Female Diplomacy in Action

This week of International Women’s Day is our time and space to showcase our achievements and potential. From Davos to DC, women’s contribution and involvement is strongly recommended and we are not politely waiting for the gentlemen power brokers to step aside.

Women are earning their place and unfurling their transformative power in all directions.

Security remains one of the last bastions of male dominance and the potential of women has been widely neglected in counter terrorism strategy. The primary focus is centered on intelligence, military operations and law enforcements. But there can be no political breakthrough without a human breakthrough. 

The attacks of 9/11 have changed the face of our world. We choose International Women’s Day to highlight the resilience and determination of a particular group of women, who are working on this breakthrough in an extraordinary way. Women without Borders/SAVE organized a workshop in Irvington, New York, where 15 women, who lost loved ones in the attacks shared their stories of how they rebuilt their lives. And, beyond that, they strategized how each one of them can contribute to a new culture of reconciliation and trust building on a global level. This is applied female diplomacy in action! Let’s honour their courage and watch the film “We Refuse to Hate”. 

Their message is clear:

“We are women of one fabric, and we must stand together, united, to make this a more peaceful world for all. Terrorists around the world forge a contract with death. We embrace life. Our loss should never be your loss.”

The vision of the group is reflected in the statement of one of the women:

“We are very aware that although 9/11 was the worst day of our lives, it was only one day. How are the women holding up in countries where terrorism is a daily threat, where the children fear that their parents might not come home every day?” 

Link to the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuUJSbqTdtA&list=UUJQXqgLe1YxqUqsy_8_jYgA&index=1

US marks 9/11 anniversary, SAVE to launch Women of One Fabric global workshop series in New York

Thousands will gather today in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania to mark the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in a number of low key ceremonies.

The main ceremony will be the ritual reading at New York’s Ground Zero of the names of the 2,983 people who died both on 9/11 and during the 1993 car bombing of the World Trade Center.

The New York skyline has been lit up with twin lights, filling the hole left after the collapse of the twin towers.

President Obama and his wife Michelle will observe the anniversary with a moment of silence outside the White House.

It has been more than two years since Osama Bin Laden was killed at his Abbottabad compound in Pakistan. Even though the Al Qaeda movement was largely weakened by their leader’s death, terrorist attacks are still occurring every day in Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and many other countries in the name of Al Qaeda and its affiliate organizations. Recent hate crimes, shootings and terrorist attacks in Europe and the US have also shed light on rising sentiments of intolerance towards different cultures and religions in the West.

Sisters Against Violent extremism believes that now more than ever, women around the world must take the lead in the fight against violent extremism in their communities. It is true that in times of war and insecurity women often pay the highest price, nonetheless, SAVE strongly believes that women are also driven to protect their families and best-placed to be a creative force for stability in their households, neighborhoods and cities. Women hold key strategic positions as wives, mothers, educators, social workers and community leaders and are therefore better positioned to prevent the spread of violence by advocating for peace, tolerance and non-violence.

SAVE is launching a brand new film entitled Your Mother that addresses the issue of violent extremism and its impact on mothers around the world. Find out more on our website.

On the occasion of the 11th anniversary of 9/11, SAVE will run the very first Women of One Fabric workshop in Irvington, NY, in partnership with Tuesday’s Children. The workshop will be the primary stage of a global solidarity campaign for women dedicated to creating a united front against violent extremism.

Women of One Fabric uses dialogue to highlight the commonalities of loss and tragedy that result from acts of violent extremism, and will help to create understanding for the role that women must play in order to counteract the rhetoric of revenge and terror. The international workshops form the basis of a global campaign that will attract attention to the universal threat of violent extremism and the painful human aftermath of such acts.

The participants of the Women of One Fabric workshop, New York 2012

Hosted by the Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute at the Company Headquarters in Irvington, a group of women impacted by 9/11 will include pieces of a personal belonging of their loved one in the creation of beautiful sheets of hand-made paper. After the paper has dried, participants will embellish the paper under the guidance of a local artist to depict their emotions of loss, and hope for a future without violent extremism. During the workshop there will be opportunity to foster conversation, mentorship, and outreach opportunities, and subsequently the exhibit will be displayed in Atlanta, Georgia, Washington D.C., New York, and around the world.

With similar workshops in the US, Indonesia, Nigeria, Somalia, India, Pakistan and Northern Ireland, culminating in an international art exhibition, Women of One Fabric will work to create a new narrative of unity and agency instead of division and victimhood.

