Ash Wednesday, Beginning the Fast

Ash Wednesday and Beginning the Fast
February 25, 2004

Hi everyone,

It is Ash Wednesday today and the first day of our fast. So far, it is
not too bad, although my teammates and I discussed how suddenly all the
treats you wanted to get in ahead of the fast come up as strong cravings
today. For me, I passed a shwarma (kind of like a gyro) shop today and
remembered I should have stopped in yesterday. But actually, that is
abating already. We found a good place to get healthy, non-sugary juice
not far from our apartment, and I think liquids only for 40 days will
actually be alright.

Today was also the first day of our vigil in Tahrir Square for the
prisoners. Most days in Lent, we will be vigiling from 12-2pm with photos
of Iraqis 'disappeared' by US forces--those whom we know have been
detained by the military, but their families can get no information about
why they've been taken, the charges against them, how long they will be
gone, where they are being held, if they are still alive, if they are
healthy, etc. We were absolutely mobbed with Iraqis, which suprised me.
Many said thank you and were suprised we were mostly Americans. Some were
angry and needed to vent. I spent much of those two hours listening.
Iraqis don't feel like anyone is listening to them, so it seemed like my
calling at that given moment. There were a few Iraqi police around, and
they soon really got into our act, after we and our translator told them
what we were up to, they began telling the rest of the crowd what we were
doing because so many people were coming up so fast asking questions. We
printed about 750 fliers and they ran out in about half an hour.
Tomorrow, hopefully, we'll just make one big poster and hold that up
instead. Some people told us of their own family members who were
disappeared. Some people said, "Some of these guys are probably
criminals, theives, they shouldn't be released." We replied that we
weren't asking for them to be released, but that they and their families
should know what they are being accused of and they should have the right
to a lawyer and a trial. A lot of Iraqis have told us that criminals and
serious Ba'ath party officials are picked up by US forces and immediately
released back into public, so I think that is where much of the concern
was coming from.

On the way to our vigil, our building's housekeeper told us one of her
relatives was detained yesterday. We will interview her soon to get more
details.

It's strange. When I was home speaking, I felt as though I was being too
harsh on my audiences, I was overwhelming them, I was putting too much on
them by showing the destroyed houses and the killed people and the
terrible realities of this Occupation. Now that I have returned, I feel
that I perhaps was still not true enough to the reality of the suffering,
of the deprivation of electricity, food, water, and medical care. Iraq is
so much more desperate than it was two months ago.

The other day I made my first visit to Abu Sifa. You will have read about
this village in our team reports. At one of the homes we visited, a man
was arrested by US forces. He was actually a ranking Ba'ath party member.
Therefore, it seems to have made sense to arrest him. This is what
doesn't make sense. Several days after the arrest, our soldiers came back
and torched his home. Sixteen people lived in a home that we would
normally use to house four, including many children. I was shocked by the
level of destruction. Now they are all homeless.

Another man was arrested, then they destroyed his home in front of him.
Much of the village looked like this. They used a tank to shove the man's
taxi into the wreckage of his home. He now has no home, no car, no
family--they are scattered. And no trial, no lawyer, and no human rights.

Eighty men in this village were taken. That is, all the men of this
village except two. The two remaining men must now take on all the
farming tasks for the others. It is an enormous job, even for a small
agricultural village on the Tigris. They must also try to provide
security for all the families there. I was stunned. What if eighty men
were rounded up in Mason City? Is that all of Asbury? All of Briarstone?
or all of the North End? What does that do to a community? How can they
stand for it?

We went to another home. I was not ready for this. The soldiers attacked
in the middle of the night. Now the house was barely standing. Every
room was sprayed with tank shell and bullet holes. There were huge holes
in every room of the house from the shelling. The family had collected
strings and strings of heavy artillery shells and had them in feed sacks.
I didn't want to touch them because I didn't know if they were coated in
Depleted Uranium. As I looked around, I wondered, how could anyone have
survived this attack? Any child?

The family still has to live there. Palm fronds have been woven through
the window frames to cover the broken-out glass. What is worse, is that
yet again, the soldiers returned and apologized for what they had done
several days later. They had the wrong house, again.

