ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez - 9/11 mothers
Aicha el-Wafi and Phyllis Rodriguez met around a shared tragedy -- and their friendship has become a powerful symbol for forgiveness and dialogue.

Why you should listen

Phyllis Rodriguez is an artist, a teacher and a social justice activist. On September 11, 2001, her son Greg died in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Rodriguez and her husband wrote an open letter, "Not in Our Son's Name," calling on President Bush to oppose a military response in Afghanistan.

Aicha el-Wafi is an activist with the French feminist group Ni Putes Ni Soumise, working with Muslim women. Her son, Zacarias Moussaoui, was tried in relation to the attacks on US soil, and faced the possibility of execution if convicted.

In November 2002, Phyllis Rodriguez and several other relatives of victims of the attacks were invited to meet Aicha el-Wafi. Rodriguez and el-Wafi have since appeared together throughout Europe and the US, telling their story of reconciliation and forgiveness.

More profile about the speaker
Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2010

Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez: The mothers who found forgiveness, friendship

9/11 liječenje: Majke koje su pronašle oprost, prijateljstvo

Filmed:
964,245 views

Phyllis Rodriguez i Aicha el-Wafi veže jako prijateljstvo rođeno iz nezamislivog gubitka. Sin od Rodriguez je ubijen u napadu na Svjetski trgovinski centar 11-og rujna 2001. godine; Zacarias Moussaoui, sin od el-Wafi je osuđen zbog sudjelovanja u tim napadima i služi doživotnu kaznu. U nadi kako će pronaći mir, te dvije mame su uspjele shvatiti i poštivati jedna drugu.
- 9/11 mothers
Aicha el-Wafi and Phyllis Rodriguez met around a shared tragedy -- and their friendship has become a powerful symbol for forgiveness and dialogue. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
PhyllisVlatka RodriguezRodriguez: We are here todaydanas
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Phyllis Rodriguez: Ovdje smo danas
00:18
because of the factčinjenica
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zbog činjenice
00:20
that we have what mostnajviše people considerrazmotriti
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što imamo, prema mišljenju mnogih,
00:22
an unusualneuobičajen friendshipprijateljstvo.
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neobično prijateljstvo.
00:24
And it is.
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I to je istina.
00:26
And yetjoš, it feelsosjeća naturalprirodni to us now.
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A ipak, to nam se čini prirodnim.
00:29
I first learnednaučeno
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Prvo sam saznala
00:31
that my sonsin had been in the WorldSvijet TradeTrgovina CenterCentar
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kako je moj sin bio u Svjetskom trgovinskom centru
00:35
on the morningjutro of SeptemberRujna 11thth, 2001.
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ujutro 11-og rujna 2001. godine.
00:39
We didn't know
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Nismo znali
00:41
if he had perishedsu stradali yetjoš
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je li poginuo
00:43
untildo 36 hourssati laterkasnije.
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unutar prvih 36 sati.
00:48
At the time,
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Tada
00:50
we knewznao that it was politicalpolitički.
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smo znali kako je to vezano uz politiku.
00:53
We were afraiduplašen of what our countryzemlja was going to do
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Bojali smo se što će naša zemlja učiniti
00:56
in the nameime of our sonsin --
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u ime našeg sina --
00:58
my husbandsuprug, OrlandoOrlando, and I and our familyobitelj.
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moj muž, Orlando, i ja i naša obitelj.
01:01
And when I saw it --
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A kada sam vidjela --
01:03
and yetjoš, throughkroz the shockšok,
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a ipak, kroz šok,
01:05
the terribleužasan shockšok,
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strašan šok,
01:07
and the terribleužasan explosionEksplozija in our livesživot, literallydoslovce,
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i strašnu eksploziju u našim životima, doslovno,
01:13
we were not vengefulosvetoljubiv.
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nismo bili osvetoljubivi.
01:16
And a couplepar of weeksTjedni laterkasnije
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I par tjedana kasnije
01:18
when ZacariasZacarias MoussaouiMoussaoui was indictedoptužnicu protiv
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kada je Zacharias Moussaoui bio optužen
01:21
on sixšest countsbroji of conspiracyzavjera to commitpočiniti terrorismterorizam,
