A Family in Baghdad

Good evening..
I got this email from our friend Cindy Sheehan, she is an American mother who have lost her son in Iraq.
and she is working with a group of parents of killed soliders in Iraq to stop this war .
please read her email with me.
faiza
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Dear Friends and Supporters,

George Bush said speaking about the dreadful loss of life in Iraq in August: (08/03/05): "We have to honor the sacrifices of the fallen by completing the mission." "The families of the fallen can be assured that they died for a noble cause."

In reaction to these two assinine and hurtful statements, members of Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) are going to George's vacation home in Crawford, Tx this Saturday, August 6th at 11:00 am to confront him on these two statements.

1) We want our loved ones sacrifices to be honored by bringing our nation's sons and daughters home from the travesty that is Iraq IMMEDIATELY, since this war is based on horrendous lies and deceptions. Just because our children are dead, why would we want any more families to suffer the same pain and devastation that we are.

2) We would like for him to explain this "noble cause" to us and ask him why Jenna and Barbara are not in harm's way, if the cause is so noble.

3) If George is not ready to send the twins, then he should bring our troops home immediately. We will demand a speedy withdrawal.

GSFP will be joined by members of Veteran's for Peace (VFP), Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), Code Pink, and Crawford Peace House.

We GSFP members will not leave until we get answers from George Bush. We deserve and expect him to welcome us with answers to as why our loved ones are dead.

Every worker for peace, every worker for justice, every person who wants our country back are welcomed to join us on Saturday. Show George Bush that we mean business. Be there to support us family members who have already been through so much. We are fighting for our country, our world, especially the children.

Crawford is about 2 hours from Dallas where the VFP Convention is being held this weekend. There will be car pools from the convention.

HONOR OUR LOVED ONE'S SACRIFICES: BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!!!!

Bring water and hats...we plan on staying until we are arrested or satisfied with the answers. (I am betting on jail).

Please pass this email on to your friends, lists, and media.

For more info: call
Cindy Sheehan
707-365-7750
I will be in Dallas starting tomorrow evening.


