Frauen ohne Grenzen | Women without borders

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 man’s territory. Women without Borders hosted the first global SAVE - Sisters Against Violent Extremism Conference in Vienna, Austria, to explore and construct alternative visions of fighting terrorism. The thirty-three women who attended the conference come from all regions of the globe and tell striking and diverse stories, and their experiences—and the experiences of others like them—are crucial to developing innovative counterterrorism 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, is a member of the Association March 11th—Affected by Terrorism. This association provides those injured or affected by the bombing with legal, social, medical, and psychological support. Beatriz became known as the voice of youth in Spain, and during the trial of the accused terrorists, she called upon her countrymen and women to not stigmatize Muslims.

Both Robi Damelin and Najwa Saadeh joined the Parents Circle, an organization for bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families, after losing family members to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 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 in the first carriage of a London Underground train on July 7, 2005 when she suddenly 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 more than 150 others. Rachel escaped with minor injuries and shock. This experience compelled her to become an activist. Today, Rachel actively campaigns against terror in a variety of capacities. She writes for a number of newspapers and has published a book, Out of the Tunnel, about her experiences. She founded the 7/7 Inquiry Group, which advocates for an independent inquiry into the atrocities, appears on national and international radio and television programs, and is a committed spokesperson for the 7/7 victims.

Cindy Corrie founded the Rachel Corrie Foundation after her daughter, Rachel, was killed in the Gaza Strip while trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home. The Corrie family established 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.

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 reconciliation.

Forgiveness as a Political Category

After 9/11, Phyllis Rodriguez and Aïcha el Wafi joined the Forgiveness Project, an organization that works for conflict resolution, reconciliation, and victims' rights, although they came from very different angles. Phyllis’ son, Greg, was killed in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Aïcha’s son, Zacarias Mouassaoui, was 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 had begun to speak 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 the Chair of  Equipo de Estudios Communitarios y Accion Psicosocial, an NGO  that provides help to victims of political violence. She advocates for women's rights 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 has worked as a journalist and a program coordinator for some of the biggest organizations for women's rights and conflict resolution in the world, including the World Bank, UNESCO, and OXFAM. Her work has been featured in the Washington Times, the LA Times, the BBC, NPR, The London Times and Newsweek. Manal currently works as a Program Officer for the US Institute for Peace.

Najma Ahmed Abdi works for Save Somali Women and Children in Somalia and Kenya. This NGO was founded in 1992 by a group of female Somali intellectuals to advance women's human rights and conflict resolution. Najma is also the Chair of the Youth Leadership Forum and a member of the national Committee on Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia.

In Northern Ireland, May de Silva is the 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 mking 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.