Iraqis Displaced within Iraq and Seeking Refuge Abroad

Resettling by Cathy Breen

Dan Pearson — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:35:33 -0500

Short Information Teaser

I learned that among the things he was forced to leave behind was a large feather pillow his mother had made about seventy years ago.

Excerpt

Amman, Jordan
October 22, 2008

I learned that among the things he was forced to leave behind was a large feather pillow his mother had made about seventy years ago. She had gathered the feathers herself. Also left behind were some embroidery pieces she had made as well as a couple of books and other items. When his wife died of cancer over 28 years ago, this gentle man had raised his three children alone. I met his only daughter recently in Syria. She and her husband are among the refugee population there longing to join family in a safe place where they can work and raise their two small daughters. I thought of an embroidered pillow case cover my mother gave me some years back. It is something I cherish imagining how she had laid her head on it as a child. Maybe, I told him, I could retrieve some of the things left behind with a neighbor.

Body

Amman, Jordan
October 22, 2008

Dear Friends,

The other day I saw an elderly Iraqi gentleman off at the Amman airport. After months of waiting on his security clearance, he was finally on his way to join his two sons and four grandchildren in the states. He has been living alone in Amman for at least two years now, and I had asked him if he would like me to accompany him to the airport. He accepted my offer.

As we made our way to the airport in the early morning hours, I asked him if he had gotten any sleep. He said he had been up all night trying to pack, to fit all of his worldly belongings in two medium size suitcases. I learned that among the things he was forced to leave behind was a large feather pillow his mother had made about seventy years ago. She had gathered the feathers herself. Also left behind were some embroidery pieces she had made as well as a couple of books and other items. When his wife died of cancer over 28 years ago, this gentle man had raised his three children alone. I met his only daughter recently in Syria. She and her husband are among the refugee population there longing to join family in a safe place where they can work and raise their two small daughters. I thought of an embroidered pillow case cover my mother gave me some years back. It is something I cherish imagining how she had laid her head on it as a child. Maybe, I told him, I could retrieve some of the things left behind with a neighbor. Iraqi Gentleman at the Amman Airport

As we waited in the airport we were surrounded by a host of other Iraqis, also being resettled to the United States, taking the same flight. Some had family there, others were going to states to which they had been assigned. I watched as each received a large white plastic bag with the letters IOM (International Organization for Migration) on it. The bag would identify them as refugees when they arrived at their various destinations. It seemed so demeaning. As the time drew near to enter the passenger checking area, we joined the others lining up with their suitcases and bags. In front of us was a woman clothed from head to foot in a black abaya. Only her eyes were visible through a slit in the face covering.

Despite all the years I have spent in the Middle East, the sight of women with their faces covered is something that always seems to give me a start. The woman in front of us at the airport was accompanied by her husband, a blind gentleman who stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder. I wondered what type of welcome was in store for them in the states. Where were they going? Did they speak any English at all? What will await them? At a recent McCain rally in Minneapolis, an elderly woman took the microphone to speak. She said “I don’t trust Obama. I’ve read about him, and he’s an Arab.” McCain’s awkward reply seemed to imply that being an “Arab” and a “decent family man” were somehow mutually exclusive.

A friend arrived from the states yesterday. We first met in 2003 in Baghdad in the weeks preceding the U.S.-led invasion. He too was with Voices as part of the Iraq Peace team. He will be spending the next weeks in Jordan and Syria to follow the plight of Iraqi refugees in the region. Last night we went to visit a family of eight who have been advised that they will be resettled in the U.S. They have no family there, and have no idea where they will be assigned. Ironically the father of the family is also blind due to an injury he suffered in the Iraq-Iran war over twenty years ago. It was my third visit to their humble apartment and, together with our Iraqi translator whom they know and trust, we were warmly greeted.

We asked how they are doing, if they received any news from IOM as to when they might travel? They had no news of travel dates, but the mother of six advised us that her own mother in Baghdad is ill. More than anything, she would like to see her elderly mother one final time before she leaves for the U.S. Sadly, this simple wish will not be granted. If she were to travel to Baghdad to visit even briefly with family, she would not be allowed back into Jordan. Two of her brothers were killed in Iraq in the last couple of years. We want to keep in touch with this family. When they find out where they will be going, we might know groups or have friends in that state who could welcome and befriend them.

I am delighted to tell you that I have the feather pillow and some of the embroidered pieces. It gives me such pleasure to think that the grandchildren will have these treasured items.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Update from Cathy Breen

Joel Gulledge — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:25:52 -0500

Short Information Teaser

I wasn't prepared for the extent of impoverishment I would see in Syria

Excerpt

Amman, Jordan
October 6, 2008

I wasn’t prepared for the extent of impoverishment I would see in Syria. Arriving by bus just a few hours after a suicide car bomb took the lives of at least 17 civilians in Damascus, I learned about the attack from the taxi driver who took me from the bus stop to the neighborhood where I was to meet my translator. Although I understood the Arabic word for “explosion,” it was only later that I would get more details.

Body

Amman, Jordan
October 6, 2008

Dear friends,

This visit was somehow different from my other trips to Syria. Maybe it is that I feel more comfortable and at home in the Middle East. But more likely it was due to the invaluable help and friendship of an Iraqi man, a “refugee” himself, who acted not only as my guide and translator, but who allowed me to see Syria through his eyes, the eyes of an Iraqi. I will call this friend Mohammed.

Coming from the United States as I do, I did not expect a welcome mat. Just over a year had passed since I was last in Syria, but this time the disdain I felt towards me on the part of ordinary people on the street could no longer be disguised or misinterpreted. My frequent requests for directions for example were often met with abruptness or stony silence. Should this come as a surprise? How could it be any different? A suicide bomb exploding in one’s city can only drive fear and terror into hearts and minds, causing each to question: Who brought on this ever-expanding “War against Terrorism?” It was a comfort for me to be at Mohammed’s side a great deal of the time. As an Iraqi trying to survive in Syria, he is himself accustomed to the cold shoulder and to being suspect. We made an odd pair, of that I am sure.

Like countless others Mohammed lives from hand to mouth not sure where he will come up with rent and food money, not to mention money to renew Syrian visas, or for water, electricity, transportation, cooking gas and necessary phone cards and internet—the latter his contact with family and the outside world. Alone in Syria, cut off from family, more than once Mohammed expressed uneasiness about the “walls having ears.” Not that he has anything to hide. On the contrary Mohammed is one of those rare individuals one chances upon only a few times in a lifetime, a person I would describe as “without guile.” Apart from loneliness, not being able to work and earn a livelihood is perhaps one of the greatest hardships he faces.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates there are 1.2 million Iraqi residents in Syria with current valid visas. To date approximately 220,000 Iraqi refugees have been registered by the UNHCR In addition to numerous visits with Iraqi individuals and families in their apartments, I was very fortunate to meet on two occasions with representatives from the UNHCR, including someone from their Resettlement program. The UNHCR is fortunate as well to have such capable and caring people on their staff. Both times I was warmly received and given ample time to hear about their programs as well as present my own concerns on the basis of concrete cases.

