We seek a world free of war
and the threat of war;
We seek a society with equity
and justice for all;
We seek a community
where every person’s potential may be fulfilled;
We seek an earth restored.
The creed of
the Quaker organization
Friends of a Non-Violent World
It (the creed above) truly reflects my thoughts
on overcoming violence.
Women should strive for
Education to
Equip and
Empower them for
Experiences
that will lead to peace and justice
for all people regardless of sex,
race, religion, culture or country.”
Lynne Rigg,
Lutheran hospice chaplain, USA
What has been gained from violence?
It is a must to know
why and for what
we are doing this or that.
Abeer Aweis,
Palestinian student
Justice in relation to capitalism
(is the most important issue in order to gain peace)
We need to work against world capitalism.
Maria Lif,
priest in the Church of Sweden
Women in Palestine/Israel, North America and Sweden, who in different ways are involved in peace issues, were asked five questions on women and peace - for an oral presentation on UN-resolution 1325 at the International Women’s gathering of Church of Sweden in August 2007. I below share the answers of the first replies: Four from Palestine, one from the United States of America and two from Sweden. Last, a short abstract.
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
The achievement of peace will not be a reality without justice, love, and equality as well as self-determination and sovereignty form the occupation and liberation of women of oppression, particularly when we talk about the case of the Palestinians, where it is the only place left in the world under occupation, by the state of Israel. How can peace be achieved without the removal of the occupation. How can human values such as justice, equality, freedom, and peace be achieved while human rights violations are taking place in a daily basis and in a manner that is not respectful to the minimum of principles of human rights. The peace in its local concept is the social peace, and in our Palestinian case, it is difficult to achieve peace in the absence of security. However, peace in its idealistic concept and international perspective while not be able to be achieved in the absence of justice and human values, which are the basis for human relations and relations between countries. If we consider that peace is based on reconciliation and forgiveness should be prevailing in the world, then, the Israeli occupation country is not interested in such peace, where it has its own concept of peace, based on imposing policies. What is preventing peace in our country is the fact the Israel is refusing to grant Palestinians their right to establish their own state based on international resolutions which endorsed the Palestinian rights and their right of establishing their own state with comprehensive and just peace.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
I do not look at this topic from this perspective, even if I am in favor for the fact that I am a woman. But, I think that the current circumstances
and the other factors whether cultural, economical, political or social force the women, in many cases, to question the advantages of such situation,
which is being a woman. But, considering the special case of our social circumstances in the Arab countries, and in light of the inherited social,
religious, and cultural restrictions that target women in particular, the suffering of Palestinians created a shared vision of the perspective of
both men and women to this issue; Meaning that there is no preference to view the topic from a gender point of view. But the question remains, are we
as women living in the Gaza Strip different in terms of our suffering and nature of our problems from women in the rest of the world? I think the women
in Palestine are not only dealing with gender issues only, rather they are dealing with many fights relating to dealing with the loss of their children
and family members and destruction of their home and razing of their lands, and bear the burden of achieving the internal security to their family,
or at least seeks to achieve that security. Women live with anxiety and worry constantly about their children, fearing that they will be shot or they
might be exposed to a traumatic experience as a result the Israeli military operations. Moreover, women are concerned about their children from shelling
and incursions as well as the deteriorating economic conditions that are prevailing in the Gaza strip, where poverty is reaching over 70%. However,
the situation is even worsened by the internal fighting and the current state of lawlessness and chaos that is taking place in the Palestinian
community, as well as loss of security, which added to the burdens that women were better of without.
I believe that anyone following the Palestinian cause and the current Palestinian surroundings in Gaza realizes without doubt that the human willpower
and the desire to live in peace is not enough to maintain human life and dignity in the absence of the implementation of international legitimacy
and the insistence of the occupation to violate human rights even after the alleged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza two year sago, where the Israeli
practices of assassinations, home demolitions, land razing, and imposing restrictions on food and medical supplies as well as fuel continued to be
evident to a degree of a policy of collective punishment, reaching to a level of starvation of more than one million and half living in the Gaza strip.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
If we are talking here about the Palestinian case, then, despite the current political situation that Palestinians are living for more than 6 decades, and in the presence of violence targeting men and women, all of this did not prevent the Palestinian women from working in order to gain their social and political rights, where the women movement succeeded over the years of struggle to achieve a number of achievements, which enabled women to reach to the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Local Councils. In order to increase the role of Palestinian women and the women in general in the peace making process, it is important to enable women and empower them in order to be able to participate in the peace process in a manner that guarantees their constructive participation.
