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Sami Rasouli from Iraq

Sami Rasouli, SJA parishioner, 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 is a member of the Christian and Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He has agreed to send back periodic reports of his journey. For more about Sami, visit our Feature on his mission.

January 2, 2007

I lost this morning a dear friend and an MPT [Muslim Peacemakers Team] member who traveled with us to Amman/Jordan last July for Nova meeting. Subhi Omran Al Juboori was shopping this morning at 9:30 in Hai Al Hurr market near his house in Karbala when he was showered with bullets by two gun men while he was driving his car away. His body stayed bleeding in the car nearly about 30 minutes with no show of an Iraqi policeman or an ambulance. His body was taken to the hospital in his private car by his son Zuhair who was angry firing his gun in the air. 

Abo Zuhair is 63, father of 3 sons, a retired army officer since 1991, and running his own private gas station in Karbala for more than 15 years. Abo Zuhair and I spent yesterday, all day together. As soon he heard that I'm in Karbala he called me to invite me for a lunch. We drove together yesterday afternoon to his favorite simple, hut-style restaurant, not too far from where we live in Hai Al Mu'alimeen (teachers vicinity).

Before we headed for lunch, we made one stop at a government agency where he usually get his portion of gas for his station. I was waiting at the front desk, while he was getting the required paper work done for his weekly share of gasoline, inside the building. I noticed 2 young men came in quickly and left out, as they were checking on somebody. Because the procedures took some extra time I suspected, they might were after us! On our way out, we saw the two young men still outside waiting. I told him about them, but he didn't seem to be worried or to care about them. He smiled and said " let's go, we are late and you must be very hungry". We had a tandoori chicken at about 3pm, then he drove me home which it is across from his house.

At about 7:37pm he called to check on me if I had already my dinner! I answered "yes", Then he suggested to come over to my place to visit for the rest of the night. We stayed until midnight when he finally excused himself to leave home. In the morning about 9:50, my brother-in-law received a phone call from a friend informing him that Abo Zuhair is assassinated and his body is still  in the market! Sayed Jamal and I run quickly outside to hear Um Zuhair, sons, and the rest of the family screaming and mourning his death.

Sayed Jamal told me later on, that I delayed his death yesterday! "What" I asked. He elaborated that the killers were chasing him personally for a while, according to the De-Baathification and previous Iraqi army liquidation laws, that set by former US ambassador Bremer in Iraq upon the occupation. The victim was warned several times by friends and neighbors. He hid at home for sometime and left the country for few months, but he couldn't stay to be away from his family for a long time. Early Sept, 2005, Subhi was interviewed by William and Sheila of CPT [Christian Peacemaker’s Team] at my place in Karbala when he told them about the hard conditions people like him are facing in new Iraq.

Abo Zuhair was a good man and I never thought I was so close to his tragic incident!

Happy new year,
Sami