded in Mumbai, India, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 100, in the fourth terrorist attacks on India’s financial capital since 2003. Two and a half years ago, on 26 November 2008, 164 people lost their lives as terrorists invaded the city in a series of coordinated bombing and shooting attacks. For SAVE, Mumbai has a special significance, because it was on that day in 2008 that we held our first international conference, bringing 33 women from around the world together to strategize on new ways to counter violent extremism.

Yesterday’s attacks are a reminder of the importance of the SAVE mission. Mumbai unfortunately seems to be just as vulnerable today as during the fateful days of 26/11. We must recognize the need for smart security that does not rely solely on military or police responses. Prevention of terrorism begins at the community level, where frustrations, anger and disillusion take root. Women can be key allies in educating the next generation to take the non-violent response and to bridge divides rather than exacerbate them. SAVE is currently running the Mothers for Change! Confidence and Computer training workshop in Mumbai with women whose relatives were on duty as police officers during the 26/11 terror attacks. The workshop is an integrated confidence-building, peace education and income-generation program. The program allows women to bring something to the table, therefore increasing their decision-making power in the home, while also teaching them mediation techniques and encouraging them to intervene when youth show signs of radicalization. This pilot program is a first step in the step-by-step process of changing attitudes.

SAVE Sisters and women leaders around the world raise their voices against violent extremism and the latest attacks in Mumbai.

Archana Kapoor, SAVE India

Archana Kapoor, SAVE India

Archana Kapoor was in Mumbai yesterday coordinating the SAVE Mothers for Change! Confidence and Computer Training workshop.
I or any of the women I work with could have been a victim of the 13/7 terror attack in Mumbai. I am so glad that my trainees, trainers and I are safe. But what about those 18 casualties and their families? The 150 injured? On July 12, the day before the attacks, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to commemorate the anniversary of 26/11. A lot of people I talked to were not convinced about doing another event. It seemed that many more people were losing their lives in accidents. But this attack on a normal day, on an otherwise peaceful day, has made us all sit up and think again. Acts of terror and extremism confront us every day, and we cannot just sit back and thank God for keeping us and our close ones safe. SAVE India works towards empowering women to say NO to extremism. It is in this spirit that SAVE started the Mothers for Change! Confidence and Computer Training. The resilience of the women of Mumbai is apparent through the 100% attendance in all three of our classes today.

Dr. Kanchana Mahadevan, Reader, Department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai
These blasts are reminders of how our lives are fragile and deeply interconnected. Like the previous instances, yesterday's violent acts too are perhaps skewed ways of settling scores for not getting justice in courts of law. The people who have died and who have been hurt are suffering for the wrongs that have been perpetuated by others. Our responses have to be empathetic and balanced. Besides helping the victims, what we also need are efforts to build confidence amidst diverse communities, so that such violence is abandoned. For this we need the courts of law to deliver justice, we need jobs, we need cultures that cut across communal lines. Mumbai has risen to such confidence-building in the past - it did so yesterday, it will continue to do so in the future. Citizens- women in particular- have taken the lead in constructing such multiple spaces. All of us have to continue with these measures, and keep our resilience and compassion alive.

Seema Mustafa, Journalist and Television Presenter, Delhi
The government has to be commended for not making wild guesses, as politicians usually do, as to who is behind the attack. But one can say with almost total certainty that once the wails of the victims and their relatives subside, the planted stories aimed at dividing society will start appearing in the media. It is important now for the Opposition to be responsible and not make statements that polarize sentiment along communal lines. Who did it is of course an important question, more so as no organization has claimed responsibility. But given the fact that the Indian investigating agencies have chased shadows for years before realizing entirely different organizations for responsible for attacks such as the Mecca Masjid blasts, the Samjhauta train blasts, it is important for the authorities to establish facts before addressing the media. Scores of innocent persons were arrested, tortured and maimed in custody for crimes they had not committed. This creates tensions that cut into the secular fabric of the country, and this must be avoided. The aftermath of a terror attack, if badly handled, can have long term repercussions as devastating for a wounded country as the blast itself.

Professor Anuradha M. Chenoy, Professor of International Relations at Jawharlal University and Author of Militarism and Women in South Asia, Delhi
The bomb blasts in Mumbai, last evening, have traumatized the city and India once again. The purpose of the terrorists remains the same: To create public fear in communities against each other, so that people retreat from secular public spaces into primary identity groups that extract their loyalty and obedience. Fundamentalists use terror for mind control. Controlling the autonomy of women, liberal ideas and peace activists is a critical part of their agenda. It should come as no surprise that India-Pakistan foreign secretary peace talks are to be held next week. Fundamentalist are scared of peace, because it decreases their power and role. State responses should not be the only counter to non-state terrorist groups, because binaries exclude other voices.

Rakshanda Jalil, Author, Delhi
This mindlessness has to stop. We have to pluck ourselves off the downward spiral that leads to violence and more violence.

Pamela Philipose, Senior Journalist and Director of Women’s Feature Service (WFS), Delhi
Every time the residents of Mumbai emerge from the trauma of multiple attacks, they are laid low yet again in a pattern that has now become horribly familiar. The attempt now, as always, is to terrorize and demoralize people, pit community against community, create a general climate of fear and undermine the well-being of millions of women and men who want nothing but to carry on with their lives in their chosen city. Such moments demand the coming together of all those committed to human security. They need to speak out against such heinous attacks and condemn terrorism of all kinds, whether by individuals, criminal groups, political outfits or state actors. The region needs to hear their voices as they continue in their efforts to build peace – not in the abstract but as a force that can transform ordinary lives and defeat projects based on spreading fear and hatred.

Shobhaa De, Author of the Column “Politically Incorrect” in The Times of India, Bestselling Novelist and Journalist, Mumbai
I am convinced there is something seriously wrong with us, the people of Mumbai. We are the ‘most attacked’ city on earth… and we accept this dubious ‘honor’ passively, like it is a part of our collective destiny to be frequently bombed. This is not stoicism, it is not resignation, and it most certainly isn’t resilience. So what is it? We think we are being heroic when we react like this when, in fact, we are being foolish. We do nothing about this sorry state of affairs and carry on like blasts are ‘normal’. And they are going to keep bombing us. You know why? Because they can. We refuse to hold anybody responsible. We refuse to make anybody answerable. We refuse to protest. What do we do instead? We show off! We get back to business as usual within hours of an attack and boast about it to the world. As if it’s something to be deliriously proud of. The facts are slightly different. Mumbai is attacked over and over again for the simple reason that it is POSSIBLE!

Mossarat Qadeem, SAVE Pakistan

Mossarat Qadeem, SAVE Pakistan

We in Pakistan share our solidarity and sympathy with those who lost loved ones yesterday. Pakistan is affected by terrorism daily, and we do not want anyone to suffer the way we suffer. Women are the most affected by conflict and violence, and it is time for the women of India and Pakistan to come together and make a pledge to address violent extremism. Women must start working on their home ground through advocacy, education and creation of awareness for peaceful resolutions. We must build trust between our countries. The international community should come forward and pressure the governments of South Asia to deal with these incidents with maturity. India and Pakistan must join hands and understand the roots of the problem to try to resolve it together, rather than blaming one another.

Maureen Fox, SAVE Northern Ireland

Maureen Fox, SAVE Northern Ireland

Fellow Survivors, I am disgusted and appalled by the blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday 13 July 2011, happening in a week that already marks the fifth anniversary of the Mumbai Train Blasts. I send my love and thoughts to ALL who have been affected by this tragedy; the mothers who have lost their sons or husbands, the daughters who have lost their father or brother or sister. You are not alone! I am sad - I am sad because I am neither shocked or surprised. Is this what we have become? Is this our 'normal' existence? This language of bombs, hurt and death is a 'disease' in our world. Who is next? Is it you? or your family? What choices can we make to change this violence, this mindset, this way of life?
This, my sisters is OUR world, when our child is sick we want to cure them, when our family is hungry we want to feed them, when our friends are in need we want to help them, and we can! Let's help our world to rid itself of this global disease. Use our voices and lead by example. When we educate our children, we educate our family, when we educate our family, we educate a community. Educate a community and you can educate a nation. Educate a nation? Well, that's where we go global! Together we WILL be heard.

Anne Carr, Dialogue Practioner, SAVE Northern Ireland
My heart goes out to the wonderful people of Mumbai in the aftermath of another senseless, brutal attack on their people. I was so privileged to spend a very special week with women and children who had been bereaved and injured in the previous attacks on Mumbai, helping them to share their stories and learn with, care with, understand with one another whatever their background, whatever their faith, women so brave and so violated through violence. I stand close to you all today and to those families again having to come to terms with this latest vicious attack on humanity. Women of the world will continue to work together tirelessly and with absolute resolve to build a global community with a special place for everyone, where there is ease with difference and where our children can grow up free from the disastrous realities of violence in all its forms.