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TUSEDAY, 2ND AUGUST, 2005
Good evening…
The hard days are past, the days of the ordeal, and the arrest of my son in one of Baghdad's prisons.
By God, my pain wasn't for him alone, but was, and still is, for all the miserable Iraqi mothers who lost their sons since the days of until now…nothing has changed…the same old story, as they say in the parable.
I remembered a relative of mine, in the times of Saddam Hussein, during the Iraq-Iran war, when they used to throw out all those with an Iranian nationality.
The family had Iranian origins, their son has just graduated from the Engineering collage, and his name was Amer, his age about 23 years. He went into the Army for the usual reserve service, and then they discovered that he was a member of the Al-Da'awa Party, (which exists now in Iraq, headed by the Prime minister, Ibraheem Al-Ja'afari).
At that time I used to live outside Iraq, with my husband and boys, I didn't witness all of Saddam's injustice, but I heard the stories from my mother, (May GOD bless her soul), and from my sisters, brothers, relatives and friends who remained there during the Iran war. And when I went back to Iraq in 1991, the Saddam Regime was starting to become weak, so people started talking in public, some times criticizing, and calling names on other times….or tell jokes to make fun of him, everywhere, in public ….
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My mother, (May GOD bless her soul), said that this woman, our relative, after her son was arrested and taken to the Mukha'abarat, (the intelligence office), (that was almost around 1980), she went round to everyone asking for help, and influence, but no one could help her, not because they were selfish, but because they feared the Regime and its tyranny, and the charge was very harsh, so, nobody would implicate himself to lend a good hand, or else he would be thrown into the Mukha'abarat cells, along with whoever he came to defend. She used to carry the Quran in her hand, moving from one Mukha'abarat office to the next…without getting a positive result.
Then, after sometime I can't seem to recall, whether months or weeks, they sent her a letter stating that they executed her son, and she should come to collect his body. They forbid her from announcing a funeral or receiving people's condolences…..
My mother said that she collected him, finding that his beard was long, with evidence of torture clear on his body…
Then his brother, a doctor, disappeared from one of Baghdad's hospitals during the working hours, and was never found till now….
The women collected whoever was left of her daughters and sons, left the castle she was living in, and ran away to Syria to work and support her children, for she was a widow. She hadn't come back to Iraq yet, she is still living in a European country, perhaps she still sees the ghosts of her victim children hovering around her there…
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I remembered the story of that lady while my son was in custody… I shed no tears, but my whole being was in a state of freezing, shrinking…. How many cases like her are there in Iraq?
Why did some of the Iraqis approve of the war, and supported it?
Didn't they do this to lift the injustice from the people, stopping the process of breaking the hearts of mothers and fathers on their children?
Didn't they do this to build a new country basking in security and peace, where we can go out with our children without fearing they would disappear because someone would arrest them and throw them in dark cells… or that they would be tortured; have their nails pulled out, their teeth and bones broken, to force them to confess to crimes they never committed?
But after my son was arrested, I discovered that they re-employed the same former criminals from the days of Saddam Hussein, to interrogate people…
They beat, humiliate, and torture every suspect.
Then, according to luck, they might release him with the payment of a ransom, or he might disappear, and go down the drain…
Then his mother would carry his picture, and move around to look for him in all Iraqi lockups and prisons, old and new…
His family has no right to know where he is…
They have no right to engage a lawyer to defend him…
What was changed, in the new Iraq, from the old one?
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I always wondered in my ordeal, and after that: shall I go to Iraq one day, to have my revenge on those who hurt my son, humiliated and imprisoned him?
Will my relative come back to get revenge from those who executed her boys?
Is that the solution for human's problems? Revenge, and more innocent's blood shed?
Who dedicated this barbaric mentality to rule us today?
Those who waged a war on terrorism, or those who waged a war on Iraq?
Or this,…or that…?
All these are petty, cheap, deluding stories, no good to people, and wouldn't save them from injustice, or darkness….but rather push them to fall in a bottomless pit….
And that is the way of the world today….sliding little by little to the depth of a dark well, without end….
Who shall stop that madness? Are there any sane people left in this world who would stand up and say: Enough!
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The problem of the world today is thus….
There are some powerful, influential people, who are vicious and spiteful, existing in a central point….they move their fingers around, interfering in every small or big matter, here and there…
There are some local leaderships, in the world's small countries, belonging to that central point; who yield, fear, and implement the policies of the evil faction…
And the decision is always in the hands of those corrupt, evil leaderships, here and there…
And there are some poor miserable people, overpowered, here and there,
And there are the educated, good will and peace loving, here and there, but no body listens to them…
Money, power, and decisions are in the hands of the
evil, corrupt strong…
This is a summary of the way of life on earth now, without mentioning names or countries….
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Things do not go on indefinitely….it must change to a state more beautiful and pure, worthy of our humanity….
How?
And when?
These are the difficult questions…
And that is the responsibility of all of us, to think and work together to create the change…
This is not the responsablity of one individual, for the times of prophets and miracles are over…
But we still carry inside of us the same principals of good will loving, justice, and peace…
We should all work together to achieve them as facts on earth…
By GOD, life became hateful, not worthy of living, as long as it has injustice, and silence….
So many people are wondering: What have you done when Saddam Hussein used to oppress people?
Very well, it is the same question now: What should we do to stop this torrential flood of evils and injustices that is sweeping the whole world?
Should we hide behind silence, foolishness, and negativity once more?
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Translated by May/Baghdad.

