Remembering Bali

By Lea von Martius

 
The terrible images of the October 12^th,  2002 Bali bombings are imprinted on the collective memory of the world: burnt-out buildings, dead bodies piling up on the streets, and the wan face of Umar Patek. Not only do they bear witness to one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in recent history, which took place just one year after 9/11, but represent the rapid expansion of global terrorism. 202 people from 23 different countries lost their lives in the attacks, including Indonesian, Australian, and British nationals. This morning, on the 10^th anniversary of the Bali bombings, a commemoration ceremony was held in Kuta, the southern Balinese town where the attacks happened. Both family members of victims and survivors who barely escaped the horrors themselves attended the event. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, whose country mourned the most deaths after the attacks, was also present to show her support for the ones left behind. Anggie Dewirini, the SAVE Indonesia representative, attended the ceremony this morning:



Placing flowers in a reflecting pool at the ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Kuta bombings

“This morning, on my way to the event, there were police everywhere. When I arrived, I was amazed at how many people were there—family members of victims, survivors, NGO representatives, journalists, security guards, and politicians. The choir that sang touched the hearts of everyone there—I felt like they were singing to each one of us individually. I felt so much empathy with the family members of the victims there that I am among them now. It was as if I too had lost a loved one. I found myself crying as I put flowers in the small reflection pool. I held one of the victims, and my heart went out to her. I can’t even describe how it felt to see all the faces and photographs of the victims on the memorial wall.” Her words reflect the devastation that still holds family members firmly in its grasp even ten years later.

Family members of victims walk past the boards with photos of all the victims

It is easy to forget that that Bali, an extremely popular tourist destination, belongs to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Islamic nation. Although the island is geographically far removed from the Middle East, Al Qaida and a number of jihadist splinter groups who have strongholds there have recently begun exerting influence in Indonesia, which has traditionally been recognized as a very moderate Muslim country. The end of the Suharto autocracy has created a political vacuum which extremist groups are strategically filling with their ideologies of hate and vengeance.

The commemoration ceremony’s messages of peace and progress come in the wake of terrifying news from Pakistan—the attack on Malala Yousafzai last Tuesday. The 14 year old girl, known internationally as an advocate for the rights of children and women in her country and who, at the age of eleven, was awarded the national Peace Prize by the Pakistani government, was shot by Pakistani Taliban. While she is struggling for her life in the hospital, her courage and commitment set an example for individuals around the world to challenge extremist rhetoric and stand up for their rights. Malala, a young girl, almost a child, managed to unsettle the powerful Taliban and draw the attention of the global media to their tactics. Even more importantly, the attack has led to dissension within the ranks of the Taliban: terrorist leaders worldwide have condemned the attack as "barbaric" (source: www.spiegel.de).

Anggie Dewirini adds: “I hope that the terrorists and extremists can see that all humans around the world have the same rights, especially the right to live our lives in peace. Let us see that we are one family—we don’t want to hate each other, we want to be at peace. Let us hold hands, and not see differences as a barrier to peace.”

SAVE Indonesia: Celebrating mothers on International Women's Day

A statement from Lily Zakiyah Munir, SAVE Indonesia coordinator

Women are pillars of the Nation; if they are good, so is the Nation;
If they are bad, so is the Nation.

The above saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has inspired Indonesian women to engage in a movement to promote peace. Through the Mothers for Change! Campaign, Indonesian women envision to nurture peace in society starting with the smallest social unit, our family. We believe that women and mothers are the first school for children, through whom peace values are implanted and nourished.

As change agents for peace, women should undoubtedly be peaceful individuals themselves. They would not be able to radiate peace to others if within themselves there are seeds of anger, frustration, or hatred. They should let go all burdens and negative feelings and come out as forgiving and positive-thinking personalities. Through participatory, reflective sessions of our Mothers for Change! workshop, this was made possible. In the quiet time, where there was no disturbance or interference, women contemplate and communicate with their inner hearts. Slowly and quietly, they unveiled problems encountering them in life. Story telling was an effective method to share problems with others, and peaceful minds will be achieved as a result.