I had many questions. What about families/individuals facing imminent return to Iraq because their money has run out? What about families/individuals with dire medical and psychological needs, where suicide has been attempted for example? I wanted to know how resettlement cases are being selected given the enormous numbers of refugees in Syria? What about Iraqis who have been in Syria for some years now and feel they are being overlooked and forgotten. They see Iraqis more recently arrived, often with fabricated stories and false documents, being moved on and resettled. Is the increasing destitution of Iraqis in Syria before 2006 being factored into the criteria for selecting cases? Is not being able—ever—to return to Iraq a contributing factor? Does having family in other countries act to someone’s advantage with respect to resettlement?

While the UNHCR’s labors in both Jordan and Syria over the last two years cannot be minimized and are praiseworthy to say the least, it must be acknowledged that the basic needs of the vast number of Iraqi refugees in both countries remain unmet. In both Jordan and Syria it has been left to the UNHCR to get resettlement programs up and running—not to mention the overwhelming task of just registering Iraqis who come to them seeking protection and assistance. The UNHCR remains resolute on their position that it is not safe to return to Iraq.

A critical question for Voices for Creative Nonviolence is how Iraqis can obtain cash assistance to cover their basic needs. How can the exorbitant amounts of U.S. funding going to military spending be diverted to refugee assistance? Even if adequate monies could be diverted, there would first be the issue of identifying people in need, and secondly the task of finding adequate delivery mechanisms to distribute the money. Both tasks are equally daunting in the face of the staggering numbers of refugees.

What I can tell you is the following. Within the next seven month period, the UNHCR in Syria hopes to submit 11,000 cases for resettlement to other countries. The goal for Jordan will be 6,000 for the same time frame. As in Jordan, the selection process for the UNHCR staff in Syria is very labor intensive and time consuming. Each “case” is reviewed and multiple interviews with the candidates are carried out. The cases are selected on the basis of vulnerability, after which resettlement countries willing to take Iraqis must be found. Whether a refugee has family living in one of the resettlement countries enters into the equation only AFTER they have been selected for resettlement. This might sound confusing, but it is vital to understand this point. Perhaps a concrete situation can best illustrate this dilemma. The following account should be seen as just one little boat among countless others, trying to stay afloat in a turbulent ocean of misfortune.

Upon my arrival in Damascus, I telephoned an Iraqi family in Aleppo, in the north of Syria, to put a question to them. I was to meet with someone from the UNHCR before I would have the opportunity to meet the family, and thought that maybe I could speak of their situation with the representative. This couple, together with their two small children and the husband’s sister, were able to escape the death threats and violence of their country. Denied entrance to Jordan, they made their way to Syria in December of 2006. The wife has brothers in the states, and the husband has a brother in Canada. It is through the wife’s 75 year old father here in Amman, waiting to join his sons in the U.S., that I came to learn of this family. Wanting to know what the thoughts and wishes of the family were, I asked the wife over the telephone “Do you want to go to Canada or to the U.S.?” The mother’s voice broke as she answered “We will go anywhere where we can be safe.” A telling response, as wishes no longer factor in.

A few days later I traveled to Aleppo, a 4-5 hour trip, and met the family. I learned that the family had to flee because of the father’s work with a USAID/Iraq Company in Baghdad. He was told that he would be killed if he didn’t cease his work with USAID. One fateful day as Iraqi soldiers were arresting people on the street outside their home, the family burned any documents that would implicate the father’s association with Americans. The mother spoke of her terror and how she miscarried when she was unable to locate her husband. I was struck by the flat affect of their older daughter who is eight years old. I learned that her school was bombed while she was in class. As an “intact” family, meaning they do not fall into the same category as lets say a widow with children or a single woman for example, this family would factor in low on the totem pole for resettlement. This is despite the fact that they have family in both the U.S. and Canada desperate to receive them and grant them a safe harbor. If you do the math, over two million refugees in Iraq’s surrounding countries, and 17,000 possible resettlement slots in the upcoming months, it will cause your hearts to sink. It is at best a dismal forecast.

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Peace Pirates

Jeff Leys — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:26:02 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Cathy Breen writes from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

Amman, Jordan
August 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

Yesterday afternoon as I got into a public taxi, or “service” as they are called here, a friendly driver greeted me in English, something very rare. This type of taxi carries four passengers, and it seems that people are reluctant to be heard speaking English. I had ridden in this driver’s taxi before, and the other time he felt free as well to address me in English. His words yesterday however took me completely by surprise. “Did you hear about the boats arriving in Gaza!” he said excitedly. He was referring to the Free Gaza campaign which I too have been following with great interest. We have friends among the 45 or so human rights activists on the two boats which, despite multiple threats, set sail from Cyprus to break the siege and end the blockade of Gaza and its 1.5 million occupants.

Body

Amman, Jordan
August 24, 2008

Dear Friends,

With 42% of the Palestinian population living in Jordan, this event received extensive news coverage on Jordan TV last night and today. Sadly I was unable to understand much of the Arabic, but the joyful faces of the Palestinians and the “peace pirates” alike were worth a million words. The mission of these humble vessels and their international crew was clear, “We are not delivering humanitarian aid. This is about the right of the Palestinians to live freely,” said one of their spokespersons. What a sign of hope to all of us in these desperate and dark times!

School began last week here in Jordan, and this is always a painful time for Iraqis who have no income or legal status. So many Iraqi children are either not in school or have been out of school for some years. Many are teenagers now with little hope of ever catching up with their peers. What is the saying “Idle hands, a devil’s workshop?” But with staggering rent, fuel, electricity, water and food prices,. school enrollment has become a source of distress for the majority of the Jordanian population. The cost of milk has risen 35%, and lentils has increased fourfold in price over the last months.

Over 30,000 Jordanian children have been transferred from private to public schools this year. Some classes are already overcrowded with 60 students, and now there is the need in many areas for the school to “double-shift.” Under the two-shift system the morning classes begin at 6:45am until 11:45am, the second shift from noon to 5:00pm. Teachers on fixed salaries are bearing the burden. “As teachers how can we live with this system? I chose this profession so I could go home and take care of my family!” (The Jordan Times, Aug.22-23,08) Tragically the resentment felt by teachers, parents and students alike is often transferred to Iraqi children. The overcrowding has led to “waiting lists” for new students, and it falls to the school administration to decide if spots will go to Iraqi or Jordanian children.

I want to close with another sign of hope. A mother in the states wrote the following message and sent a gift of money which will go to several mothers of Iraqi children for shoes, uniforms or other school related needs. Each of the mother’s receiving a small sum of money will hear her words.