Shaimaa Abdel Fattah, SAVE Egypt

Shaimaa Abdel Fattah, SAVE Egypt

Such attacks are only the result of ignorance and ruthlessness. There is no justification whatsoever for murdering innocent citizens. None of the religious sects support violence per se. It's our role now, to fight terrorism in all its forms and condemn those guilty of it. I take this chance to extend my condolences to the crisis-stricken families and promise to be a part of making this world a better place for us to live in.

Shahira Amin, Journalist, Egypt
I was deeply shocked to hear about the blasts in Mumbai. We have seen the power of peaceful protests, so no one can condone this kind of violence. I am sure that it won’t realize the goals of whatever these terrorists were trying to achieve. Violence only breeds more violence. It’s really regrettable that some people are still resorting to violence, for the killing of innocent civilians will never succeed in achieving any goals. I feel very strongly about this because we have seen the power of peaceful protests.

Dina Sadek, Journalist, Egypt
Those people [who carried out the attacks] are programmed to believe that what they are doing is the right thing, and that is the real problem here. They justify their terrorism attacks as “for the sake of God”, but God himself said in the Quran “God never changes the condition of a people until they change within themselves”. Nothing will change unless those people understand religion the way it is supposed to be, rather than their messy interpretation of it.

Hibaaq Osman, SAVE Board Member, Egypt
There is absolutely no justification for killing innocent people. Everyone should make a strong statement against such acts. Acts of terrorism do not only occur in India or Afghanistan, they could happen anywhere. No one is safe. This was not an act of justice; it was an act of murder. We need to call it what it is.

Robi Damelin, SAVE Israel
How many more people must die, how many more bombs must explode, how many more bereaved families need to be created before we all recognize that the nonviolent way is the only way to achieve a goal? It is time for women from every corner of the world to say enough. We all must say enough.

Resisting revenge: a terrorism victim stops the cycle of violence

2011-07-13T09:48:00.000+02:00

SAVE brought Hayati Eka Laksmi from Indonesia to Vienna in June for the Mothers MOVE conference. This is her story, published first by Common Ground News Service.

On the day of the Bali bombing in 2002, Hayati Eka Laksmi received a call from a representative of a car rental firm. The car her husband rented with some friends had been caught in traffic in the nearby tourist district of Kuta and a bomb had exploded just three vehicles away.

Eka had already heard about the bombing, but it never crossed her mind that her husband could have been affected. Her initial horror that a group could perpetrate such an attack in the name of Islam gave way to personal grief. She began a frantic search for information, trying to find out if her husband was still alive.

It took seven days before Eka found her husband’s body lying in a mortuary. “I had to identify his body based on marks pointed out by the forensic team and through DNA testing,” said Eka. “I was deeply shocked when it was confirmed that ‘Mr. X’ in Bag Number 145 was the body of my husband.”

The loss of her husband left Eka to bring up her two young sons on her own. “I relied on my husband’s income. My two boys were very young at the time, two and three years old. We were all deeply affected. I became traumatised and depressed.”

Eka noticed that her children were also becoming angry, sad and sometimes aggressive. On the first anniversary of the bombing, she felt that she must do something to move her family out of the grief into which they had sunk.

For six months, Eka received counselling from at a non-governmental organisation that actively helps survivors and victims’ families. Once she completed therapy, the organisation asked her to start working for them, which allowed her to earn some money. Like many women affected by terrorism, she had lost the household’s main breadwinner, and struggled to keep the family going economically. With the help of her mother, she opened a small shop selling domestic goods like sugar, coffee and gas.

Once she had resolved the most pressing needs of everyday life, Eka turned to the emotional needs of her children, taking them to counselling. She recognised that many families were going through the same trauma, and decided to bring friends who had also lost relatives in the bombings to counselling as well.

Gradually, Eka helped create a network of victims called Isana Dewata (Wives Husbands Children of Victims of the Bali Bombings). Through discussion and mutual support, victims were able to find the strength and spirit to overcome their hardships and turn their grief into positive action. The group now consists of 22 families, including 47 children.

The Bali bombings killed people from 22 countries around the world and from several different religions.

Eka recently travelled to Vienna for the Mothers MOVE conference, organised by SAVE-Sisters Against Violent Extremism, the world’s first female counter-terrorism platform. SAVE aims to break through barriers of nationalism, religion and ethnicity to create a global network of women dedicated to ending violent extremism, and to highlight the voices of victims to expose the human cost of terrorism.

In Vienna, Eka joined women from Nigeria, Yemen, Egypt, Pakistan, Palestine, Israel and Northern Ireland, all of whom have lost relatives to terrorism or who are working actively to counter violent extremism. Eka shared her own story and learnt from the experiences of others. Over the three days, the women built up an intimate trust. They gained inspiration from each other’s stories and recognised that even across cultures, the pain a mother feels on losing a husband or child is the same.

Eka recognises that a mother’s influence is very important: “Mothers are the basis of the family. [A mother] can give her children direction. Those children who were affected by the Bali bombing might have anger in their hearts. Mothers can explain to them that it is no good to seek revenge. Through cooperation with other mothers, women can better support their children.”

“My children’s lives were changed because of cowards who acted in the name of religion, but these bombings are not about religion,” Eka adds. “Islam does not teach us to kill each other. Religion is a basic need, and it is my foundation for life. I have learnt to appreciate the blessings that God has given to us and accept all of this with a sincere heart and without a grudge against anyone, not even against the terrorists who killed my husband.”

This is how Mothers MOVE Against Violent Extremism!

2011-07-12T11:36:00.018+02:00

From June 6-8, 13 inspirational women came together in Vienna to share their experiences as activists and mothers in countering violent extremism. The Mothers MOVE conference gave participants from Yemen, Northern Ireland, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Israel and Palestine the opportunity to hear from women from different cultural contexts, with the aim of learning from each other’s experiences, sharing best practices and comparing the similarities and differences of mothers’ role in the security arena between cultures.

Our good friends at the US-European Media Hub in Brussels captured these women's voices in a short film that captures the essence of the discussions over the three day conference. This video is dedicated to the memory of Werner Ertel, the cameraman who filmed the conference and many other Women without Borders events. Werner was truly a brother to our cause, and he will be deeply missed.

Consultant Mehru Jaffer and film-maker Ali Hasnain also filmed the event, capturing the activists' statements about how women as mothers can combat violent extremism.

Austria's young Muslim men need greater support to move out of their parallel world

2011-07-01T13:47:00.002+02:00

A new study by Women without Borders shows that young Muslim men in Austria do not enjoy the same chances as non-Muslims, endangering the integration process.

Watch an ORF report about this study, entitled "Explosive Study about young Muslims" (Brisante Studie über junge Muslime") in German.

Debates about multiculturalism in Europe have been raging over the past years. The increase in Muslim populations in many European countries has led to tensions between different cultural and religious values. Public demonstrations of religious belief, such as wearing a headscarf or hanging up a cross, have become increasingly controversial as diverse peoples try to find ways of living peacefully alongside one another.

Europe often views Austria’s dialogue with Islam as a leading example. Since 1910, the law has guaranteed the free public practice of religion. In recent years, a series of provisions for Muslims in Austria have been established, for example the possibility to follow an Islamic education from Kindergarten to high school. The international literature talks about a “Muslim Space” that Muslims have created for themselves, which includes education, grocery stores, prayer rooms and cultural centers.

Today, 400,000 Muslims live in Austria, a nation with a total population of just over 8 million. Almost half of Austria’s Muslim population is under 25, and nearly a third is aged between 25 and 39. The number of Muslims in Austria has doubled since 1991, and they are now the second biggest population group in the country.

Often, Muslim women find themselves the focus of attention; they are given support, provided with drop-in centers and discussion forums, to ensure that they integrate despite their lower participation in the employment market.

Young men, on the other hand, are often viewed with skepticism and left to themselves due to the perception that they are potential hardliners. A new study by Women without Borders entitled “This is who we are! Young Muslim Men in Austria” exposes the real lives of male Muslim youth. The study finds that they often live in a parallel world with fewer opportunities than their non-Muslim counterparts. Their educational paths diverge at a very young age, leaving many more young Muslims to go to less academically-challenging schools and to focus on traineeships rather than university education. In fact, only 2% of young Muslim men in Austria study at University.

However, career success is right at the top of their personal wish lists, closely followed by the desire to be an open, progressive person, who is at the same time a traditional man living according to his religion. These young men’s lives are strongly regulated by religion. Nearly 80% reported that they live according to Islam’s commandments, whereas religious guidelines are only relevant for about one quarter of non-Muslim respondents. Almost a half of the surveyed Muslim young men argue for a European Islam, providing clear evidence of the need for a successful symbiosis of religion and everyday life. However, there is a further discrepancy here between vision and reality; a third of the young Muslims report that “only in the Mosque do I find people who accept me as I am.”

Identification with Austria is part of the identity of young Muslims. Three quarters of respondents agreed with the statement: “I am proud to be Austrian and Muslim.” Patriotism and pride of their ethnic origins is another important element. 82% find criticism of their land of origin to be hurtful. Additionally, almost a fourth of the surveyed Muslims and non-Muslims report that they feel rejected by “the other”. The desire to get to know one another and engage in intercultural exchange and friendship is expressed above all by the Muslims: 42% would like to have more “Austrian” friends.