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po šest točaka urote terorizmom,
01:26
and the U.S. governmentvlada calledzvao for a deathsmrt penaltykazna
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i američka vlada je pozvala na smrtnu kaznu
01:29
for him, if convictedosuđen,
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za njega, ako bude osuđen,
01:31
my husbandsuprug and I spokegovorio out
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moj muž i ja smo progovorili
01:34
in oppositionopozicija to that, publiclyjavno.
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u javnosti protiv toga.
01:37
ThroughKroz that
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Kroz to
01:39
and throughkroz humanljudski rightsprava groupsgrupe,
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i preko udruga za ljudska prava,
01:41
we were broughtdonio togetherzajedno
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spojili smo se
01:43
with severalnekoliko other victims'žrtve' familiesobitelji.
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s nekoliko drugih obitelji žrtava.
01:46
When I saw AichaAicha in the mediamedia,
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Kada sam vidjela Aichu u medijima,
01:49
comingdolazak over when her sonsin was indictedoptužnicu protiv,
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kako dolazi ovdje kada je njezin sin bio optužen,
01:52
and I thought, "What a bravehrabar womanžena.
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pomislila sam, "Koja hrabra žena.
01:55
SomedayJednog dana I want to meetsastati that womanžena when I'm strongerjači."
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Jednog dana kada budem snažnija, želim upoznati tu ženu."
01:58
I was still in deepduboko grieftuga;
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Još uvijek sam bila u stanju dubokog žalovanja;
02:00
I knewznao I didn't have the strengthsnaga.
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Znala sam kako nemam snage.
02:02
I knewznao I would find her somedayjednog dana,
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Znala sam da ću je jednog dana pronaći,
02:04
or we would find eachsvaki other.
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ili ćemo pronaći jedna drugu.
02:06
Because, when people heardčuo that my sonsin was a victimžrtva,
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Jer, kada ljudi čuju kako je moj sin bio žrtva,
02:10
I got immediateneposredan sympathysimpatija.
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odmah dobijem saučešće.
02:13
But when people learnednaučeno
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Ali kada ljudi saznaju
02:15
what her sonsin was accusedoptuženik of,
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za što je njezin sin bio optužen,
02:17
she didn't get that sympathysimpatija.
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ona ne dobije tu vrstu naklonosti.
02:19
But her sufferingpati is equaljednak to minerudnik.
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Ali njezina patnja je jednaka mojoj.
02:22
So we metsastali in NovemberStudeni 2002,
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Tako smo se upoznali u studenom 2002. godine.
02:25
and AichaAicha will now tell you
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A Aicha će vam ispričati
02:28
how that camedošao about.
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kako je došlo do toga.
02:33
(TranslatorPrevoditelj) AichaAicha el-WafiEl-Wafi: Good afternoonposlijepodne, ladiesdame and gentlemengospoda.
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(Prevoditeljica) Aicha el-Wafi: Dobar dan, dame i gospodo.
02:39
I am the mothermajka of ZacariasZacarias MoussaouiMoussaoui.
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Ja sam majka Zachariasa Moussaoui-a.
02:48
And I askedpitao
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I zamolila sam
02:53
the OrganizationOrganizacija of HumanLjudski RightsPrava
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Organizaciju za ljudska prava
02:55
to put me in touchdodir with the parentsroditelji of the victimsžrtve.
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da me spoji s roditeljima žrtava.
03:03
So they introduceduvedena me
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Stoga su me oni upoznali
03:06
to fivepet familiesobitelji.
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s pet obitelji.
03:12
And I saw PhyllisVlatka, and I watchedgledao her.
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I vidjela sam Phyllis, i gledala sam je.
03:17
She was the only mothermajka in the groupskupina.
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Ona je bila jedina majka u grupi.
03:22
The othersdrugi were brothersbraća, sisterssestre.
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Ostali su bili braća, sestre.
03:28
And I saw in her eyesoči
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I vidjela sam u njezinim očima