“Dear Friend, First, I want you to know that there are many, many people in this country who care about you, and would like to help you. We feel almost as helpless as you. This money seems like a small gesture. Here is a picture of my son, Andy. He’s 8 years old. It is so painful for me to think of other children, just like him, caught in the middle of such a terrible situation. I cannot tell you that it’s all going to be OK. But I can tell you there are many people who care about you and are trying to improve your situation. I wish our children could be playing together while we talk and laugh. But this is the best we can do right now. Inshallah [God willing], someday we will meet in peace.”

There are so many “peace pirates” doing what they can to bring healing and hope. Let us take heart.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Letter from Cathy Breen: "How can the walls ever come down?"

Cathy Breen — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:40:45 -0500

Short Information Teaser

An Iraqi friend told me recently that the lack of electricity and jobs continue to fan the fires of anger and resistance. "Violence would decrease 50%" he said "if there were electricity."

Excerpt

Amman, Jordan
Aug 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

“How can the walls ever come down?” was the question I put to three Iraqi friends. Late yesterday afternoon I went next door to ask a neighbor if we could watch Iraqi TV news together. Would he mind translating for me? This young friend often helps me with Arabic, and I had brought my notebook along. We were joined by his brother and another Iraqi friend who will be returning to Baghdad soon. Moslem and Christians, we sat together. The walls I was referring to are the concrete barricades which have been constructed by the coalition forces throughout all of Baghdad. These walls seal off and separate entire communities.

Body

Amman, Jordan
Aug 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

One evening last week, I met with two journalist friends from the U.S. who had just returned from a month-long trip to Iraq. As I listened to them, I was heartened and sickened at the same time. I was amazed at the freedom of movement they described, not only for themselves as foreigners, but for Iraqis. Of course they are seasoned reporters with long-time experience and contacts; they know how to proceed with caution and prudence. While the atmosphere remains tense and explosions continue, they reported, people have begun to feel safer in the last couple of months. They are venturing out more. The economy is a mess with high inflation, but crime is down.

Nevertheless, I was sick at heart to hear that almost all of the neighborhoods in Baghdad have been walled off, each with a single entrance and exit point. In order to enter one must negotiate with the particular militia/entity protecting that neighborhood. The Iraqi army is out in strength and better equipped and trained than they were three years ago. They now have, for example, some armed humvees.

An Iraqi friend told me recently that the lack of electricity and jobs continue to fan the fires of anger and resistance. “Violence would decrease 50%” he said “if there were electricity.”

Just recently I got to see the son of a family from Baghdad, a family whom we’ve known for years. When I lived in Baghdad their twelve year old daughter used to teach me Arabic. She is now seventeen. What a joy it was to meet with him and get an update on each member of the family. As we visited I couldn’t help remembering him as a lanky 18 year old with a lopsided smile going off to fight in Saddam’s army. This was right before the invasion, and he had no choice. Five years later he is working as a bodyguard in Baghdad. He was able to come to Amman because he is accompanying an Iraqi minister here for meetings. He told me that the only work available in Baghdad is as a bodyguard, a soldier or a policeman. His younger brother works as a soldier in the Iraq army. Their dear mother is unwell; no wonder given the worry she must face at the safety of her sons. This son told us of a recent bomb attack against the minister he is paid to protect. Three of his fellow bodyguards were killed. He has survived, so far. He was able to take a handwritten letter from me back to his family, along with a picture I took of us together.

The above mentioned journalist friends said “Everyone is waiting to see how the elections will turn out.” They patiently tried to walk me through the complex myriad of sectarian groupings, parties, militias, army and police. Yet despite their attempts at clarification, I was left feeling confused and overwhelmed. I liken it to a chess game where there are too many players and no rules. Elite Shi’a groups like the Dowa party and the Supreme Islam Council, Moqtada Al Sadr with his Mehdi army, The Awakening or SaHwa, primarily Sunni, the list seems endless. “Everyone at the ground level wants the Americans out,” they said. An uneasy balance of power, it is clear there will be no winners even after the elections in Iraq take place.

And so we sat together yesterday, Moslem and Christian Iraqis. Both from Baghdad, they met here in Amman. No one can deny that the experience of Christian Iraqis is different from that of Moslem Iraqis. The Christians in Iraq have been targeted not only as “infidels” by radical Islamic extremists, but they have been caught in the middle of sectarian violence, a fact born out by our Moslem friend. But they both share in common the unspeakable suffering unleashed by this war. They have both lost family and friends in the killing and violence. Both have lost homes and homeland. Families are separated, and their futures uncertain. As I sat and listened to their heated discussion in Arabic, I was struck by the respectful tone. How can the walls come down? I asked again.

One of the young men responded thoughtfully “It will take time….everything takes time.” Another said smiling “We thought the same of Saddam Hussein’s pictures. They were everywhere, even in the bathrooms!” These men give me hope that maybe some day the walls, like Saddam’s pictures, will come down.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Letter from Cathy Breen

voices — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:01:39 -0500

Short Information Teaser

"Despite the Iraqi government’s current campaign to get Iraqis to return to their country, no Iraqi here that I’ve spoken with is willing to return."

Excerpt

Amman, Jordan
July 30, 2008

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I received the following message from friends in Baghdad.

“Our Prime Minister visited the pope a few days ago and invited him to visit Iraq and persuade Christian Iraqis to return back to Iraq…. though Iraq is still a hotbed of crime and conspiracy. Many Iraqis in Syria and Jordan have returned either because their savings were depleted or they were not lucky enough to be picked by the UNHCR. Until now I cannot understand the criteria they are using to select the refugees. The conditions here are still bad, with no services at all. We even boil the drinking water to make sure it is safe while we heard that in the Green zone they import distilled water from Kuwait to use for washing and showers.”

Body

Amman, Jordan
July 30, 2008

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I received the following message from friends in Baghdad.

Stating that the security situation has improved inside of Iraq, there is a push on the part of the Iraqi government for the return of Iraqi refugees. Monthly financial incentives are being offered to returning Iraqis as well as to people inside of Iraq who have taken up residence, for instance, in other peoples’ homes. On a recent trip to Europe, Prime Minister Nouri Malaki asked Germany to review its position on refugees as Berlin has led a campaign to allow several thousand Iraqi refugees to resettle in the European Union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the press “I think we should back plans to see the greatest number return home, with necessary encouragements.” (The Jordan Times 7.24.08) The pope himself, distressed at the mass exodus of Iraqi Christians from the region, is encouraging them to return. But is he, or anyone else for that matter, asking Iraqis what they want?

Despite the Iraqi government’s current campaign to get Iraqis to return to their country, no Iraqi here that I’ve spoken with is willing to return. Moreover, the UNHCR is not promoting or encouraging Iraqis to return until they can do so safely and with dignity. As part of an internal study the UNHCR asked Iraqis in Jordan if they would return to Iraq: 90% said not at all, 5% said at some point, and 5% were undecided. The results were similar in Syria.

