Women
of Peace in the Middle East
Peace
Building through Women’s Federation
Contributed
by Ms. Alexa Fish Ward, President, WFWP,
USA
In the beginning of 2004, Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), USA
made a commitment to focus its attention on issues related to the
Middle East
, on the national as well as on the international level. This commitment merged
an understanding of the importance of the region, the conviction that women are
uniquely suited to build lasting peace in the world, and a profound sadness
concerning the ongoing suffering and loss of life.
Initially,
representatives of WFWP, USA
drafted a Declaration for Peace in the
Middle East. The document reflects the depth of insight that women bring to peace building:
“Determine to become exemplary women of deep forgiving love…”; “Commit
to becoming peacemakers, because only through the selfless heart of women who
deeply care for all children as their own…”
Over a period of
eighteen months, ending in December 2005, WFWP, USA
led an effort to collect more than ten million signatures of support for the
Declaration worldwide. This project was promoted in 38 nations, and
was introduced at international conferences in the
United States, Europe, the Middle East,
Asia, and the United Nations. 
WFWP, USA
participated in the “Women of Peace” program in Jerusalem, in May 2004, sponsored by the Interreligious and International Federation for
World Peace and WFWP, International, which brought together 526 women from 41
nations. During this trip,
WFWP,
USA
organized a visit to Israeli and Palestinian victims of violence at
Hadassah
Hospital, a visit to the Yad be
Yad
Bilingual
School
with gifts and a financial donation, as well as a “Bridge
of
Peace” resulting in approximately 200 pairs of “sisters of peace.” Each woman
returned home deeply touched, renewed, and changed.
In January 2005, WFWP,
USA
supported Iraqi women and their families, who live in the USA, with their historic national election. In the area of
Washington
DC, WFWP members provided transportation for a number of Iraqis to travel to the
polling place in
Maryland. In the polling place outside of Los Angeles, WFWP members, along with Service for Peace youth and members of the
Pacific-Los Angeles Chapter of the UNA-USA, were given permission to setup a
hospitality tent. Over a period of three days, hundreds of Iraqi women and their
families were provided refreshments, with food and drink donated by ten area
businesses.
The Women’s
Peace Initiative (WPI) for the Middle East and South Asia was founded as a
project of
WFWP, USA, in the spring of 2005. WPI is dedicated to helping women transcend boundaries
of ethnicity, religion, and nationality to create bridges of peace in the Middle
East and
South Asia. This Initiative aims to expand the understanding of western women about the
history, cultures, religions, and the status of women in the region, through
public forums and the media, as well as empower women from the region with the
knowledge, tools, and support to expand the culture of peace at home, in
communities, and between nations.
The Women’s
Peace Initiative formed a panel of women from five countries to present its
views in public forums. Each panelist gives a presentation on the status of
women in their homeland, also tells the story of how they have gone beyond their
own personal boundaries to build deep bonds of friendship through their work
with WPI. This panel has been presented in George
Mason
University, the
University
of
Maryland, in
Oakland, California, and at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington
DC.
In 2005 and 2006,
WFWP, USA
sponsored programs focusing on the Middle East
at the Capitol Hill Club in commemoration of International Women’s Day. The
2005 program, entitled, “Women Creating Lasting Peace,” brought Iraqi women
leaders together with American women leaders. The 2006 program, “The Essential
Role of Women in Creating Peace,” highlighted the WPI panel.
WFWP, USA
continues in its commitment to focus on the Middle East, by bringing women from
the west together with women from the Middle East, using the media of education, service, and friendship, to help the region move
toward a lasting peace.
Ms. Alexa Fish
Ward is President of WFWP,
USA, and Vice President of WFWP, International