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ARDA AGHAZARIAN IS ON A MISSION OF PEACE
By Nikki Patrick
Pittsburg Morning Sun
Oct 11 2011
PITTSBURG - Jerusalem seems to be a long way from Pittsburg, but it
came a little closer Saturday when Arda Aghazarian spoke during the
Presbyterian Women of John Calvin Presbytery(JCP) Fall Workshop at
the Pittsburg Presbyterian Church.
She is one of 12 participants in the Presbyterian Church (USA) 2011
International Peacemakers Program, which is intended to broaden a sense
of God's inclusive family and encourage the building of a culture of
peace and nonviolence in all of God's children.
An Armenian Palestinian Christian, she was born and raised in the Old
City of Jerusalem and studied at Birzeit University in the West Bank.
"I studied literature and took many courses in media and film and
wanted to be a writer," Aghazarian said. "I was not interested in
politics, but I live in a part of the world where you can't not be
interested in politics because everything is politics."
For a time she worked as a producer and presenter for a radio station
that aimed to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis.
Agharazarian is now the media and advocacy coordinator at the YWCA
of Palestine in East Jerusalem.
"We had a Presbyterian Group that was using the YWCA, and after I had
been talking with them an hour and a half, one of them said that I
would be perfect for the International Peacemakers Program," she said.
Interested, Agharazarian applied for and was accepted into
the program. There are 12 peacemakers this year. She represents
Israel/Palestine, and other peacemakers are from Bangladesh, Egypt,
Guatemala, India, Iraq, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Sudan
and Syria.
Agjarazarian emphasized that she is very careful not to take sides,
and to stress the importance of peaceful methods of addressing issues
and resolving conflicts in Israel/Palestine.
"I got to the United States on Sept. 19 and we had three days of
orientation," she said. "This is a one-month program, and I've been
in New Jersey, New York, Seattle, Missouri and Kansas."
She has been enlightened, she said, by the diversity she has seen in
this country.
" I visited an Armenian Prebyterian Church where I spoke Armenian,
and an Egyptian Evangelical Church where I spoke in Arabic," Aghazarian
said. "I thought to myself, am I in the United States?"
It helps that she is fluent in five languages.
"My French is a little rusty, but it's OK," she said.
Aghazarian found it interesting that she's been asked several times
when she converted to Christianity, since she was born and has always
lived in the land where that religion originated.
"I know families who have been Christian from the first century,"
she said.
Aghazarian will be going home a few days early after she has completed
her schedule of speaking engagements.
"There will be a de-briefing for the peacemakers, but I couldn't stay
for that," she said. "I have to go back to work."
http://www.morningsun.net/lifestyles/patricks_people/x153925307/PATRICKS-PEOPLE-Arda-Aghazarian-is-on-a-mission-of-peace
By Nikki Patrick
Pittsburg Morning Sun
Oct 11 2011
PITTSBURG - Jerusalem seems to be a long way from Pittsburg, but it
came a little closer Saturday when Arda Aghazarian spoke during the
Presbyterian Women of John Calvin Presbytery(JCP) Fall Workshop at
the Pittsburg Presbyterian Church.
She is one of 12 participants in the Presbyterian Church (USA) 2011
International Peacemakers Program, which is intended to broaden a sense
of God's inclusive family and encourage the building of a culture of
peace and nonviolence in all of God's children.
An Armenian Palestinian Christian, she was born and raised in the Old
City of Jerusalem and studied at Birzeit University in the West Bank.
"I studied literature and took many courses in media and film and
wanted to be a writer," Aghazarian said. "I was not interested in
politics, but I live in a part of the world where you can't not be
interested in politics because everything is politics."
For a time she worked as a producer and presenter for a radio station
that aimed to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis.
Agharazarian is now the media and advocacy coordinator at the YWCA
of Palestine in East Jerusalem.
"We had a Presbyterian Group that was using the YWCA, and after I had
been talking with them an hour and a half, one of them said that I
would be perfect for the International Peacemakers Program," she said.
Interested, Agharazarian applied for and was accepted into
the program. There are 12 peacemakers this year. She represents
Israel/Palestine, and other peacemakers are from Bangladesh, Egypt,
Guatemala, India, Iraq, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Sudan
and Syria.
Agjarazarian emphasized that she is very careful not to take sides,
and to stress the importance of peaceful methods of addressing issues
and resolving conflicts in Israel/Palestine.
"I got to the United States on Sept. 19 and we had three days of
orientation," she said. "This is a one-month program, and I've been
in New Jersey, New York, Seattle, Missouri and Kansas."
She has been enlightened, she said, by the diversity she has seen in
this country.
" I visited an Armenian Prebyterian Church where I spoke Armenian,
and an Egyptian Evangelical Church where I spoke in Arabic," Aghazarian
said. "I thought to myself, am I in the United States?"
It helps that she is fluent in five languages.
"My French is a little rusty, but it's OK," she said.
Aghazarian found it interesting that she's been asked several times
when she converted to Christianity, since she was born and has always
lived in the land where that religion originated.
"I know families who have been Christian from the first century,"
she said.
Aghazarian will be going home a few days early after she has completed
her schedule of speaking engagements.
"There will be a de-briefing for the peacemakers, but I couldn't stay
for that," she said. "I have to go back to work."
http://www.morningsun.net/lifestyles/patricks_people/x153925307/PATRICKS-PEOPLE-Arda-Aghazarian-is-on-a-mission-of-peace