Hearing the stories of these mothers for change, I was amazed by their strength and resilience to endure the hardship. Their problems were varied from economic, violence, discrimination, to multiple burdens, polygamy and insulting treatments. Nature seems to have given women extra powers, physical and emotional, to resist patriarchy’s unjust and discriminatory attitudes to women. It is unfair and unjust to let the situation remain unchanged. Mothers for Change! Campaign has been launched in Indonesia in response to an ardent desire for a peaceful society where women, men, and children co-exist peacefully in an equal and mutually supporting gender relation.

To commemorate the International Women’s Day 2011, it is timely that we rekindle the spirit for gender equality and justice as reflected in Indonesia’s constitution and in international conventions and declarations. This vision will not be achieved without support and participation of other segments of society especially men. The hierarchical gender relation should be replaced with a more just egalitarian relation. Power should be newly defined to mean sharing and empowering, and not dominating or oppressing. Cultural taboos and stereotypes inhibiting women from making progress in the public sphere should be removed. Roles and responsibilities should be equitably shared, to end the multiple burdens saddled on women. Only then can the Prophet Muhammad’s saying above be materialized, i.e. a good nation with the contribution of half of its population, the women. Happy Women’s Day 2011.

SAVE Sisters Celebrate International Women's Day

Women without Borders / SAVE has gathered the voices of women from around the world to celebrate the occasion of the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. The below statements remind us of the strength and commitment of our sisters around the globe.

Edit Schlaffer, Executive Director of Women without Borders / SAVE
We are looking back on 100 years of global women’s commitment to making the world a better place for everyone - for women, men and children. It has certainly been an uphill struggle and our journey is not yet over. Women have shaped the most important movement of the 20th Century, changing the way we live together in families, in communities, and in the public arena. Women have proven that they carry a lot of moral authority- corruption is at its lowest levels when women are involved in decision making bodies, good governance is more often executed when women are walking the halls of power, and civil society led by women is challenging despotic regimes. This global female energy will contribute to positive change. Women without Borders is proud to be a part of these exciting developments.

Today we announce the new SAVE Witness Project, which puts a face to the tragic aftermath of terrorist attacks. The project will create a network of eyewitnesses who provide the young generation with alternative role models. These witnesses will share their stories to promote reconciliation rather than revenge. SAVE Global is creating new pathways for the young generation to gain access to testimonials of the consequences of terrorism, in order to expose them to the reality of the dangers of extremist ideologies. Women as mothers, educators, journalists, and activists will lead the way for this SAVE Global Counter-Extremism Education Campaign. Rather than implementing an educational campaign years after the occurrences, the SAVE Witness project seeks to act swiftly and comprehensively at the height of the threat of terrorist activities around the globe.

We wish you a happy International Women’s Day, and congratulate you for taking a stand, both in your own life and for the advancement of the women around you. Let us not forget: the personal is political!


Nadia Al-Saqqaf, SAVE Yemen member and editor of the Yemen Times
During my work as a journalist and activist I have come across so many stories of women in Yemen whose lives could have been much better had they known that they had alternatives. “I did not know who to turn to”, “I did not think that I had a choice”, “I was too weak to object”, “I was told that my opinion did not matter” are a few of many statements I hear over and over again. These women needed to feel that they are not alone in their ordeal and that they have the right to better treatment, support and a dignified life. Unfortunately during conflict, women and children are always the most vulnerable. They are the first to be sacrificed and the ones hit hardest by tragedies. But they are also the ones who put the pieces together and find strength to reconstruct families and societies in the aftermath of disaster. Tapping into women as a resource of strength for any society is a sure plan for progress and stability. Today, Yemen is going through political instability as the tide for change sweeps across the region. Surprisingly it is a number of women who, alongside men, are leading this change. Yet as always, politics is made by men and victories are negotiated by men. It is in such times that we need to pay close attention to the women of the society and involve them in the decisions that will shape the future of the country. We need to empower women and involve them in decision making so that they feel that they have an alternative and that their opinions matter.


