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Sheikhs as Mediators Program

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وَإِن طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِن بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَىٰ فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّىٰ تَفِيءَ إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِن فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ وَأَقْسِطُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِين

And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah. And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. (Quran 49:9)

bullseyeProgram goal

The “Sheikhs as Mediators Program” aims to connect sheikhs, as religious leaders who serve as traditional mediators through the Arab sulha process within their communities, to the world of professional modern mediation in general and the community mediation and dialogue centers in the Arab society in particular.  The goal of the program is to strengthen the abilities of these religious leaders to deal with the challenge of violence in the Arab society, and for these religious leaders to give the necessary backing to the community mediation and dialogue centers within their communities.

partnersStrategic partners

The “Sheikhs as Mediators Program” works in collaboration with the Gishurim Program.

toolsDevelopment of the Program in Mosaica

A significant aspect of a sheikh’s role as a religious leader within Arab society, is dealing with conflicts within the community, whether they be between couples, families or clans.  The “Sheikhs as Mediators Program” seeks to strengthen these religious leaders through connecting them to community mediation and dialogue centers within their communities.  In addition, the program offers courses and trainings on professional mediation and conflict resolution skills for religious leaders which can be integrated with more familiar traditional approaches of mediation.  In 2020, Mosaica established the “Sheikhs as Mediators Program” which is directed by Sheikh Dr. Eyad Amar.  The program works closely with Community Mediation and Dialogue Centers within Arab societies, as part of the Gishurim Program.

document Implementation of the Model and Services

The program offers a range of services to aid sheikhs in mediating conflicts within their communities:

  • Development of a model for the sheikh within the community can integrate traditional mediation (sulha) together with modern professional mediation.
  • Connecting between sheikhs and local Community Mediation and Dialogue Centers within Arab society, and mixed Jewish Arab cities, which are part of the local municipalities and supported by the Gishurim Program and Mosaica.
  • Opportunities to participate in courses, trainings and professional development which are adapted to the needs of the sheikh on the topics of mediation and conflict resolution.
  • Rising general awareness around the connection between sheikhs, as religious leaders, and the world of mediation.

The “Sheikhs as Mediators Program” also works with the Gishurim Program in managing two major annual events:

  • Incorporating at least one special session relating to sheikhs and the Arab sector in the Gishurim Program’s annual Mediation Conference
  • Dibur Hadash (national week of mediation and dialogue): Connecting sheikhs and their communities to mediation in general and specifically to their local Community Mediation and Dialogue Center.

For more information, contact:

Taiser.gishurim@mosaica.org.il

teamProgram staff

Sheikh Dr. Eyad Amer

I received my PhD in International Relations from the University of California in 2018. I earned a Master’s degree in Management and Educational Pedagogy from the Center of Academic Studies in 2010 and a Master’s Degree from Bar-Ilan University in Arabic and Islamic History in 2003. I received my BA from Bar-Ilan University in 2000 in Arabic.
In 2012, I became the principle of a high school in Kafr Qasim. I also serve as the Imam of a central mosque in Kafr Qasim, I am a member of the Sulha council in Kafr Qasim and I serve as a mediator on the Sharia court. I have over 35 years of experience in education. I served as the principle of the Alhuda high school in Ramle and also served as a lecturer and pedagogic advisor at Beit Brill College and Achva Academic College.
Lastly, I am one of the first religious singers who founded an Islamic band. It is called “alsrat” (the straight path).

Sheikh Taiseer Mamamed

I have a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus and a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Management from Ben Gurion University. I am an educator and education system manager with 25 years of experience.
I am responsible for developing the field of mediation and dialogue in Arab communities with the goal of improving the quality of life in Arab society and disseminating the mediation language as a key value and way of life.
I am a resident of Umm al-Fahm, married, and father of three.

Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth

As the director of The Religious Peace Initiative (RPI), I oversee a network of ‘insider religious mediators’ advancing both religious peace and mitigating crisis-situations. I also work to connect religious leaders to the tens of ‘community mediation and dialogue centers’ throughout Israel that Mosaica’s Gishurim Program supports, through the “Rabbis as Mediators Program” and the “Sheikhs as Mediators Program.” In addition to my work at Mosaica, I am a core faculty member at Bar-Ilan University’s Graduate Program for Conflict Management, Resolution and Negotiation and at Tel Aviv University’s International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. I teach graduate courses on religious peacebuilding and supervises graduate students. I am also a regular lecturer for MEJDI Tours/National Geographic. My book Third-party Peacemakers in Judaism: Text, Theory, and Practice was published by Oxford University Press in Spring 2021.
I earned a Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University’s Graduate Program for Conflict Management, Resolution and Negotiation, a MA in Talmud from Hebrew University, a B. Ed in Jewish Philosophy from Herzog Teachers’ College, and studied for eight years in Yeshivat Har-Etzion, during which time I received Orthodox rabbinic ordination. I served as a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. Before joining Mosaica, I was the founder and director of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, the Mahloket Matters Projects and the 9Adar: Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict (known in Israel as Dibur Hadash: Israeli Week of Mediation and Dialogue).

The Gishurim Program staff.