Ibtisam Mahameed: Enhancing Relations Arabs and Jews - Essay Example

Ibtisam Mahameed Introduction Ibtisam Mahameed is a Palestinian woman currently living in northern Israel. Her main focus is on enhancing relations between Arabs and Jews in the country and also works to enhance the status of females in both the Jewish and Arab society (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). Even though, Israelis and Arabs live very close to one another, a majority of them have no social relation whatsoever. Most of Mahameed’s work is in the Palestinian society in Israel, particularly among females/women whose status in the Arab community is still repressed. She helps them enhance their confidence and then introduce them to peer groups of the three main religions – Christianity, Judaism, as well as Islam (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). For a number of years, Mahameed has been offering advice to Jewish and Arab women concerning their status in the society. As a religious woman – Muslim, she has worked with religious Druze, Christian and Jewish women on promoting peace through learning about each other’s religions, as well as cultures, and spreading them to other religions. She is currently on the board members of Middleway, a group for promoting a peaceful, non-violence community, and she was instrumental in helping establish the Women’s Interfaith Encounter, a women’s program of the IEA – Interfaith Encounter Association (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). As we can see, Ibtisam Mahameed is a very influential woman, one that can be contrasted to the likes of Mother Teresa and Wangari Mathai of Kenya due to her work. This paper will dwell on this prominent Arab woman who has gone against all odds to establish herself in a nation that disregards the female race. It will dwell on her background, works, influences and achievements. Background Ibtisam Mahameed is a member of the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel, a group, which lost most of its terrain, assets, rights and freedom, in the Israel’s War of Independence, in 1948. Mahameed’s family was from the Palestinian community of Tantura, on the Mediterranean coast, which was completely ruined during the 1948 Independence Warfare (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). The refugees from her village were exiled to Jordan, the West Bank and Syria. Others such as her parents went to Fureidis, a deprived village located in northern Israel, where she now lives. She has eight siblings – three brothers and five sisters, and she and her husband, a house painter, have three children. She is currently in her early 50’s. She states that when she was growing up, extremely few girls in the Arab community had schooling rights, but her parents were incredibly supportive, and she managed to complete high school. Since then, she has studied educational administration and management. As a religious woman, particularly Muslim, Mahameed claims that she is obliged to wear traditional garments (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). Unfortunately, the Israeli community around her associates every religious Muslim with potential terrorism and extremism. Her peace activist work needs her to travel a lot and alone (not with her family members) around Israel and throughout the work. Therefore, she is obliged to spend nights away from her family members, a matter that is very odd in the traditional Arab community (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). In such a community, the woman is expected always to be at home fending for her family while the husband goes to work. This is why harsh rules are imposed on women and working in the Arab world. In the beginning, Mahameed says that some members of her family found it very hard to accept her association with Jews and Christians, as well as her work for Arab-Jewish co-existence (Global Oneness Project 1). The family members who found that odd even went to the extent of not talking to her, but now support her. She claims that her family pays a social price due to her activism. For instance, her daughter was the main candidate for a teaching job in Mahameed’s home town, but she was denied the opportunity as the village elders felt threatened by Mahameed activism on behalf of Arab women in the area (Global Oneness Project 1). Bearing in mind the traditional taboos of a spiritual Muslim woman doing such work, Mahameed considers that she extremely fortunate that her husband respects, acknowledges and supports her all through, which normally encourages her to go on with her work. Mahameed claims that her husband supported her in getting a college degree (Global Oneness Project 1). He does most of the house work, which is so unlike an Arab man. They have been together for over 31 years since their marriage when she was only 18 years. She claims that it was tough for the rest of her family when she started her peace-building journey, but, at the moment, they offer her all the support she needs (Global Oneness Project 1). She jokingly states that if there was any Nobel Peace Prize for supportive husbands, then the husband deserves it. They reside in a four-room flat, and she uses this as her base as she tries to make her contribution to peace, as well as understanding in her region. Mahameed ran for Fureidis town council, in 1996. Her agenda, she claimed, was to assist both men and women to get and education, as well as challenge for spousal abuse. Her supporters were both men and women, but, unfortunately enough, she was never elected (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). She claims that if she ever gets involved in politics again, it will be in a different place. She also argues that if another woman challenges for a political seat genuinely in her region, then she will offer her all the support she needs so that she can success. She also claims that she will be the teacher of other women, and she will not ruin herself. It was difficult to run for a political office, but she claims that it was a great learning experience for her (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). Not many women can withstand such challenges – go against her cultural and traditional values, opposition from family members and many others – and still manage to come out on top. This shows that Mahameed is a very strong willed woman willing to go through a lot to achieve her visions. About Mahameed’s Work Ibtisam Mahameed has been an active member of Interfaith Organization work since 2002 when a religious Jewish lady, Elana Rozenman, and she founded the Women’s Interfaith Encounter of Northern Israel. This was an arm of the Interfaith Encounter Association that did interfaith work in women (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). They meet each and every month in a diverse community offering the participant of the three faiths revelation to diverse lifestyles, as well as cultures. They