 With MK Ra'anan Cohen (on the right), back in 1998
 Elana speaks at St James' Church, Piccadilly, London, during a visit to UK with Eliyahu and Ibrahim and myself in 2002
 With Pam Perry of CHN, in Birmingham, England
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Ibtisam Mahameed
Peace activism
It took me four years to get to the point where I am today, where I see the individual, and I can speak to any person without putting up a wall. I let myself respect everyone. I also got involved with a group of women called Anwar which is based on the idea that women are connected through the womb. Through the process of giving birth, a woman becomes a mother, a teacher, an educator, a nurse.
We learn what in society is forbidden and permissible, for example, does religion really prohibit women to get involved in politics? We women work together to break the political obstacles at home, in society and in the country. We learn our rights, as religious women, to be involved politically and are supported in Islamic law, for example.
From religion I developed to be a woman leader, spiritually, politically and socially. Our group supports every woman who wants to be involved politically (to run for office, for example), with lectures, home groups, financially, and morally. Anwar has a 'Women's Parliament' every month where Arab and Jewish women work for the betterment of society.
In October 2000, after the start of the current Palestinian Intifada, the Arabs in Israel, who are mostly peaceable, law-abiding citizens, could no longer contain their frustration and they took to the streets. Thirteen of them were killed in clashes with police and the chasm between Jews and Arabs widened even more. Every Arab in Israel is feared and suspected as a potential terrorist and that's the situation in which I decided that I had to do something.
My current activism began as a response to the violence of October 2000, because I don't want the cycle to begin again. I want more Jews and Arabs to get along until everyone in the country gets along and there won't be this fear of each other anymore. In 2000 I saw the country on fire and I felt that this isn't my country, I can't live here with all the violence. I learned to be optimistic. I use the tool of listening circles, first listening to my own heart.