Positive interventions must be implemented that address the gap between these young men’s career goals and the opportunities they are provided with, as well as the social divide between Muslim and non-Muslim youth. It is clear that the motivation for engagement exists among the Muslim community, but the possibility to do so is lacking.

The study recommends that increased advice be aimed at young Muslims at critical ages, such as at the age of 15 when teenagers are choosing their career paths. Additionally, they should be encouraged to consider non-traditional careers, such as teaching or nursing, where their cultural and linguistic skills could serve as a great advantage. Mentoring programs that offer targeted individual support and programs that promote diversity in the workplace should be developed. What is more, male Muslim role models from the social and economic arenas should be highlighted to encourage younger men to follow in their footsteps.

Austria finds itself in a critical position. Austria is in the centre of Europe, and has historically formed the bridge between Western Christian Europe and the Muslim East. From Naschmarkt to Kipferl, the influence of Muslim culture in Austria is clear. The country must acknowledge the young Muslim men in its midst and provide leading ideas for integration to ensure that the coming generation in Austria embraces its own diversity and is able to live together in harmony.

To read the full report in German, please follow this link: www.frauen-ohne-grenzen.org/publikationen

Women must be empowered and educated to counter increasing trend of female suicide bombers

2011-06-28T14:52:00.006+02:00

By Arshi Saleem Hashmi, Assistant Professor, National Defence University, Member SAVE Pakistan

How does an eight-year-old child react to the so-called injustices by the West against the “Muslim world”? Most probably by doing nothing, for it is beyond the capacity of a child of this age to comprehend and interpret justice and injustice. So when a group of women and men kidnapped and forced a girl of 8 years of age to wear a suicide jacket, she resisted. In her own little world, God is beautiful, caring and very loving. Dying to please that God is not something that fits well in her world. This is what happens when kids are kidnapped or taken from their parents by so-called religious groups and used as human bombs.

Women suicide bombers are not a new thing in Pakistan, although they are rare. The first case of a woman suicide bomber was in 2009 when a woman killed many in Peshawar. Then in December 2010, a woman killed 45 people who were queuing for food in the Bajur area in a suicide attack. In February 2011, again in the Bajur area, a woman suicide bomber was arrested. Though the number of women suicide bombers is very low, it is certainly a dangerous trend. According to the figures of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, more than 52 would-be female suicide bombers were arrested by the police and other law-enforcement agencies across Pakistan in 2010.

A girl captured in 2010 revealed on TV that she and her younger sister were told by her father and brother to give their life for God and in return they will go to heaven. The younger sister detonated the bomb, but the elder couldn’t do it and got arrested. In October 2004,a member of Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi,(LeJ) Gul Hasan, was arrested over suicide attacks against two Shiite mosques in Karachi. During investigations, he revealed that LeJ was planning to launch suicide attacks using female bombers. According to media reports, Hasan had reportedly trained two of his nieces, both students at a school in Karachi, to carry out suicide attacks without the consent of their parents. Gul’s wife, who is also said to have been a member of LeJ, made the girls leave their home for the “holy mission.” Their father searched for them and even filed a case with the police regarding their disappearance. The girls were arrested in Swat in June 2005.

Former female religious teachers of Lal Masjid, (Red mosque in Islamabad) have also been reported to have trained women to avenge the Lal Masjid operation. Bomber recruiters brainwashed female and male seminarians, below six to seven years of age, for jihad. Their families are generally told that they would undergo training, but those from the outskirts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are generally kidnapped as their parents are not convinced that they should send their children for jihad. Religious groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba and a network of women working under the banner of Tehreek-e-Islami are all involved in using women as suicide bombers. Sometimes the target is military and sometimes it is against other sectarian groups.

Most of the time the young girls are forced to obey family elders, be it father, brother, or any other male family elder. They are supposed to accept what they are being told. Such women and young girls are unfortunate members of families who are sympathetic towards militants or are actively involved in militancy. The women have no choice of their own. Contrary to other parts of the world, militancy in Pakistani women is not an independent phenomenon. They do not “decide” to become a terrorist but are forced to obey. This does not mean that every woman in Pakistan is forced to obey their families. Many urban educated families in particular have a different attitude. It is mostly in tribal areas that women are supposed to follow what they are told.

The gloomy scenario however does not mean that Pakistani women have surrendered to extremism and militancy. In fact they have been reacting against it whichever way it was possible. The girl who refused to wear the suicide jacket is an indication that religious extremism is unacceptable and it is mostly forced and not willingly approved. Last year in October, when Meera, a girl whose father and brother forced her to become suicide bomber, she not only refused, she came out in public and exposed the situation in front of the media. Women in urban and also rural areas have rejected the notion of Jihad through violent means. Those who are influenced are in the minority and despite their organized efforts they have not been able to actually recruit young girls and women in large numbers. Usually it is coercion or violence that made these girls follow the footsteps of male militants.

The struggle against violent extremism is obvious among women of all classes and regions in Pakistan. The school girls in Swat whose schools were destroyed by the Taliban came out with more enthusiasm despite the threat, and reminded the government that more than anything they needed their schools back. School class rooms are the best places to teach young minds about peaceful coexistence, tolerance and religious harmony. A rigorous revision of school syllabus for public schools will help in encouraging young children to be more tolerant towards other faiths. Mothers in these affected areas are now more vigilant of their children by keeping an eye on their association with any such group or people who could influence their young minds. Rather than long speeches which do not make sense to a common woman, small meetings in cities, town, and villages to discuss personal experiences would help women to take this message to hundreds of other women in their families and towns. This one step helps to create a chain of likeminded women who reject extremism not only for themselves but for their men as well as their children. Women have a powerful role to play. Their role in deterring violent extremism is even more powerful then the role of being an extremist. This is what SAVE believes and its “Mothers for Change” project essentially targets that. Once women are convinced that violent extremism is self destructive, they will be the best source to influence their children which will eventually contain militancy.

The social, political and security situation has not deterred the Pakistani women, they have never endorsed violent extremism and they will never support it. The more women become a target of violent extremism, the more they will react against it. Fortunately Pakistani media and civil society are backing the women who are challenging and questioning the dictates of the religious extremists.

Pakistani women do not “Decide” to become suicide bomber but they certainly have the courage to say NO to dying in the name of religion. They have decided that come what may, they will not surrender to violent extremism.

Women Shield Children From Extremism

2011-06-16T14:32:00.000+02:00

An Article on IPS news by Mehru Jaffer

VIENNA, Jun 13, 2011 (IPS) - When Farah’s 16-year-old son began to disappear for several nights a week without saying where he went, she was naturally worried. After he returned one day and shattered the television screen in their Peshawar home, the mother of three decided it was time to quit her job as a teacher and to find out what was making her youngest child so angry.

To her horror, the schoolteacher - who requested that her real name not be published - discovered that her son was spending time in the company of people belonging to terrorist groups in Pakistan’s Swat Valley where Farah’s family originally comes from. The boy’s newly found friends were teaching him that it is a sin for his mother to leave home to work everyday and for his sister, a medical student, to talk to friends on the phone.

The teenager, whose name is also withheld for security reasons, was made to believe that it is a sin for good Muslims to watch television as it can distort their way of life and religion. He was being groomed to protect Islam - even if it meant with his life.

"This happened two years ago and I still don’t have the entire story from him," Farah told IPS. Farah was here along with six other mothers from Egypt, Yemen, Nigeria, Israel and Palestine to participate in Mothers MOVE (Mothers Oppose Violent Extremism), a panel presentation hosted by the Vienna-based Women Without Borders (WWB).

"Farah is a perfect example of how educated mothers can act as an early-warning signal to stop radicalisation in its tracks," Edit Schlaffer, founder and head of WWB told IPS.

Farah agrees that more women must be educated to ensure that they are able to creatively guide their children away from dangerous influences. At present the literacy rate of women in Pakistan is 45 percent, in comparison to 69 percent amongst the male population of the country.

Farah appeared at the open house panel presentation in a veil that revealed little else but her eyes, and she told the audience that she would not reveal her real name as she does not want to attract the attention of those she has successfully stopped from brainwashing her son.

What is common amongst Farah and the other women who also shared their experiences with terrorism is the conviction that the personal is political, and that peace starts at home.

"These women are a glowing example of the potential of mothers to counteract the allure of violent extremism in the family. It is the right and the duty of us women, of us mothers, to be engaged actively in the public arena to ensure the security of the future generation," Schlaffer said.

Farah was able to save her child by taking the change in his personality seriously - early enough. Her son had turned aggressive and secretive and she wanted to know why. Farah feels that because she is a teacher, because she is an educated mother, she was perhaps better equipped to deal with the problem.

"He fought with me and his sister for not veiling ourselves and for driving a car," Farah explained. "He objected to us talking to anyone except to female members of the family."

After discussing with her husband, a medical doctor, both decided to resign from their respective jobs in Peshawar. Their neighbours and friends were told that they were moving abroad.

