iVOW is delighted to present the stories of three amazing women who resided at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at USD, as Peacemakers from the countries of Pakistan, South Sudan, and the United States. In this episode, our host, Jenni Prisk, interviews Mossarat Qadeem of Pakistan.
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Biography
Mossarat Qadeem is the co-founder of PAIMAN Alumni Trust, a nonprofit organization promoting the socio-political and economic empowerment of marginalized Pakistanis. PAIMAN’s Mothers and Youth Peace Groups (TOLANA) are an innovative way of neutralizing extremist tendencies through community mobilization, active citizenship and community empowerment to build social cohesion – a model that has received international recognition and appreciation and has presented thousands of young people with an alternative narrative to extremism.
Ms. Qadeem advocates in the realm of women, peace and security at the national and international level. She is a globally recognized expert on countering violent extremism (CVE) and de-radicalisation, and has spoken three times at the UN General Assembly on this topic. She is currently a member of the International Review Panel of Global Community and Resilience Fund (GCERF) and Women Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL).
Ms. Qadeem brings 14 years of knowledge and experience as a political science professor (University of Peshawar) to all her work. Ms. Qadeem initiated a unique model of peace education which brings together students from Madrassa and elite private schools, providing them with reading material on peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony that she developed. Ms. Qadeem has also founded and expanded Amn-O-Nisa, a coalition of women leaders and peace activists from Pakistan, Afghanistan and India who raise their voices to advocate for a peaceful region.
Ms. Qadeem has published two books, written many articles and produced documentaries on topics including India-Pakistan relations, peace education, youth role in CVE and women’s (particularly mothers’) experiences of conflict and extremism. Previously she was a minister of information in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province and remains a member of the FATA Reform Commission.
Ms. Qadeem holds a master’s degree in political science and gender studies from the Institute of Social Sciences, Netherlands and an MPhil in international politics (focusing on conflict studies) from the University of Hull. She has also been a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA.