Above (from left) Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie (Bahrain), Dan Feferman (Israel), Syed Nuruzzaman, Khandaker Masoud and Rawan Osman (Lebanon) Below (from left) Fatema Al Harbi (Bahrain), Sabrina Farah, Loay Sharif (United Arab Emirates), Youssef Elazhari (Morocco) and Humayun Morshed
Chhabed Sathee, Back from Boston: A seminar titled ‘Impact of the Hamas-Israel War on the Middle East’ was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with the aim of establishing peace during wartime. The seminar was organized by the New England Bangladeshi American Foundation (NEBAF) at Darul Kabab restaurant in Cambridge on Sunday (December 3) at noon local time. It was attended by a non-governmental organization called ‘Sharaka’ run by young Israeli and Arab social workers.
Social activists from Sharaka held seminars on ‘Hamas-Israel war’s impact on the Middle East’ for the purpose of establishing peace during the war in Atlanta (Georgia), Chicago (Illinois) and Boston (Massachusetts) from November 25 to December 5.
Sharaka social workers participating in the seminar in Boston said that it is imperative to bring back the atmosphere of peace, trust and cooperation in our society. Through this effort we hope we will provide support and cooperation to build a more promising future for all nations of the region.
A Sharjah-speaking delegation will accompany representatives from around the Middle East and North Africa
Sharaka’s delegation spoke about the current tensions in the region and the Hamas-Israel war. Sharaka’s seminars aim to raise awareness of the Hamas-Israel war, reducing social polarization
and encouraging dialogue between opposing viewpoints on this difficult issue. The delegation also wants to dispel harmful and inflammatory myths that fuel the conversation.
In the seminar conducted by Sabrina Farah, Director of Education of New England Bangladeshi American Foundation (Nebaf), the leaders of the delegation of Sharaka spoke about their life experiences in the Hamas-Israel war. Sharaka director Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie (Bahrain), Sharaka Executive Director Dan Feferman (Israel), Social Media Worker Loay Sharif-Saudi Arabia (UAE), Sharaka Director of Gulf Affairs Fatema Al Harbi (Bahrain), Writer and Researcher Dalia Ziada (Egypt), Marketing Expert Yousef Elazhari (Morocco), Sharaka Peace Advisory Council Member Rawan Osman, Bangladeshi Community Leader and Social Worker Syed Nuruzzaman, Nebaf Member Khandaker Masood, Advisor Dr. Neelima Singh, Freedom Fighter Yusuf Chowdhury, Medford Islamic Center member Humayun Morshed and Raizel Masood.
Adviser of Nebaf Dr.Van Ha, community leader Jane Alam, Bisne’s president Emon Ahmed, politician Tipu Chowdhury and people from various professions of the Bangladeshi community in Boston were present at the seminar.
Sharaka director Dr. Ahmed Khuzaie said that in the name of Israel-Saudi Arab peace, diplomats have signed various agreements at different times, but it is up to the people to implement them.
He said, is the strategy of the [Arab] Gulf states going forward. The small countries will start, then the big countries will move forward, led by Saudi Arabia.”
While Saudi Arabia is home to the holy city of Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam, Israel is home to the holy sites of three of the world’s leading religions, with nearly two million Arabs calling Israel home. Although a peace agreement has never been signed between the two countries, activists here are optimistic.
Executive Director Dan Feferman said we cannot be guided by past conflicts or one-sided perceptions of past conflicts, which hold the region back. So we want to build bridges between Israelis, Bahrainis, Jews and Muslims by advocating for peace. That’s why Sharaka is holding a global peace rally.’I visited communities and religious sites like the Western Wall and Al Aqsa.
Fatima Harbi said my only goal was curiosity. This curiosity was made possible in September 2020. When Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed a bilateral normalization agreement called the Abraham Accords. Later I joined Morocco in 1998. Fatima Al Harbi believes that we need to cooperate with each other.
When Al Harbi first returned from Israel, he was heavily criticized both in person and online. But when he returned home with a delegation in 2021, the sentiment back home was warmer. “None of us got the hate I got by myself a year ago, She said.
This is because of projects like ours in the region. Breaking preconceived notions is one of the core principles of Sharaka. Pfefferman spoke of the ignorance he saw throughout his travels.’I know people in Israel who, all Arabs hate us,Feferman said’.
BP/SM
