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 politicians look for appropriate punitive and preventative measures. Women, however, have thus far not played a central role in the fight against terror—combating violent extremism has largely been men’s territory. Over the last two years, SAVE has built up a network of women in 15 countries who are positioned to act as agents of change in their communities, and to make women's voices heard at the highest political levels. These women come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, but through the SAVE network, they are able to share their experiences, stories and best practices for tackling violent extremism.
Memnuna Zvizdic, Executive Director, Žene Ženama (Women to Women Sarajevo)
France
Aicha el Wafi, mother of Zacarias Moussaoui, recipient of Die Quadriga award
India
Archana Kapoor, publisher of Hardnews, a Delhi-based monthly political magazine; filmmaker and head of a radio station
Vinita Kamte, her husband, a police officer, was killed in the 26/11 Bombay terrorist attack after wounding the last surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Vinita is the author of To The Last Bullet
Manju Singh, Founder, WorldKids Foundation
Indonesia
Lily Munir, founder of the Center for Pesantren and Democracy Studies
Dewirini Anggraeni, Representative for SAVE Indonesia
Israel
Robi Damelin, activist in the Parents Circle; her son, an Israeli soldier was shot by a Palestinian sniper at a checkpoint in 2002
Kuwait
Rola Dashti, activist and one of the first women to join the Kuwaiti Parliament in 2009; SAVE advisor
Northern Ireland
May de Silva, director of the organization Women into Politics, Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s Women’s reference group, and part of the NI Peace by Piece Consortium
Anne Carr, peace building pioneer, set up and spearheaded nationwide campaigns addressing education for change and piece; founder of the first integrated school in Northern Ireland
Catherine McCartney, sister of Belfast murder victim Robert McCartney, author of Walls of Silence, and international advocate for justice and restoring Catholic-Protestant relations
Pakistan
Arshi Saleem Hashmi, Senior Research Analyst, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad
Farhat Akram, Assistant Research Officer at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Executive Editor of the Diplomatic Insight magazine
Shabana Fayyaz, Assistant Professor at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
Salma Malik, Assistant Professor at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, film maker and journalist
Shaheen Akhtar, Research Fellow, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad
Laila Bokhari, First Secretary (Political); Royal Norwegian Embassy Islamabad; SAVE Pakistan advisor
Falaknaz Asfandyar, widow of Asfandyar Amirzeb, former provincial Minister of the Swat Valley and member of the Royal Family
Palestine
Moira Jilani, activist in the Parents Circle
Siham Abu Awwad, activist in the Parents Circle; her brother was shot by an Israeli soldier in 2000
Saudi Arabia
Dr. Maha Muneef, consultant in the Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Executive Director of the National Family Safety Program
Fawziah al Bakr, professor at the King Saud University in Riyadh
Anis Haroon, chairperson of the Commission of the Status of Women, founder of the Women´s Division of the Pakistan People’s Party
Anita Pratap, first female CNN desk officer in South East Asia, lived in Riyadh from 2003 until 2008
Somalia
Hanan Ibrahim, Founder and Director, Somali Family Support Group, London, England
Asha Haga Elmi, Founder of Save Somali Women and Children, Recipient of 2008 Alternate Nobel Peace Prize, Recipient of 2009 Clinton Global Citizen Award
Qoran Noor, Kenya Program Coordinator, Global Risk
UK
Hanan Ibrahim MBE, founder of the Somali Family Support Group, received the Ambassador for Peace Award in 2009
Sarah Stewart, professor at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
Sabin Malik, Community Cohesion Coordinator and Advisor to the Home Office
Gill Hicks, survivor of the 7/7 bombings and founder of MAD – Making a Difference for Peace, author of “One Unknown: A Remarkable Account of Survival”, Australian Woman of the Year
USA
Phyllis Rodriguez, lost her son in the 9/11 attacks, activist in the Forgiveness Project, winner of the Die Quadriga Award
Christie Coombs, lost her husband in the 9/11 attacks, Founder of the Jeffrey Coombs Foundation, freelance journalist
Yemen
Fahmia al Fotih’, SAVE Yemen’s local coordinator, extensive experience as a journalist and teacher
Nadia al Sakkaf, editor of Yemen Times, only woman in such a position in the country, recipient of the first Gebran Tueni Award in December 2006
Fatima al Zuhairi, Manager of the Rabia al Adawea school for girls, facilitates educational exchange programs between Yemen and Wales
Noor Ba’abbad, Cabinet Member, Member of the Higher Counsel for Women headed by the Prime Minister
Dr. Bilqis Jubari, Director of the leading Educational and Psychological Counselling Center at Sana'a University in Yemen, and associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
Robi Damelin from Israel, and Siham Abu Awwad from Palestine
Esther Ibanga and Khadija Hawaja from Nigeria
Arshi Saleem Hashmi and Kamala Ganesh
Archana Kapoor, editor of Hardnews, a Delhi based political magazine.
Anne Carr