An Iraqi woman asks : "What have we got to do with terrorism?"

[velvet]

I don't post often on DU, though I read it daily. While following a link in quaoar's recent post on the jailing of Iraqi blogger Khalid (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4116022) I came across the blog of his mother, Faiza, and had to share it with you. She recently travelled to the US to attend a course in Peace-building in Vermont and to meet with anti-war activists. Her blog entries for the last month or so document her feelings and experiences. It makes compelling reading. Here is an excerpt

http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/


"Yesterday, I heard a speech of President Bush, and the dialogue of the Americans who support, or oppose him. I sat, with sadness filling my heart…..and bewilderment in my head…

(snip)

... The American government now addresses the people to say: support us in the war on Iraq, because we are working for your protection, and to provide you with safety, so you can live more happily…. So you can go to your work in safety, without threats… so your children could go to schools, playgrounds, and gardens… so that families can go shopping, or to visit a museum on the weekends…

These are the merits of the war on Iraq, or its justifications… Very well ... but didn't the American people think within themselves, and ask this simple question: what about the 26 million Iraqis? Millions of them have emigrated to countries other than Iraq to live temporarily, until the conditions would calm down, leaving their homes, their jobs, their neighbors, friends, and relatives, and all their dear memories, just for the feeling of safety?

And those who decided to stay, live every day in a confrontation of death, fear, and panic…. Aren't those humans who deserve to live, just as much as the American people? Don't they have families, children, and hopes of a safe, comforting life? Why would the Iraqis sacrifice their security, and their lives, in order to provide security and happiness to the American people?

Why did the occupation troops leave the Iraqi borders wide open, to make it an easy entry to all those who hate America, and want to have his revenge on her, of the non-Iraqis? Why did Iraq become the battlefield between the American army, and whoever hates it?

What is our fault, why do we have to lose the years of our lives, the souls of our loved ones, and the money of our country, for the sake of settling of scores of the strangers who enter Iraq?

What have we got to do with terrorism?"

*

What indeed.

[stellanoir]

1. Faiza and her wonderful family

should be ruling Iraq as far as I'm concerned. She's a Shia who's married to a Sunni. Raed, one of their 3 (?) sons calls himself a "Sushi." Khalid has no business being in jail. I hope and pray that he be released ASAP.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Great post.

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy.” - Gandhi

[Just Me]

3. Heart-breaking.

:cry: An apology is so inadequate but I do feel so sorry. We gave everything we had to prevent this war and we work everyday to end it and to rid ourselves of the worst leadership in American history.

I'm sorry it wasn't enough. But, we haven't given up. We will NOT give up until we make matters right.

[wli]

4. this and nothing

Assume state-sponsored false flag until proven otherwise. "Terrorism" is a lie. There is murder, assassination, violent protest, rebellion, suicide bombing, and so on. But "terrorism" is a neologism devised for the purposes of propaganda, to smear enemies whose sole crimes are that attacking them is profitable for the aggressor.

Far from comforting Faiza, this horrible truth will only increase her outrage, and rightfully so. The best way to explain this to her is probably by sending her a copy of "Confessions of an Economic Hitman."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. "Terrorism" is the monster devised to keep the people in line.

And, unquestioning of the real threats facing the world. While we have the "terrorists" to fear and absorb us we can ignore world hunger, global warming, disease, rapacious capitalism, and all the others that take millions of lives and truly are a threat to humanity.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Rec'd

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Kicked for more to read.

[Peace Patriot]

8. This simple eloquent question: "What have we got to do with terrorism?"

reminds me of the child in the story "The Emperor's New Clothes." None of the adults who are toadying to the Emperor's delusions dare speak the simple truth, as the naked Emperor parades down the street clothed only in his delusion. ("The Emperor has no clothes on!" the child cried.)

"What have we got to do with terrorism?" U.S. forces slaughtered over 100,000 innocent Iraqis in the initial bombing campaign and invasion, on George Bush's orders. What did these people have to do with Saddam Hussein, other than being the victims of his rule? So, we go in and we slaughter over 100,000 people to "get" Saddam Hussein. As a justification for what Bush did, this was a heinous distortion of the truth--in fact a delusion. The truth is babies and old people and innocents of all kinds blown to smithereens. 100,000 of them, according to the British doctors report. And this was done without any right whatsoever to be doing it. None. Zero. Zilch.

"What have we got to do with terrorism?"

I have the same kind of question about Guantanamo Bay. What have these men been charged with? What is their crime? They have NOT BEEN CHARGED with ANY CRIME.

If their crime is merely defending the legitimate, recognized government of their country at the time--the Taliban--they should have the status of "prisoners of war" and be protected by the Geneva Conventions. If their crime is colluding on 9/11--or planning similar attacks--they should be tried for those crimes and, if found guilty, punished. THEY HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH NO CRIME, and are being held without charge indefinitely. They have furthermore been abused and tortured.

This is such a profound violation of our own laws, and of the international laws to which we are signatory (we wrote them!), that we often lose sight of the "Emperor's New Clothes" question: WHY ARE THEY IN PRISON? WHAT DID THEY DO? WHO FOUND THEM GUILTY? WHO SENTENCED THEM?

I can't think of anything more well designed to CREATE a "terrorist conspiracy" and to INSTILL undying hatred of the U.S. than the treatment of these prisoners, whom the Bush Cartel blithely calls "enemy combatants." The same for the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the slaughter of so many innocents there. You could not design a better method of CREATING "terrorists."

It's as if the Emperor, walking along in his naked delusion, had at the same time created a law to punish public nakedness. That's how mind-boggling this situation is, as to unmitigated hypocrisy. And only simple, child-like, human questions--only that true wisdom--can penetrate the clouds of lies and deception with which the "emperors" have sought to disguise their real intent, to dominate other countries, terrorize their people and steal their resources.

[Peace Patriot]

9. The answer to the stink in Washington DC is state/local election reform!

We must restore our right to vote, by throwing Bushite electronic voting machine companies--Diebold, ES&S and brethren--out of the election business NOW--or, at the very least, achieve some measure of election transparency with paper ballot backups, no secret programming code and strict auditing. The only place where we can get that done is in state/local jurisdictions, where the authority over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some say. See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

[htuttle]

10. Read the first few entries of her blog -- highly recommended!!!!!

I read Faiza's blog regularly last year, but had fallen off some lately.

She recently attended a number of peace workshops in the US with peace activists from around the world.

Her revelations and insights about these meetings and the state of things in the world were very, very powerful. She saw the US with clear eyes and describes us and the nature of our situation better than I've seen from anyone other than Arundhati Roy.

There's too much to quote in four paragraphs -- just go read it.