Nonviolence International president Dr. Mubarak Awad is featured in the new bookBlessed Are the Peacemakers by Daniel L. Buttry, the global consultant for Peace and Justice for International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches. Buttry writes of Awad’s work in nonviolent organization and tells of his role in the first Palestinian Intifada. The book surveys the work of many well known nonviolent activists, such as Gandhi and Desmond Tutu, along with some interesting additions, such as graffiti artist Banksy and rock superstar Bono. This collection of inspirational stories about peacemakers and their work will prove to be a must-read for those interested in nonviolent action.

Dr. Awad, President of Nonviolence International, spoke on Marty  Moss-Coane’s show today on NPR with Gene Sharp, and Sherif Mansour.   Dr. Awad spoke out strongly for nonviolence throughout the Middle East and the World.
You may find the show here.

Jonathan Kuttab, NI co-founder and long time board member spoke today on WBAI, Pacific Radio on people power in Libya in the Middle East. You can hear him speak here at about the 15 minute mark.

There is good news coming from the uprising for human rights and against the corruption in Egypt. Millions of people are voluntarily participating in the streets, which shows the Egyptians are still interested in democracy and freedom and they want to change both their social and political situations. The primary success stories of uprisings are those in which people learn to declare little victories and then continue pressuring the regime through boycotts, strikes, takeovers, and street protests until their goal and their message is heard and being implemented. Egyptians must not back down.

Diverse Leadership and Unity

The Egyptian objective at this time is a very large one. The main intention is that Mubarak, as the president of Egypt, must leave his office. In order to achieve this, the uprising must continue deploying diverse leaders, both on the national and international scale, who can communicate with Mubarak directly. For example, an American leader such as Jimmy Carter could be drawn in to speak with Mubarak and to give him the option of leaving without violence. They could request the same from an African leader like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has experience in reconciliation, or a more neutral leader from Latin America who does not have any preexisting interests. Some Arab leaders can also play this role.  The leaders of the uprising must show the Egyptian people, the Arab world and the international community that they are interested in democratic change through nonviolence.

Elected Leadership

It is in the interests of the Egyptians to hold democratic elections for community leaders as well as national ones. In these elections, independent people unaffiliated with political parties should be allowed to run. Egyptians as young as 25 run should be able to run for any office in the country, including the presidency. And all parties should have the right to participate in this political process of Egypt. This includes the current ruling party as well as the Communists, Muslim Brotherhood and others.  Competitive campaigns will cause Candidates to meet and listen to the issues that are most important to the people. We are aware that one of the main issues in the Egyptian minds is to get rid of the emergency law that gives the President complete authority. .

Egyptians cannot afford to have a democratic election or an uprising and then have it become an Islamic state “like Iran.” This is also not a situation in which Egyptians just want a change of faces. Many of the fruits of this revolution will be seen in 15 or 20 years.. Unfortunately, this quick fix mentality is what Mubarak did by appointing a vice president that was head of security and appointing a new cabinet.  To prevent a coup d’etat or a group hijacking the revolution or government, the people must continue to organize long after leaving the streets. Social and civil society organizations should organize and flourish throughout Egypt. Egyptians must be prepared to change their culture and devote funds annually to their own nongovernmental groups.  Without a stronger civil society and business class, the State will undoubtedly oppress society.

Potential Consequences of Violence

Hundreds of Government supporters will use violence creating difficulty for the military to intervene, thus giving the image that security and stability for the interest of the people becomes the priority.  The demonstrators should prevent and control the crowds from using the gatherings against any minority or any specific ethnic group.

Egyptian people must demand that no violence is used by anyone in Egypt and instead use legitimacy and integrity to make their point. They must create a model in which Egyptians don’t kill or hurt Egyptians and illustrate this model to the army, police, and all Egyptian citizens. They must set an example that says, “We are proud to be Egyptian and we don’t kill each other.” And they have to be very, very aware of those who are given permission by Mubarak’s regime to commit violence or to burn or kill for the sake of making the uprising a violent one and give more power to the army to shoot or to the police to use firearms. These people have to be stopped by the uprising people and condemned publicly to show they are completely against violence.

