Dekha Ibrahim Abdi

Country

Kenya

Known for

Spiritual Leader, Kenyan Peace Activist

Dates

Hijri 1384-1432 (AH); Common Era 1964-2011 (CE)

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi

Biography

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi was an internationally acclaimed conflict resolver and peace activist. In 1992, Dekha, with a concerned group, began to organize mediation between warring parties in an open conflict that afflicted Wajir after the end of the Shifta war. Her strategy combined grassroots activism, leadership, and spiritual motivation based on the teachings of Islam.1 Dekha encouraged individuals and communities affected by conflict to analyze themselves using verses from the Quran that, she said, will enable change on a religious and spiritual basis.2 After an agreement was reached, representatives from various clans, government security agencies, parliamentarians, civil servants, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, NGOs, and others formed the Wajir Peace Committee to make sure it was implemented. Dekha was elected Secretary. Subsequently, the Wajir Peace Committee led to the formation of an interfaith committee for peace that has undertaken further activities to intervene in religious conflicts. Her methods have been used and implemented in other parts of Kenya and around the world.3 In 2008, she and others developed a plan to prevent violence, and possible civil war after disputed elections in Kenya. Abdi is a 2007 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, a prize given to those who are working towards solutions to address the most urgent challenges facing the world. In 2011 she died from injuries she sustained from a car accident, she was 46. 4   [1] African Success: Biography of Dekha Ibrahim Abdi. [2]Right Livelihood Award: Dekha Ibrahim Abdi. [3] Ibid. [4] The Guardian: Dekha Ibrahim Abdi Obituary  

Sources

RTC: Dekha Ibrahim Abdi awarded Hesse Peace Prize.