We, The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), emphasize that the suicide bombings that occurred in several churches in Surabaya are NOT part of Islamic teachings. Damaging places of worship is clearly forbidden in Islamic teachings, as described in Surah Al-Hajj verse 40, to protect places of worship of any religion from violent and irresponsible acts. Because this is not part of Islamic teachings, it is important for all Muslims to strongly voice their disapproval of terrorism in various forms of publicly accessible media. As the majority population of Indonesia, we cannot sit still and tolerate the development of terrorism in Indonesia. 

 

AMAN Indonesia strongly condemns the instrumentalization  of the female body for suicide bombings, especially for reasons of empowerment. The terrorist’s female empowerment propaganda is spreading a false sense of awareness and clearly violates women’s right to life.

 

AMAN Indonesia fully supports the Indonesian National Police to take necessary security measures, and to take firm action against the perpetrators who are clearly involved in this terrorist act.

 

AMAN Indonesia appreciates the work of the ministries and networks in providing help to the bomb victims, and supporting them economically and socially in the long-term. It is important for the state to provide justice for the victims of terrorism. 

 

AMAN Indonesia calls for all users of social media to trust in formal news sources that are reliable, and to avoid controversial debates that are unnecessary and could potentially divide us. This act of terror has clearly taken innocent victims. They were men, women and children that were in the act of worship. Stop spreading photos of victims or information that is not clear, this spreads the sense of fear that is desired by the terrorist groups.

 

AMAN Indonesia encourages civil society and interfaith organizations to cooperate against all forms of terror acts, including all efforts to purposely develop terrorism in Indonesian. We encourage society to empathize with the victims of the bombs and their families for a thorough and long-term recovery. 

 

Ruby Kholifah, Country Representative of AMAN Indonesia

Brad Roth, Chair of Mediators Beyond Borders International-New York, was interviewed by Byron Wild, MBBI Writer, on March 5, 2018

MBBI-NY is one of Mediators Beyond Borders International’s most stalwart and active Regional Groups. Founded in 2011 by Brad Roth and Patricia Araujo, MBBI-NY has been a model of consistency, innovation, and dedication to building local skills for peace and promoting mediation worldwide. Brad is the current Chair of MBBI-NY and has been leading the it’s events in partnership with Professor Maria Volpe of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  

On the first Tuesday of nearly every month since 2011, MBBI-NY has hosted meetings that are open to the public at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Hundreds of lawyers, students, and other professionals interested in learning more about mediation-related initiatives, both domestic and abroad, have attended MBBI-NY’s meetings. In those meetings, MBBI-NY provides updates on MBBI’s international projects and helps those who are interested in becoming involved take the next steps and join MBBI’s work.

Being a conduit for New York and New Jersey residents to connect with MBBI’s international work is only one focus of MBBI-NY. Over the years since its founding MBBI-NY has capitalized on the international diversity of New York City to develop two unique initiatives. Their goal was to find ways for residents of New York and New Jersey to engage in rewarding, local projects with international ramifications.

The first initiative helped strengthen MBBI’s presence and advocacy at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.  The group attended meetings and conducted research related to MBBI’s special consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council. As a result, members have a greater access, influence, and involvement in the council’s work to advance sustainable development worldwide. As well, those affiliated with MBBI-NY became involved with the Commission on the Status of Women. You can find out more about MBBI’s work at the UN here.

MBBI-NY’s second initiative is with diaspora communities in New York City, specifically the Liberian Diaspora project. At the invitation of the Liberian diaspora community, MBBI-NY has partnered with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to offer free mediation training and workshops to Liberian community members in New York City. These training and workshops have helped build mediation capacity in the diaspora community on US soil as well as inform how members of that community engage in their home country.

This project is the fruition of several years of work and Brad emphasized the importance of taking enough time for relationship-building: “We want our work to be authentic. Rather than coming in and saying what we think should happen, we want to see what the needs and interests of the diaspora community are and if they match with what MBBI-NY could offer.”

