Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 01:03:41 -0500 (EST)
From: Orpheus <cw_duff-AT-alcor.concordia.ca>
Subject: 46.htm 



   EXPLORE THE NONVIOLENCE WEB 
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   Voices in the Wilderness
   A Campaign to End the Economic Sanctions Against the People of Iraq
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   Reflections from VITW' 19th Delegation - December, 1998
   19th Delegation Members
   Kathy Kelly, Anne Montgomery, Alan Pogue, Brad Simpson
   Saturday, December 19,1998 -  Day 1 in Baghdad
   As we cross the border into Iraq, soldiers note our USA passports,
   shake their heads, and grin. "Americans! I'm going to kill all of
   you," shouts an officer, as we drive off. His friendly laugh is our
   first encounter with a gallows humor that seems to help Iraqi people
   cope with inescapable danger. Yet Sattar, our driver, has already told
   us the intense bombardments of the past three days terrified people.
   "All the walls, they shake," he says, "and the children so frightened,
   they scream and cry. But what can you do? In Baghdad, even a maternity
   hospital was badly damaged. Now the people feel nobody, no place is
   safe" Sattar, a civil engineeer now working as a full-time driver,
   risked his life to drive thirteen hours, from Baghdad to Amman, to
   meet us and then return on the same road.
   Six hours after crossing the border, we reach Baghdad. A first stop is
   at the Businessman's Center, where we can still phone people in the
   USA. Familiar faces smile in surprise when we walk in, and several
   young women workers politely ask Alan, "How are you?" "I'm tired from
   a very long trip," he says, and they suddenly burst into nervous
   giggles, exclaiming, "Oh, you'll sleep tonight!" A rush of Arabic
   follows and soon they are laughing so hard that they begin to cry.
   Sattar takes us to visit Karima and her six children. They are just
   settling down to sleep in the room they all share. The oldest child,
   11 year old Fatima, appears unusually weary, but the younger ones are
   typically gleeful and very excited to see us. Suddenly a young man
   enters, saying "Yella, yella, ..." as he points outside. Sattar calmly
   translates, - "The bombing, Ms. Kathy, it has started." Outside
   Karima's home, we join neighbors who gesture at what seems like fairly
   distant fireworks. The children are more interested in hugging us
   good-bye than in the beginning of tonight's bombardment.
   Anxious to let Sattar return to his family, we hurry off to finish
   checking in at the Al Fanar hotel, a few blocks away. Explosions
   continue, but the hotel workers seem nonplussed. "Welcome, you are
   welcome," they say, hoisting our bags on their shoulders. Rooms are
   assigned, passport numbers entered, the ususal routine. One of our
   team members, Anne Montgomery, was in the Al Rashid hotel during four
   days of bombardment during the Gulf War. She lived through some of the
   worst bomb attacks on Sarajevo in the summer of 1993. "You know you
   can't do anything about it," she says. "So it helps to attempt
   preserving some sense of routine, all the while trying not to crack."
   Anne had remained at the Al Fanar when the rest of us went to check on
   Karima's family. As soon as the bombing started, two hotel workers
   steered Anne down to their 'bomb shelter,' a dingy, cluttered
   basement. There the trio sat, smilling and quiet, Saad and Kamal
   anxious to protect Anne. When Kamal knelt for his evening prayers,
   forehead to the ground, Anne felt the basement transform. "I realied
   we were in a very holy place," she said.
   Hosain, the wonderfully jolly cook, and Qasam, a young maintenance
   worker, offer to take us to the rooftop instead of the basement. They
   light candles and guide us up six flights of stairs. We pass Saad and
   Kamal, who methodically open the sliding glass doors that wall the
   hotel restuarant. This will  reduce the pressure on the plate glass if
   a bomb explodes nearby. Up on the roof, as anti-aircraft fire pierces
   the night sky, Qasam's animated renditions of his personal slugfest
   with Bill Clinton send us into spasms of laughter. "America, you,
   good," he assures us, "but Qasam see Bill Clinton," - he instantly
   strikes a prizefighter's pose and jabs his fist into the air, a
   knockout blow.
   By now, the street below, normally a busy thoroughfare, is nearly
   empty. Occasionally, a car races by at top speed. En route to Baghdad,
   many Arab people anxiously wondered aloud, with us, "Would the US bomb
   Iraq on the first night of Ramadan?" Bracing themseles for a fourth
   night of bombing, Baghdad's residents have an answer.