03:30
that she was a mothermajka, just like me.
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kako je ona bila majka, poput mene.
03:34
I sufferedpatio a lot as a mothermajka.
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Puno sam patila kao majka.
03:41
I was marriedoženjen when I was 14.
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Udala sam se s 14.
03:46
I lostizgubljen a childdijete when I was 15,
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Izgubila sam dijete s 15,
03:51
a seconddrugi childdijete when I was 16.
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drugo dijete kada mi je bilo 16.
03:57
So the storypriča with ZacariasZacarias was too much really.
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Stoga je priča sa Zacharias-om bila uistinu previše.
04:03
And I still sufferpatiti,
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I još uvijek patim,
04:07
because my sonsin
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jer moj sin
04:09
is like he's buriedpokopan aliveživ.
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kao da je živ zakopan.
04:14
I know she really criedplakala for her sonsin.
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Znam kako je doista oplakivala svog sina.
04:19
But she knowszna where he is.
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Ali ona zna gdje je on.
04:28
My sonsin, I don't know where he is.
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Moj sin, ne znam gdje je.
04:30
I don't know if he's aliveživ. I don't know if he's torturedmučen.
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Ne znam je li živ. Ne znam je li mučen.
04:32
I don't know what happeneddogodilo to him.
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Ne znam što se dogodilo s njim.
04:38
So that's why I decidedodlučio to tell my storypriča,
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Zato sam odlučila ispričati svoju priču,
04:40
so that my sufferingpati is something positivepozitivan for other womenžene.
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kako bi moja patnja predstavljala nešto pozitivno za druge žene.
04:48
For all the womenžene, all the mothersmajke that give life,
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Za sve žene, sve majke koje daju život,
04:55
you can give back,
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možete to uzeti natrag,
04:57
you can changepromijeniti.
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možete to promijeniti.
04:59
It's up to us womenžene,
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To je na nama ženama,
05:02
because we are womenžene,
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jer mi smo žene,
05:05
because we love our childrendjeca.
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jer mi volimo svoju djecu.
05:13
We mustmora be hand-in-handruku pod ruku
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Moramo biti složne
05:15
and do something togetherzajedno.
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i učiniti nešto zajedno.
05:19
It's not againstprotiv womenžene,
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To nije protiv nas žena,
05:21
it's for us, for us womenžene,
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to je za nas, za nas žene,
05:23
for our childrendjeca.
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za našu djecu.
05:34
I talk againstprotiv violencenasilje, againstprotiv terrorismterorizam.
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Ja govorim protiv nasilja, protiv terorizma.
05:37
I go to schoolsškola
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Odlazim u škole
05:39
to talk to youngmladi, MuslimMuslimanske girlsdjevojke
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kako bi pričala mladim, muslimanskim curama
05:42
so they don't acceptprihvatiti to be marriedoženjen againstprotiv theirnjihov will very youngmladi.
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da se ne udaju protiv svoje volje kada su još jako mlade.
05:58
So if I can saveuštedjeti one of the youngmladi girlsdjevojke,
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Zato, ako mogu spasiti jednu od tih mladih djevojki,
06:03
and avoidIzbjegavajte that they get marriedoženjen and sufferpatiti as much as I did,
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i spriječiti da se udaju i pate toliko koliko sam ja patila,
06:06
well this is something good.
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to je onda nešto dobro.
06:10
This is why I'm here in frontispred of you.
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Zbog toga sam ovdje pred vama.
06:12
PRPR: I would like to say
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PR: Htjela bih reći
06:14
that I have learnednaučeno so much from AichaAicha,
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kako sam naučila toliko mnogo od Aicha-e,
06:17
startingpolazeći with that day we had our very first meetingsastanak