Brad is currently co-authoring with Maria Volpe an article on the Liberian Diaspora Initiative for publication in the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. “We think this project is ripe for duplication,” he said. “It’s about scaling up and finding the people power we need to do this work with other communities.” Through this kind of collaboration and equal partnership with diaspora communities, Brad feels MBBI-NY can have a significant impact and provide opportunities for locals to engage in meaningful work.

We’re a growing and evolving initiative seeking to co-create with those who are also interested in effecting local and international change.

In addition to continuing diaspora community work, UN advocacy, and hosting public meetings, MBBI-NY leadership hopes to connect with like-minded organizations to provide a platform to amplify their message. A recent example of this kind of collaboration: MBBI-NY and John Jay College of Criminal Justice co-sponsored several CitizenDEMOS events. You can find out more about CitizenDEMOS’ mission to revitalize democratic citizenship through publicly offering facilitated dialogues and mediation practices and training here.

Richard Tanto, Mediator and Consultant with  MBB Consulting, was interviewed by Kayla Elson, MBBI Writer, on March 20, 2018

Very early in my life, I lived in a community where there was a certain church conflict in which my own parents were involved, and which directly affected my performance in school.  Teachers were terminated as a result and students were abandoned.  I began to wonder how to manage relations so that we don’t get really negative consequences on the children.

Richard Tanto is an ardent advocate of mediation.  With over 20 years of rich peacebuilding experience, his passion for mediation and dreams for his home country, Cameroon, shine through his words. Motivated by his personal experience, Richard dedicated his academic pursuits to improving responses to conflict.  Attaining a PhD in History from the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, his dissertation analyzed conflict within the Cameroon Baptist Convention – the same conflict that impaired his education as a child.

Upon graduating, Richard was recruited by Ecumenical Service for Peace in Cameroon and has worked at the organization ever since.  Upon employment, he received conflict management training.  He also seized opportunities for advanced training in Norway and in South Africa.  With this training, Richard emphasizes, “As a mediator, you approach things differently and people will begin to wonder what is happening to your life.”

With this transformative perspective, Richard equips communities to build peace: “The problem is not just solving the conflict, it is also giving the means to live without getting back into the conflict.”  As a lead coordinator of programs in the Northwest and West regions of Cameroon, Richard trains community leaders to resolve intercommunal problems. He and his team also work alongside communities to develop action plans around land conflicts.  Through these interventions, he affirms, “We turned the page on many conflicts and opened the page for collaboration.”

Richard marvels at the compelling testimonies he hears of how conflict management trainings have restored relationships.  Marriages have been repaired.  Communal trust has been built.  Such positive feedback emboldens Richard continually. After two decades as a practitioner, Richard reflects on some of the hardships:  

When I look back, at first, we were told that we would not be able to do it.  But eventually, the community leaders we trained helped traditional leaders understand that what we were bringing was good for them.  From a position where they didn’t want to see me, some traditional leaders started inviting us to come and talk to them.”

Amidst both, the hardships of skeptical or exploitative actors and the joys of touching lives, Richard finds a deep love for his work. “The greatest motivation is the fact that you are able to meet people at their point of need,” He reflects. He Continues: “You restore, and you see how communities become vibrant.  There is nothing to pay you for that kind of service.”

Joining MBB Consulting in 2016, Richard has actively shared his expertise towards situations in South Sudan and Nigeria.  He is also involved in designing strategies to address exploitative conflicts in the mining sector and foster partnership between communities and private companies.  To him, the power of mediation lies in taking conflict as an opportunity. He explains: “Mediation empowers you to make your own decisions… mediation supports a more sustainable resolution of a conflict… And it is not confined by any law.  It is creative.”

As a member of the Board of Directors for Ecumenical Service for Peace, Richard envisions making mediation a legal alternative to the traditional justice system in Cameroon.  For his country – where violent conflict still obstructs children’s education – Richard devotedly instills hope and inspires Cameroonians to choose peace.

Women In Mediation Spotlight featuring Paloma Martinez and Gayane Astoyan, interviewed by Kayla Elson, MBBI Writer, on March 2, 2018

Newly equipped with mediation skills, women around the world are transforming their local communities.  MBBI’s International Training Institute (ITI) focuses on equipping women with peacebuilding skills and integrates them into a global community of peacebuilding practitioners.  Since its inception in 2013, the ITI has trained 97 women from 33 countries and in turn, has impacted over 10,000 lives!