Farah then moved with her family to another part of the city. Farah and her husband devoted a year to spend time with the teenager - explaining to him what they knew about Islam.

They checked his mobile and discovered that he was called from countless different numbers - when they dialled those same numbers there was no response. To this day the parents don’t know where the child had gone and whom he had met.

Farah told IPS that each time she tries to find out the names of the people he had met and the place he had visited, her son tells her that it is all over, and in the past. He has made it clear to Farah that he does not want to talk about the incident.

After having missed a year of school he is now back in college. That is the good news. The bad news is that he is now introverted and often depressed.

"He likes to write and I encourage him to do so. But he writes the most heart breaking verses that are full of pain and pessimism," says Farah who prays that like her son has been returned to her, happiness too will return to him one day.

According to the U.N., an estimated 103 million Pakistanis, or 63 percent of the population, are under the age of 25. However due to difficult economic conditions the future of the majority of youth in Pakistan seems bleak.

In Swat the Pakistan Army and Taliban have been fighting for control for over a decade. Militants are forever on the lookout to recruit youngsters like Farah’s son to train them to become suicide bombers.

Female doctors tortured in Bahrain amid fears of intensified crackdown until June 1

2011-05-11T23:56:00.002+02:00

Bahrain's government has announced that it will lift the state of emergency on June 1, but this may signal a worsening of human rights abuses in the short term, according to SAVE's contact in Bahrain, as medical professionals continue to go missing.

Three days ago, Bahraini authorities summoned Dr Najah Alhadad for a short interrogation. The only contact she has had with her family since then is a five-minute phone call to her daughter, asking for a change of clothing.

Alhadad is a consultant family physician and Deputy Chief of Primary Care in Bahrain, and like many others she has been targeted because of her profession. “The regime is interrogating those who brought medicines to the protesters and who received casualties from the uprisings,” says Rania*, who also works in healthcare in Bahrain. “The regime is making up accusations, saying that the doctors and nurses held in custody carried out unnecessary operations on people, and that these people died from the procedures.”

From the testimonies of doctors and nurses recently released from custody, Rania is able to put together a picture of conditions inside the al-‘Adliya Criminal Investigations Department where most are held. “Detainees are beaten with water pipes and hoses, slapped on the face, head and legs, and some are given electric shocks until they lose consciousness,” says Rania. “Prisoners are kept blindfolded and made to sit on chairs for days without sleep. Men are sometimes hung by their feet and beaten. After the torture, they are given a blank piece of paper and told to sign at the bottom. The authorities fill in the confession above the signature.”

Female detainees are usually held for two to five days, but several men have been missing for far longer. There is no gender segregation in the centres, and women report hearing men screaming all night long.

Bahrain’s government began its deadly crack down on March 14, in response to popular protests agitating for political change. Four people have so far died in detention. Rania claims to have seen the bodies of these victims, saying that they were covered in torture marks.

One young poet, Ayat al-Ghermezi, was reported to have been killed by the regime on April 20. She was arrested after reading her poems in Pearl Square, the main gathering point for protesters. However, Rania’s friends claim to have seen the 20-year-old in detention, alive and in acceptable health. “The government is trying to force her to write a poem praising Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa,” says Rania. “Apparently she tried to do it, but could not think what to write. Now she is refusing to write.”

Lifting state of emergency may only intensify immediate danger for opposition

Currently, a state of emergency reigns in Bahrain. Movement is severely limited; there are checkpoints in city streets and at the entrance to most villages to ensure that protesters are unable to gather. The crackdown is also harming the economy, as many employees – including 150 medical staff - have been suspended from work or fired. The regime has announced that it will lift the emergency laws on June 1, but Rania doubts that this signals an improvement in the immediate situation of opposition figures.

“The extremists in the regime will charge as many people as they can before the end of the state of emergency,” says Rania. “More will be arrested and they will try to finish most of the trials of activists and opposition leaders before June 1.”

Tomorrow, 21 activists and opposition leaders will appear before a Military Court on charges that include attempting to topple the government by setting up terror groups, inciting hatred, and taking part in rallies without notifying authorities, according to Amnesty International. They have been denied basic rights such as access to a lawyer before trial.

Medical staff may also soon face such trials, according to Rania. “There is an interrogation committee in the Ministry of Health, and the acting head has so far referred 47 persons to the Ministry of the Interior for investigation. Many are sent to the military court, and we do not yet know what the sentences will be.”

In total, 30 male doctors are currently in detention. The majority are thought to have been forced to videotape pre-written confessions which may soon be aired on Bahraini television. Concerns have risen for three surgeons in particular, Dr. Ali Elkri, Dr. Nadeel Hameed and Dr. Basim Bhais, all of whom were leaders in organizing medical care at Salmaniya Hospital during the protests, and thus have become a focus for the regime’s revenge.

Rania emphasizes the impossible situation that Bahraini medics face. “Doctors take an oath when they qualify,” says Rania. “Even if you see an enemy, regardless of race or religion, if they need medical care you must give it to them. The regime is operating double standards – on one side they are accusing us of refusing to aid foreigners, and on the other they are telling us not to treat Bahraini people.”

International public opinion is hardening against the Bahraini regime, especially since a group of five Bahrainis brought a case to The Hague’s International Criminal Court on Friday, accusing the Bahraini Royal Family and certain government members of war crimes.

Still, Rania does not believe that the international community is doing enough to put pressure on the government. “During the uprisings in the 1990s, the government could act with impunity,” says Rania. Bahrain saw sustained unrest in the 1990s, resulting in around 34 deaths. “Now that we have social media, TV, and internet, the whole world knows what the regime is doing. But international coverage is not up to expectations. They frame this as a Shi’ite revolution, but it is a Bahraini revolution. We don’t want external intervention, but we want strong statements by world leaders condemning the crimes against humanity happening here, and a stronger focus on Bahrain in the international media.”

Rania has so far avoided detention. However, she cannot sleep at night, knowing that she could be the authorities’ next target.

“I am afraid for my family – I don’t know what will happen. Nobody is safe and every household has been affected.

“Politically, there will be no genuine changes. But from history we know that we have to fight for our rights. It might not be fruitful this time, but in the long run it will be. We cannot complain that our government is brutal and not react against it. We must show the world that we asked for our rights and the regime refused. Innocent blood will not have been shed in vain. We will not achieve 100% of our demands. But even if we achieve 1%, we have made a step forwards.”

*Name has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. Report by Helen Victoria Thompson.

The Square of Change in Sana’a: an Incubator for Reform

2011-05-10T10:22:00.000+02:00

A briefing by Atiaf Zaid Alwazir on the social and political changes taking place in the squares of Yemen.

Yemen has witnessed widespread protests and sit-ins throughout the squares of change for the past three months. These squares became incubators for change and the birthplace of a new political culture. The time spent at the square has given protestors the time to network, organize, engage in awareness raising activities and honest dialogue, and agree upon general principles. While the focus at the beginning was solely on political reform, the interplay between different actors on the ground has forced individuals to begin discussion on social and cultural change as well, as a holistic approach. These terminologies are being tested on the ground. While this gave the movement an opportunity to mature, the longer this political deadlock lasts, the higher the chance of violence, especially by the circle around the President who will try to protect their own interests. The interplay between various actors on the ground will determine the future of the movement, and the country’s future direction.

This eyewitness report is by a Sana’a based researcher who was involved in the protests since late January 2011. While the protests are nationwide, the paper will focus only on the square of change in Sana’a. Read the full document here.

Mother's Day - a day for political and social mobilization

2011-05-09T09:10:00.028+02:00


	Carla Goldstein (right) with Edit Schlaffer, director of SAVE, and Elizabeth Lesser, founder of the Omega Institute

Carla Goldstein, board member of Friends of Women without Borders, explains the roots of Mother's Day and highlight's SAVE's upcoming Mothers MOVE event on WAMC Northeast Public Radio's 51% The Women's Perspective show. Listen to the broadcast here: http://bit.ly/kJPj3Z

The idea of setting aside a special day to honor our mothers is certainly not new. But did you know the special history of the day in the US was related to feminism and the peace movement? Carla Goldstein, Director of the Omega Women's Institute in New York and board member of Friends of Women without Borders, explains the roots of Mother's Day in the USA and highlights the most important women's organizations working to improve the status of women today. She also mentions SAVE's innovative event, Mothers MOVE, which focuses on the potential of mothers to form an early-warning system against terrorism. Read more about our event here: http://bit.ly/jG0Ohz

Yemeni youth ready to confront gender roles - Women without Borders study on IPS

2011-05-04T09:39:00.000+02:00

Despite being at the forefront of sweeping changes taking place in the country, the lives of the majority of Yemeni women are restricted to early marriage, motherhood and serving husbands, according to a new study by Women Without Borders (WWB), a Vienna based public relations and advocacy platform for women’s voices around the world. By Mehru Jaffer.

"Most of the women talked to, even those from a traditional background, do express a desire for more independence in many aspects of their lives," Edit Schlaffer, founder-director of WWB told IPS.

