The SAVE Women

The effects of terrorism are all-encompassing: individual lives are forever changed, society is shaken, the economy must reconfigure itself, academics seek explanations, and the politicians look for appropriate punitive and preventative measures. Women, however, have thus far not played a centrally acknowledged role in the fight against terror - combating violent extremism has largely been man’s territory. Women without Borders was hosting the first international SAVE - Sisters Against Violent Extremism Conference in Vienna, Austria, which served as a platform for exploring and constructing alternative visions of fighting terrorism. The thirty-three women who attended the conference span all regions of the globe and tell striking and diverse stories, and whose experiences - and the experiences of others like them—are crucial to developing a new brand of fruitful counter-terrorism strategies.

From Victims to Activists

Beatriz Abril Alegre, who lost her 19-year-old brother Óscar in the March 11, 2004 train bombings in Madrid, belongs to the Association March 11th—Affected by Terrorism. This association organizes various activities, includes psycho-therapy sessions and peace exhibitions. Beatriz continues to fight for justice and universal dignity at a variety on international conferences.
Both Robi Damelin and Najwa Saadeh have used their experience with loss to join Parents Circle, an organization for bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who work for hope and peace to build a better future. Robi’s son, an Israeli soldier who sought to be an example of dignity and humanity for other men in his brigade, was shot by a Palestinian sniper at a checkpoint in 2002. Najwa Saadeh, a Palestinian woman, lost her 12-year-old daughter Christine in 2003, when the Israeli army opened fire at the car in which Christine was sitting with her family. Najwa, Robi, and other Palestinians and Israelis like them provide examples of hope for progress and reconciliation in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Rachel North, an advertising strategy director, was reading a newspaper article about her recent rape experience in the first carriage of a London Underground train on July 7, 2005. Suddenly, she felt the shockwaves of an explosion; 19-year old Germaine Lindsay, a British citizen of Jamaican descent, had detonated a bomb that would kill 26 and injure over 150 others. Rachel escaped with minor injuries and shock. She later posted a story about her experiences on the internet, which was picked up by the BBC online news team and has ultimately led to the publication of her first book, Out of the Tunnel. Today, Rachel actively campaigns against terror in a variety of capacities; she has founded the 7/7 Inquiry Group, which advocates for an independent inquiry into the atrocities, writes for a variety of newspapers, has appeared on diverse national and international radio and television programs, and is a committed spokesperson for the 7/7 victims. A number of other participants have had intimate contact with the violent expression of extremist ideas—the loss of a family member to terrorism has prompted these courageous women to speak out for peace and reconciliation.
Cindy Corrie founded the Rachel Corrie Foundation after her activist daughter, Rachel, was killed in the Gaza Strip while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian Family’s home. The Corrie family founded the Foundation in order to foster connections between people, build understanding and respect, and support grassroots efforts in pursuit of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.

Forgiveness as a Political Category

After 9/11, Phyllis Rodriguez and Aïcha el Wafi approached the Forgiveness Project, a UK-based charity that seeks to create a better future by healing past wounds, from very different angles. Phyllis’ son was killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Aïcha’s son, Zacarias Mouassaoui, is the so-called “20th hijacker” in the September 11th attacks and in 2006 received a life sentence for his role in the terrorist activities. Aïcha approached Phyllis, who after 9/11 had begun to speak out against the politics of revenge under the credo “Not in my son’s name,” and they began to work together with the Forgiveness Project, among other organizations. On October 3, 2007, Aïcha and Phyllis jointly received the “Die Quadriga” award, which is presented every year on the anniversary of German re-unification to political, economic, and cultural personalities who show vision, courage, and responsibility.

There and Back: Exit from Extremism

Hadiya Masieh offers a very unique perspective on terrorism: after graduating from Brunel University, she became involved in the controversial extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. In 2000, she had become increasingly interested in her Islamic faith and in challenging some of the injustices in the world; Hizb ut-Tahrir seemed to provide the answers she was seeking. While a member, she held a high rank in West London, managed a large number of events, and delivered numerous high-profile talks. Over the course of her membership, however, she became disillusioned with the group’s political ideas after recognizing that their ideals did not, in fact, align with the Islamic faith. In 2007, she finally broke from the group, and today encourages other members to reconsider their affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir. She is also concentrating on her businesses and works for various charities, including Muju, an arts collaboration group that seeks to encourage social cohesion between Muslims and Jews.

