Bothaina Kamel born Cairo, Egypt April 18, 1962. Egyptian TV anchor; first woman to run for president 2011; leader from start of Tahrir square protests, forming shield for male activists; opposed sectarian violence against Copts; social democrat.
"When we took to the streets we said, ‘Peaceful, peaceful.’ We did not say, 'Revolutionary, revolutionary.'" (International Herald Tribune, June 15, 2011; photo maggiejeans.com)
Mehrangiz Kar born Ahvaz, Iran October 10, 1944. Muslim; human rights activist; lawyer; journalist; arrested and sentenced to 4 years, but released in 2 months for cancer treatment, 2000. Recipient of Trarieux Prize and Human Rights First award.
"Surviving two world wars, in 1948 the human race decided to plan for a war-free, discrimination-free and violence-free world. Each of the 30 articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is influenced by the love of mankind for mankind and human dignity." (Dec. 20, 2010 to American Islamic Conference; photo M. Kar homepage)
Tawakkol Karman born Taiz, Yemen February 7, 1979. Nonviolent leader of Yemeni revolution during 2011 Arab Spring movement; repeatedly arrested. Co-founded Women Journalists Without Chains, 2005; led weekly protests at Sanaa University, 2007-2010. Shared Nobel Peace Prize with Leymah Gbowee & Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2011; first Arab woman Nobel recipient; youngest Nobel Peace Laureate.
"We refuse violence and know that violence has already caused our country countless problems." (Time, Feb. 16, 2011; photo http://bit.ly/r7syP7)
Eren Keskin born Bursa, Turkey May 24, 1959. Turkish human rights leader jailed for 6 months for criticism of army; founded Legal Aid for Women who were raped by national security forces 1997; Aachen Peace Prize 2004.
"I refuse to buy my freedom of speech by paying money." (March 22, 2006; photo feminisite.net)
Asma Khader born al-Zababida, West Bank, Palestine January 25, 1952. Jordanian lawyer, human rights activist; co-founder, director Sisterhood is Global; Jordanian Minister of State 2003-5; UN Human Rights investigator for Libya civil war abuses; first protest 1965 age 13 against Israeli bombing Hebron.
“Security and dignity are in the heart of human being, there is no dignity without security, and there is no security without dignity!” (Women’s UN Network Report, July 22, 2013; photo equal rights trust)
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa born Bahrain October 18, 1952. First Muslim woman president of UN General Assembly, 2006; first woman Bahraini ambassador, 1997; leading lawyer. Received Path to Peace Award, 2007.
“In crisis, post-conflict and post-disaster situations, national and international NGOs are vital implementing partners—without them, UN humanitarian assistance could hardly be delivered.” (Gen. Assembly, Nov. 16, 2006; photo Elliott School, Geo. Wash. U)
“Promoting a true dialogue among civilizations and religions is perhaps the most important political instrument that we can use to reach out across borders and build bridges of peace and hope.” (Berkeley Center, Jun. 13, 2007)
“If we reflect upon all the miseries and tragedies suffered by humanity throughout the twentieth century and to the present day, we realize that they not only harm humanity, but also distort the meaning of creativity, art and beauty, leaving a disastrous imprint on reality and on our lives. In fact, the future of coming generations depends on the way in which we address current problems. We must work to preserve humanitarianism and to ensure that our planet is a safer and more suitable place in which to live. Essentially, we are all human beings who share a common fate, and that is what inspired the founders of our Organization.” (Jun. 8,2006 acceptance speech, Pres. UN Gen. Assembly; photo Elliott School, Geo. Wash. U)
Zarina Khan born Tunis, Tunisia February 19, 1954. “Citizen of the World.” Actress, philosopher, poet, filmmaker, and peacemaker. Set up “Theater & Liberty in War” in war-torn Sarajevo 1993, producing “Dictionary of Life”; UNESCO expert in culture of peace 1995; nominee for Nobel Peace Prize 2005.
“[V]iolence and its opposite, the respect of the others, are the backgrounds of the history of humanity. Denying the violence, seeking to erase is an illusion, it is like trying to win over the night. . . So, we have to look at violence's face, in order to understand its functioning, how it begins, which are its deep roots that help its growth. In the same way, the functioning of the human being has to be understood . . . by each of us. It is the first step in the transformation process of our society. . . 'Who is he, the one I am hitting?' asks immediately the next question: 'What is this something in me that is hitting him?' . . . To explore the mystery, one has to express it. Who am I? Who are you? You are a mystery for me if I am a mystery for myself. Discovering you, I will discover myself, and if I discover in you, who is so different from me, parts of myself, I will discover that in the same time I am unique and strangely like you, that we are sharing the same story, the story of 'human beings,' and that we have to write it, together.” (“Culture as space of encounter, resistance and reconstruction”; photo rfi.fr)
Maryam al-Khawaja born Damascus June 26, 1987. Bahraini human rights activist. International spokesperson for Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Exiled and arrested on return, 2014; released and sentenced to year in prison, in absentia.
“When you're talking about human rights, it's black and white. . . There's no excuse for committing human rights violations.” (Alalam, Aug. 27, 2013)
Zainab al-Khawaja born Damascus October 21, 1983. Bahraini human rights activist. Underwent 10-day hunger strike to protest detentions of her family, 2011. Arrested for sit-in at UN office, 2011; again arrested and beaten while in police custody, 2011. Arrested three times, 2012. Arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for destroying a picture of King Hamad, 2014.
“People are sick and tired of living in a country where they cannot speak about what is on their mind. I am speaking out, but we are paying a high price for it.” (Spiegel, April 29, 2012; photo Wikipedia)
Shulamith Koenig born Jerusalem June 20, 1930. Human Rights activist; industrial engineer; co-founded Peace Now Tel Aviv in 1960s; founded People’s Movement for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) 1988; UN Human rights award 2003.
“[A]ll people in all villages, towns, and cities around the world must know human rights as a way of life. We believe that all people really KNOW human Rights and spontaneously move away from humiliation. If this is true we must take the responsibility for moving this knowledge from the dormant stage to the power of knowledge. . . We call this LEARNING!” (Counter Currents, March 7, 2010; photo ssfupdates.blog)
Women in Peace
is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of extraordinary, peacemaking women from around the world.