The survey reveals that women are largely restricted to the private sphere and discouraged from participating in public life.

With a grant from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), a team of researchers from WWB designed a 134-item questionnaire in the Arabic language that was distributed amongst 600 students at Yemen’s Sana’a University on the eve of the February uprising earlier this year.

Over half of the male respondents feel that allowing women to work undermines their religious practices. However, a majority of both men and women see changing gender roles as an opportunity to fare better in a fast globalising world

Before her first visit to Yemen in 2009, Schlaffer’s image of the country on the western border of the Arabian Peninsula was that of a hideout for terrorists and a society frozen in time.

"After my first trip to Yemen I was amazed at the work the women were doing," recalls Schlaffer. "I was introduced to a women’s radio station in Sana’a. I met female journalists, aspiring politicians and great mothers."

Schlaffer was introduced to a vibrant civil society that is flourishing in the face of Western mistrust and domestic roadblocks.

The idea of the fact finding mission led by Schlaffer was to find out more about women and their views on extremism in the country, and to establish a SAVE Yemen chapter.

Yemen has a young population and women spoke openly about their own government and what they thought of governments abroad.

SAVE, or Sisters Against Violent Extremism, is a worldwide initiative of WWB to counter violent extremism and to propose strategies for derailing the extremist movement.

"Yemeni women, the NGOs and the mosques can play a vital role. As mothers, women can help in educating and guiding their sons; in society they can be activists in stopping violence," Hooria al Mashoor, Vice-Chairperson of the Women’s National Committee in Yemen told Schlaffer.

Today al-Fotih, is SAVE Yemen’s local coordinator and continues to work with mothers seen as potential ‘alarm-sounders’ when their children travel down the wrong path.

SAVE Yemen has held talks with Women Journalists Without Chains on the role of Yemeni women in confronting terrorism and extremism. Nadia al-Sakkaf, editor-in-chief of ‘Yemen Times’, the country’s leading English language newspaper has helped to host meets with local victims of violent extremism.

Fatima al-Zuhairi, principal of a local school discussed problems of extremism amongst female students in her school, and the challenges and accusations she has faced from extremist preachers in her local mosque.

After having created a network of supporters on the ground, WWB launched the latest survey to gauge the attitude of university students in Yemen on a wide range of issues - but with a focus on gender equality and the future. The findings disclose that the youth in Yemen yearns for gender equality.

The survey showed that youth is ready for change and optimistic about the future.

The survey reports two interrelated trends seen in many developing countries - including Yemen. There is a growth in the population of young people, and increased access to education for both men and women. The educated youth pose significant challenges to economic and political stability as the rate their growth rapidly outpaces available job opportunities.

The promise of free education is real but the hidden costs such as uniforms and school supplies present an overwhelming challenge to many families. Nearly half of the respondents reported that their families find it difficult to pay for their university education.

Conservative, male-dominated social norms still make access to education an insurmountable barrier for too many Yemeni women, but a move in a positive direction is visible. The majority of women predict their future career will be that of a teacher or professor - women currently represent less than a quarter of the educators at all levels.

Domestic violence is a part of many lives, 39 percent have witnessed it and 27 percent have experienced it. Little data is available about this conduct in Yemeni society due to social stigma.

The results also reveal girls are often prohibited from attending school or playing sports, and most women do not hold jobs or participate in politics because the public sphere is almost forbidden to them.

Most female respondents to the survey - despite access to education - come from families with traditional Yemeni values. They are more concerned than their male counterparts with the wishes of the family and agree that family plays a strong role in their decisions.

Unfiltered Voices: Moving Beyond Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-03T14:41:00.001+02:00

SAVE Sisters from around the world have continued to raise their voices and to share their concerns on the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Mbarka Bouaida is the youngest ever elected member of Morocco’s Parliament, and Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, and Religious Affairs.

Mbarka says: “I am happy to have received news of Bin Laden’s death, but we need to keep working to stop terrorism. I am concerned as a Muslim, and what they propagate should not be our education. I don’t think they [the terrorists] are religious at all; they are not Muslim.

Furthermore, women are directly linked to security issues, and even terrorist ideologies, because women are concerned about education. There are different ways to educate people, and we need to reinforce the role of women in education. We must give women more tools, authority, and rights.

I believe that women are much more sensitive to peace and security than men are, and so women have more potential. But this potential is not very well developed, and it is not very well used.

While I am happy about the news we received yesterday, I am very shocked about what happened in Marrakech. My thoughts go out to all of the families. They didn’t deserve for this to happen, but this will not stop us. We need to be stronger to face the terrorists.”

Mossarat Qadeem is Executive Director of the PAIMAN Trust in Pakistan, and a SAVE Pakistan partner.

Mossarat says: “’Obama gets Osama’ is the news reverberating around the world today. Remember, with Osama’s death, terrorism and terrorists do not end. Today, Al-Qaeda has declared war against Pakistan. One never knows how many more women will be made widows, how many children will be made orphans, and how many women and men will be rendered disabled, handicapped for life in our country. Pakistan, where 30,000 common people and 5,000 security forces have been killed over the last few years in various terrorist incidents, is being warned once again.

If we really want to address the menace of extremism, we need to recognize the role women can play in moderating extremism. It is the mothers, the sisters, and the wives who, if empowered and enlightened, can influence the heart, mind, and soul of their relatives. It is she who notices the first sign of attitudinal and behavioral changes, if any, and it is this woman who has the ability to influence a mind set and who can dissuade her children and husband from joining Taliban forces and hence can combat extremism. We the women prioritize health, education, and job creation—issues essential to increasing societal well-being in the long term and decreasing the conditions that breed extremism. The power of women must be recognized in helping the world to get rid of terrorism and terrorists.

Arshi Hashmi is an Assistant Professor at the National Defense University in Islamabad.

Arshi says: “Pakistanis have had yet another shock to deal with: the weak state, hostile relations with neighbors, a bad economy, extremism at home and now the most wanted terrorist is dead after an operation in a city near our own capital. We cannot even rejoice, the way people all over the world are rejoicing. Pakistanis are asking a number of questions, not to others but of themselves. What went wrong with the state which was established by the founder Mr. Jinnah as a place for all to live with dignity and equality, irrespective of their religious beliefs? Pakistanis at this point in history are calculating the gravity of any step they might take in the future, for any wrong decision would take the country down to total destruction.

Fed up with all sorts of violence (ethnic, religious and political), Pakistanis are now just thinking one thing: ‘we want to come out of this mess,’ and it seems that in the coming days there will be a great deal of debates on Pakistan's role in the war against terrorism. Pakistanis do not own Osama; some people may feel sympathetic toward him but the entire population believes that Pakistan no longer wants to be a "safe haven" for rebels who do not have a place in their own countries. Pakistanis in our media are discussing that we have had enough of other people's wars in our land, be it Afghan jihad, or the Palestinian issue. Pakistanis need to live in peace and want prosperity.

Just one message to all those who still think Pakistan is a "safe haven" for their evil agendas:

Sorry, Pakistan is not available for any kind of so-called wrongly interpreted ‘jihad.’”

Nadia al-Sakkaf is the Editor-in-Chief of the Yemen Times, the leading English-language newspaper in Yemen.

Nadia says: “It is amazing how media has made of the name of Osama bin Laden a symbol of terrorism. Now that he is dead will that mean terrorism is over, or does it mean we will need to identify the next symbol and make a media case of him?

The world needs to remember that extremism is not individuals; rather, it is a culture that derives its strength from power imbalances and injustices, and this is much harder to get rid of.”

"Only free media will stand up for women as citizens" - Independent media in Yemen struggles due to lack of funds

2011-05-03T12:09:00.001+02:00

The uprisings in the Middle East are frequently attributed to increased freedom of expression through new forms of media and communication. However, Yemen’s revolution is threatening independent news sources while simultaneously allowing them more liberty to report on controversial issues. On this World Press Freedom Day, May 3, SAVE spoke with two leading female journalists in Yemen about the contradicting forces of revolution and the essential role of free media for women’s empowerment.

When Nadia al-Sakkaf took over the helm of the Yemen Times, she had to let go of half of her staff. Nadia found that many male reporters were unwilling to work under a female boss and did not respect her authority. The newspaper was founded by her father in 1991, but since she took over six years ago, the newspaper has gone from strength to strength, winning several awards. Yemen’s uprisings, however, have been a mixed blessing for the newspaper, and are currently endangering its existence due to a lack of advertising revenue.

On one hand, journalists are now able to report on many issues they could not before. “The revolutions are driven by people's demands and needs for freedom and a better life,” says Nadia. “The first way that was used to do this was through media.” She speculates that the government may be “too busy or too broke” to bother about restraining the media.

Journalists hurt in the protests were not usually targeted, claims Nadia, but were caught up in the general violence. Foreign reporters are, however, under threat, as the government continues to deport even those who have valid residence papers.

Instead, a major threat to several newspapers is a lack of funds. Soon after the beginning of the revolution, Nadia’s paper lost 70% of its advertisements due to instability in the country. Not long afterwards, the paper’s critical reporting left it excluded from state advertisement campaigns. Reluctantly, Nadia has had to reduce the number of pages to half, and fire several freelancers and part-time employees.