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počevši već onog dana kada smo imale naš prvi sastanak
06:20
with other familyobitelj membersčlanovi --
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s ostalim članovima obitelji --
06:22
whichkoji was a very privateprivatna meetingsastanak with securitysigurnosti,
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koji je bio veoma privatni sastanak s osiguranjem,
06:25
because it was NovemberStudeni 2002,
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jer je bio studeni 2002.,
06:28
and, franklyiskreno, we were afraiduplašen of the super-patriotismSuper-patriotizam of that time in the countryzemlja --
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i, iskreno, bojali smo se super-patriotizma naše zemlje u to vrijeme --
06:34
those of us familyobitelj membersčlanovi.
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mi, članovi obitelji.
06:38
But we were all so nervousživčani.
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Ali svi smo bili tako nervozni.
06:41
"Why does she want to meetsastati us?"
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"Zašto nas ona želi upoznati?"
06:44
And then she was nervousživčani.
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A zatim je ona bila nervozna.
06:46
"Why did we want to meetsastati her?"
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"Zašto smo mi nju htjeli upoznati?"
06:48
What did we want from eachsvaki other?
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Što smo htjeli jedni od drugih?
06:52
Before we knewznao eachsvaki others'drugi' namesimena, or anything,
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Prije nego smo saznali imena, ili bilo što,
06:55
we had embracedzagrli and weptplakali.
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zagrlile smo se i plakale.
06:57
Then we satsat in a circlekrug
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Zatim smo sjeli u krug
07:00
with supportpodrška, with help,
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s potporom, s pomoći,
07:02
from people experiencediskusan in this kindljubazan of reconciliationizmirenje.
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od ljudi koji imaju iskustva s takvom vrstom pomirbe.
07:06
And AichaAicha startedpočeo,
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I Aicha je započela,
07:08
and she said,
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i rekla je,
07:10
"I don't know if my sonsin
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"Ne znam je li moj sin
07:13
is guiltykriv or innocentnevin,
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kriv ili nevin,
07:15
but I want to tell you how sorry I am
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ali želim vam reći koliko mi je žao
07:18
for what happeneddogodilo to your familiesobitelji.
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za to što se dogodilo vašim obiteljima.
07:23
I know what it is to sufferpatiti,
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Znam što je to patnja,
07:26
and I feel that if there is a crimekriminal,
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i osjećam da, ukoliko dođe do zločina,
07:30
a personosoba should be triedpokušala fairlypošteno and punishedkažnjen."
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osobu treba suditi pošteno i ta osoba treba biti kažnjena."
07:35
But she reachedpostignut out to us in that way,
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Ali ona nam je pristupila na taj način.
07:39
and it was, I'd like to say, it was an ice-breakerrazgovor.
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I to je bio, rekla bih, dobar način razbijanja nervoze.
07:43
And what happeneddogodilo then is we all told our storiespriče,
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I ono što se dogodilo jest da smo svi mi ispričali svoje priče,
07:47
and we all connectedpovezan as humanljudski beingsbića.
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i svi smo se povezali kao ljudska bića.
07:49
By the endkraj of the afternoonposlijepodne --
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Do kraja poslijepodneva --
07:51
it was about threetri hourssati after lunchručak --
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bilo je to oko tri sata nakon ručka --
07:55
we'dmi bismo feltosjećala as if we'dmi bismo knownznan eachsvaki other foreverzauvijek.
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osjećali smo se kao da se znamo oduvijek.
07:57
Now what I learnednaučeno from her,
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Ono što sam naučila od nje,
07:59
is a womanžena, not only who could be so generousvelikodušan
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je žena, ne samo koja može biti toliko velikodušna
08:02
underpod these presentpredstaviti circumstancesokolnosti
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pod tim sadašnjim okolnostima
08:04
and what it was then,