Paloma Martinez – Protecting Leadership

Paloma Martinez, a primary school teacher in Urabá, Colombia, is personally committed to helping youth become entrepreneurs and conscious leaders in their communities.  After completing the first phase of ITI-Bogota in 2017, Paloma returned to her hometown and launched a new project.  Alongside fostering youth leadership, Paloma recognized the need to protect current community leaders.  Leaders in Urabá face high risk of assassination as they actively defend their communities from armed groups who try to steal land.  Without state protection, leaders are being silenced.  In collaboration with several colleagues, Paloma created a platform to help bring protection to community leaders in Urabá. 

With the support of a Movilizatorio, Paloma and her team established Colidérate, a technology application that allows at-risk community leaders to send out security alerts.  By using SMS alerts to report threats and incidents, the project aims to document the high-risk situation in Urabá and the surrounding regions. As a result, the platform garners state protection for leaders, as stipulated in the Colombian peace agreement.  Paloma uses her mediation skills to encourage the use of the alert system.  She explains through a translator:

Rural people all have similar experiences and thinking.  I have been the bridge between the app and the people.  Many leaders have scars and refuse to use this app. I highlight the benefits of the app.

For Paloma, the ITI equipped her to bridge many gaps.  Whether facilitating communication between students and teachers at her workplace or advocating for Colidérate among skeptical rural Colombian communities, Paloma acknowledges that the skills and knowledge she gained from the ITI are “good tools for both her public and private life.”

Gayane Astoyan – Unifying Communities

Gayane Astoyan is a young Armenian woman dedicated to building relationships among isolated communities.  When she first entered the ITI-Istanbul in 2013, Gayane worked for the City Research Center on a dialogue project, “Revealing Each Other Beyond Stereotypes.” The project focused on empowering Western and Eastern European women to transcend negative attitudes and beliefs.  For Gayane, ITI taught her how to be a true mediator: “MBBI helped me realize that whenever you become a mediator you should be impartial and not biased and try to find the solution for both parties from the perspective of a third party.”  As an Armenian woman leading multicultural dialogues, Gayane felt more equipped to lay side personal feelings and facilitate neutral dialogues.

In 2015, Gayane and a colleague started a youth non-governmental organization, Identity and Worldviews, to promote acceptance of cultures through dialogue and education.  One of her current projects fosters dialogue between locally-born Armenians and Syrian Armenians, who are alienated from each other.  She explains the dilemma: “When the war started in Syria, a lot of Syrians came to Armenia.  But the locals considered them adversaries to their jobs and there were some stereotypes towards them as if they were not Armenians. On the other hand, Syrian Armenians were very closed and were trying to keep their own Armenian culture as it was in Syria. Most of them have difficulties adapting to the local culture, environment, and society.”

As she continues to build intercultural communication within her society, Gayane reflects on her endeavors: “Whenever you work, you become like their glasses. You show them that their attitudes were kind of wrong and they need to open up to each other to develop dialogue…otherwise, in isolation, you cannot understand.  When people start to understand each other, and you see the results, you understand that it is really rewarding work that you do.”

An Experience of a Lifetime

For Paloma and Gayane, friendships with other inspiring women from ITI are the most meaningful gain.  Paloma shares: “ITI was one of the best experiences I have ever had.  Not only for what I learned, but also who I met. I made really good friends.”  Paloma remains connected to women around the region and is looking forward to returning to Bogota in April 2018 to share situations, challenges, and progress thus far.  Gayane continually invites ITI women to join her programs and even hopes to invite MBBI mediation trainers to future large-scale projects. Both Paloma and Gayane wholeheartedly support MBBI’s ITI.  To women considering ITI, Gayane urges:

If she wants to get one of her greatest experiences in life, she must participate in the MBBI training. Because this is amazing, not only because of the skills and knowledge you receive, but also the emotions. You will be filled with so much emotions, so much re-evaluation of your actions and thoughts and values and beliefs. Participate in MBBI training whenever you have the chance.