The threat to Yemen’s only independent English-language newspaper could leave the country without a reliable bridge to the outside world. The newspaper’s mission statement is to “make Yemen a good world citizen”. “There are so many stereotypes on Yemen and it is our responsibility to provide readers with an objective, credible source of information,” says Nadia. “We provide readers with an independent, alternative point of view on Yemeni issues.”

However, even government-run outlets are coming under pressure due to reduced advertising revenue. Afrah Nasser, who writes for the government-affiliated Yemen Observer, says that the newspaper has been struggling since the second month of the revolution. “Companies don't want to put ads anymore,” says Afrah. “They believe people won't be interested to see ads.”

Yemen’s English-language newspapers are of increased importance due to the relatively low attention Yemen’s uprisings has received in the international media. “The international media's coverage of the Egyptian revolution was beyond remarkable,” says Afrah. “For Yemen, however, it was very very little.”

Nadia agrees that international coverage has been poor and is plagued with stereotypes about the country. “The international media usually have the same story about the protests,” she says. “They don't take the time to report on the real issues of Yemen, perhaps because they think their readers are not interested in the details. This is why we, as the local English newspaper, have to cover this gap and report on issues that really matter from a Yemeni perspective, but in English and in a style that is understood by the world.”

Free media is also an essential component of ensuring the evolution of and respect for women’s rights in Yemen. “Free media means that women are better in control of their fate,” says Afrah. “Once a woman is censored just because of her gender, she is sinking into becoming a second-class citizen. Free media for women gives them the space to speak out comfortably and freely and determine in which class they are ranked.”

“In societies like Yemen, women are the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups,” adds Nadia. “Only free media will stand up for them as equal citizens and promote their rights.” Nadia and Afrah have been working to include women’s perspectives in the media since before the revolution. Nadia has even managed to change mentalities on what is considered newsworthy by her readership.

“Sometimes we would put a story on women or children on the front page and leave the more politicized stories about the president or political debates inside,” says Nadia. “At first my decisions were criticized, but when we got positive feedback from readers it proved that pack reporting is not always best.”

Yemen’s uprisings have seen women play a part that has surprised and fascinated the world. But women’s voices are still left out of visions for a future Yemen.

“Many women demand to be partners in the governing of the new Yemen and this is not reflected or advocated enough in the media, whether locally or internationally. We need to make sure that women are a part of the future, not just the making of it.”

If you would like to know more about how to support independent media in Yemen, please contact us at office@women-without-borders.org.

Report by Helen Victoria Thompson.

The News of the Death of Osama Bin Laden, by Gill Hicks

2011-05-03T11:02:00.001+02:00

On hearing this breaking news my immediate thoughts were not ones of rejoice, in fact they were of ones of great concern.

My fear is that Bin Laden will become a greater inspiration in death than in life to many of those throughout the world who choose destruction and the murder of innocents in a futile effort to further their cause.

One man’s death is sadly NOT the death or the end of the ideology that he was a or the figurehead for. It is my own belief that an idea / an ideology cannot be ‘killed’ – but rather an idea needs to be met with another idea, constructive rather than destructive, one that can challenge, can plant a seed of doubt, has the power to reveal a flaw and most importantly be persuasive and influential.

My focus, and that of my organisation, M.A.D. for Peace, is to build a foundation for lasting, sustainable peace.

M.A.D. (Making A Difference ) for Peace exists to communicate the importance of our individual responsibility in creating a world in which extreme conflict and its human consequences are ended.

We believe that Peace starts with YOU.

I start each day by thanking each of those brave and remarkable people who did everything humanly possible in London on July 7, 2005 to save my life, who risked their own lives to do so and who never gave up on me.

I owe them everything – every day that I have had, every joy every tear every smile and laugh, every bit of life that I have enjoyed I credit to them.

The depths of my gratitude are immeasurable.

I stand, on prosthetic legs, metaphorically shoulder to shoulder with all those who have lost people they love, who have been maimed and who have experienced the horrific effects of the hatred and distorted belief of those who support terrorism.

I have witnessed and been the recipient of the brilliance of humanity – and it is based on the actions of those paramedics, police, doctors, nurses and physio’s – and my family and dear friends – and the many emails I receive every day from people who tell me their story, what they are doing to make a positive contribution that I believe Peace is possible – and I live in the hope that we will all know the confidence of a life without violent extremism, without terrorism.

( Dr ) Gill Hicks MBE

BREAKING NEWS: Moving Beyond Osama bin Laden

2011-05-02T14:01:00.008+02:00

SAVE –Sisters Against Violent Extremism is the world’s first female counter-terrorism platform. To date, civil society, and especially women, have been almost completely neglected in the fight against violent extremism. It is naïve to think that Bin Laden’s death is the end of our struggle; to achieve long-term change, we must ensure that we tackle terrorism at its roots by engaging families, communities and societies.

Last night, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda, has been killed in a military operation in northern Pakistan, almost ten years after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Bin Laden was a figurehead for the Al-Qaeda movement, acting as a driving force for the successful spread of the group’s ideology. His death is not an occasion for celebration, but a crucial turning point in the struggle against violent extremism.

In the last decade, we have learnt much about effective methods of combating terrorism. We must be aware that Al Qaeda’s forces might have the ability to quickly regroup if we do not react effectively at this critical juncture. It is clear that military approaches play a valuable role in reducing the immediate threat posed by terrorist groupings, and governmental and political approaches by their very nature move more slowly and can achieve significant change in the medium-term. However, to achieve a long-term shift in attitudes toward violent extremism and to reduce the allure of extremist ideologies, civil society must become a central player to effect a change in perspectives among communities and to propagate a culture of non-violence and tolerance.

The death of Bin Laden is not enough to eradicate the threat of violent extremism. The removal of Al Qaeda’s central ideological leader is, however, an opportunity to engage vulnerable communities, to join moderate Muslim voices with civil society voices across borders of nationalities, ethnicities, and religions, and to highlight the human cost of terrorism to create a powerful counter-narrative to Bin Laden’s violent ideology.

SAVE taps into the potential of women to act as early-warning systems in their homes, communities and among restless youth. Supporting women in their efforts to propagate a tolerant environment that does not allow for the development of violent ideologies is key to the long-term success of efforts to counter violent extremism.

The Mothers for Change campaign is at the heart of our work. In their central role in the family, mothers are key educators of the young generation and perfectly situated to recognize the early signs of radicalization in family members and community groups. To recognize and mobilize their power, mothers must be provided with the right tools.

This morning, SAVE collected the statements of SAVE sisters from around the globe, to share their views on how to move forward.

Aicha el Wafi, whose son, Zacarias, was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks, is a SAVE testimonial and sends a message to mothers around the globe:

“I would like to say to all the mothers—to the mothers in Israel, in Palestine, in Europe, and in America: There is no one else but the mothers. They must protect their children, and raise them to respect themselves, their countries, and others. When their children begin to see and hear things, they don’t always recognize the danger in it. I only realized what was happening when it was too late; I was naïve. I loved my children, and I thought my love sufficed to protect them from harm. But extremist organizations take advantage of children who do not understand, and love is not enough.

“I send a message of courage to all the mothers around the world. You need to seize your children’s attention. You need to show them how to be respectful, and you need to show them that there are good people. But you also need to show them the bad, and to show them which dangers are lurking. Love can move mountains, but you need to direct your children.”

Furthermore, SAVE promotes the voices of victims of terrorism who bear witness to the human cost of such violence. These courageous individuals, many of whom have managed to turn their grief into activism for meaningful change, carry extraordinary weight and can contribute to developing new strategies for combating radical ideologies. Their eyewitness testimonials offer a powerful new perspective to the young generation, discouraging the use of violence through a confrontation with the consequences of terrorist actions.

Gill Hicks is a young Australian who lost both legs in the 7/7 terrorist attack in London. Since the bombings, Gill has begun reaching out to young generation to educate them on the real effects of terrorist acts, particularly in volatile communities. She leads conversations with vulnerable youth, encouraging them to think about such questions as, “does it help any Palestinian, or does it lessen the grievances of any other group that I am sitting here without my legs?”

Gill says: “We must be aware that we cannot just kill an idea and an ideology. This highly concerns me. I urge people to continue to lead by example, to reflect that which we want to be back in the world. We can only fight the idea with another idea.”

Bahrain Made Personal: One Woman’s Story of Her Missing Father

2011-04-29T17:19:00.000+02:00

Aseel Ibrahim Sharif was interviewed by Anna Therese Day on Peace x Peace's blog.

22-year-old Aseel Ibrahim Sharif is the daughter of Ibrahim Sharif, the Secretary General of Bahrain’s secular opposition party and one of the hundreds of activists detained under the Bahraini government’s recent crackdown.

An activist in her own right, Aseel participated in Bahrain’s initial mid-February protests in Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. She describes herself as “one of the hundreds of women who voiced their opinion.” As she explained, “Nobody is silent in this movement.” Aseel’s activism was taken to a new level when her father was arrested over one month ago.

