Radical Grace
July – September 2006

May Our Children Be Peacemakers

by Avideh Shashaani

Despite the numerous wars and conflicts raged in the name of religion, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all peaceful religions that aim to further God’s will through compassion, rather than through prejudice and oppression. In fact, the promotion of peace is a central value in each of the religions.
—Mindy Zhang

Amidst the rubble left behind by centuries of religious warfare, tension, and hollow rhetoric there are jewels that shine and illuminate hearts laden with despair. On March 26, 2006, seven young high school students spoke at Georgetown University’s Riggs Library in Washington where they moved a sophisticated D.C. audience to tears. They weren’t speaking of tragedies; they weren’t telling heart-wrenching stories. They simply told how and why the tragedy of fighting over one single God has created so much bloodshed in an already fragile world. Their insights and recommendations to bring about interfaith understanding and healing were applauded by Cokie Roberts, veteran journalist, who gave the keynote address and presented awards to the students. These young men and women were the recipients of the first annual Children of Abraham Peace Essay Contest sponsored by the Fund for the Future of our Children in collaboration with Georgetown University’s Office of Campus Ministry and the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim- Christian Understanding.

As a person who draws upon her trust in God for guidance in life, I know that this project was blessed from the beginning. Facing seemingly intractable barriers to other projects, a wonderful friend of mine, and a great supporter of our organization, Monika Tuerk, the wife of Austria’s ambassador to the Holy See, said to me, “Avideh, why don’t you consider doing another project similar to the ones you have done in the past. Those projects were well received and they were inspiring.” Because Monika is a woman of deep faith, I knew that her words were inspired.

I began to reflect on those words and one night after prayer and meditation the idea came to me for what would eventually become the Children of Abraham Peace Essay Contest. The next day, I called my longtime friend, Andrew Ammerman, whose support of our organization has allowed us to continue our work on behalf of children. Over lunch I shared my idea with him. He was completely in favor of it and agreed to support this new endeavor. I then began to contact friends and supporters in the interfaith community, including Professor Sulayman Nyang of Howard University; Father Timothy Godfrey, Director of Campus Ministry at Georgetown University; Rabbi Harold White, Senior Jewish Chaplain at Georgetown University; Reverend Elizabeth Orens, Chaplain at the National Cathedral School. It was not long before an amazing group of people came together to support the project.

Excerpts from the essays of three of the young contestants, Mindy Zhang, Uneeb Qureshi, and Avi Edelman, are included in the full version of this article.

Avideh Shashaani is the Founder and President of the Fund for the Future of our Children (FFC), a non-profit organization, based in Washington, D.C. Ms. Shashaani promotes intercultural and interfaith understanding through lectures, workshops, and publications, and is the author of two books, Promised Paradise (poetic prose) and Remember Me (poetry). She has translated ten Persian mystical texts into English.

If you would like to read more, please consider joining the growing community of CAC friends and supporters by making a financial contribution. In return, you will receive a year’s worth (four quarterly issues) of Radical Grace.