Late January in Iraq

Sami Rasouli has returned from the Twin Cities to his homeland to be with his people during the US occupation of Iraq. Sami was the owner of Sinbad's Restaurant, a pioneer in introducing Middle Eastern culture to the area. Sami has left his business and returned to Iraq to become active in bulding a bridge between the Christian Peacemakers Team(CPT) and the Muslim Peacemakers Team(MPT). Sami is returning to the US and St. Joans this week for a presentation called Eyewitness Report from Iraq at 7 pm on Thursday, February 16th at 7 pm in Hospitality Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more about Sami, visit our Feature on his mission as he began. This page features a report on activities of the peacemakers teams in late January.

On Wednesday, Jan 25, 06, Peggy Gish and Michele Naar left with Sami Rasouli for Najaf. Our vehicle got stuck in a ditch full of mud after pulling over to let a US military convoy go by. Many Iraqi’s stopped to help and we were pulled out of the ditch when one of them tied a rope to their truck. This was faster than AAA and was also done without charge. The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived in the city around noon.  

Our first visit was to the Sadr hospital. This is a regional hospital serving a number of cities and villages in the mid-Euphrates area. The hospital consists of 7 floors and serves about 1500 outpatients per day with 87 beds for inpatients. Patients pay an initial 400 ID, equivalent to about 30 cents, for complete treatment. If they can’t afford to pay, medical care is provided for free.

We met with the hospital director, who explained that the hospital had been taken over by the Salvadoran army and used as a base. The army stayed there for a year. After the army left, it was turned back over to the hospital administration but it was badly damaged. Most of the medical equipment including the CT scan and MRI was destroyed. Although both of these pieces of equipment were outdated, they were the only ones available to the mid-Euphrates region.

The director told us that the US had agreed to give compensation and help rebuild the hospital even though they were not the ones who took the hospital over. They were however in the area when the hospital was damaged. They are currently in stage III of the reconstruction. The basement has been redone and the 1st floor is currently being used for all medical treatment including inpatient stay. The 2nd floor is still in construction. They are currently only able to provide medical care for a fraction of patients that they would normally serve. Patients are afraid to travel to Baghdad so many get no medical treatment at all.

The US has paid for much of the reconstruction of the building but has not helped reimburse equipment. The director felt they had good cooperation with the contracting and actual labor, and they have weekly meetings to discuss their projects. The director asked if we could find funding for a new CT scan and MRI. We told him that we do not give financial aid but we would report the need to groups in the U.S.

We were given a tour of the first floor hospital facilities by 4 of the medical staff all of whom were MPTers. They felt that reconstruction was not going well and are very concerned about the lack of basic equipment. They showed us the physiotherapy room with broken down and antiquated equipment, an ill-equipped lab, their one and only outdated x-ray machine, and a surgical suite which is not even sterile. The most chilling news was that 3 doctors have recently been killed and 5 have fled the country.

Our next stop was at a clinic which is in the midst of being built. The basic structure is complete but the inside was far from completed. There were still dirt floors, no windows and only a portion of the walls were sheet rocked. Some wall tile was laid in a few of the rooms.  

The financing for the building has come from the pockets of the MPTers. At this point, they have tapped their resources and the remainder of the construction is now on hold. But to hear Dr. Sajida talk about it, one could envision this beautiful clinic up and running. It will have a dental clinic, as well as a number of medical specialties. They expect about 50 doctors would be able to work there and it would serve the mid-Euphrates region.

From the clinic, we went to Um Osama’s house. (details needed) She explained that she was still having pain from the shooting incident. Her son showed us some of his scars on his arm where he was shot. Um Osama and her assistant, Um Ahmed, were invited to eat with us at Um Nasir’s house, Sami’s eldest sister.  

When we entered Um Nasir’s house, we were joyously welcomed. We met a number of Sami’s relatives including about 15 nieces and nephews. All of them wanted to tell us their names all at the same time. They quizzed us for about an hour to see if we could remember them, all at the same time. They were a delight. Um Nasir prepared a feast. The food just kept coming, platter by platter, followed by bowls of fruit and pudding.  

After the meal, Sami, Peggy and Michele went to Dr. Sajida’s dental clinic. There was also a pediatrician, internist, and ob-gyn there. This clinic serves a very poor area in Najaf. Patients are charged an initial fee of 500 ID, approximately 35 cents, but free service is provided for anyone who cannot pay.  

