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Women, Religion, and Peace Interview Series

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Women, Religion, and Peace Interview Series February 2012 About the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, created within the Office of the President in 2006, is dedicated to the interdisciplin- ary study of religion, ethics, and public life. Through research, teaching, and service, the Center explores global challenges of democracy and human rights; economic and social development; international diplomacy; and interreligious understanding. Two premises guide the Center’s work: that a deep examination of faith and values is criti- cal to address these challenges, and that the open engagement of religious and cultural traditions with one another can promote peace. About the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) bridges between the worlds of faith and secular development. Established by James D. Wolfensohn, then President of the World Bank, and Lord Carey of Clifton, then Archbishop of Canterbury, WFDD responded to the opportunities and concerns of many faith leaders who saw untapped potential for partner- ships. Based in Washington, D.C., WFDD supports dialogue, fosters communities of prac- tice, and promotes understanding on religion and development, with formal relationships with the World Bank, Georgetown University, and many faith-inspired institutions. About the United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote postconflict peacebuilding, and increase conflict management tools, capacity, and intellec- tual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by its direct involvement in conflict zones around the globe. 2 BERKLEY CENTER FOR RELIGION, PEACE & WORLD AFFAIRS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY WOMEN, RELIGION, AND PEACE: INTERVIEW SERIES • FEBRUARY 2012 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Interview Summaries Mohammed Abu-Nimer....................................................................................................................... 9 Professor in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program at the School of International Service and Director, Peacebuilding and Development Institute at American University Agnes Abuom....................................................................................................................................... 9 World Council of Churches’ Executive Committee, representing the Anglican Church of Kenya Dianne (Dee) Aker............................................................................................................................... 9 Deputy Director, Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego. Sanam Anderlini................................................................................................................................... 10 Co-founder of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) Joan Anderson...................................................................................................................................... 10 Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Office of Public Information Scott Appleby........................................................................................................................................ 10 John M. Regan Jr. Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. Marguerite Barankitse........................................................................................................................... 11 Founder and director, Maison Shalom, Burundi Ela Bhatt............................................................................................................................................... 11 Founder, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Ahmedabad, India Andrea Blanch...................................................................................................................................... 11 President of the Center for Religious Tolerance Virginia M. Bouvier.............................................................................................................................. 12 Senior Program Officer in the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution at USIP Sister Joan Chittister.............................................................................................................................. 12 Executive Director, Benetvision Denise Coghlan.................................................................................................................................... 12 Director, Jesuit Refugee Service, Cambodia Patricia DeBoer..................................................................................................................................... 12 Asia Regional Director, American Friends Service Committee, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Marie Dennis........................................................................................................................................ 13 Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Washington, D.C., Co-President, Pax Christi International Visaka Dharmadasa............................................................................................................................... 13 Founder and Chair, Association of War Affected Women, Sri Lanka Joyce S. Dubensky................................................................................................................................. 13 Executive Vice President and CEO of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding Scilla Elworthy...................................................................................................................................... 14 Director, Oxford Research Group Mari Fitzduff........................................................................................................................................ 14 Professor and Director of the International Master of Arts Program in Coexistence and Conflict, Brandeis University Marc Gopin.......................................................................................................................................... 14 Director, Center on Religion, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.................................................................................................................. 15 General Secretary, World YWCA Susan Hayward..................................................................................................................................... 15 Program Officer, Religion and Peacemaking, United States Institute of Peace Qamar-ul Huda.................................................................................................................................... 15 Senior Program Officer in the Religion and Peacemaking Program and a scholar of Islam at the US Institute of Peace Samia Huq............................................................................................................................................ 15 Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Social Science at BRAC University, Dhaka Dekha Ibrahim...................................................................................................................................... 16 Wajir Peace and Development Committee, Kenya WOMEN, RELIGION, AND PEACE: INTERVIEW SERIES • FEBRUARY 2012 3 Table of Contents, continued Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana........................................................................................................................ 16 Founding Member and the Associate Director of Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, Professor in the Conflict Resolution Program in the Department of Government at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C Azza Karam........................................................................................................................................... 16 Senior Culture Advisor at UNFPA Ashima Kaul......................................................................................................................................... 17 Independent Peace Practitioner and Journalist Kathleen Kuehnast................................................................................................................................ 17 Socio-cultural anthropologist and director of the Gender and Peacebuilding Center at the United States Institute of Peace Emma Leslie......................................................................................................................................... 17 Director, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Lyn Lusi................................................................................................................................................. 18 Founder, Heal Africa, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo Maryann Cusimano Love...................................................................................................................... 18 Associate Professor of International Relations, Catholic University S.K. Maina...........................................................................................................................................
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