الثلاثاء 2 آب 2005
مساء الخير...
انقضت الأيام الصعبة, أيام المحنة واعتقال ابني في أحد سجون بغداد.
والله ألمي لم يكن من أجله فقط, ألمي كان ومازال من أجل كل الأمهات العراقيات البائسات اللواتي
فقدن اولادهن منذ ايام صدام حسين ولحد الآن...لم يتغير شيء...نفس الطاسة ونفس الحمام كما يقولون في المثل.
تذكرت احدى قريباتنا زمن صدام حسين والحرب على ايران وطرد كل من له تبعية ايرانية
كانت العائلة من أصول ايرانية , وابنها كان قد تخرج للتو من كلية الهندسة, كان اسمه عامر وعمره حوالي 23 سنة,
ودخل العسكرية للخدمة العادية, ثم اكتشفوا انه ينتمي لتنظيم حزب الدعوة
( الموجود حاليا في العراق ورئيسه ابراهيم الجعفري رئيس الوزراء)
كنت وقتها اعيش خارج العراق مع زوجي واولادي, لم أشهد ظلم صدام حسين كله, لكني سمعت القصص من امي رحمها الله
ومن اخواتي واخواني واقربائي وصديقاتي الذين ظلوا هناك خلال حرب ايران, وعندما عدت للعراق عام 1991
كان نظام صدام حسين قد بدأ يضعف, والناس صاروا يتكلمون علنا, ينتقدون أحيانا, ويسبون أحيانا .... أو يحكون نكاتا تستهزأ منه
علنا في كل مكان....
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قالت لي أمي رحمها الله ان قريبتنا تلك , بعد ان قبضوا على ابنها واخذوه للمخابرات ( كان هذا في عام 1980 تقريبا ),
دارت على كل الناس
تطلب الوساطة والمساعدة,لكن لا احد يقدر, ليس لأنهم انانيون, بل لأنهم يخافون النظام وجبروته,
والتهمة قاسية جدا, لااحد يورط نفسه بالوساطة, سوف يرموه داخل زنازين المخابرات مع الذي جاء ليدافع عنه.
وكانت تحمل القرآن بيدها وهي تدور من دائرة مخابرات الى أخرى... دون الحصول على نتيجة ايجابية.
ثم , وبعد زمن لا اتذكره هل هو اسابيع ام شهور,ارسلوا لها كتابا يقول انهم اعدموا ابنها وعليها الحضور لإستلام جثته
ومنعوها من اقامة الفاتحة ومراسيم العزاء له.....
وتقول امي انها استلمته وقد طالت لحيته وآثار التعذيب واضحة على جسده...
ثم اختفى اخوه الطبيب من أحدى مستشفيات بغداد أثناء ساعات الدوام الرسمي, ولحد الان لم يجدوه....
أخذت المراة ما تبقى من بناتها واولادها, وتركت القصر الذي كانت تعيش فيه, وهربت الى سوريا لتعمل وتعيل أولادها فقد كانت ارملة.
وللآن لم تعد للعراق, ما زالت تعيش في دولة اوروبية , ربما ما زالت ترى طيف اولادها الضحايا يحومون حولها هناك...
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تذكرت قصة تلك السيدة وابني في المعتقل...لم اذرف الدموع, كان كياني كله في حالة انكماش وتجمد....
كم واحدة مثلها في العراق؟
ولماذا وافق بعض العراقيين على الحرب وساندوها؟
اليس من أجل رفع الظلم عن الناس, وايقاف تحطيم قلوب الأمهات والآباء على اولادهم ؟
اليس من اجل بناء بلد جديد ينعم بالأمان والطمأنينة, حيث نخرج نحن واولادنا ولا نخاف
ان يختفون لأن ثمة من اعتقلهم ورماهم في زنازين مظلمة...
أو يعذبوهم ويقلعون أظافرهم ويحطمون أسنانهم وعظامهم لإجبارهم على الإعتراف بجرائم لم يرتكبوها؟
لكن بعد اعتقال ابني, اكتشفت انهم اعادوا للخدمة نفس المجرمين السابقين أيام صدام حسين, للتحقيق مع الناس...
يضربون ويهينون ويعذبون كل مشتبه به .
ثم , حسب الحظ, يطلق سراحه وتدفع عنه فدية, أو يختفي ويذهب في داهية...
وأمه ستحمل صورته وتدور لتبحث عنه في كل المعتقلات والسجون العراقية القديمة والحديثة...
لا يحق لأهله أن يعرفوا اين هو...
ولا يحق لهم تكليف محامي للدفاع عنه...
ماذا تغير في العراق الجديد عن القديم؟
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وتساءلت دائما اثناء محنتي وبعدها : هل سأذهب للعراق يوما ما لأنتقم من الذين آذوا ابني وأهانوه وظلموه؟