Beginning in mid-February of this year the Jordan government announced its own three-month campaign to encourage Iraqis to return home. This was in the form of a “waiver of fines” for Iraqi nationalists who had overstayed their visas, while those who wished to stay would have their fines cut in half and then receive a three-month visa. Jordan’s Minister of Interior described the number of Iraqis who benefited from the exemption as disappointing, compared with the total number of Iraqis in the country which stands at half a million. “Only 3,000 Iraqis have left the country while 12,000 stayed and benefited from the exemption decision.” (The Jordan Times, July 20,2008)

The other night I made myself look at the gruesome pictures on the TV news, pictures of bodies ripped apart by explosions in Turkey. Two consecutive suicide bombings were carried out in a crowded shopping area, the second as rescue attempts were going on. Seventeen innocent people dead. In Baghdad and Kirkuk at least 58 people died in suicide bombings the same day.

About 5 months ago an Iraqi couple and their two year old son were allowed to enter Jordan for medical reasons. Their little boy was near death and in need of an emergency operation. The operation was successful, thank God, and the parents will be returning to Iraq soon. This precious child has captured my heart, as well as his mother who is expecting their fourth child. The father shared with me how he saw a mother, beside herself with grief, frantically racing with part of her son to a hospital after such an explosion. Holding only his legs in her arms, she was screaming “Sew him together, sew my son back together! While no one disputes that the number of deaths and attacks have declined since the “surge,” the ongoing violence and carnage continue in alarming proportions compared to other parts of the region. It seems somehow obscene to even think in terms of numbers, doesn’t it? But I fear we have simply become immune to the numbers….and the images are tragically withheld from us.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Letter from Cathy Breen

Cathy Breen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:02:30 -0500

Short Information Teaser

What would you do if your child was kidnapped?

Excerpt

July 27,2008
Amman, Jordan

Dear Friends,

“Think about it for a second. What would you do if your child was kidnapped? If you were in a war-torn country where the police couldn’t help you? To many, if not most parents, the answer of course would be—anything, anything. Including paying ransom to those who were holding their child even if the kidnappers were terrorists. Over the past five years for many Iraqis, that choice has been a very grim reality.” (Dan Rather Reports on ‘The High Price of Ransom,” HDNet TV, July 1, 2008)

Last week in a meeting at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman, I was asked if I had seen the above program. I had not, but was later able to get a printout of the text. I have it before me as I write you. Why is it that I am not surprised to read that one in every four Iraqis seeking help from the UNHCR has had a family member kidnapped? And yet seeing this number in print creates a knot in my stomach, and a feeling of nausea. One in four, imagine. One in four.

Body

July 27,2008
Amman, Jordan

Dear Friends,

A day or so after the meeting at the UNHCR—I had gone to get an update on their activities over the last 7 months and to learn of their current position—I was sitting with a Jordanian woman in a public square not far from where I am living. An Iraqi man I know quite well saw us and approached asking if I could meet with a father whose little daughter is ill. What could I say? How could I refuse? The timing was providential as the Jordanian woman agreed to translate for us.

About 1/2 hour later, the father arrived and showed me a medical report of his 4 year old daughter. She has suffered from seizures since birth, and Caritas is no longer able to provide the needed medications. His own savings have run out. They had four children, but a year ago one of their daughters died of cancer. She was just seven.

This family fled to Jordan about two years ago, after their then seven year old boy was kidnapped in Baghdad. The child was held for three weeks. The father explained that the family paid $8,000 of a $10,000 ransom for their son’s release. They sought help with the UNHCR in Amman and, after arduous and lengthy processing, were granted refugee status and qualified for resettlement. Last October they had the one deciding interview with someone from the U.S. Homeland Security team. The officer asked this father “Why did you pay a ransom and support the terrorists?” The father showed me the form letter of rejection with the box “credibility” checked. The letter did not even have a date on it.

As the time drew near to take leave of one another, I remembered that I had an envelope in my bag from friends in the U.S. for just such a family in need. Together with the money was a handwritten message from them, and I am sorry now that I didn’t think to copy it. Just two sentences as I recall, but words that conveyed the deep longing and desire that one day we would live in peace together. The simple words seemed to encircle and embrace us, and it was enough to just sit silently together for some moments.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Their Nightmares Don't Go Away in the Morning

Jeff Leys — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:47:16 -0500

Excerpt

May 2, 2008
By Tonya Sneed
Peoria (IL) Peace Network

In protest of a recent air show, the Peoria Area Peace Network flew kites at a local park. We had a gorgeous, sunny day, and Jack, who organized it, says we’ll likely make it an annual event.

I told a reporter from Channel 25 that while “to us, to Americans, the warplanes represent entertainment, to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, they represent terror.” They aired my comment.

Body

May 2, 2008
By Tonya Sneed
Peoria (IL) Peace Network

In protest of a recent air show, the Peoria Area Peace Network flew kites at a local park. We had a gorgeous, sunny day, and Jack, who organized it, says we’ll likely make it an annual event.

I told a reporter from Channel 25 that while “to us, to Americans, the warplanes represent entertainment, to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, they represent terror.” They aired my comment.

Some years ago a woman told me about attending an air show in which a plane crashed. That was in my mind an hour or so later when Harry, Matt, Mohamed, Ahmed and I were working in our new garden (Jim calls it a farm — I guess it is a little big). We live relatively close to the airport. A couple of the planes started flying really low, seemingly toward us. I grabbed Ahmed (who is 11 and very small for his age), and hugged him tightly, and for a moment, felt a sense of panic. For a split second, I had this tiny glimpse of the fear that so many mothers must have felt and continue to feel as we drop bomb after bomb on these poor people.

But someone could argue that even in that second I didn’t know the fear — because, for one, I’m not a mom, and for another, I knew deep in my heart that the chances of the planes actually crashing were minuscule compared to the risk of bombs raining down in Iraq or Afghanistan.

And how could I debate such a point? Who do I think I am to suggest that I can even begin to empathize with the fear of hundreds of thousands of moms in these countries? My gravy life is so far removed from theirs. Their nightmares don’t go away in the morning. I haven’t a clue about how they continue on following the devastation that we cause, and here I am, benefitting every single day from their heartbreaks. Ya know, oil is our god.

A few minutes later Dhiaa joined us in the garden and told me, in his broken English, about seeing and hearing U.S. warplanes in Iraq, and about his wife, Aseel, shaking uncontrollably when the bombs came.

Life in Iraq: An Interview - February 2008

Jeff Leys — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:34:22 -0600

Short Information Teaser

An interview with Walid Waleed about life in Iraq today.

