Who we are
Our supporters
Beatriz Abril Alegre
Beatriz lost her brother Óscar Abril Alegre in the 2004 Madrid train bombings, known as the 11-M attack. The attack, in which a series of ten coordinated bombs exploded within four commuter trains in Madrid, killed 191 people and wounded around 1800 others. Beatriz believes in the importance of eliminating racial, religious and cultural intolerance that often leads to radical viewpoints. Since the attacks, she works to reject violent extremism and to encourage building personal bridges beyond religion, politics and race.
Ashraf al-Khaled and Nadia Alami
Ashraf lost his father and Nadia lost both of her parents in a suicide bombing during their wedding reception at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Amman, Jordan on 9 November 2005. The attack killed twenty-seven people and injured both Ashraf and Nadia. Since the attack, Ashraf and Nadia travel around Jordan and in the United States speaking out as victims of terrorism. Their work questions the legitimacy of targeting civilians and emphasizes how terrorist groups like al Qaeda manipulate Islam to commit atrocities.
Ben Borgia
Ben lost his 13 year-old sister Abbey and his mother Deborah in the 2002 Sari Club Bombing in Bali. Borgia was one of the participants in the United Nations Symposium on Supporting Victims of Terrorism on 9 September 2008 at the UN headquarters in New York City. At the symposium he spoke of how even though he learned to live with the fact that those he loved most were gone, his sense of loss would always remain. Ben is especially concerned with the pain and grief that terrorism causes children.
Chris Cramer
Chris was taken hostage during the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980. He suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the attack. Now he is one of the most powerful Britons in international journalism. He is credited with transforming both CNN and the BBC to the industry leaders they are today.
Febby Firmansyah Isran
Febby survived the JW Marriott bombing on 5 August 2003 in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, Indonesia. The attack, in which a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the hotel, killed 12 people and injured 150. Febby suffered burns on over 40 per cent of his body and was hospitalized for four months. Febby helped found the “Forum 58” group which advocated for victims of the attack. In 2009 the Forum joined with other Indonesian victims’ organizations to create ASKOBI, a support group for victims of terrorism and violence throughout Indonesia.
Michael Gallagher
Michael Gallagher lost his 21 year-old son Aidan in the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland on 15 August 1998. The attack, described as Northern Ireland’s worst single incidence of terrorism, killed 29 people and injured approximately 220. Gallagher created the Omagh Support and Self Help Group along with other families of the victims. The group launched and won a civil action suit against the individuals they believed were chiefly responsible for the bombing, and inspired a made-for-TV film about their experiences.
Dr. Habiba Rahim Shah (Pakistan)
Dr Habiba lost two of her maternal uncles and her 28-year old cousin in terrorist attacks throughout Pakistan. She and her family are natives of Swat valley.
Gill Hicks MBE (UK/ Australia)
Gill lost both of her legs in the London bombings of 7 July 2005. Grateful to have survived the attacks, Gill is determined to use her experience to do all she can to deter anyone from following a path of violent action. She founded M.A.D. for Peace an organization that communicates the importance of individual responsibility in creating a world in which extreme conflict is ended.
Alan Jara
On 15 July 2001 members of the rebel group FARC ambushed and kidnapped Alan as he was driving home. Alan survived seven years in captivity in the jungles of Columbia. Since his release on 3 February 2009, Alan works to raise awareness of kidnappings and continues to fight for the freedom of his friends still in captivity.
Henry Kessy
Henry was badly wounded in the 7 August 1998 attacks on the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam. Despite being wounded in the attacks, Henry continues to work as a budget analyst at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam.
Carie Lemack
Carie lost her mother, Judy Laroque when terrorists flew her plane, American Airlines Flight 11, into the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. Carie is the co-founder of the non-profit, non-partisan organization Families of September 11, which provides support to the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks. Carie is focused on working with government, private sector and non-profit organizations to improve safety and security and to initiate and implement forward-thinking projects to prevent future acts of terrorism.
Jeremiah Othin
Jeremiah survived the July 2010 suicide bombings in Kampala . The attacks targeted football fans gathering to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup final. After losing close friends in the attack Jeremiah decided to speak out against terrorism and build awareness throughout Uganda.
Leila Stroetmann
When she was only 10 years old, Leila survived the 1976 ANO attacks on the Intercontinental Hotel in Jordan. Leila's father was among those injured in the attacks.
Major (Ret.) Tahir Wadood Malik
Tahir lost his wife when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the UN World Food Program office in Islamabad, Pakistan in October 2009. As he sought to cope with the shock of his wife's death, Tahir - a retired Major from the Pakistani Army - began to connect and empathize with survivors of terrorist attacks at a more personal level.
As a founding member of the Global Survivors Network, Tahir has become a critic of the "culture of silence" surrounding terrorism and grieving for loved ones in Pakistan; he seeks to reveal how the scourge has affected Pakistan and its people, and help survivors recover from the trauma of the loss.
Agus Suaersih
Agus was severely wounded in the 2003 bombing of the JW Marriott in Jakarta where she worked from 2001 to 2005.