Egyptians should trust each other. Those who are in the streets in Alexandria have the same aim and ambition as those who are in Cairo or the Suez or any other city. In the uprising, trust will be essential. Discipline and protecting others property and livelihood becomes important in creating a clear and pure uprising in which nobody is hurt while helping others. In any and every society, there are the exceptions of people who take advantage of these circumstances and like to create chaos. Demonstrators need to know that many will sacrifice themselves and possibly have limited food and lack of funds. These hardships can threaten unity and cause people to turn against each other.  To finish the uprising, the people become the law and must prove that they are better than the previous law, which they helped to overthrow. The people, therefore, must act to stop those taking advantage of the situation and of fellow Egyptians. Only by opposing violence and using truth and honesty as a guide will the uprising success and rights will prevail.

We wish you the best in Egypt.

Dr. Mubarak Awad

Nonviolence International

By Michael Adamsky

One minute, I was standing in the picket line, chanting against Blue River Waste Management and their ecologically unfriendly practices; the next, the police are breaking up our protest. I read in the paper the next morning to see the headline on the front page: “Government Decries Activist Group.” My heart sank. The movement I had worked so hard to build in Smithville, had suffered a terrible blow.

The Smithville Campaign is the first in PeoplePower: The Game of Civil Resistance (York Zimmerman 2010), a game designed to educate players on how nonviolent movements work and grow. When I first got the opportunity to play PeoplePower, I have to admit that I was leery. Most of the time I’ve spent playing video games has been spent on games where you can shoot your way to victory (with the occasional sports game thrown in for good measure). Strategy games have never really been my thing because I usually don’t like to think and plan in video games.

However, I thought that PeoplePower, despite the fact that it really made me think and plan, was actually a lot of fun. Although the game has lots and lots of options and available courses of action, the game is surprisingly simple to understand. The tutorial is in depth enough that I understood how to play, but didn’t feel like I was being babied. The game is incredibly detailed, too, which is definitely a good thing for a strategy game. With tactics to weigh, connections to be maintained, and neighborhoods to win over, there is always something to do.

More important than the game’s fun level is its educational level. I learned how difficult it could be creating a maintaining a good image and how much trouble an obstinate regime can give to movements. I think the fact that there is no “easy” way through PeoplePower means that players are forced to learn as much as they can about nonviolent movements in order to complete the scenario.

All in all, I think that PeoplePower made for an extremely interesting, educational, and challenging play. It could be sold to schools or to students and then used as curricula, with students playing in class for a few days before being allowed to take the game home to learn for themselves. Activists could also use this game as a tool to train recruits. Once introduced to PeoplePower, other students like me may be surprised to find how entertaining and addicting the game can be.

Click here for a special promotion to help Nonviolence International when you purchase PeoplePower.

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Acclaimed Nonviolence Trainer Releases New Book

George Lakey, founder of Training for Change and visiting professor and research fellow at Swarthmore College, launched his book tour on October 21 in Washington, DC at an event co-sponsored by the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation and Nonviolence International. Facilitating Group Learning: Strategies for Success with Diverse Adult Learners, published by Jossey-Bass, encapsulates 50 years of experience in the field of adult education and social change. If you are a teacher or trainer, you will want to be the first to read this ground-breaking work.

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Colman McCarthy Receives El-Hibri Peace Education Prize

The El-Hibri Peace Education Prize, an annual award to recognize outstanding peace educators, was awarded to Colman McCarthy on September 25, 2010 in Washington, DC. Mr. McCarthy has taught thousands of young people peace and nonviolence while writing numerous books and newspaper columns over the last several decades. NI President Mubarak Awad chaired the Prize selection committee, on which NI Executive Director Michael Beer also served.

NI helped found the award in 2007, along with Fuad El-Hibri, who has increased the cash amount of the prize this year to $15,000. Past winners include Dr. Addul Aziz Said, Dr. Mary King, and Scott Kennedy. For more information about the prize, including how to apply for next year, visit the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize website.

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Sami Awad Stars in New Documentary about Palestine

Sami Awad, Nonviolence International Program Director for Palestine and the Executive Director of Holy Land Trust, is one of three protagonists for nonviolence in the new film, “Little Town of Bethlehem” (trailer below). A particular highlight of the film is a discussion with Sami Awad about his experience visiting Nazi death camps in Poland. The film also features Ahmad Al’Azzeh, a nonviolence trainer at NI’s partner organization Holy Land Trust, and Yonatan Shapira, an Israeli activist working with the group Combatants for Peace.

To promote the film, Sami will be speaking at press events and film sreenings throughout the US this month. For a list of currently scheduled screenings, click here.

