So on my way here, the passenger next to me and I had a very interesting conversation during my flight. He told me, "It seems like the United States has run out of jobs, because they're just making some up: cat psychologist, dog whisperer, tornado chaser."
Na putu ovdje, putnik kraj mene i ja vodili smo vrlo zanimljiv razgovor tijekom leta. Rekao mi je, „Čini mi se da je SAD ostao bez poslova, jer su počeli izmišljati neke nove: psiholog za mačke, šaptač psima, lovac na tornado.“
A couple of seconds later, he asked me, "So what do you do?"
Nekoliko sekundi poslije, pitao me, „Čime se Vi bavite?“
And I was like, "Peacebuilder?" (Laughter)
Odgovorila sam mu: „Mirotvorac?“ (Smijeh)
Every day, I work to amplify the voices of women and to highlight their experiences and their participation in peace processes and conflict resolution, and because of my work, I recognize that the only way to ensure the full participation of women globally is by reclaiming religion.
Svakog dan trudim se ojačati glasove žena i istaknuti njihova iskustva i sudjelovanje u mirotvornim procesima i rješavanju sukoba te zbog svog posla, smatram da je jedini način da se osigura globalno sudjelovanje žena ponovno religijsko obraćenje.
Now, this matter is vitally important to me. As a young Muslim woman, I am very proud of my faith. It gives me the strength and conviction to do my work every day. It's the reason I can be here in front of you. But I can't overlook the damage that has been done in the name of religion, not just my own, but all of the world's major faiths. The misrepresentation and misuse and manipulation of religious scripture has influenced our social and cultural norms, our laws, our daily lives, to a point where we sometimes don't recognize it.
Ovo je pitanje za mene od vitalne važnosti. Kao mlada Muslimanka, jako se ponosim svojom vjerom. Daje mi snagu i uvjerenje da svakodnevno obavljam svoj posao. Ona je razlog zašto sam s vama ovdje. Ali ne mogu prijeći preko štete koja je počinjena u ime religije, ne samo moje, već od strane svih velikih svjetskih religija. Pogrešno predstavljanje i zloupotreba te manipulacija vjerskim zapisima utjecala je na naše društvene i kulturne norme, naše zakone i svakodnevne živote do te mjere da ju ponekad ne prepoznajemo.
My parents moved from Libya, North Africa, to Canada in the early 1980s, and I am the middle child of 11 children. Yes, 11. But growing up, I saw my parents, both religiously devout and spiritual people, pray and praise God for their blessings, namely me of course, but among others. (Laughter) They were kind and funny and patient, limitlessly patient, the kind of patience that having 11 kids forces you to have. And they were fair. I was never subjected to religion through a cultural lens. I was treated the same, the same was expected of me. I was never taught that God judged differently based on gender. And my parents' understanding of God as a merciful and beneficial friend and provider shaped the way I looked at the world.
Moji su se roditelji preselili iz Sjeverne Afrike, Libije, u Kanadu u ranim osamdesetima, a ja sam srednje dijete od 11 djece. Da, 11. Odrastajući, gledala sam svoje roditelje, oboje predani vjeri produhovljeni ljudi, kako mole i hvale Boga za Njegove darove ponajviše mene među ostalim. (Smijeh) Bili su dragi, zabavni i strpljivi, bezgranično strpljivi, na način na koju si prisiljen kada imaš jedanaestero djece. I bili su pravedni. Nikad nisam bila podvrgnuta religiji kako ju drugi vide. Isto su se odnosili prema meni, isto se očekivalo i od mene. Nikad me nisu učili da Bog sudi na temelju spola. Moji su roditelji shvaćali Boga kao milosrdnog i dobrostivog prijatelja, davatelja, i to je utjecalo na moj pogled na svijet.
Now, of course, my upbringing had additional benefits. Being one of 11 children is Diplomacy 101. (Laughter) To this day, I am asked where I went to school, like, "Did you go to Kennedy School of Government?" and I look at them and I'm like, "No, I went to the Murabit School of International Affairs." It's extremely exclusive. You would have to talk to my mom to get in. Lucky for you, she's here. But being one of 11 children and having 10 siblings teaches you a lot about power structures and alliances. It teaches you focus; you have to talk fast or say less, because you will always get cut off. It teaches you the importance of messaging. You have to ask questions in the right way to get the answers you know you want, and you have to say no in the right way to keep the peace.