Response to Recent Shootings at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple

By Evita Mouawad

Most Sikhs living in the United States were not surprised by Sunday’s attack on their temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where a gunman opened fire killing seven people and injuring three others. The FBI is treating the attack as a domestic terrorist incident, while recent media reports have described the shooter as a US Army veteran and a lead guitarist in a racist hardcore rock band.

Since the events of 9/11, the Sikh community has been feeling particularly vulnerable in the country. Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Washington-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education, released a statement to the Associated Press saying: "This is something we have been fearing since 9/11, that this kind of incident will take place… It was a matter of time because there's so much ignorance and people confuse us [as] being members of Taliban or belonging to [Osama] bin Laden."

Family members of the victims gather at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin - Photo by Reuters

Sisters Against Violent Extremism strongly condemns the attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. Violent incidents such as this one --and the many others we have witnessed this year, from Toulouse in France to Kandahar in Afghanistan-- reveal a growing sense of intolerance towards other cultures, religions and ethnicities in a world that is constantly under threat. This feeling of insecurity, coupled with misinformation and a lack of trust in others, will inevitably lead to an increase of violent extremism and must be tackled on the community and educational levels.

Amardeep Kaleka, son of the president of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, center, comforts members of the temple, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wis. Satwant Kaleka, 65, founder and president of the temple, died in the shooting. He was among four priests who died. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Police officers described the attacker as a bald, white man, dressed in a white T-shirt, black pants and with a 9/11 tattoo on one arm. This particular tattoo was the first piece of evidence to hint out that the shooting was in fact a hate crime. It must be said that most of us in Europe, America and the world tend to forget that the victims of 9/11 hailed from many different religious and ethnic backgrounds, even Islam. In fact, several dozen Muslims perished in the attacks on the World Trade Centers, some were employees in offices, hotels and restaurants; others were NYPD cadets and firefighters who lost their lives rescuing victims.

Whether Sikhs, Muslims, Christians or Jews, the reality is that we are ALL affected by violent extremism in today’s globalized world. We must set violence and intolerance aside, and focus on the values that unite us as global citizens who share the common goal of building a more peaceful world for future generations.

Youth from Around the World Unite Against Violent Extremism: Reflections on Project Common Bond

Arshi Saleem Hashmi
SAVE Chapter Leader in Pakistan

By Arshi Saleem Hashmi with input from Nafeesa Rahman & Husna Ihsan


Project Common Bond is an initiative by Tuesday’s Children, a partner organization of SAVE/Sister against Violent Extremism that provides support for individuals affected by the tragic events of 9/11. Launched in 2008, Project Common Bond brings together teenagers from around the world who share a 'common bond'--the loss of a family member due to an act of violence or terrorism.

 

Every year, teens gather for an eight-day healing and peace-building symposium where they engage in dialogue and community-building activities that acknowledge and respect their differences while promoting friendship and understanding.

Arshi Saleem Hashmi, SAVE’s Chapter Leader in Pakistan, attended this year’s event with two outstanding young women from Swat, a region that was taken hostage by Taliban fighters for many years. Nafeesa Rahman and Husna Ihsan lost their uncle to a terrorist attack and were relocated to IDP camps after their families’ were forced to leave their homes. When they returned to their village, everything was destroyed, but the girls were determined to go back to school and take on an active role in the rebuilding of their community.

Photo by Project Common Bond

It was an outstanding initiative on part of Tuesday’s Children to invite 75 young girls and boys from 15 countries to share a common bond of humanity with each other. From Pakistan, Nafeesa Rahman and Husna Ihsan took part in Project Common Bond (PCB) 2012 that was held in Boston from July 12-20. The eight-day conference was a great opportunity to meet young people from around the world and learn to better understand different cultures.

The participants were victims of war, conflict, violence and terrorism; and PCB was an opportunity not only to share their pain and grief with one another, but also moments of joy and healing. They all shared the common goal of working towards building a peaceful and secure world through participation in various activities and training sessions on conflict resolution and peace.

Young participants learned to work together in a number of ways: they conducted needs assessments, proposed ideas for projects, thought of creative ways to fundraise and designed their very own program. Some of the main themes discussed were social awareness, responsiveness, flexibility, empathy, caring, communication, humor and having a sense of purpose for the future, including having healthy expectations, goals, and orientation towards success. The participants also stressed on the crucial importance of young people’s involvement in the development of programs that shape policies affecting their future.

Sharing the common goal of rejecting violence and violent extremism encourages young people to stand united against forces that induce chaos, distrust and hostility to safeguard their vested interest. Most of the violence that occurs around us is due to misunderstanding and lack of trust, but this can change if we take the time to get to know other cultures, and hold on to the common goal of building a more peaceful world for future generations.

Click here for more information on Tuesday’s Children and Project Common Bond.