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A New Accompaniment Project in Honduras

An alarming number of human rights activists have been assassinated in Honduras since the coup d’etat in 2009. A group of dedicated international human rights defenders, including Nonviolence International’s Director of the Program on the Americas, Andres Conteris, is initiating a new accompaniment project in Honduras in an effort to counteract this trend. The accompaniers will seek to protect social movement leaders, human rights workers and others working for systemic change in Honduras, which is plagued by repression and political persecution under the de facto government. The project will especially support the National Front of Popular Resistance in its historic, nonviolent, struggle to transform Honduran society.

In addition to direct accompaniment, the project will support the documentation of events and human rights abuses, provide consistent and accurate information to the international community, and communicate with international partners regarding emergency response needs on the ground in Honduras.

The current team includes Caitlin Power Hancey, who has done accompaniment work in Guatemala; Jenny Atlee, who is based in DC and has done accompaniment work for many years in Central America; and Andres Conteris, who is serving as an active adviser for the effort.

For more information, including how to make contributions in support of this initiative, contact Jenny Atlee at jennya[at]friendshipamericas.org.

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Mubarak Awad Gives Keynote Speech at Conference in India

Mubarak Awad, President of Nonviolence International, was the Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the International Conference on Global Warming, Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Secular Spirituality in Kerala, India. On September 9th, Mubarak Awad, along with Jose Ramos Jorta, President of East Timor, spoke about the need for global cooperation and local initiative to combat global climate change.

He shared an Arab view of global warming, noting that, with a corrupt political leadership, economic hardship and civil strife, few are paying attention to the heating of the earth. “Oil production soon will be in decline,” he said. “Vast changes in citizen consciousness and action are needed. A commitment to nonviolence should engender people to take risks without harming others.”

Mubarak will continue to speak this fall in various venues about nonviolence and Palestine. Those who would like to have him come and speak should quickly contact NI at info[at]nonviolenceinternational.net.

Why Nonviolence?

An interview with Nonviolence International’s President and Founder, Mubarak Awad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Medea Benjamin, 415-235-6517
Joan Stallard, 202-422-6275
Michael Beer, 202 244 0951

US Peace Community Brings Condolences and Support to Turkish People after attacks on its citizens and sovereignty by Israeli Government:

Turkish-American Citizen Among Victims

WHAT: Peace Community holds press conference outside the Turkish Embassy

WHEN: 11am Friday, June 4, 2010

WHERE: Turkish Embassy: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W Washington, D.C. 20008

WASHINGTON- Members of the U.S. peace community will be meeting with Turkish embassy officials to deliver a wreath, cards and other expressions of condolences for the deaths of the Turkish citizens on the nonviolent Gaza Flotilla. Israel’s brutal and illegal attack, that occurred in international waters on a Turkish-flagged vessel, also took the life of Furkan Dogan, an American citizen of Turkish decent.

The group, consisting of interfaith peace activists, will also thank the Turkish people and their government for the strong stand they have taken in support of the Flotilla and in opposition to Israel’s blockade against the Gazan people. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rightly characterized the Israeli operation as “a blow to world peace and against international law” and vowed not to “sit by in silence.”

The group appreciates Turkey’s position of condemning the Israeli attacks on peace activists in international waters, demanding an end to the siege on Gaza and reaffirming its commitment to aid the Palestinian people.

“We thank the Turkish government for its vigorous condemnation of the Israeli attack and wish that our government would take the same position,” said CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, one of the event organizers. “We will be pushing our President and Congress to follow Turkey’s lead in calling for accountability and pressuring Israel to lift the crippling siege of Gaza.”

“We also mourn one of our own American citizens, 19-year old Furkan Dogan, who was killed with weapons donated by our government to Israel’s military and used indiscriminately on Palestinian, Turkish and American unarmed citizens,” said Mubarak Awad, President of Nonviolence International.

Register Now for Grassroots Nonviolence Training

Grassroots Advocacy Training Day (March 7-8th) is the perfect opportunity to build your skills as an activist and make an impact on US Israeli-Palestinian conflict policy.  This event will be located at American University in Washington D.C where peace-builders will gather to demand an end to Israel’s siege in Gaza.

Click here for more information.

Click here to register.

Apply for the Fletcher Summer Institute

The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict is now accepting applications for the Fletcher Summer Institute for the Advanced Study of Nonviolent Conflict at Tufts University.  This week long program will run at the end of June and feature a variety of scholars from around the world. Nonviolence International encourages anyone interested to apply.

