Muhammad Ashafa

Country/region	Nigeria, Middle Belt
Conflict	Christian and Muslim Groups
Organisation	Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC)
Field of work	Early warning systems to prevent religious violence; mediation

Together with his partner, Pastor James Wuye, Imam Muhammad Ashafa is actively involved in mediation work in the recurrent eruptions of violent conflict in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, where the Muslim-dominated North and the predominantly Christian South collide. Together they have successfully appealed to communities to refrain from acts of vengeance in the wake of massacres. In Nigeria, where over 90 % of the population believes in God, religious leaders enjoy a high reputation. The pastor and the imam use this to positive effect in their use of the mass media to draw attention to the message of peace contained in both the Bible and the Koran. With the IMC, they organise training sessions in non-violent conflict resolution for groups in civil society. Their successes in bringing peace to the federal state of Kaduna have led to invitations to mediate in other countries with similar Christian-Muslim conflicts such as Sudan and Kenya.

Their “Early Warning – Early Response” systems for conflicts with a religious dimension are their most important tool in the prevention of violence. These involve bringing together leading personalities from both religious groups in teams, which – after initial confidence-building measures – undertake to set in motion a sequence of alerts, which also include the country’s security agencies, at even the slightest hint of escalating violence.

One of the unique forms the expansion of their activities has taken is the training of twelve more pastor-imam teams, in some cases involving ex-militiamen like themselves, who work together using the same approach and thereby contribute to its spread.

Their work has been honoured with the award of the Ashoka Fellowship, the Bremen Peace Award and the Peace Prize of the Fondation Chirac.

LINKS:
Film „The Imam and the Pastor“

Interfaith Mediation Center:
www.imcnigeria.org/

Ashoka Profil:
https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/james-wuye

Dr. James Wuye

Country/region	Nigeria, Middle Belt
Conflict	Christian und Muslim groups
Organisation	Interfaith Mediation Center (IMC)
Field of work	Early warning systems to prevent religious violence; mediation

In collaboration with his partner, Imam Muhammad Ashafa, James Wuye is actively involved in mediation work in the recurrent eruptions of violent conflict in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, where the Muslim-dominated North and the predominantly Christian South collide. Together they have successfully appealed to communities to refrain from acts of vengeance in the wake of massacres. In Nigeria, where over 90 % of the population believes in God, religious leaders enjoy a high reputation. The pastor and the imam exploit this to positive effect in their use of the mass media to draw attention to the message of peace contained in both the Bible and the Koran. With the IMC, they organise training sessions in non-violent conflict resolution for groups in civil society. Their successes in bringing peace to the federal state of Kaduna have led to invitations to mediate in other countries with similar Christian-Muslim conflicts such as Sudan and Kenya.

Their “Early Warning – Early Response” systems for conflicts with a religious dimension are their most important tool in the prevention of violence. These involve bringing together leading personalities from both religious groups in teams, which – after initial confidence-building measures – undertake to set in motion a sequence of alerts, which also include the country’s security agencies, at even the slightest hint of escalating violence.

One of the unique forms the expansion of their activities has taken is the training of twelve more pastor-imam teams, in some cases involving ex-militiamen like themselves, who work together using the same approach and thereby contribute to its spread.

Their work has been honoured with the award of the Ashoka Fellowship, the Bremen Peace Award and the Peace Prize of the Fondation Chirac.

LINKS:

Film „The Imam and the Pastor“:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oapAA0XUaH4

Interfaith Mediation Center:

www.imcnigeria.org/

Ashoka Profil:

https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/james-wuye

Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan

Country/region	Kenya (Northern region)
Conflict	Ethnic conflict
Organisation	Horn of Africa Development Initiative (HODI)
Field of work	Mediation, women´s rights

Fatuma is a lawyer and human rights activist. In 2003 she founded HODI (Horn of Africa Development Initiative), which promotes peace in the region and womens’ rights. She now has a small office and four permanent staff. Her slogan is: “Shoot to score, not to kill”, with the aim being to score goals, not to kill people. That’s why she offers football coaching (football is a major passion among people in the North of Kenya) and organises tournaments for the young people of rival tribes.

Since 2008 there has also been a girls’ team. A development which is violently resisted by conservative imams. In the mosque Fatuma has been branded a witch, and death threats have been sent to her mobile. The North of Kenya is notorious for forced marriage and the kidnapping of young women, while female genital mutilation is still standard practice. HODI combats all these practices that no longer have a place in the modern age.

Fatuma also uses football matches in a targeted way for the purpose of bringing together representatives of the mutually hostile Borana, Gabbra and Rendile tribes, and persuade them to participate in conflict management training. She is in a good position to do so, as the daughter of parents from different tribes.

In 2011 she received the “Stuttgart Peace Prize”, which is awarded by the AnStifter organisation.
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