Hands-On Initiatives: Women Challenging the Status Quo

A large number of SAVE participants are advocates for peace, reconciliation, women’s rights, political equality, and health and education around the world. Olga Alicia Paz Bailey, from Guatemala, comes into close contact with the effects of extremism as Board Chair of a Guatemalan NGO that provides psychological help to victims of political violence. She speaks up for women as a member of the National Union of Guatemalan Women and through her research on “Processes Generating Favourable Conditions to Demand Justice for Women Survivors of Sexual Violence During the Armed Conflict in Guatemala.”
Manal Omar supports women through her work with acclaimed international institutions; Manal has worked for the World Bank, the UN, Women for Women International, and OXFAM, and is currently with the US Institute for Peace. She is also a team member with Women without Borders.
Najma Ahmed Abdi works for Save Somali Women and Children in Somalia and Kenya. This national Somali women’s NGO was founded in 1992 to create a safe and sustainable situation by supporting women to overcome marginalization, violence, and poverty in their communities. Najma is also the Chair of the Youth Leadership Forum and a member of the national Committee on Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia.
Igo Rogova is a passionate voice for women’s rights from Kosovo. In 1989, she co-founded Motrat Qiriayi, the first women’s organization in Kosovo that focuses on rural women and community development. Igo’s impressive work on behalf of women—as co-founder and Executive Director of the Kosovo Women’s Network, which connects 85 women’s organizations to support, protect, and promote women’s rights throughout Kosovo—has been widely recognized and Igo is the recipient of the Women of the Year Award from the International Network of Women’s Organizations and the Lydia Slevicky Prize, awarded by MamaCash.

In Northern Ireland, May de Silva is Director of Women into Politics, a feminist organization that lobbies the government on behalf of the women’s sector and which actively promotes women in civic and political decision-making roles. The programs May’s organization offers serve as best-practice models for strategies that may arise as a result of the SAVE conference; Women into Politics offers, for example, political education skills programs to women across Northern Ireland. She is also the Vice Chair of Women’s News Northern Ireland, Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s Women’s reference group, and part of the NI Peace by Piece Consortium. In Austria, Lajali Abu Zahra and Saime Öztürk are young Muslim women who took part in FATIMA, an empowerment and educational project for young Muslims in Austria.
Hasina Kharbhih founded the Impulse NGO Network, a social organization that deals with child-trafficking, HIV/AIDS intervention, and livelihood support initiatives in rural Northeastern India. She is able to apply her extensive research on human rights and human trafficking to her work as a trainer in human rights, substance abuse, adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, leadership, and management. She has further developed the internationally acknowledged Meghalaya Model, a comprehensive tracking system that successfully brings together the state government, security agencies, legal groups, the media, and citizens’ organizations to combat trafficking in children.
Nawal Hassan also works with women and children on the ground in Lebanon, where she offers educational and vocational training opportunities to youth in Palestinian camps on Lebanon. She does so through the Najdeh Association, which offers economic and spiritual support to women who join the organization. Nawal’s passion for the plight of Palestinian women is also reflected in her work as coordinator of the Training and Research Project for Palestinian Refugee Women and as coordinator of the Advocacy Forum for the Naher-el-bared camp.
Suad Ata al Gedsi champions the struggle for women’s and human rights in Yemen. Suad is Chairperson of the Women’s Forum for Research and Training (WFRT), which was established to increase coordination of and focus action on the cause of women’s rights. The WFRT’s values align very closely with Women without Borders: they seek to translate freedom, equality, and justice into tangible results through applied programs. Her experience in a variety of political and non-governmental areas will be vital in pioneering new approaches to ending violent extremism.
In Indonesia, Lily Munir has been engaging in valuable work as a Muslim feminist who promotes gender equality and women’s rights from within the Islamic network. This unique perspective has allowed her to advocate for the core of Islam, i.e. peace and tolerance, in a non-violent manner, for example through the Centre for Pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) and Democracy Studies (CEPDES), which she directs.