Excerpt

Walid Waleed, interviewd by John Malkin
February 2008

Walid Waleed is 38 years old and was born in the Alkhaalij quarter of Baghdad. He now lives in the country side in a village in south-east Baghdad. He was married in 1997 and now has two boys and three girls; Ows 10, Mohammad 8, Nowras 6, Nibras 4 and less than one year old Ziena. Before the violence he lived as one big family, with about twenty-two people, but now they live in individual temporary houses. Walid studies journalism at Baghdad University and got practical experience as a guide for foreign journalists for many years. He has done interviews for magazines, newspapers and TV and helped Japanese producers make a documentary film about children during the US/UN economic sanctions. He recently produced an autobiographocal documentary about the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

John Malkin interviewed Walid in January 2008. John is a writer, musician and author of “Sounds of Freedom”, a collection of interviews with musicians concerning spirituality and social change. He is a regular contributor to Good Times Weekly of Santa Cruz, California.

JM: What kind of newspapers/TV are available in Iraq now? How do people get news there?

Body

Walid Waleed, interviewd by John Malkin
February 2008

JM: What kind of newspapers/TV are available in Iraq now? How do people get news there?

Waleed: There are many newspapers and TV stations available in Iraq. Most newspapers belong to political parties of the government as well as the religious movement. Very few people actually buy newspapers because they have radical opinions. For example, Al-Iraqia TV is the official TV station. It is the same as a spokesman of government and is supported by American forces and Iraq government. It’s run by radical shiat people.

The Al Hura TV station is supported by the American administration and their main office is in Washington. Al furat TV is 100% Shiat TV and is part of the high Islamic council, a party that was established in Iran during the Iraq - Iran war, and run by the most radical character, Mr. Abdul Azziz Al Hakeem. He met George W. Bush last week in state and his very powerful Bader forces are responsible for killing thousands of Iraqi people, especially ex-Baath party members.

Alkwather TV shows only stories about the history of Islam. Alsharqia TV is one of the most lovely TV stations in Iraq because they are openly modern and they show the suffering of the Iraqi people. Al Rafidain TV belongs to Muslim scholars and scientists and shows the opinion of Sunna people against the American occupation of Iraq.

JM: I think that some Iraqi TV and radio stations and newspapers are now controlled by the U.S. military. Is that true? Can you tell me about the media there now?

Waleed: Generally any TV station located in Iraq is controlled by American forces, while stations located outside Iraq feel free to broadcast any programming. For instance, the office for Alrafidain TV is located in Egypt and they are free to show there independent opinion. The TV stations that are most controlled by American forces are Al-Iraqia and AlHura.

JM: What was life like in Iraq before the 2003 invasion by the U.S. military?

Waleed: It was a hard life because the immoral economic sanctions destroyed people’s lives. The embargo was imposed for more than 13 years (1991-2003) and caused the death of many people because of the lack of medicine. Added to that was the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein. But if we compare that with our current life we can say we lived in paradise then because there was some security and our basic needs for life were available like gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas, electricity, clean water, educational institutions like schools and universities. Also, there was no discrimination between the Sunna and shiat people and our life wasn’t targeted like it is now.

JM: What are your living conditions now? Do you have access to water, electricity, healthcare, medicine, food?

Waleed: Nowadays I’m working as a farmer just to stay alive. I am Sunna and Sunna people cannot get jobs in governmental offices because any person who wants to have a job needs to bring a recommendation letter from the political or religious parties in power and as you know, the Shiat parties dominate the government offices. Also, the only two jobs available are either to be a soldier or policeman. Osne week ago my cousin asked me to be recruited into the Iraq police as an officer but I refused because my age does not fit with this job.

Clean water: It’s one of our big sufferings because Cholera has spread across the country and many people have died. We buy tablets from the pharmacy to kill the bacteria in the water but many poor people have no money to buy this medicine. Recently I heard that American forces are tying to provide Iraqi citizens with water purification machines but we haven’t receive any.

Electricity: We are spend our nights with candles and a kerosene lamp.

Health Care: We have very big problem in my country - the Ministry of Health is controlled by the Alsader, a shiat group, and most Sunna people are afraid to go to the hospitals. When my wife was pregnant I couldn’t bring here to the hospital. I brought her to an old woman who helped her to deliver her baby. She was lucky because she delivered her baby naturally.

One of my cousins was injured by an American bullet while he was waiting to get gasoline for his car. The people at the site of the shooting brought him to Alkindy Hospital and when he arrived there he pretended to be a shiat man and they did an operation to remove the bullet from his pancreas. He saw many sunnah patients being kidnapped from the hospital. After he spent four days there he decide to leave the hospital because the hospital staff started to gather information about his house and his origin. He continued his treatment in our village and at that time we asked our friend who is a doctor to treat him.

Food: It’s not easy to go to the market. In my village we decided to send our wives to the market because it’s a big risk if sunna men go there. But I shopped for fruits, vegetables and some other goods by myself especially during the last month of my wife’s pregnancy.

During economic sanctions, the United Nations took money from Iraq oil sales and bought food for the Iraq people and this food was distributed by Iraqi Ministry of Trade. This operation was called “oil-food agreement.” Fortunately this agreement is valid right now but there are big rumors nowadays that the government trying to cancel this food rationing.

JM: Do your children go to school now? Is it safe to travel to school, to the market, to visit friends?

Waleed: I changed my kids school from New Baghdad to the school in our village. Primary schools have no problems but in the intermediate, high school, and colleges most teachers and doctors were killed by terrorists and now those institutions have a lack of staff. My youngest brother is in high school and they don’t have enough teachers. Also, my brother couldn’t go to the final examination last year because the Ministry of Education decide to have the examination in a shiat majority area. He refused to go and at that time we were angry with him but after two sunna students were kidnapped from inside the examination hall we excused him.

This is little funny story; when the final examination in shiat area began, the Al Mahdy army came to the school and ordered the teachers to solve all the questions for the students and when the examination results were distributed it was incredible! All the student got marks between 95-100% .

Visiting Friends: It’s also one of our biggest problems, especially when a relative has a death ceremony or wedding party. We cannot go to there house if it’s far away. Personally, I lost most of my friends in the sectarian war - more than twenty friends were killed without reason.

JM: How do you get around the city? Buses, taxis, cars?

Waleed: I stopped using my car because of traffic jams due to the main roads and bridges being blocked by American and Iraqi forces. Now I use the bus and wherever the bus stops, I start walking.

JM: The Lancet Journal in England estimated that 500,000 children died as a result of the United States/United Nations economic sanctions against Iraq. What was that time like for you and your family?