May de Silva, SAVE Northern Ireland member and Director of Women into Politics
On the 100th anniversary of the launch of International Women’s day it is important that we recognize that millions of women worldwide are still being discriminated and disadvantaged though war and conflict. I hope that through our partnership working with Women without Borders-SAVE, we can work towards including women as agents of change just as our sisters achieved 100 years ago. In Northern Ireland we continue to support the women through education and awareness raising sessions so that the ethos survives for decades to come.

Archana Kapoor, SAVE India coordinator
Indian women are articulate, argumentative and empowered. Their voice is being heard and respected both at home as well as in the Indian Parliament. Increasingly, they are at the vanguard of civil society movements demanding justice for their sisters and others. Whether it is in Kashmir or the conflict ridden areas of northeast, it is they who suffer the most when blood is spilled on the streets or their sons are killed. It is important that the voices of our sisters in different parts of the country get louder and stronger, that they are heard. It is important that women believe in themselves and realize that they can make a difference in the way peace is negotiated. Women have to join forces and come out on the streets to fight atrocities, be it in Kashmir or Cairo! It is time to get into the driver’s seat. SAVE India is helping women do just this and more. It is helping women realize their potential to make a difference both at home and outside.

On this International Women's Day, I would like to congratulate all those women who showed the courage to raise their voices against the tyrant rulers in the Arab world. I do hope that soon SAVE’s efforts will be able to throw out those who promote extremist ideologies and spread fear through acts of terror.

Siham Abu Awwad, SAVE Palestine member
The woman that can deal with her pain can deal with anything. I believe as a woman, a mother and a sister that I have the power to change the situation through my humanity and my strength. I believe in my voice. My voice can reach everywhere, demanding a safe future for my kids and my nation through me as a woman. Just believe in yourself.

LILY MUNIR, INDONESIA: Reactions to Israeli attack on flotilla.

Dear SAVE Sisters,

These last few days I have been thinking of what words I will be contributing to the debates within SAVE about the tragedy of humanity in the Gaza waters. As a normal common human being, regardless of the religious background, one must have been terrorized to see what has happened on the flotilla ships and on the increased sufferings of the Palestinians in Gaza. How sad to see human values have been tragically destroyed.

In Indonesia, a country with the largest Muslim population, the reaction to this bitterness is manifested in various ways. I have been taught that reactions to injustices can be expressed at different levels. We, as civil society members, have entrusted our governments who have political authorities (such as the Indonesian government) to undertake political lobbies and diplomacy. The Indonesian government has committed to a grand vision for the MiddleEast, where the State of Palestine exists as a sovereign state. We as citizens have entrusted our government in pursuing this grand vision. In addition to the above, we Indonesians have expressed our solidarity through moral movements on the street in big cities in Indonesia and deployed humanitarian aids and 12 peace volunteers in the aids flotilla.

 Since joining SAVE three years ago, I have a big hope that women worldwide will have a more significant role as peace makers and peace movers. My dream is that humanitarian and peace values will spread globally especially in supporting our sisters in Palestine and Israel as peace mediators for the Gaza. It is my hope that SAVE Global can give bigger supports to Asma and Robi to enlist other Palestinian and Israeli women in our Mothers for Change movement so that they can voice out their concerns and make changes from within their countries.

SAVE Global can and needs to give more empowerment and support to our sisters here. This is a concrete action that we can do as SAVE for sisterhood and solidarity with Palestine and Israeli people. I realize it is a big challenge but it is not impossible. In Maria Worth we were exposed with the success story of sisters in Ireland, in a different context, to bring peace and reconciliation.

I realize that this will need a very “long and deep breath,” to borrow the words in the headline of Indonesia’s largest newspaper, Kompas on June 7, 2010 on the issue of Palestine and Israel. But I believe that women have been blessed with strengths, endurance and resilience to stand up against injustices. To Asma and Robi, my heart is with you and those who are struggling for freedom and dignity.

With love from sunny Jakarta,
Lily