هل ستأتي قريبتي تلك لتنتقم من الذين اعدموا اولادها؟
هل هذا هو الحل لمشاكل البشر؟
الإنتقام وسفك المزيد من دماء الأبرياء؟
من كرس هذه العقلية الهمجية لتتحكم بنا اليوم؟
الذي شن الحرب على الإرهاب , أم الذي شن الحرب على العراق؟
أم هذا أم ذاك....
كلها قصص تافهة مضللة رخيصة لا تفيد البشر ولا تنجيهم من الظلم والظلمات....بل تدفعهم للسقوط في قعر بئر لا قرار له....
وهكذا هو العالم اليوم....ينحدر قليلا قليلا الى قعر بئر مظلم لا قرار له....
من سيوقف هذا الجنون ؟
هل تبقى في العالم ثمة عقلاء يقفون ويقولون : كفى !
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مشكلة العالم اليوم هي كما يلي...
ثمة أقوياء متنفذين حاقدين ومسعورين موجودين في نقطة مركزية ....يحركون اصابعهم ويتدخلون في كل صغيرة وكبيرة هنا وهناك...
وثمة قيادات محلية في دول العالم الصغيرة , تابعة لتلك النقطة المركزية , تنصاع وتخاف وتنفذ سياسات هذه الفئة الشريرة...
ودائما القرار بيد هذه القيادات الفاسدة الشريرة هنا وهناك...
وثمة شعوب مسكينة مغلوبة على أمرها, هنا وهناك,
وثمة مثقفين ومحبين للخير والسلام هنا وهناك, لكن ليس ثمة من يستمع لهم..
المال والنفوذ والقرار بيد الأشرار الأقوياء الفاسدين...
هذا هو مختصر الحال على الكرة الأرضية الآن, دون ذكر أسماء أشخاص أو دول....
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الحال لا يدوم....لا بد من تغييره الى حال أكثر جمالا ونقاء ويليق بانسانيتنا....
كيف؟
ومتى؟
هذه هي الأسئلة الصعبة...
وهذه هي مسؤوليتنا جميعا لنفكر ونعمل سوية على احداث التغيير...
هذه ليست مسؤولية فرد , انتهى عصر الأنبياء والمعجزات...
لكننا ما زلنا نحمل بداخلنا نفس المباديء من حب الخير والعدالة والسلام..
وينبغي ان نعمل سوية من أجل جعلها حقيقة على الأرض...
والله الدنيا صارت كريهة ولا تستحق العيش ما دام فيها ظلم وصمت....
كثير من الناس كانوا يتساءلون : ماذا فعلتم حين كان صدام حسين يظلم العراقيين؟
حسنا , السؤال الآن نفسه : ماذا نحن فاعلين لنوقف هذا السيل الجارف من الشرور والظلم الذي يجتاح العالم كله ؟
هل سنلوذ بالصمت والغباء والسلبية مرة أخرى ؟
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Good Morning..
I put my last post , it was written since about 4 weeks ago.
I will try to write a new one inshalla today.
well, after all what had happened in Iraq since two years and more, still, there is people who are from inside Iraq or outside, who are against my vision.
I hope God will open their eyes and hearts to be more honest with theirselves and others.
and hope they are not ignorant, or selfish opportunist, or have been misled by media or fake stories.
we should stand and open our minds and hearts , and don`t be like stereotype.
if anybody really respects himself, he will never be stereotyped one.
help yourself to hear and understand the reality, even if its hidden between lines.
we are human, and have same feelings and standards, and can easily understand ,if we decide to know the truth, we will catch it .....
from here or there , we can catch it !
and the next step is to try making change in this world, the change we want , the change for the better of humanity.
first : be honest and clear with yourself.
second : move to make the change you want.
wish you all a nice day.
faiza