I want to scream.

It occurs to me that someone reading my letter might say, "They deserved
this. Otherwise it would not have happened." I say, children of anyone,
no matter how criminal their fathers, are innocent, and they cannot be
deprived of shelter. My father was a soldier in Viet Nam. Perhaps it's
only fair someone come demolish my home with bulldozers, tanks, and
helicopter gunships. Why on earth are we doing this?

Apparently, after each of our team's visits to document the human rights
abuses here, the US forces return. They come in the middle of the night.
They ask the villagers, "Why did you invite the CPT here? What are you
telling them?" We have to worry about retaliation for those who speak out
about what is happening to them.

We have to worry a lot already.They have taken the human rights lawyers
now, some of whom we were working with this fall. When they wanted to
find out if some of the disappeared were in Abu Ghraib, I don't think this
is what they had in mind. I am worried about them.

Dr. Alim Yacoub is dead. He died in a very suspicious looking car
accident between Baghdad and Basrah, while driving his van with his
family. I think one of his sons was killed also, or perhaps severely
wounded. Dr. Yacoub was the foremost researcher in Iraq on the health
effects of Depleted Uranium (which is really a bit of a misnomer, since
it's still quite radioactive). For those of you who have seen my DU
binder when I've spoken on Iraq, that is but one part of his life's work.
When our team last saw him, he was being watched by the CPA. He was not
free to speak, and was being silenced. I just heard on the BBC about a
World Health Organization report on the dangers of Depleted Uranium that
had been suppressed, but now an American researcher who was a part of that
report is coming forward. Dr. Yacoub was also working with the WHO after
being with the non-Ministry of Health here. In both places, it seems he
was being silenced. Many of the scientists are disappearing. Some are
ending up dead. They and their families are afraid. The studenta at the
university are protesting. I wonder if anyone in the CPA will listen.

I want to pass on a column I read today. It was pretty moving for me,
about a soldier that was killed. I think about dead and dying soldiers
quite often here. Here is the address:
http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-nybres223681425feb22,0,3719518.column

It is good to be back. In Abu Sifa, after all the destruction and pain
the families shared with us, they invited us to lunch and the tour of
their farms. We played in the Tigris river. We ate our fill of fresh
oranges and sweet grapefruit from the trees. I talked to the sheep and
chickens, as I usually do, to the amusement of the local kids. We were
fed well and drank seemingly gallons of tea. I learn so much about
hospitality and homemaking here. Even when people have no more than mats
for furniture, they can treat you like royalty as a matter of custom. I
am awed.

I need to leave this letter a little short. Will write more soon,

peace,

Le Anne

Back to Baghdad, into the fire...

Hi everyone,

I arrived in Baghdad safely yesterday afternoon with our new delegation
and Bob after a very long and pretty exhausting 3 days of travel (about 12
hours' sleep in 5 days). I was asleep most of that afternoon/evening and
all night until 7 this morning. Bob didn't get up at his usual 5 am
either. The delegation, which got exactly 2 hours of sleep between the
flight and the car trip in, retired pretty early themselves.

It was good to be back among friends in Amman as well at our usual hostel
near the bus station. My coffee man recognized me as usual, and was happy
to see me headed back to Baghdad. He was busy telling all the surrounding
taxi drivers "this is the girl who speaks Arabic and lives in Hebron and
Baghdad!" Awww. Jamil at the hotel called me the 'Queen of peace.' I
laughed. I can only be the princess of peace, I told him. (Sister) Anne
Montgomery, at 77 this year, is still the queen of peace, and I give her
another 30 years left to reign! Fortunately, he agrees.

I was overcome with emotion at seeing the first lightening moments of
sunrise just as we approached the Iraqi border. It's happened several
times now. Coming to Iraq is coming home, not just as a peace worker but
as a human being returning to the origins of civilization itself.