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   Notes from Yarmouk Hospital
   Notes from a visit to the Yarmouk hospital where we met Dr. Gasim
   Ghelar Risun. His left jaw is broken, he has lost hearing in one ear,
   and he has huge bruises on his forearm and forehead. His eye is also
   badly bruised and the left side of his face is paralyzed. Gasim and
   his family were sleeping in the living room of his home when a missile
   crashed through the wall. The missile didn't explode and he, his wife,
   and his three children were able to crawl out of the rubble. His wife
   and one of his daughters are also hospitalized. Susan, age nine, was
   hit in the head by a piece of flying cement and is under the care of a
   neurosurgeon. His other children (1 1/2 years old and 20 days old)
   were not harmed.
   Gasim's huge eyes are filled with sorrow as he recalls his war stories
   of the past eight years.
   In 1991, just after the Gulf War, Susan was exposed to radiation and
   she also drank contaminated water. He took her abroad for medical help
   and her treatment lasted three years. Gasim has lain awake now for six
   days, unable to sleep, and much of that time has been spent worrying
   about Susan who was hit by a huge chunk of flying cement.
   Gasim has a Ph.D. in engineering which has helped him find work in
   both the US and Russia. He has two wives, the second of whom is
   Russian.
   "Clinton has no right to use Iraq's children to cover his personal
   problems." he says. "It's not possible that a complete nation should
   be punished."
   We visit his home in the Al Adil section just outside of Baghdad
   proper. Immediately behind his attractive three story home is a
   mosque. We see no signs of any military targets, only a wide stretch
   of residences. the bomb entered into Gasim's home through the first
   floor window. In the hospital, he had told us, "You'll think that I
   stored chemical weapons in my home,...you won't believe what you'll
   see."
   The beds are broken, children's toys are stewn about, with a doll
   lying on a pile of rubble. The ceiling fan is broken and the clock,
   also broken has stopped at 4:40 a.m., the time when the bomb hit. The
   bathroom sink and toilet are broken into several pieces.
   Fadila is Gasim's niece. She and her mother have worked for days to
   push the broken cement and heaps of dust into one pile, ...
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   Christmas Day - Al Deir village, just north of Basra
   Sajad, a four year old child, is held by his brother on the rooftop of
   their home. Most of the windows were blown out when a bomb hit the
   nearby microwave station that served as a telecommunications center.
   The blasts were so frightening that all of the neighbors began
   together to wail and cry in sheer terror. Little Sajad still has
   trouble eating and tries to fall asleep sitting up. He seems to fear
   that if he lays down the bombing will resume.
   Outside the home, Karim, a tall young soldier, joins us. He was very
   fortunate to have been sleeping in the room next to the one hit by the
   bomb, in the telecommunications center. He was not harmed. Neighbors
   then bring us a fragment of the missile, a big chunk of metal, quite
   heavy, with a serial number printed on the side. An unusual Christmas
   gift...the initial round of bombing in Operation Desert Fox was
   referred to as "the first package." This portion of the package,
   'delivered' at 4:00 a.m. while the village slept, caused 12 women to
   abort their babies. One person suffered a heart attack. People in the
   nearby homes screamed and cried in terror as their windows were
   shattered. Some speculate that more money was spent on the 400 cruise
   missiles that were fired against Iraq in the combined "packages" than
   will be spent in repairing the damage.
   But no amount of repair can bring back the aborted babies or take away
   the trauma inflicted on children.
   At the clinic nearby, we talked with Zahra, a tiny woman who for the
   past seven years has worked as a midwife. She said that she has
   learned how to maintain control at the clinic during these crisis
   situations because they have faced crises again and again during the
   years of warfare and sanctions. Asked if she had any children of her
   own, she said she prefers not to bring a baby into Iraq at this time.
   At Al Deir and in each of the other villages we passed, bright, large
   flags waved in the breeze, representing each of the tribes in the
   village. Special tents were set up as well, to help with tribal
   meetings. Each tent bears a picture of "the leader," apparently a sign
   of unity and support.
   We asked a father in Al Deir if his small children know who Bill
   Clinton is. "Of course they know he is a criminal!" was the heated
   response.
   People ask us if Bill Clinton will bomb again. We don't know. The
   doctor traveling with us suggests that the US may want to deplete
   Iraq's resources, to keep bombing until there are no communications
   left.