Click here to view the flyer.

Click here for more information and to download application.

Andres Conteris Available to Speak in Washington D.C. in March

Andres Conteris, the Nonviolence International director of the Latin America programs, is planning on coming to Washington DC around March 15th will be available for speaking engagements for two to three weeks. If you have any interest in hosting him to give a detailed account of his experience in Honduras, talk about his mission as a whole or fund future endeavors, please contact us at info@nonviolenceinternational.net.

Mubarak Awad’s Speaking Tour

Nonviolence International is planning a North American speaking tour for Mubarak Awad in May and June 2010.  If you would like to host him for a speaking or fundraising event please contact us at info@nonviolenceinternational.net.

2010 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize Now Accepting Nominations

The El-Hibri Peace Education Prize recognizes outstanding peace educators based in the United States by awarding $10,000 annually to an individual or organization making valuable contributions to peace education and social justice in the Middle East.

We are currently accepting nominations until June 6, 2010.

Click here for more information.

Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation

Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta’s new book Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation, presents the viewpoints of many nonviolent activists in Israel and Palestine as they discuss their struggle and hope for change in the future. This includes contributions from NI board members Mubarak Awad, Sami Awad and Jonathan Kuttab.

For full text of publisher’s blurb click here.

NI intern, Angela Smith is attending the Gaza Freedom March to bring supplies to the Gaza citizens in need. NI has raised more than $5000 and have bought various kinds of supplies like toiletries to distribute to the prisoners of Gaza.  (note all residents of Gaza are living in a prison).

Egyptian authorities have not been supportive.  Foreigners have been detained.  Solidarity demonstrations continue world-wide.

For updated information go to this website

A youtube appeal is here

NI Director of the Program on the Americas reports from the Brazilian Embassy for Democracy Now!

Here is a portion of the interview courtesy of Democracy Now!

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/22/report_from_honduras_ousted_president_manuel

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has made a dramatic return to his country nearly three months after the military coup that forced him into exile. On Monday, Zelaya reappeared in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Speaking from the embassy’s roof, Zelaya said he had arrived after a lengthy trip, traveling sometimes by foot to avoid detection.

PRESIDENT MANUEL ZELAYA: [translated] I had to travel for fifteen hours, sometimes walking, other times marching in different areas in the middle of the night, because I wanted to celebrate the country’s independence day with the Honduran people. Those who believe that governing was something easy have made a mistake. To govern is something serious. Governing requires talent, dedication and love for the people.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Zelaya wouldn’t provide specifics, but it’s unlikely he could have returned without help from elements of the Honduran military or intelligence services. That prospect could signify a further setback for the Honduran coup regime, which has relied on military support to defy internal unrest and global isolation.

The head of the coup regime, Roberto Micheletti, initially dismissed reports of Zelaya’s return as, quote, “media terrorism.” But as thousands of Zelaya supporters descended on the Brazilian embassy, Micheletti imposed a national curfew and took to the airwaves. Flanked by his cabinet and top military leaders, Micheletti called on Brazil to hand over Zelaya for arrest.

ROBERTO MICHELETTI: [translated] It is not clear why Mr. Zelaya has returned to Honduras at this time. Only he knows this. But I cannot reach another conclusion other than he is here to continue hampering the celebrations of our elections next November 29th, as he has done so far, as well as his followers, for a few weeks now.

I made a call to the government of Brazil so that they respect the judicial order against Mr. Zelaya and hand him over to the authorities of Honduras. The state of Honduras is committed to respecting the rights of Mr. Zelaya to the mentioned process. The eyes of the world are placed on Brazil and also on Honduras. Let’s not allow passions of a few stain the reputation and image of our people.

AMY GOODMAN: Zelaya’s supporters are reportedly planning to march on the palace later today. Here in the US, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged both sides to engage in dialogue.

HILLARY CLINTON: It’s imperative that dialogue begin, that there be a channel of communication between President Zelaya and the de facto regime in Honduras. And it’s also imperative that the return of President Zelaya does not lead to any conflict or violence, but instead that everyone act in a peaceful way to try to find some common ground. Once again, the Costa Ricans will be using their good offices to try to encourage that to occur.

AMY GOODMAN: Clinton was speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where she met with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. After the meeting, Arias said he’d be willing to travel to Honduras to resume his efforts at brokering a negotiated solution.

