Peacemakers in the making

Learning to be a Peacemaker 2021

11/08/2021
LPM report 2021 square

 

Nma Dahir
Nma Dahir

‘I am super happy to have been part of the Learning to be a Peacemaker course – we learned the true colours of Islam!’ wrote 18-year-old high-school graduate Nma Dahir, from Erbil, capital of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. ‘After attending it, I am totally immersed in this field, and want to learn more so that I can implement it in my life, and teach others about it!’ 

The course she was referring to was part of the Caux Forum Online 2021 programme. Designed and delivered by British Imam and broadcaster, Ajmal Masroor, it mines references in the holy scriptures of Islam to a wide variety of aspects of peacemaking, in a fast-moving, interactive way.

The content made me realize how easy it is for us to live our lives in peace.

Nadeem Jahangir
Nadeem Jahangir

For Nadeem Jahangir, a software engineer in Lahore, Pakistan, the course was the best he had taken part in. ‘The trainer was a great guide, teaching that, according to the Islamic perspective, the invitation to peace is very clear. The content made me realize how easy it is for us to live our lives in peace.'

 

Nigar Sultana
Nigar Sultana

When asked what she had learned from the course, Nigar Sultana, a recent graduate in English Literature, originally from Bangladesh, answered succinctly: ‘First, our beliefs don't make us a better person, but our behaviour does. Second, peace cannot be kept by any force, it can only be achieved through mutual understanding. And third, before any argument about religion, we should have a proper knowledge about the religion.'

Our beliefs don't make us a better person, but our behaviour does.

Tareq Layka
Tarek Layka

Tareq Layka, a dentist and peace activist in Syria, picked out several elements in the course. Firstly, the three-way relationship that is at the heart of Islamic teaching: with God, with ourselves, and with others.

Secondly, the ‘great, tolerant attitude that the course promotes and that we desperately need to tolerate our differences and accept others’. This was especially close to his heart, as someone who had lived through a conflict ‘that many people attribute to religious intolerance’.

Thirdly, ‘the importance of building peace within ourselves to be able to spread it to others’. And fourthly, ‘how to be moderate, in religion and in life’. ‘Ultimately’, he said, ‘the course provided me with a completely new, comprehensive understanding of life, justice, peace, and much more!’

The course provided me with a completely new, comprehensive understanding of life, justice, peace, and much more!

Nishat Aunjum
NIshat Aunjum

A Somali participant, who wished to remain anonymous, also made a discovery: that peacemaking and conflict resolution are foundational pillars of Islamic teachings and practice. He had thought that they were only promoted by Western countries.

For Nishat Aunjum, a student in Peace and Conflict Studies at Dhaka University, Bangladesh, the course spotlighted deep-rooted causes of misconceptions about Islam and also introduced her ‘to the pathway to help bring my community from the darkness of fallacy, and build a more knowledgeable society’. 

The course definitely widened my horizon (...) and helped bring to light that changemaking needs to happen within us before anyone else.

Murad Elmaryami
Murad Elmaryami

Murad Elmaryami, a Libyan medical student living in Malaysia, courageously shared that he had learnt new things about himself through the ‘Inner Peace’ module: that there were conflicts within himself that needed to be addressed before he could address anyone else’s concern or problem. He said: 'The course definitely widened my horizon on these issues  and helped bring to light that changemaking needs to happen within us before anyone else.' His conclusion was that ‘to reach that phase of Inner Peace, I need to educate myself more about anger problems, forgiveness and emotional intelligence’.

 

Taylor Garrett
Taylor Garrett

Bringing a non-Muslim perspective, Taylor Garrett, a US citizen and recent Masters’ graduate in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University, Netherlands, appreciated Imam Ajmal’s gift of ‘inspiring participants to rethink the core values of Islam and how they’re relevant for all our lives, Muslim or non-Muslim’.

We really are all in this together!

All the participants enjoyed the diversity of the group and the ‘real, authentic engagement with peacebuilders around the world seeking to expand inner and outer peace in their own local communities’, as she put it.