In her own words, Aseel describes the experience of her family, one of many families suffering through the regime’s crackdown.

***

Anna Therese Day (ATD): In your own words, can you describe the current situation in Bahrain and, within that context, why your father was targeted for government arrest?

Aseel Ibrahim Sharif (AIS): My father is Secretary General of the Bahraini opposition party, the National Democratic Action Society or “Wa’ad.” Wa’ad is different than the main opposition parties because we are secular, we don’t mix politics and religion.

What has happened in Bahrain is that the government has decided to frame the movement as a sectarian movement to pin it on the Shia. They’re basically fabricating a story about the Shia wanting to overthrow the regime for Iran in order to use this as an excuse to crack down on the protestors.

The fact of the matter is, the protest movement is peaceful, and the demands were never sectarian, they were always national. And that’s where my father comes in. He is Sunni – even though we are secular – but he is a Sunni leader in the end. He does not represent the Sunni nor does he claim to represent the Sunni, but it’s notable to the government to see a Sunni person stand up against the Sunni regime. It’s usually the Shia who voice their opinion more, because they are the majority that is oppressed.

With that said, however, the protest movement encompassed both Shia and Sunni. The majority was Shia, of course, because they are the majority of the population, but there were many Sunnis that were standing with them and the same is true on the other side. The pro-government side was mostly Sunni, but you also have some Shia with them. If the movement was sectarian, you’d see a clear divide, but the government is trying to make it sectarian right now by specifically targeting Shia villages, cracking down on Shia activists, cracking down on athletes, lawyers, nurses, you name it from one sect to turn the whole movement into a sectarian movement.

ATD: What happened on the night of March 17th, the night that your father was arrested?

AIS: My father was taken on March 17th from our house at 2AM. I wasn’t in Bahrain so I got all of this information from my mother, but from her testimony, around 40 masked and armed men came to our house and demanded that my father leave the house. At one point, they pointed a gun at him. When he asked, “Who are you? Where’s your warrant? Where’d you come from?” they avoided the questions until they finally said basically, “We’re security, you have to come with us.” They wouldn’t disclose where he was going.

He left peacefully, there was no resistance from him at all, and, ever since he was taken away, we’ve only received one phone call from him a few weeks after his arrest. The only thing that he managed to say was basically, “I’m fine, and say ‘hi’ to the kids, and how are they?” We haven’t had any visitation rights, we’re not allowed to enter into any investigations, we aren’t even allowed to speak about him under the emergency state in Bahrain.

Everything is a mystery when it comes to the detainees. Their families are usually left in the dark and you just hope for the best. Sometimes they go in and they never come out – my father has already been hospitalized twice, and in recent weeks, we’ve seen that four detainees died in custody.

ATD: What are the demands of your family and others for the resolution of the crackdown in Bahrain?

AIS: We have asked for my father’s release and we continue to do so. We believe that the only forces that will be able to resolve this situation in Bahrain are diplomatic forces abroad. We need the Great Powers and Allies, like the U.S. and the U.K., to intervene and to ensure the safety of detainees, including my father.

In terms of detainees, our demands include that they [the Al-Khalifa regime] uphold basic human rights – allowing phone calls, the presence of a lawyer for all detainees, and a fair trial – and, with that said, we also urge an investigation into the treatment of the detainees. As I mentioned before, four have already died in custody, and the ones who were viewed and photographed by Human Rights Watch showed clear signs of brutal torture, with lash marks all over their bodies.

I think it’s important for the American people to press their government to uphold the democratic values that the U.S. prides itself on. No one should allow any ally of the U.S. to torture their citizens, to make arrests and detainment just for wanting political reform. So I urge all Americans to step up and to use the appropriate channels to pressure President Obama to speak to our government, to send them a harsh wake-up call and stern words to stop torture and end injustice in Bahrain.

Women Struggle to Unite Fractured Bahrain

2011-04-29T12:25:00.000+02:00

An article by Suad Hamada of the Inter Press Service News Agency. Also published on Reuters' Trustlaw Women's Rights blog.

MANAMA, Apr 22 (IPS) - Women in Bahrain have launched new initiatives to tackle sectarian tensions that emerged as the fallout of widespread unrest sweeping the country since Feb. 14.

The tiny island with oil incomes representing around 70 percent of government revenues was known for years for its peaceful coexistence between its majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations.

The majority of those who participated in demonstrations before the declaration of the three-month state of emergency in March were Shiites. Sunnis were mainly involved in pro-government rallies.

The result: long-time friends have turned enemies. Each sect has issued a list of shops that should be boycotted because Bahrainis of the opposite sect own them. Those lists are circulated through leaflets, email and e-forums.

‘Women for Bahrain’ is an initiative that is working to unite Bahrainis once again. "Through the group we are trying to tell people that religion is for god, and the country is for all of us, and how sectarianism could lead to serious complications," activist and member of the media committee Fawziya Al Khaja told IPS.

The recently formed women’s group of different walks of life stands against powers in Bahrain backing sectarian tension to promote their agendas, she says.

The group commenced its activities in March, calling for love and tolerance through Internet social networks. A unity petition was launched.

A gathering in the same month followed the call for love and tolerance. It promoted meditation and other exercises.

"The group’s activities wouldn’t have a timeframe and would continue as long as we are needed, we want from the people of Bahrain to respect and accept each other regardless of their differences and to share the love of their country," Al Khaja says.

The group is also dedicated to spreading the principles of wisdom, justice and freedom to protect the dignity of people. "Through the group we are telling society and the world that the role of Bahraini women shouldn’t be overlooked, as without them the structure of family and community get affected," she explains.

Internet social networks and Blackberry messenger are now a war zone for Shiite and Sunni youth who pass hate messages back and forth constantly. Those messages criticise the differences among two sects of the same religion, president of the Bahrain Women’s Union Mariam Al Ruwaee, tells IPS.

"Mixed marriages felt the heat of tensions most, since people could shun sectarianism inside their homes, while we are confronting them insides our bedrooms," Fathiya Ibrahim, a Shiite, told IPS.

Talking about her relationship with her Sunni husband, she said: "We aren’t at ease as we share different opinions. It wasn’t like that before but situations have dragged us to this level."

Sunni academic, Haisa Al Junaid who is married to a Shiite, has so far attracted 40 women to stand together against what could threaten the stability of their families and the safety of their children - fights that turn violent at schools.

"We want to take legal actions, including filing court cases against well-known figures promoting sectarianism," Haisa announced during a recent launch of the initiative at her home.

"Through the group we want also to highlight that we are in pain from disunity in the community and disturbance of relations."

A terrorist victim isn’t always someone else

2011-04-28T17:19:00.000+02:00

An article by Tahir Wadood Malik, initially featured by the Common Ground News Service.

Terrorism was something that happened to others.

Upon seeing news of another terrorist attack, I would simply change the channel. That is, until 5 October 2009, when I received a phone call that would change my life forever. The caller said that there had been a bomb blast in the office of the UN agency in Islamabad where my wife Gul Rukh worked.

I do not remember whether I drove, or how I reached the office. All I know is that somehow I got there. But there was nothing to see, and no one to meet.

Someone told me that Gul Rukh had been taken to the medical centre. Driving there in a daze, I began asking myself the eternal question people in such situations ask: “Why us?”

My name is Tahir Wadood Malik, a retired Major in the Pakistan Army. My career provided me with a comfortable lifestyle, and I considered myself to be part of Pakistan’s “privileged” society. In many ways I felt aloof from many of the everyday people of Pakistan.

Upon reaching the medical centre, I stood surrounded by chaos, until a doctor took me to a gurney covered in a white sheet. Lifting it, I saw the face of Gul Rukh, drawn of all colour, lifeless.

As I stood there, numb and glued to the floor, I heard a scuffle. Looking up, I saw a hospital staff member pushing a television camera man away from near where I was standing. He’d been filming the chaos in the hospital as well as my reaction, and I realised that I had become the nameless, unknown face on the television that was shocked and stunned from the carnage of a terrorist attack. I was that “common” Pakistani no one really wanted to see.

Before midnight, the burial was done and people had dispersed. I was left alone to brood and to feel angry, depressed and drained, unable to think clearly about what had happened.

As days went by, I felt increasingly alone. There was no one to talk to. For many in Pakistan, grieving is a silent, personal matter, and most people are resigned to loss being the will of God. However, while people’s responses to loss may seem similar, there is no typical response to loss, maybe because there is no typical loss. Our grieving is as individual as our lives.

In the days that followed, there were more terrorist attacks and I felt myself drawn to these places. Talking with the survivors made me realise that we could empathise with each other because we shared a loss that others could not identify with.

What could be done for others who’d suffered so gravely? I had the opportunity to meet other survivors of terrorism from across the globe in Amman, Jordan when I was invited to attend the opening of a park dedicated to the memory of the 2005 hotel bombings there, which led to the deaths of 60 people and injured 115 others.

