Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson participated in a conference titled "Building Bridges of Peace through Culture and Faith," hosted by Judy Chen Hseih and the Hwazan World Education Foundation. The conference was held in Taipei, Taiwan and focused on utilizing culture and faith to promote peace.
During the conference, Congresswoman Johnson addressed more than 1,000 audience members to provide background on the A World of Women for World Peace initiative. "Throughout my time in office, I have seen first-hand the pillage of war. Shortly after experiencing the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, I saw on the cover of Newsweek magazine, two boys from Liberia who were 12 and 14 years old all dressed in war gear with machine guns, and I just thought enough was enough. I wondered how our world had come to this place of aggression, and I knew that I had to do something to be a part of bringing a culture of peace to the world," said Congresswoman Johnson.
"My efforts started with women who are the mothers of young boys like the ones I saw on the cover of that magazine, whose lives are sacrificed in the name of war. We must recognize and empower these women to facilitate peace-building, peacemaking, and peace-keeping activities across the world. We must also recognize the experts and leaders who help us to plant the seeds of peace. Today's conference helps us to re-emphasize the necessity of peace and diplomacy across the globe."
On the first panel, Alma Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, PhD, Carol Griffith Williams, Olivia Stokes Dreier, and Roberto Garcia spoke about culture and peace. Dr. Jadallah told stories of conflict from around the world and left a message with the audience of sustaining hope in the midst of adversity. Carol Williams, a former Montana state legislator, discussed women promoting peace during a time of war and Peace Links, an organization she helped to found during the Cold War to open lines of communication and exchange programs between women in Russia and America. Olivia Dreier of the Karuna Center for Peace-building spoke about compassion and healing the wounds of civil wars across the globe through dialogue between different religious and ethnic groups by recognizing local traditions. Roberto Garcia, a multicultural relations professional in Toowoomba, Australia, where eighty ethnic groups speak over one hundred languages, spoke about the vast cultural diversity in Australia and encouraged multi-cultural participation in the community.
On the second panel, Reverend Timothy Njoya, Swami Samachittananda, Noor Mohamed Marican, and Harbans Singh spoke about faith-based peace. Reverend Timothy Njoya, who developed Men for Equality with Women in Kenya, spoke about faith as an instrument of peace, love, and compassion. Swami Samachittananda, a Hindu monk, quoted various religious texts and spoke about harmony in religions. Noor Mohamed Marican, a leader of Singapore's Inter-Religious Organization, spoke about his experiences as a Muslim and finding common ground with other faith leaders and practitioners by recognizing their differences. Harbans Singh, who serves as Honorary Secretary of Singapore's Inter-Religious Organization, spoke about Sikhism's dedication to humility and compassion.
In addition to the two panels, the conference also featured an interfaith peace discussion with faith leaders from the Multi-Faith Multicultural Centre at Pure Land Learning College in Toowoomba, Australia, a universal prayer with a candle lighting ceremony, and cultural dance performances.