4. How to overcome violence?
It is noted that the cases of violence have increased at the global level in a manner that threatens the security of civilians in many parts of the world. But, the search for the reasons for this increase in violence is the first step of strategies in order to find proper solutions. However, I believe that the diagnosis of the reasons behind the violence that is taking place against individuals is relatively finished. Work should be directed and intensified in order to put intervention programs to alleviate this problem of violence, particularly in light of the various international resolutions that deal with the causes without any implementation mechanisms that put an end to such violence.
Despite all the reasons and motives that are happening in most of the cases, and despite all the forms of violence whether political, social, or economical, the Palestinian situation is witnessing a continuous increase in violence, particularly after the political escalation, where its impact is threatening the social life, where discrimination based on gender and domestic violence as well as honor killing are a priority at the agendas of the women movement. However, in the absence of monitoring and implementation of the international laws and human rights laws, and in the absence of implementation of laws and lack of modifications to the laws in a manner that respects human rights, the violence remains the main threat to humanity in light of the escalation of conflicts.
5. Your comment on UN-resolution 1325
It is noted that there is delinquency in issuance of resolutions and international declarations concerning human rights, particularly those aimed at protection of women and children. I might not have any direct comments on the resolution 1325, as much as I am welcoming such decision and all decisions similar that contribute to the percentage of increasing women’s participation in decision making, which is something we are still missing in the Palestinian context, if we compare the percentage of men’s participation in this area. But, I believe that what we need as women in order to protect our rights and ensure equality with men, and in order to create safe societies where peace is prevailing, is that the UN security council should take more responsibility and a more serious manner in order to settle the political disputes, particularly, the Arab-Israeli conflict in a framework of the international resolutions. By doing this, the UN council will be contributing to create a balance at the internal level in these societies, which will be the foundation for establishing societies that respect women and men, equally.
Manal Awwad
director of Women’s Empowerment Project
at Gaza Community Mental Health Programe,
(GCMHP is financed among others
by the Swedish state.)
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
Before I moved to Palestine, I believed the most important tool for gaining peace was granting forgiveness/extending mercy. Now, I feel there can be no forgiveness on a grand scale without acknowlegment by the other of the pain that has been caused. This is what I call Justice. It is "just" when you hear my story of loss, in all its depth, and then tell me you have heard me, and acknowledge your complicity -- through ignorance, apathy or your own hurt and anger, and then help me trust you - that our new plan for going forward will not wound me again.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
I faced checkpoints knowing that as a woman I was seen as less threatening. The irony is that I am just as powerful as a man in negotiating with a solider to open a checkpoint for a family or teachers and their students - only I have an easier time accessing the solider in the first place. I have witnessed grey haired women speak boldly in situations where a man would be silenced; merely by the way most cultures raise their children to respect grandmothers. These were moments of delicious delight for me!
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
I have been influnced and inspired by women peacebuilders whom I have met. They have encouraged me to pursue a greater role for myself in the field of peacebuilding. Without their modeling and encouragement I would not have dreamed of crafting a career as a peacebuilder. With that in mind, the way to increase the role of women in peacebuilding is to mentor other women. This sounds like a huge task, when all it may mean is agreeing to one speaking engagement at a local church, to talk about your work, and inspiring one more woman to move in this direction. Large steps are needed, but small steps are doable.
