(محمد سليمان ) بواشنطون ويا ناس كستاوي ما بنوصيكم....

Quote: October’s Darfur Heroes Mohamed Suleiman and Martina Knee are members of the SF Bay Area Darfur Coalition, an alliance of San Francisco Bay Area organizations, groups, and individuals working to stop the genocide in Darfur, end war in Sudan and promote anti-genocide strategies. It was founded in 2004 by Silvestro Bakhiet, a Southern Sudanese who fled the North-South civil war; a survivor of the Bosnian genocide; and the Jewish Community Relations Council. Its membership today continues to reflect its interfaith and multi-ethnic beginnings and the diversity of the region-from Petaluma in the north to Santa Cruz in the south and east to Contra Costa County. Its focus encompasses Sudan by advocating for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005, including the 2009 national elections. Mohamed Suleiman, a native of the North Darfur village of Umbarow and a member of the Zaghawa tribe, is currently a resident of Northern California and a member of the SF Bay Area Darfur Coalition. Umbarow, located in the Zaghawa heartland, was burned and destroyed by the Goverment of Sudan and Janjaweed. Mohamed lost members of his family in the Darfur genocide; his mother and siblings still reside in Darfur. Today, a camp near the Umbarow remains provides refuge for approximately 13,000 displaced individuals. Mohamed's activism includes spreading awareness of the depth and extent of the genocide and translating English language news and advocacy into Arabic and posting these materials on the Internet so that the Sudanese people realize the actual depth of atrocities committed by the Government of Sudan and its surrogates, the Janjaweed, against their fellow country people in Darfur. Mohamed adds, "I also want to wake up some of the Sudanese intellectuals who are still in denial and bring them to the ugly reality that the genocide in their country is committed by none other than Sudanese just like them. The main goal of conducting an intensive campaign of educating the public in general and those who live in an African country in particular is to bring the words ‘NEVER AGAIN' to their fullest meaning." Mohamed believes it is important for him and for other Sudanese in the United States and in other democratic countries to speak out, saying that "Silence only encourages dictators like Al-Bashir to continue committing atrocities against their own people over and over. Sudanese in the western countries and especially Darfurians should be the voice for the voiceless victims back home and assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice. It is very important that the Darfurians should not become indifferent to the advocacy work and movement nor should they dismiss the importance of their individual contributions in keeping the Darfur plight in the front burner of the media and the concerned entities and institutions. Sudanese, and Darfurians in particular, should participate actively in all events and activities about stopping genocide anywhere." Martina Knee first learned about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan in 2004 on the American Jewish World Service website. Her immediate reaction: "If I can help save even one child from living the life of a genocide survivor or of a descendant of victims, I need to do it." Why does Martina want to protect Darfuri children? Six of her maternal ancestors perished in Austria during the Holocaust. Since Fall 2005, Martina has worked with other local activists to spread awareness about, and advocate to end, the Darfur genocide. The Coalition has reached out to churches, synagogues, junior high and high schools, colleges, interfaith groups, business owners, local governments and professional groups. Its constituent groups are too numerous to list, but those essential to its efforts include: American Friends Service Committee; Dear Sudan, Love Contra Costa County; Dear Sudan, Love Marin; Golden Gate Community Church; Jewish Community Relations Council, Holocaust Center of Northern California; STAND chapters at Stanford University, UC Berkeley and UC Davis; and student activists at the University of San Francisco. We don't consider our efforts "heroic". We just look for every opportunity to spread awareness about, and advocate for, Darfur and Sudan, and respond to every incoming inquiry we possibly can. The Coalition's more unique activities include: the introduction of Darfur Friday (a weekly email action alert asking activists to advocate for Darfur at least every Friday); serving as a conference partner of "Stopping Mass Atrocities: An International Conference on the Responsibility to Protect", held in March 2007 at UC Berkeley; meetings with the San Francisco Consuls General of Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, and Luxembourg to discuss donations to the World Food Programme for aid to Sudan and efforts by their Foreign Ministries to end the Darfur genocide, and a meeting with the Israeli Consul General regarding Israel's deportation of Sudanese nationals to Egypt. Highlights of its other 2006-2007 activities are at http://www.darfursf.org. Please send any comments or questions to [email protected].