Guy Fawkes Night...again

by Julie Sykes

 This started off as a post about Guy Fawkes Night. The annual event celebrated in Britain on 5^th of November, to commemorate a failed terrorist attack that was planned to take place on 5^th November 1605.

In short, a group of Catholics attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the Protestant King, James 1, and his Government inside.

I was researching the facts - 36 barrels of gunpowder, the cellars of the Houses of Parliament, Catholics v Protestants, Robert Catesby, Guido Fawkes – and then I got to the bit where the plotters were arrested, tortured and executed.

Yep, tortured AND executed.

Two things struck me, then. Firstly neither side came out of this smelling of roses.

Secondly, doesn’t it all sound depressingly familiar?

One religious group fighting against another. Torture and execution. It's an age old problem that continues today along with slavery and discrimination.

Will we ever learn to live together in peace? Are humans destined to fight for supremacy?

Whatever your beliefs, whatever your race, gender, sexual orientation, hair colour or whatever, we all, every single one of us, have a fundamental thing in common. 

We are human.

And yes, we may be different in lots of other ways but surely that’s a good thing! No, actually it’s a GREAT thing. Being different helps us all to survive. It most certainly doesn’t make us better or right or superior to anyone else.

We don’t have to like everyone. I'd even go as far to say that it's practically impossible to like everyone. But wouldn’t it be BRILLIANT if we could look at a person and see just that… A PERSON not a religion, an ethnicity, a sexual orientation or whatever.

Nadiya caused a bit of a storm when she won Bake Off. It's all over the media with shouty headlines like, 'Veiled Muslim Woman.’And? Nadiya won Bake Off because she was a FANTASTIC baker. On top of that she was also kind and very entertaining. Congratulations Nadiya. You deserved to win. 

We’re all in this life together. In the scheme of things we’re not even here for that long.

See the person.

Accept that sometimes you have to agree to disagree.

Try much harder to be TOLERANT.

It’s not rocket science, which brings me back to Guy Fawkes Night. If you’re celebrating on November 5th then have fun.

Fireworks at the 2009 British Fireworks Championship in Plymouth.By Nilfanion (Own work) CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

How can we open dialogue and engage with the Other?....by Miriam Halahmy

Alix confronting the gang who have bullied Samir for being foreign ; scene read by girls of Elizabeth Garret Anderson school : July 2015

Rescuing Samir from the sea : Paris stage play of HIDDEN, June 2015

In June 2015 a play of my novel HIDDEN was staged in Paris by students from a school where I ran workshops on Peace and Tolerance last year. HIDDEN has proved to be a key to helping my readers think about the Other in our society and how we could or should engage. The big debates today about terrorism, religious extremism, migration, people dying at sea and even a neo-Nazi demo planned in Golders Green against 'Jewish privilege' raising the spectre of the Holocaust again - all these debates are played out in front of our children and our young people. In order to help young people to open their minds and provide them with the tools to engage with the debates, we need first of all to educate ourselves.

In April 2007 I attended a three day conference on European Jewish Muslim dialogue in Brussels.

This is an extract from the article I wrote at the time.

Dialogue is a very delicate instrument.

 Brussels : April 2007, I found myself sitting at breakfast with two distinguished religious figures, Rabbi Jonathan Magonet and Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid. Both these figures have been major players in Interfaith dialogue for over thirty years in Britain, setting benchmarks for progress and hope.

Where does dialogue begin and what is its role in healing a fractured world?

"The fight against Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia is a common fight which Jewish and Muslims communities should fight together – shoulder to shoulder", Imam Sajid maintains.

Listening is surely the most important part of beginning and as I sipped my coffee our talk turned to children and grandchildren.

Dialogue is the process of discovering that the Other is a reflection of ourselves with the same needs and the same deep seated aspirations.