4. How to overcome violence?
I recently read the global peace index report. (http://www.visionofhumanity.com/index.php.) Of 121 nations ranked in the study, The least violent nations shared a number of common characteristics, such as high levels of democracy; lack of government corruption; broadly spead material well-being; and, equal access to quality education for its citizens. They shared low levels of homicide; incarceration; military spending; relatively easy access to guns; and, militarization of their societies. The top three nations whose men, women and children experience absences of violence were Norway, New Zealand and Denmark. The bottom three violent nations were Iraq, Sudan and Israel. My government, the United States, was ranked amongst the most violent at 96th, and is highly involved in funding, and consequently highly involved in influencing, two of three nations at the bottom of the list. To decrease violence, we need to study the peace indicators of these top nations, remove massive amounts of military spending and shift it toward education, health care and democratic reforms. The report only confirms the obvious.
5. Your comment on UN-resolution 1325
Someone worked hard to craft this resolution. I applaud her. Brava!
Suzanne Belleci
instructor at a peacebuilding institute, USA
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
Love
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
It is fantastic to be a woman. We only become victims if we allow it. We have more power to influence our lifes then we often dare to believe.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
Empowerment and self confidence. To allow women more space. To see it as self-evident that we have the same chances as men to positions and possibility to make a difference.
4. How to overcome violence?
We have to start within and come to terms with ones own inner violence before we can change the outer world.
5. Your comment on UN resolution 1325
It is important that all women are included in 1325 – not only a few: The experiences of all women are equally valuable.
Anne Casparsson
journalist, author, Sweden
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
I think every one of those items is important in order to gain peace, but if I need to choose only one, it would definitely be JUSTICE. It is a prerequisite for any peace.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
To start with, nobody has a choice regarding his/her sex. But in some areas to be a woman means a long struggle for survival. Actually even in some of the most progressive societies, women are always trying to prove themselves. In general women who bear children, and bring life to this world, consider themselves blessed. In their capacity as mothers, they are indeed privileged for being partly responsible for shaping the future generation of their community through the way they bring up their children. Of course this is just an example, it does not rule out other women, professional and community leaders who feel privileged for their sense of commitment and for their insight from a feminine perspective regarding a variety of issues.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
The only way to increase the role of women in peace work and make it effective is for women to be involved in the decision making. No woman would like to see the life that she brings to this world destroyed. Lack of peace means loss of life. So there needs to be mechanisms or structures that can provide opportunities for women to be involved. Of course this is easier said than done; easier in some areas and much more difficult in others. This is why the solidarity of all women around the world is very important. For women to make a difference, they need to be united in order for their voice to be heard. It is indeed women and children who suffer most when there is no peace. Unfortunately though, very often women in decision making positions act against the welfare of women and peace, in order to serve their own vested interests.
4. How to overcome violence?
To overcome violence, there needs to be a new culture of non-violence. The movies, the books, the cartoons are all part of the culture of violence. Even children’s stories and movies focus on so much violence. Maybe women can take it upon themselves to exert enough pressure to bring about a change in that aspect. We have seen so many of the violent fairy tales being changed these days to become politically correct. Furthermore, the media covers widely and in a much more attractive way news about violence than a nice story about a human action. The business of armament itself is conducive to violent actions. So much is at stake when people, organizations and women vote against armament. People in the business are not happy and they tend to silence those voices, who in many cases are women’s voices. Policies also create violence. Why should one country sell or buy weapons while others are not allowed. There should be campaigns to simply ban all sorts of armament and nuclear arsenal as well, and all over whether they are big powers or countries struggling for their survival. Dealing with issues of a similar kind with double standards is bound to provoke violence. Of course the violence that prevails in war stricken areas, or in-fighting where human rights have been violated, the only guarantee for overcoming violence is to remove the root cause to which violence is a normal reaction. For example in areas that are under a military occupation, there is very little that can be done to put an end to violence. Even the groups who have resorted to non-violent resistance, have been exposed to a lot of violence by the occupying forces.
5. Your comment on UN resolution 1325
Like so many UN resolutions. 1325 is a very good resolution, but year after year, there isn’t much that women have been able to do about peace. We saw thousands of women marching around the world before the Iraqi invasion, and they could not stand up against the resolve of the president of the USA to attack Iraq. More regional wars and conflicts have taken place since the resolution was passed and more women and children have suffered, and nobody has been able to put an end to all this madness. Although the UN has been trying to alleviate the suffering of the victims of those wars, it makes much more sense not to allow wars to take place in the first place, rather than to waste all the energy on trying to deal with the consequences of such wars. Over and above, the UN as an international body created for conflict resolution, should rise to its responsibility and be a role model for partiality and justice. Therefore it has to have a mechanism whereby it is able to implement its own resolutions; otherwise 1325 will be one more resolution to be stacked in the UN archives.
