The interfaith Summit held in February 2026 in Cyprus, convened by Talking Peace and Tom Wegner, author of The Abrahamic Revolution, was a remarkable opportunity for inspiring female leaders to meet and discuss without boundaries, prejudices, or barriers — to build bridges together and to contribute to dialogue and peace in the region and beyond.

Unfortunately, after October 7th, only a few voices from the Muslim world showed solidarity with their Israeli and Jewish sisters — victims of torture, persecution, rape, and killings by Hamas terrorists and the Islamist ideology and propaganda. That same ideology has been used to subordinate and exterminate women and minorities across Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Muslim and Arab women — themselves victims of Islamist ideology — found themselves completely excluded from the peace process in the Middle East, and most acutely from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The need to bring women to the dialogue table is fundamental: both Jewish and Muslim women have been targeted by extremist groups, and both dream of a better future for their countries, their region, and for future generations.

Delegates at the historic Jewish-Muslim Women’s Summit, Cyprus, February 2026

Listening to these inspiring women and sharing the burden of the losses they have endured is deeply moving — but also a real eye-opener that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is carried by both Muslim and Jewish women. Seeing Muslim women stand against antisemitism and for the truth within their own communities — women like Anila Ali, Soraya Deen, and Salima Al Musalima, as well as Arab Israeli activist Samah Sakrani — is a reminder that Arab and Muslim women are part of the solution and a pillar of this Abrahamic movement, which cannot be fulfilled without the full support of female leaders advocating for peace and calling for justice.

I am a true believer in the power of women to counter extremism, hate, and discrimination, as well as their power to contribute to sustainable growth and peace through resilience, strength, and sisterhood. A young female leader like Samah Sakrani can play a crucial role in contributing to peace in her community in Israel and also between Israelis and Palestinians — but the world needs to hear from Samah, and from Arab women who believe in the power of education to fight against radicalism and in the power of women to bring people together and combat hate, discrimination, and antisemitism.

Mainstream media does not show the truth about the positive initiatives underway in Israel, nor does it speak about the voices of women who rise to call for unity and integration within Israeli society — between different communities, and between Israelis and Palestinians. The road may be long, but women can bring hope and a better future for coming generations and for the entire region.

Tom Wegner, Founder of the Abrahamic Movement, wrote of the summit: “We witnessed senior leaders from Israel’s Religious Zionism meet Muslim counterparts who embrace Israel and reject extremism. This encounter is vital to evolving the Israeli political discourse — moving toward a space that leaves room for partnership with those who seek it.”

To the Muslim sisters from around the world who answered the call and stood up — despite immense personal risks, across vast geographical and cultural distances — to tell Israeli women that antisemitism does not represent them and that they are true partners in the fight against it: your stand against antisemitism, often at great personal cost, is the foundation upon which a lasting Abrahamic partnership will be built. We are leaving this summit with a shared mission: to prove that peace is not a dream, but a plan in motion.