Naravno, moj je odgoj imao dodatne prednosti. Biti jedno od 11 djece značilo je biti vrstan diplomat. I dan danas me pitaju gdje sam se školovala, „Jesi li studirala na Harvardu?" a ja ih pogledam i kažem, „Ne, išla sam u Murabit Školu međunarodnih poslova.“ Morali biste razgovarati s mojom mamom da se upišete. Srećom pa je ona ovdje. Ali biti jedno od 11 djece i imati 10 braće i sestara nauči vas puno o strukturama moći i savezima. Nauči te da se usredotočiš; moraš pričati brzo ili reći manje jer će te uvijek prekinuti. Naučilo me važnosti prenošenja poruke. Potrebno je pitati pitanja na odgovarajući način kako bi dobio odgovor koji želiš, i znati reći „ne“, na pravi način kako bi se održao mir.
But the most important lesson I learned growing up was the importance of being at the table. When my mom's favorite lamp broke, I had to be there when she was trying to find out how and by who, because I had to defend myself, because if you're not, then the finger is pointed at you, and before you know it, you will be grounded. I am not speaking from experience, of course.
Ali najvažnija lekcija koju sam naučila odrastajući je važnost prisustva. Kada se majčina omiljena svjetiljka razbila, morala sam biti prisutna dok je pokušavala saznati tko je to učinio, jer sam se morala obraniti, jer da nisam, bila bih glavni krivac, i prije nego što shvatiš, bila bih u kazni. Naravno, ne govorim to iz iskustva.
When I was 15 in 2005, I completed high school and I moved from Canada -- Saskatoon -- to Zawiya, my parents' hometown in Libya, a very traditional city. Mind you, I had only ever been to Libya before on vacation, and as a seven-year-old girl, it was magic. It was ice cream and trips to the beach and really excited relatives.
Kada sam imala 15, 2005., završila sam srednju školu i preselila se iz Kanade –Saskatoona - u Zawiyju u Libiji, rodni grad mojih roditelja, vrlo tradicionalan grad. Obratite pažnju, prije sam u Libiji bila samo na odmoru, kao sedmogodišnja djevojčica i bilo je čarobno. Sladoled i izleti na plažu i vrlo uzbudljivi rođaci.
Turns out it's not the same as a 15-year-old young lady. I very quickly became introduced to the cultural aspect of religion. The words "haram" -- meaning religiously prohibited -- and "aib" -- meaning culturally inappropriate -- were exchanged carelessly, as if they meant the same thing and had the same consequences. And I found myself in conversation after conversation with classmates and colleagues, professors, friends, even relatives, beginning to question my own role and my own aspirations. And even with the foundation my parents had provided for me, I found myself questioning the role of women in my faith.
Petnaestogodišnjakinji se nije tako činilo. Vrlo sam brzo upoznala kulturni aspekt religije. Riječi „haram“ – što znači biti religijski zabranjen i „aib“ – što znači kulturalno neprihvatljivo bili su korišteni olako, kao da znače istu stvar i imaju iste posljedice. Tako sam iz razgovora u razgovor s kolegama i poznanicima, profesorima, prijateljima, čak i rođacima, počela preispitivati vlastita pravila i osobne težnje. Čak i s temeljima koja su mi moji roditelji pružili, dovela sam u pitanje ulogu žena u mojoj vjeri.
So at the Murabit School of International Affairs, we go very heavy on the debate, and rule number one is do your research, so that's what I did, and it surprised me how easy it was to find women in my faith who were leaders, who were innovative, who were strong -- politically, economically, even militarily. Khadija financed the Islamic movement in its infancy. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. So why weren't we learning about her? Why weren't we learning about these women? Why were women being relegated to positions which predated the teachings of our faith? And why, if we are equal in the eyes of God, are we not equal in the eyes of men?