Imam Sajid said that the only way forward since 9/11 is “Dialogue with dignity. Let us constantly remind ourselves that anti-Semitism is far from dead in Europe. As a Muslim, I have noted that whenever there is Islamophobia or hatred against Muslims, the signs of anti-Semitism are not far behind".

However, achieving widespread and lasting dialogue is a modern hot potato. Entering into dialogue usually feels and sounds like agreement with the Other. Israelis avoid dialogue with Palestinians in case it sounds as though they agree with wiping out the State of Israel. Palestinians avoid dialogue with Israelis in case it sounds as though they agree with the Occupation.

The question therefore arises, How can you have dialogue without agreeing? Godfrey Spencer, specialist in mediation and conflict resolution, demonstrated the answer in a very powerful workshop on mediation. Spencer pointed out that dialogue without agreement involves the recognition of the same deep-seated needs and aspirations on both sides. It also requires a commitment to listening to our enemies.

Taking the role of mediator, Spencer set up a role play between two Dutch delegates, representing a female Dutch Muslim MP, born in Morocco and Geert Wilders, a Dutch right wing MP, who expresses extreme views about the rising numbers of Muslims living in the Netherlands.

“Why do you hate us?” asked the Muslim MP.

“Is that a need for information?” interpreted Spencer, in his role of mediator.

“Why do you wear headscarves, you look stupid? You need to demonstrate that you are part of the Netherlands,” said Wilders.

“Is that a need for community?” asked the mediator.

Dialogue helps to defuse fear and particularly fear of the future, which becomes a very present fear and threatens to overwhelm us all. The Dutch right wing are afraid of losing their national culture. The Dutch Muslims are afraid they will be faced with genocide if the extreme right wing prevails. The mediator verbalised this as both sides having a deep seated need for safety. Ultimately the workshop effectively demonstrated that both sides had exactly the same needs. In communication there are no losers or winners. Win/Win is the only path to dialogue and healing.

Samir begs Alix to help him hide the asylum seeker they have just rescued from the sea to save him from being deported.

One of the most powerful experiences on this Conference was provided by Dialogue in the Dark (DID).  We all entered a totally blacked out room where the only way to survive is to co-operate. Completely blind, our group of seven had to find a seat at a table, put together pieces of an unknown object and pour boiling water into cups for tea and coffee.

Co-operating to put together our mysterious pieces, which turned out to be a Russian doll, we learnt both negotiation and flexibility, daring to risk breaking the rules to achieve our goal. As one delegate said, “Dialogue in the Dark opened our eyes.”

 DID is not an experience in simulating blindness but a metaphor for stress. It asks, “How can we put people, who have never met each other, under sufficient pressure which will strengthen them and encourage them to overcome hurdles together?”

 It is a process which leads groups towards meaningful dialogue with each other and encourages us to sharpen all our senses towards healing the divisions in our world.

It is the Middle East crisis which has triggered the development of Jewish/Muslim dialogue across Europe in the last few years. With the rise in both Islamaphobia and Anti-Semitism in Europe, the two communities are seeking common ground and support through dialogue. 

Yom Ha Shoah, the Jewish commemoration day for the victims of the Holocaust, occurred during the conference.  All the delegates, Jewish and Muslim, gathered in the dining room,  a yarzheit (memorial) candle  was lit and we held a minute’s silence, in harmony and shared respect.

“Dialogue is a very delicate instrument,” says Rabbi Jonathan Magonet. "The encounter, seeing the Other through ourselves, is an end in itself. We have to redefine ourselves in relation to each other, rather than in opposition.There is a revolution going on between the Jewish and Muslim communities and we are witnesses. The responsibility to move into dialogue towards healing and peace and away from disharmony and conflict lies with us."

......................................................

As one young man wrote in my Paris workshops on Peace : You said sorry but you're not the only one. I know you suffered and I did too. But we're still here, in this world, maybe as strangers, but as humans. So raise your hands above the waves of sorrow and burn the sadness away. Samih Hazbon, 18, from Syria now living in Paris

Our children and young people need help to cope with the troubling things they hear about and see on TV and the grownups need to find ways to help them in an increasingly bewildering world. But as Samih's words tell us - we should never lose hope and never stop trying to reach out.

The girls from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school who asked some amazing questions about the issues raised in HIDDEN : July 2015

Elizabeth Garret Anderson girls at the Jewish Museum with me in 2014 - studying the passport of a German Jew, 1930s, stamped with a red J for Jew.

www.miriamhalahmy.com

"I'm going to raise my voice for peace from now on..." by Miriam Halahmy

Take around seventy students from France, Germany, Spain and Turkey, put them in a room and tell them to speak English, think English, read English and write English about Peace and Tolerance.     What happens?
"Everyone wrote, said and did something about peace, they were creative, honest and nice." Gulsah, 14 years,Turkey.
"I learn sisterhood." Fatma, 16 yrs, Turkey.
 "I enjoyed the teamwork." Sami, 18 yrs, Syria

In October, 2014, I was invited for a second time to the Lycee Maurice Genevoix in Paris  to lead workshops on Peace and Tolerance. The school is part of an EU project and this time the partner schools from Germany, Turkey and Spain were joining us.





All the students were divided into two groups and each group would have a two hour workshop with me.
 How could I make sure that this mix of students with such varied abilities in English, whom I had never met before, had a positive and meaningful experience and gained some insight into working for peace and tolerance?

I need not have worried. The students came prepared to struggle with their English, listen, debate, question, laugh, say things out loud which are really quite difficult to admit to ...."I do not feel I can say that I am proud to be Jewish in France today".... and meet the Other from another country with an open heart and an open mind. It was a privilege to work with them.

I started with a poem by a boy who was an asylum seeker from Bosnia. Unfortunately his name is not known.

Sorry

Désolé

Verzeihung

Sorry, that we are here

Désolé d’être là

                                Verzeiht, dass wir hier sind

That we take your time

De prendre de vôtre temps

Dass wir eure Zeit stehlen

Sorry

Désolé

Verzeihung

Sorry that we breathe your air

Désolé de respirer vôtre air

Das wir eure Luft atmen,

That we walk on your ground

De fouler vôtre sol

Dass wir auf eurem Boden gehen,

That we stand in your view

D’être dans vôtre champ de vision

Dass wir in eurem Blickfeld stehen

Sorry

Désolé

Verzeihung

This the opening of the poem and we had it translated into French, German, Spanish and Turkish. Then students came forward to read the entire poem in all five languages. It was a very moving experience.

After the reading, we discussed the poem and then I asked the students to write a piece showing how they might respond to the boy. Here are examples of their writing :-

Even unhappy stories have to be listened, so raise your voice, tell it to everyone. The only ones to blame are those who refuse to pay attention.   Alex, 17, Spain.

I'm sorry that we look away, feel ashamed if we see you and that we hate ourselves afterwards. For this there is no apologise, for this I can't find any words. Ina, 15, Germany

You said sorry but you're not the only one. I know you suffered and I did too. But we're still here, in this world, maybe as strangers, but as humans. So raise your hands above the waves of sorrow and burn the sadness away. Sami Hazbon, 18, from Syria now living in Paris

I met Sami Hazbon for the first time earlier this year on my first visit to the Lycee. He had only recently arrived with his sister, escaping the war in Homs, Syria.  Sami speaks excellent English. It was lovely to see the progress he is making and how well he is settling into his new life, even though it has been very hard for him.

Sami has read my novel HIDDEN and commented on how he related to this story of asylum seekers.

For this visit I wrote a poem specifically for the students, which I hoped they could access easily and use as a model for writing their own pieces. The poem is called, 'Light a Candle' and there are five stanzas. You can read the full poem on  my website.   Here are the last two stanzas:-

Light a candle

when you are afraid

lonely, angry, sad

without words

and in despair

Light a candle

light another one

light seven billion candles

for Peace

The students then talked in groups before writing their own poems.

