Friday, September 30, 2011

FUAD EL-HIBRI TO AWARD 2011 EL-HIBRI PEACE EDUCATION PRIZE TO GENE SHARP

The El-Hibri Charitable Foundation has announced that internationally acclaimed author and educator Gene Sharp has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the El-Hibri Peace Education Prize. In 2009 Dr. Sharp was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Gene Sharp has dedicated his life to researching and teaching the strategic uses of nonviolent struggle against the forces of war, oppression and dictatorship,” noted Robert Buchanan, president of the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation. “His intellectual contributions to the field of nonviolent change cannot be overstated. The El-Hibri Charitable Foundation is pleased to recognize Dr. Gene Sharp for his thoughtful scholarship, his practical approach to nonviolence, and his extensive influence around the world.”

Sharp received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford and has held research appointments at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs for more than thirty years. Among Sharp’s 14 books, his The Politics of Nonviolent Action in 1973 is recognized as the definitive study of nonviolent struggle. His best-known book is From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation published in 1993 and now appearing in 34 languages.

The 2011 El-Hibri Peace Education Prize will be awarded to Gene Sharp at a ceremony to be held on October 1st at the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.The Prize, which includes an award of $15,000, is given annually by the foundation to honor an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the field of peace education. Sharp’s selection was made by a committee of peace education experts chaired by Dr. Awad Mubarak, President of Nonviolence International.