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i ono što je bilo tada,
08:06
and what was beingbiće doneučinio to her sonsin,
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i što se činilo njezinom sinu,
08:08
but the life she's had.
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već život koji je imala.
08:10
I never had metsastali
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Nikada nisam upoznala
08:12
someonenetko with suchtakav a hardteško life,
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nekoga tko je imao tako težak život,
08:14
from suchtakav a totallypotpuno differentdrugačiji cultureKultura and environmentokolina from my ownvlastiti.
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a tko je bio iz potpuno drugačije kulture i okoline nego što je moja.
08:19
And I feel
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I osjećam
08:21
that we have
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kako imamo
08:23
a specialposeban connectionveza,
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posebnu vezu,
08:25
whichkoji I valuevrijednost very much.
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koju cjenima jako puno.
08:27
And I think it's all about
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I mislim kako se radi o tome
08:30
beingbiće afraiduplašen of the other,
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što smo se bojale jedna druge,
08:32
but makingizrađivanje that stepkorak
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no učinile smo taj korak
08:35
and then realizingrealizirati, "Hey, this wasn'tnije so hardteško.
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i zatim shvatile, "Hej, pa to nije bilo tako teško.
08:38
Who elsedrugo can I meetsastati that I don't know,
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Koga još mogu sresti a da ga ne poznajem,
08:40
or that I'm so differentdrugačiji from?"
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ili od koga sam različita?"
08:44
So, AichaAicha,
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Dakle, Aicha,
08:46
do you have a couplepar of wordsriječi
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imaš li par riječi
08:48
for conclusionzaključak?
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za zaključak?
08:50
Because our time is up.
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Jer naše vrijeme je isteklo.
08:52
(LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
09:00
(TranslatorPrevoditelj) AWMA: I wanted to say
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(Prevoditeljica) AW: Željela sam reći
09:02
that we have to try to know other people, the other.
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kako moramo pokušavati upoznavati druge ljude.
09:08
You have to be generousvelikodušan,
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Morate biti velikodušni,
09:10
and your heartssrca mustmora be generousvelikodušan,
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i vaša srca moraju biti velikodušna,
09:12
your mindum mustmora be generousvelikodušan.
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vaš um mora biti velikodušan.
09:15
You mustmora be toleranttolerantni.
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Morate biti tolerantni.
09:20
You have to fightborba againstprotiv violencenasilje.
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Morate se boriti protiv nasilja.
09:26
And I hopenada that somedayjednog dana we'lldobro all liveživjeti togetherzajedno
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I nadam se kako ćemo jednog dana svi živjeti zajedno
09:29
in peacemir and respectingpoštujući eachsvaki other.
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u miru i poštivati jedni druge.
09:32
This is what I wanted to say.
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To sam željela reći.
09:34
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez - 9/11 mothers
Aicha el-Wafi and Phyllis Rodriguez met around a shared tragedy -- and their friendship has become a powerful symbol for forgiveness and dialogue.

Why you should listen

Phyllis Rodriguez is an artist, a teacher and a social justice activist. On September 11, 2001, her son Greg died in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Rodriguez and her husband wrote an open letter, "Not in Our Son's Name," calling on President Bush to oppose a military response in Afghanistan.

Aicha el-Wafi is an activist with the French feminist group Ni Putes Ni Soumise, working with Muslim women. Her son, Zacarias Moussaoui, was tried in relation to the attacks on US soil, and faced the possibility of execution if convicted.

In November 2002, Phyllis Rodriguez and several other relatives of victims of the attacks were invited to meet Aicha el-Wafi. Rodriguez and el-Wafi have since appeared together throughout Europe and the US, telling their story of reconciliation and forgiveness.

More profile about the speaker
Aicha el-Wafi + Phyllis Rodriguez | Speaker | TED.com