Mother of Terrorism Victim Spreads Message of Peace to French Students

"If Mohamed Merah had been educated and loved like my children were... My son would still be here, and he would too," said Latifa Ibn Ziaten during a conference she led on November 17 at the Paul-Constans high school in Montluçon (Allier), in front of about a hundred students, teachers and parents. True to her habits, she conveyed a message of peace and love to the youth of Montluçon.

The Montluçon exercise is one that Latifa Ibn Ziaten has been engaging in for 10 years, since she founded the IMAD association for Youth and Peace following the assassination of her son Imad (a soldier) in Toulouse on March 11, 2012. "Exchange is a wealth. A force! And if one is rejected, one must insist! Never give up." She especially emphasizes "the importance of education." "When we have children, we have to take responsibility. It’s give and take, if we want them to become good people."