Peace among religions crucial to planet's survival

Editor,

I recently attended a presentation as part of the Jerusalem Women Speak tour in Albuquerque. Three women, each representing one of the three Abrahamic religions, demonstrated they can and do believe in peace with a single vision for co-existence among the peoples of Israel and Palestine.

I was uplifted by their commitment, hope and sincere willingness to agree to disagree for the purpose of what Abir Kopty, the Christian Israeli, so aptly described as breaking down not just the physical barriers to peace, but the psychological ones, as well. Kopty and many of her fellow Palestinians are determined to create and maintain a peace that ensures justice, security and civil rights for all people of the region within a single- or two-state solution.

The Jewish-Israeli woman, Hagit Ra'anan, highlighted how important it is for us to realize that when we look into each other's eyes, we are looking into a mirror of ourselves. Her message was not about demonizing the other side or twisting the meaning of its words of peace into threats that only justify more violence.

Wejdan Jaber, the Palestinian-Muslim woman from Gaza, who is currently living in Ramallah, spoke about the injustices of the occupation of Palestine. If you have not experienced occupation, you can see from the United States occupation of Iraq how brutal and harsh it can be. Despite the suffering Wejdan has endured, she projects strength of character. Her story is a living reflection of how difficult occupation is on women, children, the elderly and the disabled.

None of these women advocated the destruction of their adversary. Each is a living example of how we must change our thinking. As Albert Einstein so aptly expressed, "Everything has changed, except our way of thinking." The collective message of these women is that the survival of our planet depends upon a sustainable and just peace. They ask all of us to reconsider and change our way of thinking so we might learn to co-exist.

Rita Erickson

UNM student