Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Sunday marks the Jewish holiday of Purim wherein we remember the great role Queen Esther played in saving the Jewish nation of ancient Persia. When thinking about who is my faith heroine- I immediately thought of the women, who through their actions, carved their place in history. Upon reflection, I realized the multitude of great but simple acts that women all around me carry out but will never make it into the history books for.  Growing up, I never understood the blessing of being surrounded by strong and incredible women.

A leader is someone who speaks her mind, dedicates herself to a cause, and inspires others to act. Randa Kuziez, an interfaith activist, fits this description perfectly. She has co-founded a social change organization dedicated to bringing people together, spoken on behalf of the U.S. State Department around the world, and manages to maintain a network of hundreds of friends, colleagues, and family members-- all of whom she cares about and connects with deeply.

As a baptised Sikh I am extremely privileged to come from an extremely rich and diverse background of exceptional women of faith.

One of the things I love most about Jewish tradition is the imperative to ask tough questions. Jews are encouraged not to accept the world as is, but to wrestle with it; to consider a multitude of narratives and truths, and to challenge the status quo. When I think of people who have immersed themselves in this kind of rigorous thinking, I often think of Helen Suzman—an activist and parliamentarian who fought a long and lonely battle against apartheid leaders in her own country of South Africa.

Today the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s global film competition, Faith Shorts 2011, opens calling for entries from young people on how faith inspires them. The high-profile panel of judges includes Tony Blair, Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Jet Li, Bollywood star Anil Kapoor and former FOX studios President Sherry Lansing. Film and religion often dominate the headlines but rarely do we see them come together.

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.The struggle for women's rights began at different times around the world and is far from won. Though great strides have been made in many places, this is far from universal. In some faith communities it has only just begun.It looks today that of the eight Millennium Development Goals, those involving women's rights -- except girls' education -- will be missed by a significant margin. But lack of quality education has already held a generation of women back in the developing world.

"Develop confidence in your innate qualities and believe that these qualities will be brought to fruition." Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was born in the east end of London in the 1940s, yet in 1964 was only the 2nd western woman to be ordained in Tibetan Buddhism. After spending some time in a Buddhist monastery, in 1976 she began a retreat, in a tiny cave in the Himalayan mountains. She lived here for 12 years, growing her own food, and practicing meditation.

In 1995, a remarkable woman was ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts: Deborah Little Wyman. She was remarkable not because she was a woman or because of her stellar career in communications and fundraising for Harvard University but rather because of her conviction that her vocation and the church’s vocation lay in the streets, among the chronically homeless and those who live on the streets.

When I first met Rosali, I was struck by the sincerity of her smile when she cared for other people. It isn’t only a friendly smile worn to comfort those suffering; Rosali’s smile manifests her own pure joy. Through her smile I get a window into her spirit being actively fed by the healing work she does in the world. Rosali is a Community Health Worker in Yirimadjo, Mali.

There are so many women of faith I admire around the world, that it is hard to list them all. But, in no particular order, there is Karen Armstrong, former nun and historian of God and of Islam, whose approach to gettng us to understand our faith traditions, and whose willingness to take on the religious and secular establishment, is second to none.