Maamoon Mohammed; Muhammadsaeed Barwary
Abstract
In general, projects to improve human rights have been imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan by external agencies and have often been criticised for not being sensitive to the real needs of the ...
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In general, projects to improve human rights have been imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan by external agencies and have often been criticised for not being sensitive to the real needs of the people. In response, this paper suggests some theoretical foundations from which to develop a locally-based form of peace education, identifying specific strategies to address violence against women in Iraqi Kurdistan and so ameliorate the situation while benefiting society as a whole. Considering ideas based in peace studies developed in the Middle East and around the globe, it seeks to shed light on the specific issues involved through a discussion based on the work of scholars such as Hataw Kareem, Sherzad Mojab, and Amir Hassanpour, with their focus on Kurdish issues, as well as that of international peace researchers such as Johan Galtung, Paulo Freire and Betty Reardon. Sensitivity to the specific cultural context is fundamental to this approach; therefore respect for Islamic teachings – and those of other ethnic religions – is essential while supporting women’s right to live in this society without fear of violence.
By highlighting the triangular relationship between abusive attitudes, violent behaviour and cultural contradictions, peace education can provide a means whereby participants develop awareness, values and relationship skills that can enable women and men to live peacefully together. These are acquired through participatory learning methods that encourage students to recognise and understand their context and become catalysts of change in ways appropriate to their own culture.