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   Basra Pediatrics and Maternity hospital, Chief Resident Dr. Abdul
   Firas Abbas:
   "We heard that 70% of the American people were for the attack. I want
   to hit every American citizen. Now, we are completely responsible to
   end the embargo ourselves. You can only transfer the disaster by
   pictures. This last attack generated the aggression in myself. Tony
   Blair is glad that Iraq has no power to hit back and says the embargo
   will continue. they have no heart--for the oil, they kill the
   children, kill the future. What about the children? they are harmed
   psychologically, educationally, nutritionally. We need everything, -
   knowledge, connection with the outside world. What is the quality of
   our life?"
   Alan shows him a copy of a recent article about a previous visit to
   Basra, printed in a peace movement newsletter. Firas points at the
   newsletter's heading: "Austin Peace and Justice." "Where is the
   justice?" he asks. "You want the oil. Take the oil. But don't kill our
   children."
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   Archbishop Kassab:
   Archbishop Kassab was in Baghdad the evening of the first day of the
   bombing. That night, he got in his car and drove six hours back to
   Basra. "I wanted to be with my diocese during this time. They wanted
   me to be here."
   - christmas day - speech to Iraqi News Agency after he left the
   church, exiting from the main ceremony walking arm in arm with the
   Imam.
   --Clinton wnet to Bethlehem and asked to see the site of the manger.
   did Jesus tell him to go and bomb Iraq? Christians must be ashamed of
   this. There is no difference whether you are Christian or Muslim. It's
   how you act. Do Christians pray for peace and then, instead of sending
   gifts, send missiles. Clinton celebrated by lighting a Christmas tree
   with 1,000 lights. today we have no electricity in Basra. We don't
   want to beg from America.
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   Notes from December 20 visit to Red Crescent head Dr. Alwash:
   I told Dr. Alwash about our banner and that we wanted to take it to
   the Dijla school where we would ask children what it meant to them.
   the banner shows a woman crouched over her child, as a bomb descends
   labeled sanctions. "this is what happened to me; my daughter came to
   my home, and she had her infant with her. She crouched over him on the
   floor and put a black scarf over his head, and stayed that way while
   all the windows were blown from our home. Do you know this new type of
   bomb from above? The building stands, but the insides are destroyed."
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   Notes from December 20 visit to A Liqa maternity hospital:
   The windows are blown in, the air conditioners are broken, - this
   hospital is immediately across the river from the old ministry of
   defense building; patients were terrified, women screamed, babies
   cried, - it started at 4:00 a.m. and ended at 6:00 a.m., In the
   operating section, six of ten windows were shattered; all of the
   windows of the library section of the doctor's house we blown out
   Bounia, a cleaning woman, heard a big sound at 4:00 a.m, she stayed in
   her room; the doctors stayed inside - all were badly frightened; some
   wounded people came for help. Her message to the US "Thanks to them
   for these bombs. All this war and we stay in our place."
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   Notes from patients at the Mansour childrens hospital of Medical City:
   --normally only children are treated here, but adults were admitted
   because of the emergency
   Khalid Adil, 32, was visiting his mother in another wing of the
   hospital. He has a broken nose, broken ribs--message for US - wishes
   man more have the same feeling we show to him--doesn't remember much
   of what happened to him after he was hit.
   Wassam Ahkmad - 20 years old visiting another patient bomb exploded -
   he has shell wounds, both feet are bandaged, still in pain
   At the Mansour hosppital, entire wards were empty. "Kathy," said
   Sattar, "many people they expect that this is where there will be
   bombs because it is near the Defense or another target. so they take
   their patients out. If I had someone sick, I wouldn't want to leave
   the patient here."
   Patients were evacuated to another hospital.
   Entisar- was in the kitchen doing dishes--her brother and she looked
   out during the first night of the bombing. They stood in a doorway.
   The force of an explosion ruptured her intestine, and she has had
   sporadic consciousness since then
   Entisar Abdul Rahman 38 - the hospital lacks cholostomy bags and the
   one remaining disposable bag is being reused, at great risk of
   infection
   "I am too anxious, can't speak. We are sorry . You are not the ones
   who do this to us.
   Mother is with her, - she has only two children, both have been hurt,
   - the brother is also hospitalized. "We are used to it. we can't do
   anything. We just thank God we are not dead." She had one other son, a
   doctor, who was killed in the Iran iraq war.
   [Voices in the Wilderness]
   ========================   Voices in the Wilderness
   A Campaign to End the Economic Sanctions Against the People of Iraq
     _________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   [LINK]
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   Page created January 1, 1999,  Chuck Quilty, VITW