Hope Loves Company – A Call For Peace By Women
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Divisive rhetoric and fear mongering narratives voiced by policy makers around the world has left many of us grappling with an eerie sense of uncertainty about the future. We may find ourselves asking, why have so many world leaders abandoned the principle of ‘together we are stronger’?.
Whether we deem it a moral responsibility to consume the heart-rending stories shared by innocents caught between crossfire, or whether we actively turn off distressing news for the sake of our psychological wellbeing; research shows a positive correlation between news media exposure and symptoms of elevated anxiety and distress; this news content is inescapable. As a response, our intrinsic nature is to build community and lean on one another. Hope, especially collective hope is a powerful and uplifting tool.
The good news is, we don’t have to simply sit and wait for someone to bring the antidote of peace – we can work to get it ourselves.
An example of this working remedy is found in the village of Tilford, Surrey, where the doors to the ‘Mubarak Mosque’ (‘Blessed Mosque’) are open to everyone: to Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jewish people. To all faiths, or no faith. On Sunday 15th March 2025, the doors were opened to women of all backgrounds and faiths to break bread together in an Iftar meal hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association (AMWA), organised by AMWA Farnham. The theme of the event was: ‘Women – Peace Builders of Society”. Addressing the all-women audience, representatives from various faiths shared their thoughts.
The evening’s dialogue echoed these wise words of the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), when he stated:
“In the establishment and development of any nation or community, the women play a fundamental and vital role”.
A Reverand Declares that Women Can Change the World – Christianity
Reverand Sandy Clarke began by drawing a comparison between Ramadan and lent, applauding Muslims on their self-discipline for going without food and water during the fasting period, “You guys really know how to do this thing!”.
She shared her optimistic vision of peace, “You may have heard or studied about the water cycle, all the water we will ever have is here on earth in the form of ice, or vapour, or water. We never have more, we never have less. Peace is not like that, love is not like that. There is a possibility for infinite peace, for infinite love. As we seek God in prayer and acts of grace, we become the conduits, we become the multipliers for peace, for more peace, for more love. …The closer we follow God, the closer we follow the path of peace”.
On the power that women have in achieving sustainable world peace, she recounted, “About 10 years ago…there was a mother’s union campaign. The campaign was to raise money to teach a mother to read in a small rural African village…the rationale was that if you could teach a small group of mothers, soon the whole community would be able to read. Mothers imparting to their children, to their friends, to their husbands… all changing the economy of a community to self-sufficiency”.
On the domino effect caused by our actions: “If we leave here as sisters in the peace of God, which passes all understanding and seek this peace daily, we will change our communities, which will change our world. And so my prayer for all of us tonight is, may the peace of God, guard your hearts and minds”.
Drawing Inspiration from the Islamic Greeting ‘Assalaamo Alaikum‘ – Islam
Durdanna Ahmad, an Ahmadi Muslim woman, started with the Islamic greeting, Assalaamo alaikum warahmatullahe wa barakatohu. Which translates to, May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. “As Muslims we are taught to greet everyone with this phrase, no matter whether the person we are greeting is a Muslim or non-Muslim, and I just want us to reflect on what this truly means. This means, even if we are greeting someone who may have been unkind towards us, or someone who we may have had a quarrel with, when we see them, we put all our differences aside and wish them the peace and blessings of God. And if everybody did this sincerely, would there ever be any hatred amongst people? Is it possible to hate someone and wish them the peace and blessings of God at the same time?”.
“In chapter 5, verse 9 of the Holy Qur’an, God says, ‘let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise that with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness’”.
Reflecting on the words of Caliphs, she shared, “In 1922, when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association began, the second caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community said that women are duty-bound to serve their society and strive for its prosperity. Our leader, the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) has said Muslims should not wait for someone to ask for help, but should proactively identify those in society who are in distress and help them overcome their challenges or troubles. As mothers, we have an even bigger impact on society. We have an impact in changing the future generations”.
The Importance of an Inner Struggle – Hindusim
Pallavi Sharan, representing her Hindu faith, stressed the importance of self-reflection, “The responsibility of how things happen in the society seems to be on the shoulders of women and it’s a very big responsibility to have, and sometimes I wonder where do we get the strength from? Do we have the strength? How do we carry on? And for me, I think it’s very important to recognize here then, that we really need to be kind to ourselves and have peace within ourselves. And take some time out for ourselves, build that strength and resilience before we can start and go on to do things in the society for other people. And I think for me it’s not only a way of life, it’s a way of being a being a human”.
“Sometimes we need to take some time off, it’s okay to not be okay and that once we come back, it’s like rising from the Phoenix”.
Female Role Models Who Catalysed Change – Humanism
After introducing her Humanism based approach, Jennie Johnson drew upon role models of powerful women in history. “When I was reflecting on women’s contribution to peace, the first person who came into my head was Eleanor Roosevelt. Following the devastation of World War II in 1946, the United Nations sought to promote global freedom, justice and peace through a universal declaration of human rights. All the members overseeing the drafting of the declaration, all the members of the commission were men – apart from Eleanor. And yet they unanimously elected her as the first chair of this committee, and at a time of increasing East-West tensions, she used her enormous prestige and credibility to steer the drafting process towards its successful completion just two years later in 1948.”
“The Indian women’s rights campaigner, Hansa Mehta successfully amended the first article of the declaration, which originally was “All men are born free and equal”…which left all of us women out. She got that amended to be “All human beings are born free and equal”.”
As a humanist, evidence and reason are the central tenets of Jennie’s beliefs. “The evidence indicates that women’s involvement in peace building is not just beneficial, but essential for long-term peace.”
Regardless of our creed or customs, and despite world leaders steering us in the direction of division and conflict, we as woman, as a people, acknowledge that without peace there is nothing, and the strength in our unity is enough to achieve it.
About the author: Komal Hadi works for The Review of Religions Online Team.