Following the tour of the clinic, Peggy and Michele met with 5 of the MPTers and learned about their projects. They told us that they wanted to be able to incorporate their medical skills into their projects. They then shared 3 ideas they have been talking about:  

1. On March 21, the Kurdish celebrate Nowroze, (Eid). They would like to bring a truck load of presents and toys for the poorest families in the Kurdish region. This seemed especially important to Dr. Sajida as she takes care of a number of homeless families and children in Najaf. She provides them with basic necessities and pays for them out of her own pocket. TheMPTers see the Eid idea as a way to build a bridge with the Kurds and develop relationships through nonviolence and reconciliation.  
2. During Ashura, the Najaf MPTers propose to set up medical aid stations along the road for those on pilgrimage to Kerbala. They also spoke of having tents and mats available for people who need to rest.  
3. One of the MPTers, Mr. Salah, is a member of a human rights group that allows him to get into any Iraqi run prison or detention center. He has permission through both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice. He is also trained to take torture testimony and has a place within the Ministry of Interior where he can submit the grievances. He is able to take a camera and cell phone in and has photographed prison conditions. He has also photographed physical signs of abuse or torture on the prisoner’s bodies. Mr. Salah said that the prisoners are not further threatened as a result of his interventions. He also does follow up on prisoners after they are released. Mr. Salah also checks on health care, food quality, and makes sure the prisoners get outside at least once a day. MPTers would like CPTers to accompany Mr. Salah when he goes to the prisons.  

  Thursday, January 26

The first meeting of the morning was set up with the Governer Haj Asaad Abu Ghilel of Najaf. He was caught in a meeting so we spent a little time with his secretary before departing. The only information shared by the secretary was that the Iraqi Police Force in Najaf train with some of the police force that were part of Saddaams team. They are trained in Jordan and in United Arab Emirates but it is facilitated under the Ministry of Interior which includes US advisors. On the way out of the Governers’ offices, we saw an American soldier on a humvee watching over people coming in and out. Peggy and Michele asked him where he was from, and whether there are many U.S. soldiers in Najaf. He said there were several units. When asked if the US was going to turn security over to the Iraqi’s, he said "we’re working on it".  

Sami Rasouli(center) and the Peacemakers Team with the Ayatolla

Next stop was to meet with Ayotolla Saiid Mohammed Sa’eed al Hakim. He broke his statements into 2 parts: Iraq’s relationship with the West and Iraq’s domestic relationships.  

Iraq’s relationship with the West: First comment was that this relationship is based on ignorance. He sees double standards set with not only the US but with the UN as well. He said the UN as only concerned about the interests of the bigger countries and not the weaker countries. He used the example of Turkey which wanted to be part of the European Union. EU would only accept Turkey with many restrictions and impositions that violate Islamic tradition. He made it clear that when other cultures are not respected or violated, there would be resistance and violence. Additionally, he gave the example of France which he understands is pressuring Muslim women to not wear the hijab. He suggested that if religious leaders and political authorities would dialogue, there might not be terrorism.  

Iraq’s domestic relationships: He started by saying when the attack of Fallujah occurred, families sought refuge in Najaf. He personally met with one family that included 17 people. Even though there were lots of needs and the expense was high, arrangements were made for the Fallujans to be cared for. He spoke about Iraq as a boat that everyone must get on and get along. The good of one group is also for the good of the other. Everyone will win. He stressed violence cannot be used to deal with internal problems.

He then spoke about the Yezides. He said that this was a group that Muslims would have the most trouble with because "they worship Satan". They are very different from the Muslims yet he said they live and work together and are part of Iraqi society. Then he told the story of the massacre at Telafar. Many Muslim refugees had nothing after that massacre. The Yezides offered them all kinds of assistance. Many Yezides opened up their homes to the Muslims. The Yezides knew the Muslims could not live with them because of their beliefs so they moved into their relatives homes and let the Muslims stay in their houses. These acts impressed the Muslims so much that they believe that humanity is stronger than religious labels. He said Muslims still consider themselves the "believers" and everyone else are brothers in humanity.

After the fall of Saddaam a statement was issued recognizing the different sects. Acts of aggression against other sects was wrong. Once aggression takes place, everyone enters into a violent circle with no end in sight. He stressed the call for reconciliation, forgiveness and love. He acknowledged the use of violence for defense but not as an aggressor.

During Ramadan, Iraqi Christian leadership came to talk with him about the suffering Christians were experiencing. He suggested they try to influence religious leaders in the west to change policies. We were given an opportunity to ask questions. Peggy expressed our sorrow for the harm that Christians caused Muslims throughout history and that our country has caused Iraq, that we can’t undo that, but we want to work together, with respect, to deal with these many problems.

After the meeting, we were thanked for showing respect to their religion and culture which was reflected in the way we dressed. Just for clarification, the abiya Michele wore was way too big. It had swept up half the dirt along the streets of Najaf and was quite dirty. It continuously slipped off Michele’s head throughout the meeting and was often hanging lopsided. It was obvious that this was not a wardrobe that Michele was comfortable wearing. In spite of that, we were thanked for showing respect.

The final stop was at a private Muslim primary school. The teachers and administrator were all women and they wore complete covering while men were present. This included a black veil that covered their faces. The men were asked to leave the room so they could take off the veil. During that meeting, they told us a bit about the school. The strongest focus is on morality and religious development. These principles are incorporated into all their studies. The school is open to all students and a fee is not charged. The school is funded through the Hakim institution and from Iran. They expressed the need for vehicles to transport the children.  

Before parting, the MPTers and CPTers exchanged contact information. The CPTers agreed to go back to report to the team and then try to make arrangements for another meeting in Najaf to begin plans for specific actions together.