 ‘We really are all in this together’, she concluded.

 

 

Compiled by Peter Riddell, Coordinator, Learning to be a Peacemaker

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Story
Off

related stories

Viki square EN no logo.png

Europe: A Mindset of Diversity

Spanish journalist Victoria Martín de la Torre is passionate about Europe, diversity and interfaith relations. Here she reflects on different aspects of Europe, based on her PhD research which led her...

Polina and Katya square faces EN

What is the meaning of home?

Amid escalating conflicts worldwide, the arts emerge as a potent force to challenge misconceptions and foster positive perspectives. The pivotal role of artists in creatively raising awareness has nev...

Ignacio India blog

Walking the Talk in Business

On 25 - 28 January, some 60 CEOs and other senior staff came together under Chatham House Rules to share personal experiences on how to balance a sustainable business with integrity and trust. Executi...

Save the date Caux Forum 2024 EN

Caux Forum 2024: Save the Date!

Save the date for the Caux Forum 2024! This summer Caux Initiatives of Change, in partnership with Initiatives of Change International and supported by other civil society networks, UN agencies, phila...

Caux Forum opening square website EN

Filling the gap in global efforts for peace and democracy

The Caux Forum 2023 Opening Ceremony set the tone for the conference with the theme, ‘Strengthening Democracy: The Journey from Trauma to Trust.’. Discover the report and relive the highlights of this...

Tsvetana 13 Sept 2023

Finding purpose and harmony through music and the Caux Palace

In a world filled with diverse cultures and languages, the journey of musician Tsvetana Petrushina is an inspiring tale of how she discovered her purpose. Her remarkable story led her to the Caux Pala...

Save the date 2023 square no date

Caux Forum 2023: Save the Date

We are excited to announce the Caux Forum will be back in Caux next summer! Find out more and save the date! ...

Arpan Yagnik

Arpan Yagnik: Mountains to climb

Arpan Yagnik, a participant of last year's Creative Leadership conference and team member of the IofC Hub 2021, talks to Mary Lean about creativity, fear and vocation. ...

YAP 2021 article square

Young Ambassadors Programme 2021: Learning to listen

When Indonesian law student Agustina Zahrotul Jannah discovered the Young Ambassadors Programme (YAP) on Google she felt both excited and hopeless: excited because she hoped it might give her the skil...

Zero waste square for social media

Sofia Syodorenko: A zero waste lifestyle is a mindful lifestyle

How did Sofia Syodorenko become involved in the zero waste movement, and what does it mean to her? Now Chair of Foundations for Freedom, she is also a representative of the Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine...

Patrick Magee 600x600

‘Where Grieving Begins – Building Bridges after the Brighton Bomb’: a live interview with Patrick Magee

The second in Tools for Changemakers’ series of Stories for Changemakers took place on 25 August 2021, with an interview with Patrick Magee, who planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, in 1984, w...

Summer Academy 2021 screenshot square

Forging a network of problem-solvers to build a secure and sustainable future

The Summer Academy on Climate, Land and Security 2021 brought together 29 participants from 20 countries. From Egypt and Senegal to the United States and Thailand, zoom windows opened for six hours ev...

Salima Mahamoudou 21 July 2021 FDFA workshop CDES 2021

Remaking a world in peril

The Caux Dialogue on Environment and Security (CDES) 2021 ran online from 20 July until 30 July, for the second consecutive year, comprising three open plenaries and seven workshops. This year’s discu...

CL 2021 Hope square

A Journey from Uncertainty to Possibility

2021’s Creative Leadership conference took participants on a six-day journey ‘From Uncertainty to Possibility’. Between 25 to 31 July around 150 online participants living in over 50 countries engaged...

FDFA Baobabcowherd-1 Noah Elhardt through WikiCommons square with logos

A pathway to peace and prosperity in West and Central Africa

In the context of their partnership, Initiatives of Change Switzerland (IofC) and the Peace and Human Rights division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs organised a webinar on the them...