At the Jordanian side of the border, we had an hour's wait to process our
passports. I noticed another group of foreigners besides us. I went over
to make friends, partly to keep myself warm while standing in the bitter
cold of a waning desert night. [My other option was the smoke-filled
waiting room, which was quickly making me ill]. It turns out the other
group was an international evangelical missionary group. Ah, I said.
They will be here two weeks. One couple even brought along their baby.
They said they had some aid materials with them, and a lot of literature.
I decided not to exchange addresses. Apparently, the unknown Christian
organization which was ambushed last week near Babylon were on a
proselytizing mission also. Missionaries offend not only Iraqi Muslims
but the indigenous Christian community as well, whom they tend to ignore
rather than support. Proselytizers also tend to ignore local customs
enough to create even more problems for indigenous Christians'
relationships with their neighbors. I did not realize until hearing from
a peace activist who lives stateside that Bush had publicly stated his
hopes missionaries would come to Iraq and begin converting as soon as we'd
taken it over. Thanks, Bush, this was one kind of help Iraqis definitely
did not need. In the meantime, I give all of you permission to worry
about this group's safety rather than mine for the time they are here.
They clearly are unfamiliar with the situation, do not have local contacts
nor invitation, and are in grave danger.

--

There are still several bombed-out Iraqi cars left along the highway, on
top of bridges, etc. The Americans leave these carcasses while they
promptly remove their own. [the tell-tale burn mark of an ambushed Humvee
is still visible to those looking for it]. As I've written before, the
military does this to prop up its own morale while undermining that of the
insurgency. It is part of the psychological war that is winning neither
the hearts nor the minds of the Iraqi people.

We traveled to Baghdad in a two-car caravan. I rode with Sattar's
brother, the driver of the car which had the blowout and rollover in which
George was killed. As the day brightened, I could finally see the
interior of the vehicle and it slowly dawned on me that this was the same
car. I remember standing beside it after everyone was out and looking
inside over a year ago. The vehicle itself was barely scratched--only the
window next to George had been broken, probably when he was thrown out.

There are some other details I noticed which were pretty grisly and will
not write about here. It is hard to erase all the signs of a fatal car
accident, though the repairs were done surprisingly well. I noticed
immediately that Razak has lost a lot of weight since the accident. He is
quite shy, and it is hard to talk to him. I wonder what it does to him to
continue driving this car. He saved five of us, but was devastated over
George. Still, I am aware that in Iraq, one cannot simply be rid of a
vehicle with tragic memories. It is a matter of survival to keep the car
going, to provide income. I was glad to be the only one in the vehicle
with this knowledge, and to be sitting in the seat where George was. I
don't think I will tell anyone else from the accident, the team, or this
delegation.

As we drove, I also noted the thousands of US brand tires, peeled apart in
blowouts just as we all saw on the Ford Explorers during the recall,
littering the sides of the road, a painful reminder not just to us, I am
sure. How long will it be before Iraq can protect herself from the greed
of other nations, and its role as dumping grounds for unsafe products and
the leftovers of recalls?

I sat behind someone in the car who is particularly adept at remembering
quotes. One thought-provoker she had was, "We don't support police
officers by committing crimes. We don't support firefighters by lighting
fires, either. Whatever made us think we 'support our troops' by
supporting war?" When our society quickly and exclusively equates the
latter with one another, I found this a gem for cutting through the crap
of it all.

Speaking of 'crap,' as it were, I am sad to say that much of what I
presented to you of the documented human rights abuses we saw on team this
fall seem mild compared to what our team has seen since. I feel a little
nauseous thinking about it all just yet. It may be a long spring.
Perhaps it will be a good thing I am fasting and therefore not eating too
much this Lent.

A long trek allows for some good reading. I cruised through Al Franken's
_Lies and the Lying Liars That Tell Them_, which I expected to be
entertaining but I did not expect it to be so well-researched and
intelligent. I strongly recommend it as a commentary of our country's
media and administration. Now I have temporarily switched books with Bob
and am onto the _Da Vinci Code_. I heard plenty about it while I was
home, and voila! It appears in my hands when I least expect it. Looking
forward to intriguing reading.

