On March 16th the Anuar movement – Jewish and Arab women leader, held a gathering, discussing women’s role in peace negotiations and Anti War protest. The event took place at the magnificent cultural center in Daliat-El-Carmel, hosted by Siham Halabi, a local peace activist and a member of the Anuar stirring committee. 80 Druze, Muslim and Jewish women attended the event, many of them from Jisr-az-Zarqa and Faradis.
Siham Halabi and the vice mayor of Daliat-El-Carmel municipality opened the event greeting the participants.
The film screened was “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” (*) which tells the story of women in Liberia struggling against the tyrannical regime and against the bloody battles in their country. The film chronicles the women’s important contribution to ending the war and signing a peace treaty between the rival parties.
Following the film, a panel lead by women from “Women Make Peace” movement was held. Many questions were raised among them the obvious one of what could be learned from the Liberian’s women actions, and how can we implement those actions regarding the prolonging conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Screening the promotional film on “Women Make Peace” movement raised some reservations.
Ibatism Mahamid, women’s coordinator in the Paradis municipality and head of Anuar, claimed that too many different women groups are promoting peace and therefore we should talk in terms of collaboration among the various groups and not about promoting one organization or the other.
For the finale the young girls from Daliat-El-Carmel opened a “Zumba” class. Other guests spontaneously joined the class, this created a warm and uniting atmosphere.
Additional information about the movie (*)
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” chronicles the remarkable story of the Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country.
Thousands of women – ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim – came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war. Their actions were a critical element in bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks.
A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, Pray the Devil Back to Hell honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.
(*) Copied from: Fork Films: http://www.forkfilms.net/pray-the-devil-back-to-hell