This collaboration of terror attack victims from around the globe gave me the direction I needed to channel my frustration and helplessness into helping my fellow Pakistanis. Upon my return to Pakistan, I started talking to more survivors and victims, and gave presentations to college and university students to raise awareness about what happens to family and friends in the aftermath of such attacks. We then founded the Pakistan Terrorism Survivors Network to help victims and survivors of terrorism, and let them interact, console and empathise with each other.

In talking with others, I learnt that while forgetting is impossible, we can all learn to forgive. I ask others in my situation to make an effort to do so too.

But if I ever had the chance to encounter someone who was considering becoming a suicide bomber, I would ask them just a few questions: have you actually read what the Qur’an says about such actions, or are you just listening to an ideologue? Do you know that the Prophet Muhammad abhorred violence? And, finally, how can you reconcile the fact that, one day, someone else may commit the same kind of attack, leaving your family member injured or dead?

We victims and survivors are certainly not “common”. We have suffered through a loss so traumatic that many others will hopefully never have to understand or share. I hope our voices speak loud enough to resonate with young, confused extremists and their sympathisers, impressing upon them that their actions will not achieve anything except pain, loss and destruction.

###

* Tahir Wadood Malik is Founder of the Pakistan Terrorism Survivors Network, which aims to provide terrorist attack survivors and victims’ families the support they need to express their grief, share the burden of loss and know they are not alone. This article is part of a series on the consequences of terrorism written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 26 April 2011, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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Women leaders in Yemen demand equality, participation, and representation, despite President's comments. Leading activist Amal al Basha talks to Edit Schlaffer

2011-04-27T15:45:00.001+02:00

Amal Basha, Chairperson of the Sisters Arab Forum in Sana’a

Amal al Basha, Chairperson of the Sisters Arab Forum in Sana’a, Yemen, and one of the leading progressive women’s voices in the country, was on her way to a meeting with the Women’s Coalition to discuss the issue of violence conducted against women during the demonstrations when she answered her phone. I could tell that she was very agitated, and she immediately said that she wanted to tell me about the abuses against women at the hands of religious extremists in Change Square.

Just over one week ago, President Saleh condemned women’s participation in the opposition rallies, saying that by mixing with men on the street who were not direct relatives, they were violating traditional Yemeni cultural norms. His comments provoked significant backlash from both women and tribal leaders alike—an unlikely alliance has formed around the issue of women’s capacity to lead in Yemen.

In response to Saleh’s remarks, thousands more women took to the streets, demanding their rights to be heard, side by side with the men. The women called for a mixed demonstration, but religious extremists locked arms to prevent the women from leaving their bloc and joining the men. Those women who managed to break through the cordon—about twenty, all very prominent in intellectual Yemeni society—were pushed back and beaten.

The female protesters in Sana’a reached out to the military leaders after the brutal attack. They apologized and said that they did not give the order to attack the women; the women responded by demanding this exact same apology from the political leadership as well.

Amal is confident that such use of brute force will not be effective for much longer in the current revolutionary phase. Yesterday, a group of 53 women leaders gathered at a seminar to pen a document demanding equality, participation, and representation, which they hope will be discussed in the protesters’ official tents in the coming days.

Amal explained that the current revolutionary phase will end when President Saleh steps down. He currently exerts political leadership over little more than one single district in Sana’a, but he nonetheless retains control over the security forces. “We should not push him into a corner; he is like a man in a cave. Rather, we should make sure he is safe so that he can surrender.” Once the revolutionary phase has been completed, the country will enter a transitional phase, during which Amal believes that Saleh should be tried according to the rule of law.

In response to enquiries about the mood in Change Square, Amal says that the scene is encouraging; 25,000 protesters sleep in the square every night. “Of course, however, it takes only one man to create problems and a deep-rooted sense of uneasiness among the women.”

Throughout the tumult of this revolutionary phase in Yemen, Amal and her female colleagues are very strategically and reasonably planning their next moves and refuse to give in to panic and the excitement of the moment. The women are confident that a new brand of Yemeni woman—brilliant, educated, and well-informed young women—will shape the future of the country.

The foundation does have some cracks in it, however—women belonging to the Islah Party, Yemen’s religious party, have a very different agenda. They are cleverly employing the momentum of the revolution for their own cause, establishing a Salafi state.

Amal herself has received a number of anonymous threats to kidnap her children if she does not keep quiet; even her 70-year mother has received harassing phone calls in Taiz.

In a dramatic appeal, Amal says, “We need the world to help the revolution to succeed. Saleh has used the terrorist agenda to threaten the West, collect money, and stay in power. We need our friends to stand by us now.”

Interview conducted by Edit Schlaffer, Executive Director of Women without Borders / SAVE-Sisters Against Violent Extremsim

Women Leading the Way in Yemen

2011-04-26T11:10:00.000+02:00

An op-ed in The Huffington Post by Hibaaq Osman, founder of Karama. Read the original article here.

Glued simultaneously to the TV, Blackberry, laptop, and my own windows, I watched Arab politics come back to life just a few short weeks ago. As someone who has devoted her life to promoting women's human rights and political participation, I continue to rejoice at the role women are playing in the ongoing revolutions spreading across the Arab world. The Western media seem surprised that women are on the streets, raising their voices, protesting for democracy, and walking side by side with men who all want the same thing -- political reform and equal rights. They shouldn't be.

As I write this, all eyes are on Yemen. The country's president of 32 years, Ali Abdullah Saleh, had signaled a desire to step down by the end of 2011 or sooner, but suddenly reversed this decision, declaring that he would make no further concessions to end the crisis. This move is unlikely to placate the growing ranks of opposition members. As even more generals and diplomats move into the opposition camp, the questions are: will Yemen follow the route chosen by Egypt and Tunisia, in which the military stepped in to engineer a swift transition of power, or will Yemen become another Libya, where the elite have fractured into a civil war?

Unfortunately, many pundits and policymakers in the U.S., Europe and throughout the Arab world view this historic opportunity in Yemen through the narrow lens of terrorism. They are publicly fretting about how various scenarios may affect the near term fortunes of extremist groups or whether a next strongman will emerge to provide "stability" to preserve their interests in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. Both approaches are shortsighted.

Instead of more guns to fight terrorism, the West and Yemen's Arab neighbors should be asking how we can support Yemen in a transition to a robust and fully representative democracy. A true democracy in Yemen won't be built overnight, but it is the only thing that can begin to ease the economic despair, political sense of helplessness, and resentment of perceived foreign meddling that breeds terrorism and instability. Women must be part of that transition.

The puzzle of democracy has many pieces: civil society groups, better education, and economic opportunities. Women are 50 percent of that puzzle. Their voices have never been silent, but now, at long last, they're being heard. And well they should be.

On March 8, Women's Day in Yemen, a crowd of hundreds of peaceful female protesters gathered in Sana'a to demand the ouster of President Saleh. The protest was an act of courage that would have been unthinkable even a few weeks ago.

Mona Safwan, a participant in the march, captured the attitude of many protesters:
"The peaceful struggle through the media and pressed for by human rights organizations, the peaceful sit-ins, they did not bear fruit, and also the peaceful demands and peaceful struggle for this country. Now we join the women because the peaceful means did not work. It must be a revolution."

Consider also the case of Tawakul Karman, a 32- year old mother of three who has emerged at the forefront of the movement to oust Saleh. Several stints in prison and an assassination attempt last year have only redoubled Karman's determination as she works to coordinate the sit-ins and demonstrations that are rocking Yemen's political scene, and some observers have floated her name as a possibility for president.

Yet despite demonstrating, taking risks, mobilizing, suffering, marching, and standing side by side with men in the revolutions and protest movements of the modern era, women have historically found themselves omitted from both power and opportunity in revolutions' aftermaths. For instance, only 8 percent of women are ever represented in any type of reconciliation plans. The unfortunate historical record is that, from Mexico to Iran to post-Soviet Eastern Europe, women are often left out of post-revolutionary decision-making processes, exacerbated by traditionally lower participation rates in government, military and business.

Women have made strides in Arab politics in recent years. In 2005, the International Parliamentary Union said that 6.5 per cent of MPs in the Arab world were women, compared with 3.5 per cent in 2000. And in Tunisia, the first Middle Eastern country to fall to regime change in the region, nearly 23 percent of members of Parliament were women. No wonder the media is now taking time to listen "to us." Having witnessed history being made these past few weeks, we must continue to create political comfort zones where we develop local leaders, and where both sides work without interference from identity politics. Nowhere is this currently more evident than Yemen.

In 2005 I founded Karama, a network of groups around the Arab region working to end violence against women and promote female political participation. The organization, whose name means "dignity" in Arabic, has given me a front row view of the triumphs of Arab women like Tawakul Karman, as well as a perspective on the years and decades of hard work that still lie ahead.

We should acknowledge and celebrate the role of Yemeni women in the movement. They are a hopeful sign of the vibrant democracy that might be born in Yemen -- if it is allowed to. But the only way to truly honor struggle and sacrifice of these heroines is to make sure they have an equal seat at the policymaking table the day after Saleh leaves.