ASTROLOGY
We Are Visionaries
Our vision is a world where trauma is healed, not inherited where faith unites, not divides and where dignity, empathy, and dialogue become the foundations of lasting peace.
The Olive Branch Peace Initiative builds bridges in divided communities through dialogue, trauma healing, and shared humanity. We turn conflict into connection from the UK to the Middle East and beyond.
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Our Story
OBPI was born out of urgent need — a response to rising global polarisation, dehumanisation, and the misuse of faith in fuelling conflict. Building on the work of rehabilitation of High-End Terrorists, our founders created OBPI to scale and adapt a proven approach to peacebuilding: one rooted in shared humanity, psychosocial healing, and long-term relationship building.
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Our Mission
Our mission is to foster psychosocial reconciliation and human-centred peacebuilding in communities affected by conflict, marginalisation, and division. By creating safe, inclusive, and transformative spaces, OBPI equips people especially young leaders to break cycles of trauma and rebuild trust across faiths, identities, and histories.
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Our Values
Empathy over ideology: We lead with compassion, not dogma.
Co-creation over imposition: Communities are not projects — they are partners.
Healing over harm: We centre trauma-informed care in all we do.
Faith-inspired peace: We honour spiritual traditions as sources of unity, not division.
Human dignity for all: Every voice matters. Every story is sacred.
OUR JOURNEY, YOUR DESTINATION
"OBPI fuses specialised expertise with grassroots, community-led approaches..."
Conflict Transformation Facilitate inclusive, structured dialogues across divides from policymakers to grassroots communities. Move beyond temporary ceasefires by addressing root causes of hostility, building frameworks of trust, reconciliation, and shared responsibility.
To dismantle fear, prejudice, and dehumanisation by bringing
powerful first-person testimonies from people on opposing sides of social, religious, political, and ethnic divides creating moments of emotional disarmament.
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Learn More About Our Journey and Team
From Idea to Innovation.
We are a diverse collective of peacebuilders, storytellers, policy strategists, educators, and technologists united by a shared belief: that lasting peace is possible when we center dignity, dialogue, and imagination.
Our team spans continents and disciplines, bringing lived experience from conflict zones, negotiation tables, grassroots movements, and creative industries. We combine deep local insight with global strategy bridging research and activism, tradition and innovation. Whether we’re mentoring youth, advising governments, or co-creating narratives with marginalized communities, we operate with humility, courage, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Together, we’re not just responding to conflict we’re reimagining what peace can look like.
Our Services
Conflict Transformation
We seek to transform the landscape of conflict by creating spaces where all voices from high-level policymakers to those at the grassroots can engage in structured, inclusive dialogue.
Rather than settling for temporary ceasefires or reactive solutions, we aim to address the root causes of hostility: historical grievances, systemic injustice, and cycles of mistrust. Our approach focuses on building long-term frameworks of trust, reconciliation, and shared responsibility.
This includes facilitating cross-sector alliances, trauma-informed peace processes, and participatory justice initiatives. True peace requires more than the absence of violence it requires the presence of dignity, equity, and mutual accountability.
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Narrative Reframing
At the heart of every conflict lies a story often one of fear, blame, or exclusion.
To create lasting peace, we must change the stories we tell and the voices we center. Through authentic storytelling rooted in lived experience, we challenge toxic narratives that dehumanize “the other” and perpetuate division.
We prioritize the perspectives of those most often excluded women, youth, displaced persons, and minority communities empowering them to become narrators of their own truth. Whether through media, theatre, community storytelling, or film, we aim to shift the collective imagination from enmity to empathy. By transforming public discourse, we create space for shared humanity to re-emerge.
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Policy Influence
Sustainable peace demands more than good intentions — it requires systemic integration. We work in partnership with think tanks, academic institutions, and intergovernmental bodies to embed reconciliation and peacebuilding frameworks into national and international policy. Through rigorous research, policy briefs, and strategic convenings, we aim to influence laws and governance structures so that peace becomes a durable foundation, not an episodic response to crisis. Our vision is to normalize peacebuilding as a core component of statecraft — with policies that are informed by lived realities, inclusive consultation, and long-term impact assessments.
Youth Empowerment
Peace is not a gift handed down by leaders it is a future built by those who inherit it. We position youth not as passive beneficiaries but as architects of peace.
Through mentorship programs, innovation labs, and cross-cultural exchanges, we equip young people with the tools of critical thinking, resilience, and creative activism. Whether countering extremism, promoting dialogue, or launching local initiatives for change, youth are at the frontlines of transformation.
By investing in their agency, leadership, and vision, we plant the seeds of a peace movement that is not only sustainable, but self-renewing across generations.
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Real Testimonials Real Results
Quote by
Secunder Kermani
BBC Correspondent
"From everything I have seen of Usman Raja’s work with former extremists he has a remarkable success rate in managing to change the mind of those attracted to jihadist ideology.
The combination of his strong, warm personality that offers brotherly reassurance, with a level of strength that impresses anyone who has contemplated physical jihad, and a deep seated knowledge of Islamic history and jurisprudence means he is extremely well placed to connect with individuals who have committed or are contemplating acts of Islamist violence."
Quote by
Moustafa Ayad
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Deputy Director of International Technology, Communications and Education
“The science behind disengagement and deradicalisation is constantly being empirically tested through the engagement strategies deployed by the Unity Intiative. By appropriating the tactics and strategies at the foundation of popular movements, Unity disconnects radicals from their violent prescriptions and reconnects them with humanity.”
Quote by
Dr Douglas Weeks
California State University
Counter Terrorism Expert
"Although passion and commitment is arguably a must in this environment, there are several things that must come together to achieve a successful outcome. Other key attributes include: street credibility, community credibility, religious credibility, and a holistic approach. During my research many of the.. (Intervention Providers) were found to be missing one or in some cases several of these
attributes. This is not the case with Mr Raja."
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We are a multidisciplinary team of practitioners, creatives, and visionaries working at the intersections of conflict transformation, narrative change, youth leadership, digital innovation, and policy reform. United by a shared commitment to building a more just and peaceful world, we bring together a spectrum of experiences from former combatants turned peace educators to filmmakers from refugee camps, from youth activists leading grassroots reconciliation efforts to policy advisors shaping peace agreements at the national and international levels.
Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Over the last eight years, Mr. Raja and his group, have helped reintegrate more than 50 released prisoners convicted of terrorism offenses. He has counseled more than 180 young Muslims to shun radicalization, all of them referred to him either by members of their communities or law enforcement
Get in Touch
Through research, training, and lived-experience-driven practice, we operate at the intersection of security, spirituality, and social repair championing humane solutions that uplift every voice and protect collective dignity.