Canadian Syrian woman from Toronto's Beaches community receives peace award

by Melinda Drake

	Hind Kabawat.

There are two things about which Hind Kabawat is passionate: education and faith. For her efforts in combining these two toward making a contribution to world peace, Kabawat was honoured with the 2007 Women's Peace Initiative Award by the Tanenbaum Centre for Interreligious Understanding. The award recognizes her hard work and dedication in bringing together people of different faiths, politics and viewpoints to learn from each other.

“I was nominated by several parties,” said Kabawat. “They were trying to find peacemakers around the world who are trying to build bridges and making a difference in order to spread peace in the world."

Kabawat is a Christian from Syria who now makes her home here in the Beach for several months of the year. She is a lawyer, an international advisor at Joseph Young and Associates, a Senior Researcher in public diplomacy at George Mason University and a consultant on gender issues in Syria for the World Bank. But she credits the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies for putting her on the path to peace. She graduated from the Conflict Resolution course in 2002, and on Nov. 29, the School held a reception for Kabawat to celebrate her achievement.

“I was just doing my job as a mother and with a demanding career, but after doing this program, I developed this passion to put people together, knowing that peace is the only solution for our children,” she said.

Kabawat's work takes her regularly back to the Middle East where she is involved in interfaith activities and conferences with Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders.

“We cannot get to a real peace if we don't include all parties,” she said. “After I graduated, I learned that, in order to have a sustainable peace, you have to include all parties together and sitting together at the same table."

In fact, her peace initiatives take precedence over her legal career.

“My interfaith is my passion in life and my legal work is how I pay for this,” she said.

Kabawat has lived in the Beach since 1999 and loves it here. She frequents the neighbourhood cafes and the boardwalk, and especially loves the Jazz Festival. For that reason she makes sure she is in the city at least 10 months of the year.

“My house in the Beach is the pleasure of my life,” she said. “My neighbours give me so much support. But January and February are not my months in Toronto. I like to run away."

Kabawat's two children attend Concordia University in Montreal. Her daughter is studying Political Science with an eye to becoming a journalist. Her son is looking at a career in foreign affairs.

Kabawat believes very strongly in continuing education as a way to keep young.

“I feel 30,” she said, “but I'm over 40. It's how you feel in your heart."

Perhaps more importantly, she also knows that education is power.

“That is the only way we can get through life, with knowledge and power,” she said.

About the writer:

Melinda Drake is a writer for Beachmetro.com. LINK.

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