Women's quiet roles in an Islamic peace process.

Peace is always in the making," said Meena Sharify-Funk. "It's never 'made.'" Peace studies should begin with personal issues, not international issues.

Funk, a doctoral candidate in international relations at the American University in Washington DC, offered a template for peacemaking at the 2004 Women's Leadership Symposium, "Transforming Conflict: Women's Ways of Leading," held at Mount Mary College WI in March.

Approaches, rituals in conflict resolution

Funk is the daughter of an Iranian father and an American mother. Her father came from the land of Shiraz, a land of mysticism. Her mother is Swedish and Norwegian from Duluth MN.

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Funk is writing her dissertation on women and Islam and the politics of interpretation.

Scholars today are interested in non-Western approaches to conflict resolution and the rituals that accompany them. Many of these approaches provide little information on the role of women in the process. To what extent do women participate? Do they in any way influence the outcomes? Do traditional rituals provide for women's roles in peacemaking or do they limit opportunities for women to contribute to the overall healing process?