Monday, July 4th., 2005
Good evening....
I would like to talk about the summer course I have taken in Brattleboro city/ Vermont, in brief, because I know there is no chance for every body to go there, participate, and listen, because traveling is tiring, highly expensive, and the family would grumble from the absence of Mama or Papa…. But it is an excellent chance to look around and see things as they truly are, to equip oneself with knowledge and news, and these are the best of supplies, every time, everywhere.
The institute has an electronic website, for whoever wishes to visit it, and learn about it.
All the participant's fees were paid by international or local institutes, but I was the only one from Iraq, so I paid the traveling and the course's expanses from the family's funds.
I gained a lot of benefits from this participation…
Before leaving the institute, I arranged to have a one-year study course online, I chose the subject of "the Civil Organization's role in societies". Hoping to come back to Baghdad, and find away to help the Iraqis during this dark, hard period in our history…
The institute's site online is: (WWW. Sit.edu)
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The hard days passed on, thank GOD I am back again with my family, and these are the nicest moments for every mother, then I am thinking in arranging my return to Baghdad, in spite of the depressing, horrible news coming from there…but I have learned the rule; when you live inside a war society, you soon get used to the situation, and your heart becomes brave, in spite of the deteriorating psychological condition, of which you do not feel until some time, when you find that you have changed a lot of your habits because of the bad security condition; no sport in a club, not even walking, or a morning jog in the street, no visits to friends or relatives, no going to a public library or buying new books, no visit to a coffee shop to have some tea, or to a restaurant to sit down with friends and have a quiet talk about the public affairs…. Depression shall sneak into your soul little by little….
A human cannot live isolated from his surrounding environment…. And that who lives in the shadow of panic, the constant fire shooting, the noise of helicopters and tanks shaking the whole house when they pass, without deep, comforting sleep… bombings, killings, kidnappings and robberies, in the morning and night stories….
Whoever lives here is not like that who lives in safety, with the whole world open in front of him, morning and night…
But that who lives in Iraq now a days, feels himself suffocating, morning and night….
May GOD help the Iraqis, until this new anguish passes on…
In the days of Saddam we used to say likewise, especially in the days of the embargo, then the war came on, carrying with it the promises of hope, and the happy future…and we all saw, so far, what the happy future in Iraq looks like…..
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And we always say that whatever catastrophes are taking place in Iraq were caused by one of two possibilities: either that the occupation forces, the new Iraqi parties, and the present Iraqi leaderships do not know what they are doing, and how to transform the country from the state of chaos to that of peace, security, and stability….
OR, they mean and intend this ruin and devastation, so they would remain on their seats, leading Iraq where they want him to go, according to their interests.
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We studied in the institute about building peace in societies living in a sate of conflict…
At the beginning we talked about the causes of the conflict… the professor said; there are some evident, simple, and clear causes, and some deep, unseen causes, like a hidden ice burg… and of course, the hidden causes are mostly evil, like greed, interests, and intentions….. And most people do not comprehend the hidden…
The official media market the ideas about the reasons they want to call "the main and real reasons", and of course, they usually lie, and hide the truth from the people….
Then we studied the phases of the conflict; we drew a curve like the picture of a mountain, that starts flat, ending with a peak, and its phases from bottom to top are: Disagreement, Quarrel, Problem, Violence, then, the peak of the curve – The Civil War…
Of course, there are some miserable losers who killed themselves in order to start a sectarian war in Iraq, but that didn't succeed…by the mercy of GOD, in the first place, and because of the Iraqi's awareness and intelligence, in the second place…
The other side of the curve moves downwards, until it reaches the ground again, where peace and agreement in the society would reign, the steps are: A Seize fire, an Agreement, Rebuilding, Rehabilitation, then, a National Reconciliation, and Peace….
We agreed that a peace builder should be someone who harbors peace inside his soul…meaning; not an extremist, a biased person, or inflexible…
How can you convince people of peace, while you are an aggressive biased?
As to those who are now in Iraq, the Americans, or the Iraqi politicians in the government, most of them are regrettably aggressive, or biased, or their minds are under the spell of delusions, hatreds, and myths which wouldn't enable them to be free to look at things with calm, stable eyes and minds….
It is as if the whole of Iraq has lost its balance…..there is a bunch of haters who beat the drums of revenge and malice, to drag the country into the abyss….followed usually by the those who are young in age and minds, believing them, hailing them, just like those who followed Saddam Hussein, and lost the path with him, they clapped for him, then discovered later how foolish they were….and how much they were deluded…
Alas, history repeats itself on the same spot, by different names, as for the dumb, foolish, irresponsible behaviors, they are the same…
When I was young, I used to think that all the mature grown ups are wise… I used to think that all men (not women), are wise, intelligent, and comprehend more than women do, because women are ignorant and fools…
And when I grew up, I discovered how mistaken I was…
The wars, devastation, and destruction on earth was led in most cases by grown up men…..
Earth needs peace builders….
I think it is time to stop those maniacs from destroying earth… whenever you listen to the news you find that those who hold power, wealth, and the decision in their hands are usually the villains….
By GOD I am not making this up to accuse them….there is always corruption, and mismanagement, and the villains always help each other out…while the good guys are few, and scattered…
That is why there is no positive change on earth…
The oppressed people's faith in the Security Council, the United Nations, and the Human Rights Organizations has fallen down…
The forces that dominate and do the job are strong financial forces, like the "International Treasury Fund", and that is a tool of pressure and humiliation for governments and nations in various world countries, and there are the military forces, like the military alliances to wage wars on the countries that possess resources and wealthes, under different excuses like democracy, freedom, and some silly talk to fool the foolish….
And the truth is; there are some beneficiaries…..and that is enough!
