Thursday , March 28 2024
Palestine Update Resources

Awards and Testimonials

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Sherrod Brown, United States Senator

Mother Agnes-Mariam has provided relief for the people of Syria for over 19 years, most recently during the latest Syrian crisis. As the number of refugees in surrounding towns increases, Mother Agnes-Mariam has provided the refugees with shelter and assistance. She has also been a vocal advocate for these victims through her Institute for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights.

Through her philanthropic work, she has played a major role in negotiating for the benefit of peace and stability in the district.

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James B. Renacci, Member of U.S.Congress, Ohio

Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition presented to Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross for providing shelter at the monastery to those in need and through your affiliation with Mussalaha (“Reconciliation”) to mediate the opposing forces.

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Irena Varjabedian, AA4Syria (Arab americans for Syria), Glendale California

We had a successful event in Glendale California despite attempts to silence Mother Agnes. Due to phone harassment, the church where we planned the event cancelled. However I persisted and with the help of several others, we found a local restaurant that worked out fine. One person told us he was even more determined to go when he heard that the church had canceled under pressure!

Glendale has a large Armenian community; we had about 60 people for the event. Two Armenian speakers welcomed Mother Agnes, expressing their gratitude that after the genocide, the Syrian people welcomed them to make Syria their home, allowing them to build churches and schools.

Many expressed thanks for the event. One of those was Blase Bonpane, esteemed activist in his eighties. Blase had interviewed Mother Agnes by phone on his KPFK show World Focus. He came because he wanted to meet Mother Agnes in person.

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Johnny Achi, founding member of Arab Americans for Syria

It was a pleasure and an honor receiving Mother Agnes Mariam in Southern California on the 9th and 10th of November. The 9th was our main event in Jesus Sacred Heart Syriac Catholic Church in North Hollywood, CA and the crowed of 200+ were enlightened by MAM testimonials and eyewitness reports. Her message of peace and reconciliation was so powerful that it prompted a one-minute-long standing Ovation. Her humanitarian work throughout the 2 1/2-years-long conflict in Syria, working with the displaced, helping negotiate the release of kidnapped victims, and the pioneer work she’s done evacuating civilians caught in the cross fire, especially the recent safe evacuation of 7,650 men, women and children from the besieged and heavily clashed area of Mo’adamiya on the outskirt of Damascus was nothing short of heroic.

On Sunday Nov. 10, MAM spoke at St Anne Melkite Greek Catholic Church and met afterwards with the church parish. Many families spoke of their horrific experiences before leaving Syria. One family shared with heartfelt tears how they were forced out of their home in Hamidieh Homs by the armed gangs under the force of guns, not allowed to take any positions with them. In the afternoon there was another speaking event in a hall in Glendale, CA. and the majority Armenian crowed were very pleased to listen to MAM, and how misinformed they were about many aspects of the Syrian conflict.

Thank you Rick, Paul, and everyone involved with the Syrian Solidarity Movement for organizing Mother Agnes Mariam North American Tour of ‘What is really happening in Syria.’ The truth must be known so a true peaceful solution could be reached.

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Chuck Kaufman, Co-Director, Alliance for Global Justice

Thank you so much for arranging to start Mother Agnes’ US speaking tour with Tear Down the Walls National Gathering in Tucson, AZ Nov. 1-3. Her message of peace and reconciliation as well as against foreign intervention in Syria was well received by the 400+ participants in the conference. Alliance for Global Justice was on the receiving end of quite an email and phone campaign to pressure us to “un-invite” Mother Agnes. I was very pleased that all of the charges against her were proven false by the actual content of what she had to share with us. Our understanding of Syria is much greater thanks to Mother Agnes’ presentations. Please convey to her our profound gratitude for her presentation and her labors for peace.

In solidarity,
Chuck Kaufman
National Co-Coordinator
Alliance for Global Justice
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Prof Hisham Ahmed, Chair of Political Science Dept, St. Mary’s College, Moraga, California

“Mother Agnes’ visit to Saint Mary’s College on Nov. 4, 2013 was a real watershed event. Mother Agnes left an unbelievable impression on people on the audience. So many people spoke to me after the talk and expressed tremendous appreciation for her balanced viewpoint and profound respect for her pursuit of peace…… For sure those who attack Mother Agnes don’t know the value of what she is doing: to stop this crazy conflict from further escalating and causing more death and destruction.

Best Regards,

Hisham H. Ahmed, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair
Department of Politics
Saint Mary’s College of California
Moraga CA 94575

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Bea Pressley, President,  Voices for Justice for Palestine  (Rossmoor / Walnut Creek Ca)

Mother Agnes wants Syrians to negotiate a peace.  She wants the foreigners to leave  the Syrians to solve their own problems.  She has spoken in a number of places, was bought to this country by peace groups…..  Today we had over a hundred people who were very pleased to hear her talk.  After her speech twenty or so Rossmoorians gathered around her to praise her courage.
Beatrice Pressley

President
Voices for Justice in Palestine / Rossmoor  (Walnut Creek, CA)

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Report of  Father Labib Kobti, St Thomas More Church, San Francisco 
The Prayer service for Peace in the Middle East at St. Thomas More in San Francisco was a great success. We had over 400 people of all nationalities: Syrians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Armenians, Jordanians, Palestinians, Israelis, Filipinos, Americans, Latinos…Ten priests and pastors, from the heads of Christian Communities who serve the Middle Eastern Communities in the Bay Area (the Greek Antiochean Orthodox, Greek Jerusalemite Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Congregation, Maronite, Greek Catholic, Latin Churches) collaborated in the preparation of and attended the event. 

The apex of her speech was the Reconciliation message. She said that Mussalaha (Reconciliation in Arabic) is a grassroots movement that is present in all parts of Syria and is apolitical and non religious, a pure brand of the Syrian genuine culture of openness and brotherhood. She gave moving examples of forgiveness and reconciliation in Syria where individuals and communities are tearing down the walls and building bridges of communication, negotiation, dialogue and reconciliation.

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