Amineh Ayyad's News (10)

This is from the recent Dart Center's newsletter. This work reminds me of the research of the Theory of Humiliation team at Oslo University and the Palestinian context.

Bullying is Torture…

Continue

This is interesting, the 4th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI). The results of the GPI for 2010 suggest that "the world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year."



Check out the peace indicators used and map of results at the link below.



http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2010/scor



And here is a link to the… Continue

"There is a Field" is a play written by my friend Jen Marlowe. As we continue to work towards making ourselves and world more compassionate and peaceful and as Israelis and Palestinians resume peace talks, Rumi's words are more relevant than ever... Understanding and forgiveness are key to moving forward, not only in the Palestinian Israeli context, but also in any context, even the personal and local.

Imagining this "field", even if this field does not really exist is also key to… Continue

The article below was published in YES! Magazine on June 29, 2010. Reading it brought to mind a short documentary I made about peace through the eyes of my son. I asked him only the following three questions in the film:

1. What is peace?
2. What is social justice?
3. What would you do from here to change things?

One of… Continue

A Soldier Dreams Of White Lilies

Mahmoud Darwish (1967)



I dream of white lilies, streets of song, a house of light.

I need a kind heart, not a bullet.

I need a bright day, not a mad, fascist moment of triumph.

I need a child to cherish a day of laughter, not a weapon of war.

I came to live for rising suns, not to witness their setting.

He said goodbye and went looking for white lilies,

a bird welcoming the dawn on an olive branch.

He… Continue

On Global Telesummit for Building a Culture of Peace Week, I'd like to share with you the following Palestinian and Israeli poems.



In A State of Siege, a poem written during the Israeli siege of Ramallah in 2002, the most prominent Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish converses with an Israeli soldier and invites him in for a cup of Arabic coffee...



Hospitality, speaking to one another and telling constructive tales of aspirations, joy, sorrow, peace and hope are important ways to… Continue

Those who were at our table at the Camp Brotherhood Regional Interfaith Leadership Summit in August would probably remember the discussion on organic farming and Yaffa's idea to implement such a project at Camp Brotherhood. I was thrilled about the idea because I work with refugee families here and had a smaller program in mind to engage the refugee elderly and youth with the camp's and interfaith community as a way to enhance psychosocial health and nutrition, and as a way to… Continue

Salaam. This is not a news article rather a few lines to just say Eid Mubarak and Rosh Shana Tova, and to share a link to a photo album about Eid in my village Silwaad.



Since compassion is partly learning about and understanding others, here is a glimpse of how life is in a village in the West Bank.…



Continue

Sharing 2 links below, the 2nd is from the New York Times about the Islamic center near Ground Zero. I made bold the part I think is most relevant to work I do.



I truly believe there is hope to see compassion and peace as the wide spread and most respected and practiced virtues when the interventions designed and widely implemented to accomplish this include the study and enjoyment of arts and humanities, and various cultural, athletic and scientific exchanges. Peace, and so is… Continue

I'm not sure where to post the moving note below, so I hope it's ok that I'm posting it here under the News section. Jon, please let me know if this is not ok.



The note reminded me of Yaffa's idea to have an organic farming space at Camp Brotherhood. Gardening is one of the programs I designed for my organization, so, beside the obvious benefits, I see more meaning in a productive green field as part of the work we do. I hope we re-visit this topic again.



I hope this idea is… Continue