Waleed: The economic sanctions started just after Iraqi forces were defeated from Kuwait in 1991 and continued until 2003, when the United States invaded our country by reason of weapon of mass destruction. I was student of Engineering at college when the embargo was imposed and it was so hard live. Let me give you an examples to imagine how hard it was;

We ate rice only once each ten days. We were three brothers working day and night to buy bread and eggplant because at that time only eggplant was available in the market. If you talk to any Iraqi person who lived and suffered from the economic sanctions and ask him, “Do you remember the year of eggplant,” he will remember it very well. Three brothers were working, my other two brothers and three sisters were students and there was my father and mother. The style of eating in our poor society is for us to sit all together and eat from one big pan, as you will see it in attached pictures. I don’t remember even one time that I ate until I was full - the adults decided to eat only very little and we’d pretend we were eating in order to give the children and old people a chance to eat enough. At that time I wasn’t married and was just graduated from engineering college but there were no jobs, so I worked as a driver of a minibus, building donkey worker, ice seller, electrician, and as an interpreter for an NGO twice a year.

I once worked as interpreter for Pakistani journalist in 1999 and he bought bananas from the market and gave me one piece of banana. I kept it in my car and when he asked, “Why you don’t eat it?” I said, “I want to share this piece with my family because we haven’t eaten a banana since four years.” So you can imagine how hard life was. I think we’d need a text book to keep all our suffering. By the way my sister got cancer during that period as well.

JM: Have your family or friends been hurt or killed by US soldiers?

Waleed: On 9th March 2003 my cousin was injured. She was a farmer taking care of her cow and an American soldier shot her because they didn’t have the knowledge to see the fashion of women in an Arabic country. She was wearing an Arabic dishdasha that is black in color and the soldier shoot here because at that time Saddam’s fedaieen fighters wore black. But there is big difference between a woman’s dishdasha and man’s pants.

In June 2007 my cousin was shot after an American patrol was hit by a roadside bomb. He survived.

On October 10, 2007 another cousin was shot and arrested by American forces and now he is in jail. Since that time his family couldn’t meet with him. We got information that he had been shot in his back and the effect of the bullet on his spine might cause him to be paralyzed. He is 34 years old. The reason he was walking to visit his friend was that he’d been invited to have dinner at his friend’s house during Ramadan month after sunset and there was an American unit waiting to ambush the Iraqi resistance. They failed in this ambush.

On November 4 people from my village were shot by soldiers in an American helicopter by mistake and this is the only accident that has been compensated. Many relatives have been killed by American forces, but as I told you I would need to write a long list of there names.

Another accident I need to mention is my oldest brother. He was arrested by Iraqi forces while he was working as a taxi driver. The Iraqi forces wanted to kill him but fortunately their prison has been visited by American forces. He was released because an American officer took pictures of the prisoners and did investigations with the prisoners directly, so not all doing of American forces are negative.

JM: What is the most difficult thing now about living in Iraq?

Waleed: Security, electricity, fuel (gasoline, kerosene, cooking gas), jobs, education, medical care, and to get back our houses which had been looted by Almahdy army.

JM: What has changed the most for you since the US invasion in 2003?

Waleed: I lost my freedom and security, my brother was killed, my father in law was killed, we lost our houses in town and the prices for all materials has jumped. For example, before the war the price of 1 liter of gasoline was 20 Iraqi dinar. 1 cylinder of cooking gas was 250 ID. At that time 1US$ = 3000 ID. Today a liter of gasoline is 500 ID and a cylinder of cooking gas is 25000 ID and it’s not easy to get it. The current exchange rate is 1$=1210ID.

JM: Officially, the 1991 United States war on Iraq was finished in 45 days. But the United States continued bombing after that – Does it feel like there has been one long war going on there since 1991? (Perhaps even before that as well, with the war with Iran ?)

Waleed: During the Iraq –Iran war we didn’t feel a direct effect from America. Maybe they were selling weapons to both sides. As an Iraqi person I didn’t blame the United States when they attacked Iraq in 1991 because Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and he gave them a reason to attack Iraq. But when the immoral economic sanctions were imposed we hated America so much because usually in economic sanctions it is only poor people who will be effect, while the rich people can arrange there lives.

JM: You have written that many people in Iraq do not believe that there are peaceful people in the United States because they have observed the United States invade other countries. And now the US has invaded Iraq. Tell me more about this.

Waleed: When we were young we read about the history of United States and how they invaded Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua. How they killed the American Indian, dropped an atomic bomb on Japan, and gave support to Israel to kick out the Palestinian people. Many Palestinian people came to Iraq as refugees at that time. And recently the US has invaded Somalia, Afghanistan, etc… So, we have been saturated by this image. Added to that is that there are no direct relationships between US and Iraqi individuals and very few Iraqi people can believe that there are good people in America.

JM: Why do you think the US military is in Iraq now?

Waleed: The American forces are tools of the American administration and most of them joined for a job, for money. Sometimes I talk to American soldiers and I have found many of them have a good personality. Many of them commit suicide because they have been shocked when they saw the fact.

JM: What do you think is the goal of President George Bush and the US military? Some people here think Iraq was invaded and is occupied to get oil or have more control in the Middle East – what do you think?

Waleed: Yes it’s right because America can not live without war. War means that all the military factories can work, otherwise they would close it down. The main goal is oil and more control in the Middle East, and looking for another war. I think the American administration has never cared about their soldiers and never cared about the fate of American people.

JM: After the World Trade Center in New York was attacked on September 11, 2001, the United States government said that Saddam Hussein had helped with the attack. Many people here still believe this. What do you think?

Waleed: I think the attack of the World Trade Center has been fabricated to have a reason to start war and to convince the American people that they are targeted. If the American people still believe that Saddam Hussein supported the attackers I am really envious of Mr. George W. Bush about these stupid people because they can not see where their future is going. I am sorry - maybe my language is poor in how I describe the American people about this point.

JM: The media here says that there is now a lot of fighting between different religious groups in Iraq ; Shias, Sunnis, Kurds. Is this true?

Waleed: Yes it’s true. It’s still happening but is less. The reason is that America has many enemies in the region so that all of Iraq’s neighboring countries don’t want stability in Iraq, so this fighting has been ignited by Iran, Syria, and Israel as well.

JM: How do you think the fighting in Iraq will end? What is the prospect for peace and safety in Iraq?

Waleed: The situation is now getting very complicated and the American forces are not serious to finish this fighting, because if they were serious they would not have lost four years without doing any reconstruction projects. The main reason behind the terrorism here is the jobless problem because for four years people couldn’t find jobs and the young people have been used by extremists, with thousands of dollars paid to militias. The solution for Iraq will come after America solves its problems with Iran, Syria, and Al Qaeda. And prepare jobs for millions of jobless people.

JM: Have you had encounters with United States soldiers? What kind of violence have you experienced? Have you encountered any US weapons like cluster bombs or depleted uranium?

Waleed: Usually I am trying to avoid American soldiers because talking English language its enough reason to be targeted by terrorist, so that just in urgent cases I am talking with them. .

About cluster bomb I sow it many times but I didn’t get any accident by it.