And there is another fact that says: The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer…
There is no justice on earth… so, where would peace come from??
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We talked at the institute about drawing a map of the conflict, learning the common elements in the conflict in a certain country, then analyzing each element to find out its requirements and fears….
Then we talked about the circle of violence and revenge, how to break it, and how to get out of it?
All the topics were important to me, as if they were talking about what is happening in Iraq, and I really want to know how to save the Iraqi's blood, and reduce the violence and the causalities…
We drew the circle of violence, with the victim inside of it, and the aggressor outside…. The victim suffers from the feelings that torture him, consuming phases of his life to change, so he could move on from one phase to another…
· It starts with the feelings of pain, shock, and denial, (not believing what has happened).
· Then the feelings of loss, and panic.
· The feelings of anger. (Why me?).
· Suppressing the feelings of fear, sadness, and grieve.
· Loosing the meaning of things.
· The desire to revenge.
· Hating and dehumanization of enemy.
· Justifying the aggressive acts as being those of self-defense.
And I believe that the Iraqis have lived through these phases for more than two years now….
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As for the aggressor, he lives in another world, gradually moving through sentiments:
· The feelings of power.
· The fear of having relations with the victim.
· The feelings of shame and guilt for what he has done.
· Admitting to the wrong deeds he has committed.
After that phase, the two parties move closer to each other, and start working together to build a new relation, like paying compensations to the victim's losses, building a monument for their dead, rejoining the relations, and the beginnings of an interest in the other…until they reach a state of reconciliation, and settlement.
The question is: where are the Iraqis and the Americans now according to the former phases?
The Iraqis are still trapped in the circle; the victim's circle…
As for the Americans, their government moves from the feelings of power to the phase of fearing the relation, while a part of the American people lives the phase of feeling ashamed, experiencing the wish to apologize to the Iraqis for what they did to them; the destruction, and the losses….
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A group of American women, who were present at the institute, suggested writing an apology letter to the Iraqi people, or to the Iraqi women, to send it with me to Baghdad…
By GOD I stood amazed, smiled, and asked them: what would the Iraqis do with it?
Would they believe that the American people are innocent of this war, they would ask: Then what about the second elections? You have elected the same administration?
The problem in Iraq does not need apologies, or admissions of shame….
Iraq needs a just solution, and peace on the ground of reality…
Those who love us should stop this violence, break the circle of hatred and revenge that is moving around Iraq now, nourished by the local Iraqi media, and the western media, especially the American…
Some poisons are being spread, and lies that provoke hate, violence, and revenge….
When all these stop, we will believe that America wants to build peace in Iraq….
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Then we studied " The Ladder of Tolerance", meaning; the stages or phases of the ability's development to tolerate the other…
If we move towards the lower steps, we find the development moving towards violence, and crushing the other, in stages like this:
At the beginning, looms the stage of not tolerating the other, by rejecting the idea of being equals in rights and status, then by describing the others with descriptions below the humane; like dogs, monsters, pigs,… then by treating them unjustly, not recognizing their political, civil rights, or others…then, leading hostile operations against them, like attacks and hits, then, mass violence, then, mass massacres…
There has been some in Iraq who worked for two years now to implement the stages of such violence and hatred between the Sunnies and the Shia'ats, trying to convince the Shia'ats that their enemies are the Sunnies, who should be curtailed, and eliminated…trying to convince the Iraqis that whoever opposes the existence of the occupation is a dirty, Saddamist, Ba'athi…
Well then, I am against the existence of the occupation, and I am not a Saddamist or a Ba'athi, and I know there are millions of such Iraqis like me…
Who listens to us?
And what are the charges against us??
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Then, there is another hierarchy going up, talking about the stages of peace building in society, the acceptance of each party to the existence of the other, and respecting him.
The stages, from the bottom up are:
Accepting the peaceful coexistence.
Realizing the needs and interests of the others.
Mutual learning.
Understanding.
Respecting the similarities and differences between the two parties.
Respecting the variations and diversities.
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All that we studies were the experiences of many nations who suffered from wars and conflicts, then found their way to solving the conflicts in society, to live in peace and quiet, each group respecting the feelings and rights of the others groups.
The question is: when would peace building industry start among the Iraqis?
It is obvious now that peace if far away, the interests of those playing with Iraq's fate now are to keep the violence, as an excuse to finish what they want, secretly, or in public.
The fate of Iraq, and the Iraqis is now tied in the hands of a bunch of evil people…GOD only knows what is there in their hearts and minds…..and the painful reality we are living through for more than two years now, is the evidence of the ill wishes against Iraq, and the Iraqis….
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Peace in Iraq shall be built by men and women who believe in peace…their hearts love the whole land, and all of its people…their hearts are not blinded by hatred, or greed….. Their minds clean…their ambitions clear: To unite Iraq, to collect the Iraqis under one banner, one identity: We are Iraqis…we are not looking for revenge, or old hatreds.
And all who tries to divide us or categorize us into sub-identities is one of two people:
Either an ignorant who doesn't know what he is doing, and towards what chasm he is heading…
Or a malignant evil who wants to destroy Iraq; the people and the land, for a handful of dirty dollars, stained with the innocent Iraqi's blood….
Iraq needs new leaders…
I know they are there…hundreds and thousands of them….
Time will reveal them into the arena, sooner or later…
They will collect the nation's wits anew…whenever I saw a good man collecting in his hand the beads of a Masbaha, (rosary), after it was scattered…….
The Iraqi's Masbaha beads, scattered by evil hands, shall be collected….
Never doubt that…someday…by the Will of GOD…
We are all waiting for that day, on tenterhooks….
May peace be upon you all……….
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Translated by May/Baghdad.