Tako smo u Murabit Školi međunarodnih poslova, ušli u jako tešku raspravu, a pravilo broj jedan bilo je istražiti, što sam i učinila, i iznenadilo me kako je bilo lako pronaći žene u mojoj vjeri koje su bile vođe, koje su bile inovativne, snažne – politički, ekonomski, pa i vojno. Khadija je financirala Islamski pokret u ranom djetinjstvu. Ne bismo bili ovdje da nije bilo nje. Pa zašto onda ne učimo o njoj? Zašto nismo učili o ovim ženama? Zašto su žene degradirane na pozicije na kojima su bile prije učenja naše vjere? I zašto, ako smo jednaki u Božjim očima, nismo jednaki u očima ljudi?
To me, it all came back to the lessons I had learned as a child. The decision maker, the person who gets to control the message, is sitting at the table, and unfortunately, in every single world faith, they are not women. Religious institutions are dominated by men and driven by male leadership, and they create policies in their likeness, and until we can change the system entirely, then we can't realistically expect to have full economic and political participation of women. Our foundation is broken. My mom actually says, you can't build a straight house on a crooked foundation.
Za mene, sve se svodi na lekcije koje sam naučila kao dijete. Donositelj odluke, osoba koja ima kontrolu nad porukom, koja je prisutna, a nažalost, ni u jednoj svjetskoj religiji, ta osoba nije žena. Religijskim ustanovama dominiraju muškarci i pod vodstvom su muškaraca, koji kreiraju politiku po vlastitoj želji, i dok god u potpunosti ne promijenimo sustav, realno, ne možemo očekivati potpuno sudjelovanje žena u gospodarstvu i politici. Naši su temelji uništeni. Moja mama govori da se ne može graditi kuća na lošim temeljima.
In 2011, the Libyan revolution broke out, and my family was on the front lines. And there's this amazing thing that happens in war, a cultural shift almost, very temporary. And it was the first time that I felt it was not only acceptable for me to be involved, but it was encouraged. It was demanded. Myself and other women had a seat at the table. We weren't holding hands or a medium. We were part of decision making. We were information sharing. We were crucial. And I wanted and needed for that change to be permanent.
2011. u Libiji je izbila revolucija i moja je obitelj bila na bojišnici. I tu je ta nevjerojatna stvar koja se dogodila u ratu, gotovo kulturni pomak, ali privremen. To je bilo prvi put da sam osjetila da ne samo da je prihvatljivo to da budem uključena, nego je bilo i potaknuto. Zahtijevalo se. Druge žene i ja dobile smo priliku prisustvovati. Nije bilo držanja za ruke ni posrednika. Sudjelovale smo u donošenju odluke. Dijelile smo informacije. Bile smo od presudne važnosti. Željela sam i trebala da ta promjena bude stalna.
Turns out, that's not that easy. It only took a few weeks before the women that I had previously worked with were returning back to their previous roles, and most of them were driven by words of encouragement from religious and political leaders, most of whom cited religious scripture as their defense. It's how they gained popular support for their opinions.
Ispalo je da to nije tako lako. Za samo su se nekoliko tjedana žene s kojima sam ranije radila vratile prijašnjim ulogama, a mnoge su od njih ohrabrivale riječi vjerskih i političkih vođa, od koji je većina citirala religijske zapise kao opravdanje. Tako su stekli podršku naroda za svoje stavove.
So initially, I focused on the economic and political empowerment of women. I thought that would lead to cultural and social change. It turns out, it does a little, but not a lot. I decided to use their defense as my offense, and I began to cite and highlight Islamic scripture as well.
U početku sam se usmjerila na gospodarsko i političko osnaživanje žena. Mislila sam da će to dovesti do kulturnih i društvenih promjena. Ispostavilo se da malo i jest, ali ne previše. Odlučila sam koristiti njihovo opravdanje za svoj napad, te počela citirati i isticati islamske zapise.
In 2012 and 2013, my organization led the single largest and most widespread campaign in Libya. We entered homes and schools and universities, even mosques. We spoke to 50,000 people directly, and hundreds of thousands more through billboards and television commercials, radio commercials and posters.
2012. i 2013. je moja organizacija vodila najveću pojedinačnu i najrašireniju kampanju u Libiji. Posjećivali smo domove, škole, sveučilišta, pa čak i džamije. Izravno smo se obratili 50,000 ljudi, a još stotinama tisuća preko billboarda i tv reklama, radio reklama i plakata.
