Imane
Khalifeh was a Lebanese nursery school teacher in Beirut in 1975 when civil war
broke out in her country. The war raged on affecting the lives of nearly everyone
in the country. In 1984, tired of the fear and misery that war had brought, Imane
Khalifeh wrote a poem to inspire the silent majority of Lebanese who were against
the war to rise up join in a massive peace march. The poem was picked up by newspapers
all across the country and for a brief moment allowed themselves to feel hope
that together they might at last put an end to the death and destruction. The
day before the march, however, fighting intensified and the march was called off.
Instead, Imane Khalifeh organized a petition and more than 70,000 signed it. That
year, Imane Khalifeh received the Right Livelihood Award
"...for inspiring and organising the Beirut peace movement." Although the war
would continue, Imane Khalifeh's efforts to bring hope to her war-torn country
and unite a peace movement have provided hope and inspiration for others who live
in conflict zones to find the courage to stand up for peace.
