Fuad El-Hibri Networks

The El-Hibri Charitable Foundation has announced that internationally acclaimed author and educator  Gene Sharp has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the  El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. In 2009 Dr. Sharp was nominated for the  Nobel Peace Prize.

“Gene Sharp has dedicated his life to researching and teaching the strategic uses of nonviolent struggle against the forces of war, oppression and dictatorship,” noted Robert Buchanan, president of the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation. “His intellectual contributions to the field of nonviolent change cannot be overstated. The El-Hibri Charitable Foundation is pleased to recognize Dr. Gene Sharp for his thoughtful scholarship, his practical approach to nonviolence, and his extensive influence around the world.”

Sharp received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford and has held research appointments at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs for more than thirty years. Among Sharp’s 14 books, his The Politics of Nonviolent Action in 1973 is recognized as the definitive study of nonviolent struggle. His best-known book is From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation published in 1993 and now appearing in 34 languages.

The 2011 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize will be awarded to Gene Sharp at a ceremony to be held on October 1st at the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.The Prize, which includes an award of $15,000, is given annually by the foundation to honor an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the field of peace education. Sharp’s selection was made by a committee of peace education experts chaired by Dr. Awad Mubarak, President of  Nonviolence International.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – R. Scott Kennedy, former mayor of Santa Cruz and co-founder of the city’s Resource Center for Nonviolence, was presented with the 2008 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. This prize, including a check for $10,000, is a joint effort between Nonviolence International, American University and the El-Hibri family.
Nancy El-Hibri presented Kennedy the prize honoring his service as a “peace educator and activist of extraordinary impact.” The award presentation ceremony highlighted his central role in “establishing and promoting the now cottage industry of educational delegations for peace to Central America and the Middle East.”
Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel), entered a congratulatory statement in the Congressional Record paying tribute to Kennedy.
“It is with great pleasure that I call attention to Dr. Scott Kennedy’s work to bring peace to the world over the course of his lifetime,” Rep. Farr wrote. “He has been a Peace Educator for 40 years and was instrumental in pioneering educational delegations to conflict zones, now a widely practiced form of peace education.”
During the October 4 award ceremony, Kennedy remarked, “Peace education in the classroom is valuable, yet needs to be complemented with pragmatic, hands-on efforts in our communities to make peace and justice a living reality.” He expressed deep appreciation for the many colleagues at the Resource Center for Nonviolence as well as the citizens of Santa Cruz for their tremendous support and inspiration.
Mr. Fuad El-Hibri, who established the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize, noted that he and the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation will continue to support the prize and its growth each year in an effort to highlight the importance of peace education, and to support people who are working for a just, peaceful and healthy planet.
Kennedy is co-founder of Witness for Peace, the Resource Center for Nonviolence and Interfaith Peacebuilders, which has sent educational around the world to countries whose people suffer from conflict, lack of educational opportunities and social injustice.

Source : : http://www.farr.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=442