PRESIDENT OSCAR ARIAS: I think this is the best—the best opportunity, the best time, now that Zelaya is back in his country, for the two parties to sign the San José accord. It’s all we have on the table. There is no B plan. And when we wrote this San José accord, it was after listening to everybody. We took suggestions from each of the parties.

I would be willing to go, but if both sides—if both parties ask me to—to go to Tegucigalpa, I certainly would be more than pleased to go and see what I can do.

AMY GOODMAN: The Nobel Peace laureate, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.

We now go directly to the Brazilian embassy, inside, in Tegucigalpa to Andres Conteris, who works with us at Democracy Now! and on the Program on the Americas director for Nonviolence International.

We welcome you to Democracy Now!, Andres. What’s happening right now?

ANDRES CONTERIS: Amy, good to talk with you.

About forty minutes ago, there was a very violent removal by the military and police of over 500 protesters who were outside the embassy dancing and rejoicing and celebrating all night. I was able to see them in their incredible, incredible spirit of jubilation as they expressed that since the news arrived that President Zelaya was returning to the country. Then, about forty minutes ago, there was a massive, massive tear gas attack and a violent removal of all of the over 500 people in front of the embassy.

I’m inside the embassy with about 150 people who are inside. There was no direct attack against the embassy itself, but the tear gas did enter, and it affected every single one of us inside the embassy. I’m now in the room where the President slept, and I’m with the First Lady nearby. Everyone, everyone was affected by this tear gas attack. But fortunately, there are no permanent injuries. We’re not aware of any injuries, but I’m sure there were many of those who were protesting and celebrating outside the embassy.

AMY GOODMAN: Andres, can you tell us how did President Zelaya return to Honduras?

ANDRES CONTERIS: Reports are, Amy—and he was asked directly, and he answered in a very general way, but the reports are that he flew from Nicaragua to El Salvador and then reached the border there at a place called El Amatillo and there entered into the trunk of a car and crossed about fifty—I’m sorry, about twenty police barricades and was never detected. He drove straight to—his driver took him straight to the Brazilian embassy.

Initial reports were that the President was in Honduras and that he was at the United Nations headquarters. So the initial rally of celebration went there to the United Nations. There were thousands and thousands of people there rejoicing. And then the word came that he was at the Brazilian embassy. And then we transferred that celebration here.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And Andres, why did the Brazilians take him in, have him have refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa?

ANDRES CONTERIS: It’s very clear that Brazil has been a very strong advocate of President Zelaya during this entire crisis. And because of the power and the symbolism of the strength of South America and Brazil being the strongest and largest of those countries, it’s clear that I think President Zelaya decided that this was the place that it was best to come to. And when he arrived, they of course opened the doors. The Brazilian authorities report that they did not know ahead of time that he was coming here, but he was welcomed when he came. And his family was reunited here in the embassy for the first time after eighty-six days of being separated.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: And the President—the head of the coup regime, Roberto Micheletti, has continued his call for Zelaya’s arrest. What does President Zelaya say right now about that?

ANDRES CONTERIS: President Zelaya speaks very positively, in a very reconciling mode. He does not even take seriously what coup regime leader Micheletti is saying. Micheletti is saying that there’s a jail space waiting for President Zelaya. However, President Zelaya is really focusing on the way to truly resolve this crisis by seeking mediation.

Today, it’s hopefully expected that Mr. Insulza, the head of the OAS, will arrive. However, they have closed the airports, and it’s not certain if they will allow the plane to land with Mr. Insulza from the OAS.

AMY GOODMAN: Andres Conteris is speaking to us from inside the embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Brazilian embassy. Roberto Micheletti says that he wants Brazil to hand over the ousted president. Andres, is there a response from Zelaya on that request?

ANDRES CONTERIS: In terms of that request, no, there was no direct response. It’s really treating this coup regime as a nonentity, so much as possible, and not recognizing their authority. Many who were in the streets heard about the curfew that was imposed at 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon and held—and was enforced all night, and they did not respond to it, because they believe that President Zelaya is the one president, and he is the only one who can give an order for a curfew. And so, they continued to celebrate in the streets.

Dr. Mubarak Awad is joining Jews Fast for Gaza, an exemplary effort that Dr. Awad supports whole-heartedly. He calls on all supporters of peace and justice to join the water fast every Thursday until the seige is lifted on Gaza by the Israeli government. For more information on joining fast and/or supporting the effort go to