Claiming Power: Entering Male Territory

Many of the participants at the SAVE conference have taken up their cause at the political level. Whether this means forging a new path for women in a previously exclusively male political system or advocating for women’s rights on the national level, these women are noteworthy examples of the combination of female humanitarian and political power. Ana Teresa Bernal Montañez is one of the five commissioners on the Colombian Commission on Reparations and Reconciliation. She has been central to the negotiations between the FARC and the Pastrana government, by representing the National Peace Council on the Thematic Commission, and has represented women’s voices through the implementation of a women’s public forum in the bilateral dialogues. She is an avid advocate for Colombian citizens and their right to peace, as reflected in her work as national coordinator for the National Network of Citizens’ Initiatives for Peace and Against War, and in the ten million votes she gained through a non-binding ballot in the 1997 “Citizen’s Mandate for Peace, Life, and Liberty Campaign.”
In the UK, Shaista Gohir also represents citizen voices to the government as Executive Director of Muslim Women’s Network (U.K.), a national network of individual Muslim women and organizations that ensures that their voices reach the government, and as founder and director of Muslim Voice UK, and online polling organization that aims to enhance Muslim voices in the decision-making process. She was recently awarded the honor of Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her work, including her role in the National Women’s Advisory Group, which advises the government on ways to empower Muslim women. Several women have also made political history by personally running for elected positions or forming new women’s branches within political parties.
Anis Haroon founded the Women’s Division of the Pakistan People’s Party, which organizes rallies and demonstrations, protested the Shari’a bill, and mobilizes women for elections. The “Witness to Violence” series she organized—public and private meetings with journalists, human rights activists, representatives of women’s organizations, and women who have lost loved ones to violence—mirrors closely the work that Women without Borders is doing at the SAVE conference (Anis Harron couldn´t attend)
Both Rajaa al Khuzai and Khanim Latif (couldn´t attend) are part of the new face of Iraqi politics: Rajaa was one of the first three female parliamentarians in the US-backed interim Governing Council and Head of the Civil Society Committee and of the Drug Control Committee (among others), while Khanim was elected as an independent candidate for the 2005 Iraqi national assembly elections and participated in campaigning for the endorsement of a 25% quota for women’s participation in future legislative authorities in the Iraqi National Assembly. In 2005 Rajaa founded the Iraqi Widows Organisation. Khanim’s interest in women is manifested in the Asuda Organization, in which she works as an activist to combat violence against women.

Finally, Rola Dashti, who was listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007, is the Chairperson of the Kuwait Economic Society. She is the first woman to hold this position since its inception in 1970. She has successfully combined her academic and economic prowess with the economic empowerment of women through her work in various organizations; she further lobbied for the May 2005 decree allowing Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections for the first time and was a candidate in the historic 2006 parliamentary elections. She has also encouraged and assisted women from Bahrain, Jordan, and Algeria to become elected members of their respective parliaments.

Breaking the Silence: Promoting Alternative Narratives

Journalists play a key role in transmitting progressive ideas about women and in mediating between competing factions in the fight against violent extremism. This is especially true of Muslim journalists who live and work in Western countries, and who must walk a fine line between radical portrayals of their faith and cultural heritage and the transmission of false information. Senay Özdemir, from the Netherlands, started an advice website for the many apparently lost and aimless Muslim girls she encountered in her work as a teacher and television presenter. The website led to the creation of SEN magazine (which since 2007 is only available in online format) for young, educated Muslim women. The magazine won “Best New Magazine of 2004” by De Volkskrant, and Senay has since participated in a number of international conferences on women’s and human rights. In 2009, she will publish her first novel, which is simultaneously the first Turkish chick lit in Europe.
In Germany, Necla Kelek’s award-winning books Islam in Everyday Life, The Foreign Bride, and Lost Sons speak to her belief that boys and girls in orthodox Islamic German families should not be repressed, and Güner Balci, an editor for the influential ZDF-magazine Frontal 21, has gained first-hand experience in Muslim-Western tension through projects in Berlin’s Rollbergviertel and the MaDonna girl’s meeting point.
Archana Kapoor is the publisher of Hardnews, a Delhi-based monthly political magazine, which she co-founded after witnessing the plight of the poor and marginalised as a documentary filmmaker. She has filmed and produced more than 250 documentaries, and in 1997 founded Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART). SMART offers empowerment and literacy programs to women in northern India, and Archana is the Women without Borders representative in New Delhi, India.
Turkey is consistently in the spotlight as a critical point of transition between East and West, and Ece Temelkuran, a widely acclaimed Turkish journalist, writes critical articles about the tension between ultranationalism and Islamic extremism, and about the ongoing dialogue surrounding Turkey’s role in the European Union.