invite religious leaders from the three faiths to go and meet them, and they learn from the broad range of religious contexts concerning women’s position, status and contributions to society. Mahameed claims that she is a woman in a patriarchal, customary society, which suffers from extreme discrimination, high rates of unemployment and extreme internal conflict. She lives as an oppressed minority in a nation established for and existing for the benefit of other people – the Jews. Ibtisam Mahameed’s work as an activist started in 1988 (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). She began the activism work in her local town getting to know her neighbors. Then she worked with other women in the neighboring Jewish homes, trying to elevate their status and ease domestic abuse (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). Mahameed claims that it took her some time to work on herself to identify what she thought she wanted to do, as well as to talk from her heart. Her initial contact with Jews was as a little girl when she went with her mother, who worked in Jewish homes as a cook. This was in a nearby town, Zikhron Yaakov. She made friends and begun to learn Hebrew. She then met a Jewish woman in that town who came to Mahameed’s town to teach fitness classes. They then became close friends and developed a deep association (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). They started a countrywide non-political women’s network, in 1992, referred to as Peace Begins Within Association, where she was the director (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). The thought of the organization is that if someone is at peace with him/herself, then they will endorse peace with other people. Mahameed and her group meet once a month and these women come from every sector of the society. Their aim is getting to know each other well and break down the challenges and barriers of stereotypes, which ease fears, as well as paves the way to real unity (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). It is the duty of women to raise their children in an atmosphere or environment of openness and acceptance (Jerusalem Peacemakers 1). It took Mahameed four years to get to the level where she is today, where she can speak to any individual devoid of any barrier. She respects everyone. She got extremely involved with women’s peer group referred to as the Anwar. It was rooted in the idea that every woman is connected through the womb (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). By giving birth, a woman turns into a mother, an educator and a nurse. In October 2000, following the start of the recent Palestinian Intifada, Muslim people in Israel could no longer hold their frustration and they went to the streets to hold demonstrations (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). 13 Arabs were killed after clashes with the law enforcers and the gap between Arabs and Jews grew even more. Arabs in Israel now feared as they were suspected as potential terrorists (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). Current Peace Project Through Mahameed’s works, she became a global woman invited to tour and speaks at interfaith conferences (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). She is involved with Peace X Peace and Sulha Way Project. The Peace X Peace refers to an international organization, which lifts, as well as multiplies women’s voices. The organization strengthens women’s skills to connect across cultures, promotes gender equity and leadership in order to nurture a global understanding of the problems facing women. Peace X Peace is establishing a global network of peacemakers in 128 nations. The organization provides analysis, perspectives, resources, as well as tools, on women’s power so as to build peace. They advocate for women as the most powerful and direct way of creating traditions of peace all round the world. Sulha Way Project, on the other hand, is a group of Palestinians and Israelis who often converge to discuss ways of dealing with their issues. Together, they show that they, who refer to themselves as the children of Abraham, share a widespread destiny (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). 12 years ago, when Palestine and Israel were locked into fear of the other side, at the climax of the El Aksa intifada, the Sulha Peace Project was established. As army men fired into groups of youths and coffee shops exploded, the Sulha Way Project brought Palestinians and Israelis together through wholehearted listening. They assessed and strengthened the bonds, which link these two groups together, and they have been doing it ever since (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). Donations done towards Ibtisam Mahameed used to cover her travel expenses, admin costs, events and also help her sponsors events, which otherwise might not take place (Jerusalem Peacemaker 1). Watching some of the various interviews that Ibtisam Mahameed sat for, it is easy to notice that she is one of the key facilitators of the Middleway event. This is where Jews and Arabs go on silent walks together and listen to nature, as well as themselves (Global Oneness Project 1). After these walks, she also helps in facilitating listening circles. In these circles, she states in her interviews that she hears other people life accounts. She claims that she might have her own pain, but other people also share their own pain, which they consider significant (Global Oneness Project 1). This has persuaded her into never blaming any other person for their mistakes. She also understands that both Palestinians and Israelis have the same pain. Mahameed argues that if we all go the political way, then clashes will never end, but if people decide to meet people and chat, then peace will prevail. She argues how she is always stopped by Israel security officers since she wears traditional Arab garments, but only after they talk to her do they see her as a pursuer of peace. She is also a volunteer in many peace events. Conclusion Ibtisam Mahameed argues that life is more significant than land since one day people will all die (Global Oneness Project 1). Therefore, it is not vital to fight and die young, but to embrace one another and live long in harmony (Global Oneness Project 1). Such a woman should be taken as a role model by every Muslim individual since it is their religion that is always on the spotlight when it comes to destruction of world peace. However, it is vital to not that a majority of the Muslims advocate for peace it is just that not a majority of them have succeeded to find platforms such Mahameed’s. If people choose to embrace what Mahameed advocates for, then the world would be a better place to live in. Works Cited Global Oneness Project. Ibtisam Mahameed. N.p, 2013. Web. Jerusalem Peacemakers. Ibtisam Mahameed. N.p, 2013. Web. http://jerusalempeacemakers2008.jerusalempeacemakers.org/ibtisam/index.html Read More