Karimah Stauch with the URI Europe team
Speaking from the Heart
People involved in URI undertake hard work. Often, problems we come up against as we work for peace and justice don’t stop or improve, but seem to even get worse. How we want it to be is not how it is. How do we live in this tension?
Listening with care to our feelings and speaking from our heart is one way. As we listen to our own feelings, share, and open our hearts to listen to the feelings of others, we connect with our own humanity and our resilience grows.
Some years ago, Karimah Stauch, a founding member of URI and the Regional Coordinator for URI Europe since 2003, shared her feelings with the URI community. Here is her outpouring, expressing her tension, her conviction, her love and gratitude.
Tonight I want to share with you my tears, the cry of the deepest longing for peace.
Sometimes the tensions inside are just so high…as we listen
to the happenings, past, present, all, all over the world,
the tensions, between our fears, our pain, our anger, and our hope, our aspirations, our loves!
…as we continue struggling, working for peace and justice...
the tensions between our highest aspirations for justice and peace, everywhere, for every person… and the limitations of our physical being.
My sisters and brother, tonight I want to thank you for being there, all over this world,
for doing whatever you can do for peace and justice,
for doing whatever you can for the good of humankind and all creatures of this world.
Wherever you are on this earth, and whatever your creed or path, you are my sister, my brother.
We are all just one soul.
Whatever is the pain of one of us, is the pain of all of us.
Whatever is the joy of one of us, is the joy of all of us.
So let me thank you.
Thank you for being there.
Thank you for continuing the work!
Greetings from my heart.
In addition to her role as Regional Coordinator for URI Europe, she holds the following positions: Vice-President of the German Muslim-League Bonn, Inc.; founding member of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany; member of the Council of the Sufi-order "Tariqah As-Safinah"; Vice- President of the Christian-Islamic Society (URI Europe),; member of the planning team for "Standing Conference of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe”; member of the advisory board and adviser for Islamic questions for the ESWTR Deutschland; and DMLBonn Cooperation Circle's delegate to the Muslim Council, Bonn.
Read more posts in the Every Voice series, which presents thought-provoking quotes showing how people all over the world give voice to URI.