Good Evening..
we are fine, the family here in Amman with relatives and friends , where you can feel how much the life is beautiful with security and peace .
our hearts still with Iraq and Iraqis...they missed everything simple in the life.
before two nights , when i went to bed, my heart was heavy and sad , i talked with God in myself i told Him : its your will controling this earth, not mine .
and im just a poor and weak creature, i cant say that i knew more than you.
im just confused and cant understand the meaning of oppression between human towards each others...
is it about money and power?
when Saddam Hussain regime fell down , we all were happy, we thought its the end of bad actions in Iraq, the end of abusing and torturing iraqi people ,the end of darkness..we thought its the begining of new era in Iraqi history...
but after more than two years, sadly, we can see , iraq still suffering from the same ugly actions
and nothing have been changed, may be the names and the hands , but the mentality is the same...
and we said after the war : OK, this is America coming to Iraq , it will teach our new leaders how to respect human rights , and how to accomplish democracy in our country...we were anxious
to see how is the freedom and democracy look like !
but now, after two years and more, we are depressed, and fled out of our horrible life in iraq.
and still dreaming that one day we can really achieve freedom and democracy in our country
i mean real one , not fake ...
and still believe that we all can work to make the change we want , its not individual dream or action, it should be done by the big groups of people...
and God is watching and waiting to see our actions..
and in the judgment day He will ask everyone : what you have done to help oppressed people on earth ?
what you have done to achieve justice and peace on earth?
its our responsibility....
God will never send angels to make peace on earth..
its our responsibility...
my heart still sad for iraq and iraqis..
but still i have hope that we can all work together to stop this madness .
as i saw on a magazine, written : where there is a will, there is a way !
faiza