Peacemakers’ Wedding

Our future is in YOUR hands!

A message from Mohamad Jamous

Note: I asked for Francesca's help in running the campaign, due to the prohibition of Palestine from running any donation campaigns

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,

I hope you and your families are well and in good health!

Even though many of you already know me, I would like to introduce myself. I am Mohamad, I come from a big Palestinian family and I'm a peacemaker. In my life, I've studied and worked hard to help my father in supporting our family but I've also devoted myself to work in peace organizations promoting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Both commitments (working for family and for peace) have always been of equal importance to me as we cannot have prosperity and progress without peace as a foundation.

In these years, through hard work and great effort, I've achieved many goals and made small dreams come true, but nowI have one big dream: creating my own family with the girl of my dreams.I've grown up in a wonderful family who have taught me the value of faith,love, mutual care and support. I want to follow my parent’s example and pass all of this wisdom on to my own children. Also, I know it would make my own parents very happy to see me married and to be able to see their grandchildren before they become too old. This is so important in Arab and Palestinian culture.

I've always had this dream but it has taken me more years than most to meet the woman that suited me. Now, however, my dream is a little closer asI've finally found my ideal life partner, a beautiful and educated young woman (she has a degree in laboratory medicine) who shares my ideas, beliefs and values. This is a great blessing as, being completely aligned on this unique front, and I believe thatwe candream together and work hard to create a better future not only for our family but also for our community and world.I am moved to tears while writing this as I'm so thankful to God to have found her.

Despite this great joy, there are big obstacles and challenges we're facing. Many of you maybe already know it but in Palestinian society the groom is required to pay the full costs of the wedding. Actually, at engagement the young man is required to pay "mahr" or dowry, which is an Islamic requirement and is paid in the form of money or possessions. Usually it ranges between 7000 and 9000 dollars and it comprise money or clothes for the bride and home furnishings. Also, the future husband is expected to buy jewelry for the bride which ranges in value between 7000 and 10000 dollars. Another requirement is the socalled "deferred mahr": this is meant to be received by the wife after the consummation of the marriage and it will be used only in case of divorce or death of the husband. The amount of the deferred mahr is usually high as it is supposed to be a safety net for the wife in case her husband suddenly died. This ranges between 4000 - 7000 US Dollars

Due to the pandemic which is afflicting the world, my future wife and I have decided to cut many of the wedding costs, in particular the costs related to engagement and wedding parties, food and many other things, but in order to be together as husband and wife we must honor the basic conditions and requirements before mentioned and that amount approximately at 17000 dollars.

We both work hard but it is not enough. If we had to wait to earn enough money for our wedding, we'd have to wait years, but we're already in our thirties (I'm 30, she's 27) and waiting might make it more difficult to have children. We believe in marriage and family so much and we want to start our own piece of heaven as lawful husband and wife.

God willing, our wedding will be on February 25th. we would have loved to invite all of our friends from all over the world, especially our peacemaker friends, but because of Covid19, we don't think this will possible.

My dear friends, I hope you can help me and my sweet half achieve the dream of a family. We will be forever grateful to you if you will and we will do our best to show you our gratitude. Most of all, we promise you that together we'll

continue to work hard for peace and stability In the lands of Palestine and Israel.

Thank you for every dollars and blessing you are able to give

for any question please contact me : [email protected]