French Members of Parliament backing the candidacy of : Latifa Ibn Ziaten for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize

Transcription

1 French Members of Parliament backing the candidacy of : for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize

2 Summary deserves the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize! Page 3 Why nominate for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize? Page 6 The biography of Page 8 The work of Page 9 Awards and honours Page 10 Bibliography, filmography, and links Page 11 2

3 1. deserves the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize! (1/3) On 11 March 2012, 31-year-old Imad Ibn Ziaten, a non-commissioned officer in the French Army, was assassinated near Toulouse by 24-year-old fanatic Mohammed Merah. His mother Latifa's life was shattered that day. She could have retreated into her pain and succumbed to despair. But she chose to stand up, just as her son stood up to his murderer. Since his death, she has dedicated her life to combating the rise of hatred and extremism among youth in marginalised neighbourhoods across Europe and Morocco. 3

4 1. deserves the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize! (2/3) In April 2012, joined with others to create the Imad Association for Youth and Peace. Since then, she has tirelessly travelled to troubled areas across France, in other European countries, and in Morocco. She reaches out to disaffected and forgotten youth where they live. She accepts invitations from social centres, schools, prisons, and so on. 4

5 1. deserves the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize! (3/3) Through her participation in a number of television programmes, and intense media coverage during the trial of Mohammed Merah's older brother in October-November 2017, her face, voice, and activism have become familiar to millions of people, particularly in Europe and the Maghreb. Her courage commands respect. There is power in the truth she speaks. Her humanity touches hearts. At a time when political and religious extremism, particularly terrorism, menace our societies, 's advocacy for peace brings light into the darkness of the world. 5

6 2. Why nominate for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize? (1/2) is without question an important peace activist in France today. In a country where significant economic disparities and major gaps in understanding separate those who struggle from those who benefit most from economic and technological progress; where descendants of immigrants from the former French colonies feel discriminated against and rejected; where many see Islam in particular as a threat to democratic peace, the words of this Muslim woman who loves France as much as her native Morocco are incredibly powerful and necessary. 6

7 2. Why nominate for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize? (2/2) embodies the values of peace and community, one of the new faces of a Europe that is pluralistic, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious. She shows that it is possible to be a full citizen of a European country while remaining the daughter of her country of origin. She is as committed to French secularism and European democratic institutions as she is to her Muslim faith. By sharing her story, and through the power of her activism, is a source of pride for residents of struggling neighbourhoods, for mothers and women, for Muslims, and for all those seeking to develop a greater sense of community. She represents a bridge between Europe and the Maghreb. She has become a key driver of interfaith dialogue and an inspiring example of tolerance. 7

8 3. The biography of was born on 1 January 1960 in Tétouan, a city in Morocco's Rif region. She spent the first nine years of her life in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, with her mother, three brothers, and sister. Her mother died when she was nine years old, and she and her older sister went to live with their father and his wife in Tangier. This was a difficult time for Latifa. At the age of 14, she joined her maternal grandmother in Tétouan. She didn't go to school, but despite her young age was able to get a job in a blouse-making factory. When she was 16, she met the man she would decide to marry: Ahmed, seven years her senior, was a former French professional football player for Tétouan who went to work for the French Railways. In 1977, several months after their wedding, she followed him to Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France. Ever since she was a teenager, she had dreamt of having five children, which she did: four boys and one girl. She found it hard to adapt to France at first, but thanks to her determination and courage, she learned how to speak French and found work. At the time her son Imad was assassinated, she was working as a supervisor and receptionist at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen. After Imad's assassination, Latifa decided to create the Imad Association for Youth and Peace in April The association is sponsored by actor Jamel Debbouze. 8

9 4. The work of * 2014 : She met with 1,550 students in schools and reached 1,300 people in prisons and through her talks : She met with 10,457 students in schools, and reached 4,720 people in prisons and through her talks : She met with 10,340 students in schools, and reached 6,660 people in prisons and through her talks (up to October 2017) : She met with 6,471 students in schools and reached 3,503 people in prisons and through her talks. *Mostly in France, but also in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Morocco, and Israel-Palestine. 9

10 5. Awards and honours 's awards and honours : Received the 2014 AJC Moral Courage Award (American Jewish Committee) Received the 2015 Chirac Foundation Prize for conflict prevention Received the 2015 Copernic Prize for 2015 interfaith dialogue and fraternity (Union Libérale Israélite de France) Named Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour by French President François Hollande on 11 March 2016 Received the 2016 Marcel Rudloff Prize for tolerance Received the International Women of Courage Award in Washington, DC from John Kerry, US Secretary of State, on 26 March 2016 Received the 2016 Democracy Prize from the journal La Revue Civique Received the 2016 Medal from the French National School of the Penitentiary Administration Received the City of Vimoutiers Prize on 9 June 2017 Honoured by the Global Hope Coalition and UNESCO for her efforts to promote peace and social harmony as a way to combat extremism on 19 September 2017 Awarded the Democracy and Human Rights Prize from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Parliament on 18 October This award recognises actions taken in French-speaking countries to promote peace, democracy, and human rights. 10

11 6. Bibliography, filmography, and links Books : Ibn Ziaten, Latifa. Mort pour la France. Flammarion, Ibn Ziaten, Latifa and Anne Jouve. Dis-moi, Latifa, c'est quoi la tolérance? Editions de l'atelier, Films, documentaries : Latifa, une Femme dans la République. Directed by Jarmila Buzkova Latifa, le cœur au combat. Directed by Olivier Peyon and Cyril Brody Film about an educational trip to Paris organised by Imad for Youth and Peace for 30 young Israelis and Palestinians (19-26 February 2017). Links : Website for Members of Parliament backing s candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize : Association Imad Ibn Ziaten for Youth and Peace : Association L'Hospitalité d'abraham : pere.delorme@gmail.com 11