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Click on a peacemaker on the right to read about how they are making a difference. Photos & text: Margrit Coppé
“I am a craftsman, I restore antiques. I have specialised in woodwork, which I have been doing for ten years. Now I manage other people. Here in El Asr mosque in Cairo, we restored those marble pillars. I have also worked in Coptic Cairo, in churches and in the synagogue. I felt uncomfortable working in the synagogue. The Jewish house is the symbol for Israel, which is not treating my Palestinian brothers well. But I was doing my job: when a
building is sick, it needs to be taken care of. We have to stop fighting to begin‘ friendship. Bad people wear the clothes of Islam, they understand Islam wrongly. We have to make a difference between Islam and the behaviour of some people. That’s the same with Christianity and Christians who make mistakes. People need understanding. We have a proverb in Arabic: ‘if you knew each other, you would love each other.’ Understanding is the first step to love. We need to get to know each other.”