“Say Peace” Because No One Wakes up Thinking S/He is The Bad Guy

On August 15-16, 2015, KARAMAH collaborated with Ikram: Foundation for Empowerment of Muslim Women to present the two day Skill-Building and Intervention Skills Training Workshop “Say Peace” which is one in a series of workshops organized under the banner: “Promoting Healthy Marriage and Preventing Divorce in our Communities.” The workshop was held at the Fairfax Institute and was presented by KARAMAH’s Senior Advisor on Conflict Resolution Dr. Amr Abdalla. The workshop provided the participants with an understanding of the dynamics influencing conflicts within marriage in our communities and introduced them to strategies of conflict mapping and analysis and peaceful approaches to conflicts. Dr. Abdalla presented an approach based on Islamic principles and peace studies that helped participants develop skills for peacefully coping with conflicts within marriage and also intervene as a third party in marital conflicts. Dr. Abdalla’s workshop says: “No one wakes up in the morning thinking s/he is the bad guy” and “the basis of positive communication is maintaining concern for the other person along with concern for your own needs and interests. Whenever possible, instead of placing the other person as your adversary, you want to make them your partner in solving the problem you are facing.”