WALK AGAINST VIOLENCE

This weekend, I had the privilege of attending events for peace that give me much hope and much to be grateful for. On September 6, I was at Eau Claire Market for the arrival of the Multi-Faith Walk Against Violence.

Here is a description of the Walk Against Violence:
“On April 20 Syed Soharwardy, dipped his shoes in the Atlantic Ocean and vowed to take a walk across this country, accompanied by leaders and members of all faiths and denominations. The aim of this Multifaith Walk is to raise awareness about the effects of violence on individuals and on societies. The walkers also wish to call attention to the use of faith as a resource for overcoming violence.” Syed still has a long way to go – he is going to take the next 6 weeks to walk to Vancouver and complete his cross-country walk. It is truly significant what one man with a powerful vision can do!

Walk Against Violence

OASIS OF PEACE
On Sunday, I was invited to attend an event held at the Canyon Meadows Community Centre and introduce Ahmad Hijazi, the Director of the School for Peace at Village of Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace) in Israel. This is a remarkable community in Israel where approximately 60 Jewish and Arab (both Christian and Muslim) families all live peacefully together in one community. The evening featured an art show called “See us from your heart” featuring works of art by children from the village as well as other children from the Tulkarem Refugee camp. It was such a pleasure to see such a hopeful community where families have been putting peace into action for over 30 years, and proving that Jews and Arabs are not natural enemies – and that working on peace takes a deliberate and committed effort in the community.

Paula Arab wrote an excellent article about it in the Calgary Herald.
Painting over historic hatreds with the hope of children

This is the website of the American Friends of Oasis of Peace