And you're probably wondering how a women's rights organization was able to do this in communities which had previously opposed our sheer existence. I used scripture. I used verses from the Quran and sayings of the Prophet, Hadiths, his sayings which are, for example, "The best of you is the best to their family." "Do not let your brother oppress another." For the first time, Friday sermons led by local community imams promoted the rights of women. They discussed taboo issues, like domestic violence. Policies were changed. In certain communities, we actually had to go as far as saying the International Human Rights Declaration, which you opposed because it wasn't written by religious scholars, well, those same principles are in our book. So really, the United Nations just copied us.
Vjerojatno se pitate kako je organizacija za prava žena mogla to učiniti u zajednicama koje su se prethodno protivile samom našem postojanju. Koristila sam zapise. Koristila sam stihove iz Kurana, i izreke Proroka, Hadisa, čije su izreke primjerice: „Najbolje od tebe je najbolje i za njihovu obitelj.“ „Ne daj svom bratu da ugnjetava drugog.“ Prvi su put propovijedi petkom, koje su vodili lokalni imami, isticale prava žena. Bile su o zabranjenim temama kao što je obiteljsko nasilje. Politika se promijenila. U nekim smo zajednicama morali ići toliko daleko da smo tvrdili da Međunarodna deklaracija o ljudskim pravima, kojoj se protive jer ju nisu napisali vjerski učenjaci, očiva na istim načelima koja su u našoj knjizi. Zapravo je UN to preuzeo od nas.
By changing the message, we were able to provide an alternative narrative which promoted the rights of women in Libya. It's something that has now been replicated internationally, and while I am not saying it's easy -- believe me, it's not. Liberals will say you're using religion and call you a bad conservative. Conservatives will call you a lot of colorful things. I've heard everything from, "Your parents must be extremely ashamed of you" -- false; they're my biggest fans -- to "You will not make it to your next birthday" -- again wrong, because I did. And I remain a very strong believer that women's rights and religion are not mutually exclusive. But we have to be at the table. We have to stop giving up our position, because by remaining silent, we allow for the continued persecution and abuse of women worldwide. By saying that we're going to fight for women's rights and fight extremism with bombs and warfare, we completely cripple local societies which need to address these issues so that they're sustainable.
Mijenjanjem poruke, bili smo u mogućnosti pružiti drugačiju priču koja promiče prava žena u Libiji. To se sada ponavlja na međunarodnoj razini i ne kažem da je to lako – vjerujte mi, nije. Liberali bi rekli da koristite religiju i da ste pokvareni konzervativci. Konzervativci bi vas nazivali mnogim šarolikim imenima. Naslušala sam se svega, od: „Tvoji te se roditelji sigurno srame“ netočno, oni me najviše podržavaju do „Nećeš doživjeti svoj sljedeći rođendan“ - i, opet, pogrešno. I dalje vjerujem da se religija i prava žena međusobno ne isključuju. Ali moramo biti prisutne. Moramo se prestati odricati pozicija jer ako budemo šutjele dopuštamo kontinuirani progon i zlostavljanje žena širom svijeta. Kada kažemo da ćemo se izboriti za prava žena i boriti se protiv ekstremizma bombama i ratom, potpuno onesposobljavamo društva koja se trebaju suočiti s ovim pitanjima kako bi se održala.
It is not easy, challenging distorted religious messaging. You will have your fair share of insults and ridicule and threats. But we have to do it. We have no other option than to reclaim the message of human rights, the principles of our faith, not for us, not for the women in your families, not for the women in this room, not even for the women out there, but for societies that would be transformed with the participation of women. And the only way we can do that, our only option, is to be, and remain, at the table.
Nije lako suprotstaviti se iskrivljenoj vjerskoj poruci. Dobit ćete svoju porciju uvreda, podrugivanja i prijetnji. Ali moramo to učiniti. Nemamo drugog izbora nego ponovno prenijeti poruku o ljudskim pravima, načelima naše vjere, ne zbog sebe, ne zbog žena u vašim obiteljima, ne zbog žena u ovoj prostoriji, pa ni zbog žena tamo negdje, nego zbog društava koja će se preobraziti uz pomoć žena. A jedini način da to učinimo, naša jedina mogućnost, je biti i ostati, prisutne.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)