Here are some extracts from their writing :-

Light a candle for freedom/ for a free men, for prosperity/ light a candle for humanity/ light a candle for no war in the world/ light a candle to light way of peace. Mustapha, France.

Yes, light a candle/ because bad things only happen in darkness. Pablo, 17. Spain.

Light a candle and you have a way/ light a candle to help. Felix and Paula, Germany.

Light a candle for respect/... light a candle for the animals.   Rima, 15, France.

Peace is a necessary and we light a candle for peace. Thank you Miriam. It is good.  Fatma, 16, Turkey.

Light a candle for all the people who come from Adam and Eve, to understand that we are all brothers and sisters/ Why not light a candle for brotherhood and the peace of humanity?  Ahmet Murat, Teacher, Turkish Team.

On the feedback form at the end of the session, the students give us a sense of what they feel they gained from working together and writing together.

I'm going to raise my voice for peace from now on. Gulsah, 14, Turkey

The project is really great. You must keep doing this. Rima, 16, France

I enjoyed work with a group, communicate our ideas. Mehaddi, 16, France

It is great to talk with people who lives away of France and to listen to what they thought. Deradji, 17, France.

I learn words in English, tolerance and respect. Sedraoui, 15, France

I learn more about the issues in other countries. Pereira, 16, France

It was great to have a real author here and I thought about how I could change something in this world. Good job! Sebastian, 16, Germany

I learnt it is ok if you don't know what you would do in a situation. Elisabeth, Germany

I like when we must speak with our team and the not easy questions. Hannah, 15, Germany.

Be who you are, you are never alone! Sofie, 15, Germany.

I share the same way to think as the writer so I enjoy this a lot. David, 17, Spain

The conference help us to think about people who haven't our opportunities. Pablo, 17, Spain.

Great to have different points of view from different countries about peace. I really enjoyed it. Pablo Costas, 17, Spain.

We are better collaborating than we think. Raquel, 17, Spain

I'd like to thank Miriam for her amazing work and for the chance to be in her workshop again. Sami Hazbon, 18, Syria/ France

The pleasure was all mine. I could write much more about the sessions but I feel that the students words are more valuable.

I also had the chance to meet up with a group of older students I had first worked with on my previous visit. They particularly liked a poem of mine called, Corner Shop. The poem is set in my local shop just as the first Gulf War broke out. Standing in the queue were orthodox Jews, young children, Hindu aunties and the Japanese hairdresser from opposite. Someone said something about the war and there was a silence. Then the Muslim shopkeeper said,"We won't let that come between us."

 "No! Quite right!" everyone agreed.

It was an amazing moment.  To me it felt like peace had just broken out. I went home and wrote the poem.The last stanza reads :-

We are the peace process
the mother, the brother.
We are the news, the ceasefire
pressed like coriander in a wrinkled palm.
We are the voice, the banner,
the handshake, brown on white on olive.
We are the ear, the eye, the promise,
prisoner released, girl unharmed, bomber stilled.

Two of the girls translated this stanza into French and Arabic. We were filmed as we read out the stanza in all three languages.

You are the peace process!  Hania, 16, France.

Continue to do this workshop for peace. Lucas, 17, France.

The debate on HIDDEN was interesting. It make us think more deeply concerning world peace. Like it! Dora, 16, France.

The debate about Muslim and Jewish people was interesting. Thank you to Miriam for coming, she is an interesting woman. Dea, 17, France.

I learnt about the organisation English PEN and to be more open-minded. Keep doing that, it's awesome for you and the pupils. Chloe, 17, France.

I learnt about the very interesting motto of English PEN and Miriam's actions for peace and her meaning of peace.

My poem :-

We are the peace process

The Christians, the Muslims, the Jews,

We are the future, the hope,

We are citizens of a peaceful world.

Maxime, 17, France.

www.miriamhalahmy.com