Depleted Uranium my sister got cancer due the first gulf war, and now my village locate near by the most polluted area by Uranium, we are living around only 2 KM away from the ex-atomic-nuclear energy research center, this center has been looted by people after American invasion and many people took polluted tank to use it for water (I think its very famous accident, it was called by yellow cake ) ,right now no incident show’s and I hope we will be safe

JM: Do you know people who have been taken to Abu Ghraib or other prisons?

Waleed: Yes. Many relatives of mine have been jailed in Abu Ghraib, Puka and Baghdad airport jails.

JM: How do you deal with the anxiety and sadness of living in a violent situation?

Waleed: Frankly talking, I am suffering too much from the current situation. I have seen many death cases and many decaying, dead bodies. I am smoking and sometimes when I feel depressed I have been angry and that’s why I insisted too much that an internet line be installed in my village to kill my time.

JM: What are some enjoyable things that you do you have with your family or friends?

Waleed: When I can help poor people I feel too much comfort and sometimes I play with my kids.

JM: Some people in the United States have been told by the media that the Islamic religion is violent and that the US military is protecting Americans against terrorism. What is Islam to you? Do you do prayer?

Waleed: I am pray five times a day and I think the Islamic religion is good religion. The extremist Muslims ate the people responsible for these bad ideas of Islam.

JM: What do you think about the suicide bombings that have become common in Baghdad?

Waleed: The people who suicide themselves have there own reasons - either they lost their family or kids. I think the same reason that pushes American soldiers to commit suicide is pushing those people to bomb themselves on American forces.

Last year I was in Japan and I was surprised when I saw the high number of people who commit suicide. They live in very good conditions compared with Iraqi people.

JM: George W. Bush has called himself a “compassionate Christian.” What do you think?

Waleed: I think he is the enemy of Christianity because we know the Christian religion is a very peaceful religion and the prophet Jesus was very peaceful.

JM: We are told that the violence in Iraq is a “War on Terrorism.” Does that make sense to you?

Waleed: Who brought terrorism to Iraq? Who let the Iraqi borders open for many years? Al Qaeda was established by America during the Soviet Union war and now they fight against America. George W. Bush has said many times that “we want to fight the terrorists outside of America.” According to this, Iraqi people are victims to keep American people safe.

JM: Private security companies, like Blackwater, have been hired by the US government to be soldiers in Iraq . News reports are saying that Blackwater contractors killed 17 Iraqi civilians in September in Baghdad . Have you heard anything about these private soldiers?

Waleed: Yes we see them almost every day. They drive on the streets in a very brutal way, killing any driver approaching their vehicles. Many people are killed by American forces and only a few cases are announced - this incident is well known because its happened downtown, but many killings happen in the countryside where no media can reach.

JM: Lately there are news reports that things have gotten safer in Iraq and that refugees have been returning to cities like Baghdad. Is this true from what you can see?

Waleed: Yes, some parts of Baghdad are getting better, especially in Sunna areas because there is an agreement between the American forces and the resistance group, except Alqaeda, and as result of this agreement new forces - named waken troops - have been established. Waken troops are fighting against Alqaeda and keeping the security of their region. American forces are paying monthly salaries to them and new projects have been started to clean up the cities and establish electric generators.

Letter from Cathy Breen - Amman, Jordan, November 27: Refugee Resettlement Program

Cathy Breen — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:40:17 -0600

Short Information Teaser

Cathy Breen writes from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

November 5, 2007
Amman, Jordan

Yesterday I visited a family whose 10 year old son is working for 8JD a week, that is about $10. A sweet faced slip of a child, he smiled as I took a picture of him at his work place. His father meanwhile suffers the humiliation of idleness and the inability to support his wife and other children. Beset by death threats, they fled to Amman about ten months ago; their home in Baghdad is now occupied by militia. I felt embarrassed as I offered them a small gift of money, money from a family in the states who wants to help Iraqis stuck here. The family is in need of basic foodstuffs, furniture, blankets and a heater as winter approaches. They once had work, a car and their own home. I met the wife and mother with her smallest child in tow on a bus last week. We were both making our way to the UNHCR. She to beg assistance.

Body

November 5, 2007
Amman, Jordan

Over the last weeks and months many Iraqis here in Amman have asked me if, as a U.S. citizen, I could help them get information as to where their “cases” stand, or if I know how the process works once they have registered at the UNHC and are referred to IOM for resettlement. Their daily bread seems to be waiting. They are discouraged and disheartened. Are their “cases” in a stack of files forgotten in a back room somewhere? Some have worked as translators for U.S. forces, others have been waiting months, even years, to immigrate to relatives in the states. Others are hoping to qualify for resettlement. Their money has run out, they can’t work, they are here illegally.

A few days ago I had a long-sought-after meeting with someone from the US Embassy-Amman and a representative from the State Department who deals with our Refugee Resettlement program in the region. Preparing for the meeting was a daunting task. There are so many questions, questions we find no answers to on the official US websites we are referred to. Though the meeting was brief, just over 1/2 hour, I found the two women across and alongside of me attentive and respectful. I hoped to learn what Iraqis can realistically expect from the U.S.? What hope can we give them? While I was grateful to be fit into their busy schedules, the time did not allow me to cover many of the issues I had hoped to address.

In recent weeks I have heard numerous accounts from Iraqis who have been rejected resettlement after being interviewed by an officer from the Homeland Security team. After going through laborious and time consuming sessions (interviews which can span over months) with UNHCR and their partner organization, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), their cases had finally been referred to the Department of Homeland Security (DOH).

You can imagine, I am sure, how their hopes had been raised over time, as they have made their way up the ladder so to speak. They had finally reached the top, the interview with an officer from Homeland Security! This could mean resettlement to the U.S.; at last a safe place for them! Time and time again these folks have had to relive their pain in the retelling of their stories. Each time I listen to their accounts of this decisive interview with DHS, I am reminded of a court room. It is as if they were on trial, having to defend their cases before a grand jury.

I have seen their form letters of rejection. The box most often checked on the form letter seems to be the one labeled “credibility.”

I was able to learn at the meeting that the US target goal for the fiscal year 2008 (beginning Oct. 2007) for Iraqi refugees is 12,000. If we consider the two million Iraqis in Jordan and Syria alone, 12,000 would constitute .006%. In any case, it seems obvious that the bulk of “cases” being considered for US resettlement will have to be rejected. Although I asked what the rejection rate was, this information could not be shared. I wasn’t surprised by this.

Just a week ago two dear friends, both “veterans” as it were in the US peace movement, Tom G.and Johana B., came though Amman en route to Syria. They were in Jordan for less than 24 hours, but we were still able to visit with an Iraqi family in their apartment.