Samia Khoury
co-founder of Sabeel - a sister organization of IKT,
board member of Birzeit University, columnist, Palestine
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
To me finding physical peace in a country starts with each person. If each person has personal peace in their heart then physical peace is not hard to accomplish. Justice is of course essential. A place which lacks justice will eventually lack peace even if it does not at the moment. However, to me, peace starts from the heart. Once I was able to find peace in my heart I was able to see how peace can be possible between the worst enemies. Christ offers that peace in our hearts when he says: "my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you." John 14: 27. Love is important too. If we can love one another and love our enemies as Christ commanded then peace is an easy thing to accomplish.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
I love being a woman. As a woman we share God's creation ability and are able to bring children into this world. I think it is the greatest blessing to be a mother. To know that Heavenly Father trusts you to raise his spirit children. Even though I am not a mother myself, I can see the blessings of being one. Women are blessed with compassion and understanding. A woman can accomplish much, if she simply understands her own potential.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
Someone once said if women ruled the world there won't be any wars. I think women can contribute much in any peace process. We naturally try to understand the other side before we let our anger control our actions. People say that women talk a lot, but sometimes that is not a bad thing. Sometimes talking can help both sides understand each other and see one another's point of view. That is an essential part of peace.
4. How to overcome violence?
Women have been and still are abused. I have seen it a lot while living in Turkey especially. A woman is often treated as a slave more than as a human being. As strong as men are, they are not as strong as many women I know. Women can withstand a lot of hardships. We must as women understand how strong we are...We must be patient knowing that someday no matter what our situation is, it will get better. We must use our gift of compassion to help those around us. Our children, family and friends. Above all we must realize that we don't have to put up with any abuse or violence of any sort. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We are smart, strong and valuable.
5. Your comment on UN-resolution 1325
Great. Women do have a big role in accomplishing peace. And they are the most affected since they have to watch their children get hurt because of war. Maybe the reason there are so many conflicts is that women are not getting involved enough in resolving the conflicts. We must play a more active role in politics.
Sahar Qumsíyeh
PhD, professor of mathematics, Palestine
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
Justice, i.e. decent living conditions for everyone. That does not mean that everybody need to live on exactly the same level, yet a decent possibility. Justice also includes respect and democratic possibilities to influence your own life situation, a capalibities approach.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
A holistic possiblity that allows you to see e more complex picture of world and relationsship. This doet not make you admired in a male world, that priorities one dimensional thinking and result oriented behavior, yet it helps you to survie (longer) and is an asset that I am still hoping would be used politically, democratically.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
Struggle, collaboration with many women internationally,nationally, locally.
4. How to overcome violence?
Create awarenss of the stupidity of violence, that is does not work as conflict solving, quite the opposite. (Iraq and Afghansitan are good examples.)
5. Your comment on UN-resolution 1325
A very helpful statement that ought to be used to enhance women's participation.
Elisabeth Gerle
professor of ethics
priest in the Church of Sweden
1. What do you find to be most important in order to gain peace? Justice, truth, love or freedom (or other)?
I believe peace can be gained by justice and love at the ends always wins but with time and patience.
2. Do you know of any advantage being a woman?
Participating in giving life and in caring for a child to bring that child into the world. Having the gift from God to be more patient during suffering as exemplified in giving birth.
3. How to increase the role of women in peace work?
Women can have their role increased in peace work if maybe organizations can provide benefits to their children either in education or health care. If women understand that their contributions to peace can benefit their children with education or with childcare that promotes readiness for school in preschool ages maybe more women would participate since the largest burden of women relies on the care of their children and staying home. Motivating factors need to be found to encourage women to do work outside the house and in peace work that would provide a better future for their children. Women need to be aware that any work they might do in peace is not only for themselves and the present but for their own children and for future generations of children to live in peace. And women need to realize they can be powerful role models and living presence of work for peace in front of their children and the world.