The family father had been kidnapped and tortured in Baghdad. I will not go into details about his treatment during captivity as it is a source of extreme embarrassment and humiliation for him. Suffice it to say, he survived the ordeal. He was released for a reduced ransom. During the interview with Homeland Security, the wife was asked by the interviewer “Why did you pay a ransom? Why did you support terrorists?’ . This family is awaiting a decision for resettlement from Homeland Security. The wife was told today by someone from IOM that it could take another year or two for a decision to be reached.

On more than one occasion I have spoken with Iraqis who have been rejected by DOH, to find that someone in their family had been kidnapped and that a ransom had been paid to secure the release of their loved one. Although the box “credibility” had been checked on their rejection forms, the type of questions put to them by the interviewer led us to believe that paying a ransom might well have been the reason for their rejection. I welcomed the opportunity to put this question to the US Embassy and Dept. of State representatives. Is paying a ransom an automatic cause for rejection? I was told that there are times when exemptions are made in cases where a ransom is paid, but that one has to look at this from a security perspective. It is the determination of the DHS. It is the law, and it is applied universally.

Iraqis are safer than other refugee populations I was told. They are in fact being given preference over other refugee populations, taking slots from others who are vulnerable. There was something of a self-congratulatory tone when speaking about the praiseworthy resettlement program that has been created in such a short period of time, or of the millions of dollars the U.S. has given in aid for Iraqis. I replied that Iraqis are in fact deserving of special attention from our country because WE created the refugee crisis they are facing. I was politely advised that this was a political topic. It did not seem open for discussion.

Over the last days I have been reflecting in the early morning hours on the words of Jeremiah. The vivid imagery and powerful text is unsettling, and gives me pause. “My tent is destroyed; all its ropes are snapped, My sons are gone from me and are no more; no one is left to pitch my tent or set up my shelter.” Another passage “We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror.”

I sometimes ask myself why I should be surprised by the fixed hard stares directed at me as I walk the streets of Amman, or that one after another taxi passes me by. I am so obviously an “American.”

“Threat against Iran Real” was the title of an article in yesterday’s newspaper. Columnist Musa Keilani, a frequent contributor to The Jordan Times, wrote “The drums of war are being beaten with growing pitch in Washington. It is almost certain that the Bush administration will order military action against Iran soon.” Mr. Musa believes “military action against Iran cannot and will not be confined to a barrage of missiles against key Iranian targets” but that the U.S. “will resort to the use of nuclear power aimed at depriving the Iranians of the means to retaliate.” He believes that Iran will be “stunned as heavily as Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.” George Bush’s warning of World War III “does not come out of a vacuum,” and the only unanswered question, Mr. Musa predicts, is “when it will happen.”

The drum beats of war might well be sounding in the U.S., but the reverberations are being felt throughout the Middle East.

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen

Letter from Cathy Breen: Amman, Jordan, October 27, 2007

Cathy Breen — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:47:36 -0500

Short Information Teaser

Cathy Breen writes from Amman, Jordan

Excerpt

October 27, 2007
Amman, Jordan

Dear Friends,

It is Saturday morning, and I just hung up the telephone. “Please pray for him” the mother asked me, referring to her son. Here in Amman from Baghdad, he is in the operating room as I write you, in an attempt to save his right eye. I will call him Fadi, though that is not his real name. Fadi already lost his lower right leg to a suicide bomb while going in a taxi to his classes at the university. Stopped at a checkpoint—Fadi was sitting next to the driver—a car pulled up alongside them and exploded. Scars from glass and metal wounds are visible on the whole right side of Fadi’s body.

I visited with this mother and Fadi a couple of days ago. As incredible as it seems given the tragic circumstances, Fadi was able to complete his studies. Just weeks ago he graduated from the University in Baghdad with a degree in Engineering.

Body

October 27, 2007
Amman, Jordan

Dear Friends,

As I sat with them, I asked him what his thoughts and dreams were now. I would love to see Fadi leave the war zone, perhaps get a Master’s degree in Engineering in the states or anywhere else for that matter. But more and more I realize how often my good intentions are colored by feelings of responsibility and guilt, of wanting to “fix” what I feel my country has broken. Lives and limbs. Maybe Fadi’s ideas, I though, are quite different from mine.

He seemed shy when he told me that he was considering work as an interpreter for the Americans. His parents understandably are strongly opposed to this as it would place him in great danger. He told me what Iraqi translators earn. I believe it was $1,000 a month. In comparison, if I understood correctly, security personnel for the Americans earn $1,000 a day. Fadi’s family has exhausted any savings or earnings to pay for his ongoing operations and trips to Amman for necessary surgery.

Like any new college graduate, Fadi wants to enter the working force and begin to pull his own weight. It seems like such a simple, straightforward desire, unless that young person is Iraqi, and moreover lives in Baghdad. The mother was told by Caritas here in Amman, that they only cover operations done at one specific hospital, and that hospital doesn’t perform the delicate eye surgery Fadi requires.

As our conversation continued, I learned that Fadi recently went to the Green zone to see about a new prosthesis that he needs for his leg. He was told that they are servicing only Americans now with prostheses. It was becoming clear to me why Fadi would even consider working for the Americans.

The time with Fadi and his mother affected me greatly. As I looked across the room at this mild-mannered and soft spoken young fellow, his affected eye was drooping and only partially open. Although he has only 25% vision in his right eye, his inner eye sees clearly. It is these eyes with which we need to see. We can learn so much from Fadi about vision, about clarity, about personal strength, stamina and faith.

I am planning to visit with another family later today that was rejected for resettlement to the states. I have been listening to many accounts from Iraqis who have recently been refused resettlement on the basis of their one final interview with USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) people here from the states. Despite passing through exhaustive interviews by UNHCR and IOM (International Organization for Migration), it is this final interview which will decide their fate.

For the officer carrying out the interview, I suspect it is just one of many interviews. And I suspect they have been given instructions as to how many they can accept. The others will be rejected and given a form letter with one of the categories checked off. The box which seems most often checked is the one labeled “credibility.” Once outside the building, it is not uncommon for the person receiving such a rejection letter to break down and weep inconsolably, a reminder to us that these are not “cases,” but human lives with dreams and needs not unlike our own. The need for a safe place to live, the ability to work in order to sustain themselves and their families, to put their children in school.

Iraqis have taken hope by Condoleeza Rice and others in our Administration who say “We want to help them,” that we will take 1,000 a month to the states for resettlement over the next year. Let us be clear about the extent of our “generosity.” If we were even to meet the goal of 12,000, which is highly suspect, what is this in the face of over 2 million “refugees” in Jordan and Syria alone, not to mention over 2 million internally displaced Iraqis within their country?

I too have been given hope by someone from the US Embassy here in Amman, that I will be able to meet with someone from the State Department who is coming at the end of this month. I was advised the other day by email that the person has not yet arrived. My list of questions for that person is growing. Disturbing questions that demand answers. Human dignity and respect call out for answers.

I will keep you posted, but right now I greet you with very much love,

Cathy Breen

VCNV Author

Cathy Breen