4. How to overcome violence?
We can only overcome Violence by treating others with fairness, with human rights, with Justice, with truth and literally with Christ's love because in my opinion evil cannot be fought with evil. I truly believe evil and evil manifested in violence can only be fought with love.
5. Your comment on UN-resolution 1325
My comments on the UN resolution 1325 concern the UN creating and following through with practical programs and capacity building for women to give them the skills and foster awareness of the greater impact and participating women can have in peace building.
Maria Khoury
PhD, author, Palestine
Abstract
How to increase the role of women in peace work? Manal Awwad, the director of Women’s Empowerment Project at Gaza Community Mental Health Programe, points out empowerment as a resource. I wonder: How to make use of this possibility more effectively? Suzanne Belleci, Instructor at a Peacebuilding Institute, USA, agrees with the Palestinian Director Awwad on the necessity of women being mentors of other women - and generously shares the global peace index report. See www.visionofhumanity.com on how to overcome violence. She adds “To decrease violence, we need to study the peace indicators of these top nations, remove massive amounts of military spending and shift it toward education, health care and democratic reforms. The report only confirms the obvious.”
Another question asked was on the advantage of being a woman. Several pointed out delivering offsprings. My own point of view is that people tend to speak differently with women and with men. Speaking with women on a face to face basis men and women alike tend to dare to open up for emotions with a woman. Without good communication with our emotions, and thus with our own bodies, we will not find peace because we will not utter words that are peaceful. Actually one of the replies, I think, touches upon its root. Let’s give the word to the Swedish researcher in Ethics, Elisabeth Gerle – on the advantage of being a woman: “A holistic possibility that allows you to see a more complex picture of world and relationship. This does not make you admired in a male world, that priorities one dimensional thinking and result oriented behaviour, yet it helps you to survive (longer) and is an asset that I am still hoping would be used politically, democratically.” Sahar Qumsiyeh, Palestinian dr of mathematics and university teacher in mathematics, puts it differently: “We naturally try to understand the other side before we let our anger control our actions.”
The historian Maria Småberg, who has written her doctoral thesis on conflict handling and education for peace in Jerusalem, agrees with the possibility that women can make special contributions to conflict handling. (Kvinnor och våld – en mångtydig kulturhistoria, p. 269). But according to her this also goes for persons, whatever sex, who live in a violent context. About Palestine she states: “A life in vulnerability can lead to an awareness in people that survival demands going out of one self and bond with ones fellow neighbours.” (Kvinnor och våld – en mångtydig kulturhistoria, p. 263).
In order to overcome violence many of the women, in different ways, point towards awareness. Maria Khoury, doctor of education and author living in Palestine, says: “...women need to realize they can be powerful role models and living presence of work for peace in front of their children and the world.” Samia Khoury, columnist, member of the board of Birzeit University and co founder of the theological institute of Sabeel in Jerusalem expresses the need of “a new culture of non violence”. This implicates a total ban of all sorts of armament – including cartoons for children. Anne Casparsson, journalist and one of the persons behind the booklet “Fredsagent 1325” (Sensus) points to the direction needed for this: “We have to start within and come to terms with ones own inner violence before we can change the outer world.”
The ten women answering above move in the same direction – a direction which I believe to be fruitful. Several of them gave a lot of responsibility to the UN in order to realize resolution 1325. My opinion (and. I believe, the opinion of the UN) is that we all share in this responsibility. Together the ten of them would be able to strongly empower other women. It would be thrilling to make them meet face to face and let them constitute a global working group on how to realize UN resolution 1325. Several of them are theologians. An important task for them could be to unite 1325 and theology: In the Middle East so many Israeli peace workers are atheists due to “religion having done so much harm”. Throughout history religion has been exploited by the ones in power in order to strengthen their own power. The German Theologian Dorothe Sölle writes:
“There is only one way to legitimize power and that is to share it with others. Unshared power, differently put; power that is not transformed into love, is but violence and oppression.”
Could a wise, contextual theology, in contrast to the common experience of history, be turned into a life- and peacegiving source for enabling UN-resolution 1325 to come true?
Susanne Grimheden