In our team apartment, we were gifted with a stunning book on the US
occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, complete with pictures and numerous
reflections. I don't have the details with me, but I can see already it
is a sobering must-read. I will pass that on soon. Viggo Mortenson even
contributed a piece to it. I guess when he's not busy being Lord of the
Rings, he exhibits a social conscience. I am impressed, now for reasons
beyond looking good in elven-cloaks. (ha ha)

I need to return to the office now, on Sunday, to meet an Iraqi human
rights worker who has cases of Iraqi women detained indefinitely in Abu
Ghraib. Some are students, others are human rights workers themselves. I
am jumping straight into the fire today.

peace to you,

Le Anne

Some thoughts on 'Beyond Baghdad'

Hi everyone,

I had the chance to see PBS' Frontline last night, entitled 'Beyond
Baghdad,' and found it suprisingly good. By suprisingly good, I mean that
it looks like he was able to dig into the on-the-ground issues about
halfway. The journalist didn't spend too much time on the prisoners
situation but at least mentioned it, and I felt it was important that he
did show US troops demolishing the home of two aged parents in ill health
because their son is part of the armed resistance. They also depicted US
soldiers putting plastic bags over bound men's heads. He did not mention
that they were both human rights abuses (the first being collective
punishment and the deprivation of shelter). A person in one of my talks
was quite suprised to hear about the plastic bags. They have been shown
on TV news quite frequently, I am suprised. Even on Fox. I think it was
also helpful that he allowed people in Fallujah to voice some of their
anger. For those of you following the Iraq team reports, Fallujah and
Ramadi have experienced the most human rights abuses from US forces, and
have subsequently brought forth a large number of attacks on US forces.

US officers' comments on the money for reconstruction running out in
October was somewhat stunning. The journalis was still there through
mid-December (left the day before I did), so I am wondering, where did
that $87 billion reconstruction aid package go?

There were a few things I thought he failed to mention which would have
been good. While people are lining up in day-long queues for gasoline,
the US is reporting record high _exports_ of Iraqi fuel, which they are
using to fund the Occupation. Iraqis have said the reason oil pipelines
are being sabotaged is because the oil is being exported without concern
for the needs of the people. Second, a US officer was complaining that a
wealthy local sheik (who the journalist just showed as having his
warehouse vandalized by US soldiers during a search) should be
contributing to the reconstruction effort, that it can't be funded solely
by the U.S. Actually, under international law, while the country is under
military occupation, the occupying powers are solely responsible for the
costs of providing civilian infrastructure and well-being. Iraqis may
begin to contribute while under a non-occupation international security
presence and interim representative government--although donations equal
political power, something that must be handled very carefully. Third, it
might have been good for him to contact a human rights or humanitarian aid
group (Iraqi or international), as this perspective is almost entirely
left out.

That said, it was good for US television; Canada and European countries
seem to 'get it' a little quicker though. Finally, it did have a lot of
nice background footage of several places our team tromps around on a
regular basis (like the holy shrines in Najaf and Kabala).

You may catch a rerun of Frontline sometime this weekend (check your local
listings) or view it online at www.pbs.org. There are apparently some
good study resources there also.

I am getting packed up (well, piles of stuff to take on the floor,
including industrial sized containers of oatmeal and peanut butter for
teammates' cravings) sewed up (patching, adding drawstrings for that
sudden inevitable on-project weight drop, making a conservative black
skirt) and wrapping up lots of paperwork (especially seminary forms for
next fall). I'm down to three days left, so plenty to do--including
preaching and leading the Sunday School at my aunt's church this weekend!

Time to sign off and get busy.

peace,

Le Anne

Fasting for Healing

Hi everyone,

I know I have been delayed quite a while in my writing. Some of you have
scolded me for that. I do have much to say, and will get to it soon.

My speaking tour this time has gone well overall. It has also been
nerve-wracking in some ways, knowing especially that what I am compelled
to say about what I have witnessed in Iraq is a very uncomfortable message
in our society. Fortunately, I have also been surrounded by personal and
CPT supporters every time I spoke. This has done much to keep me going
and I am grateful.

Next week, I return to Baghdad, just as we the church move into the season
of Lent. When our team pondered what witness would be meaningful to our
work there with the Iraqi prisoners, a fast seemed most appropriate.

Every member of the team will fast in some form, in addition to daily acts
of public witness to draw attention to the plight of Iraqis in the U.S.
prison camps. I would like to begin by fasting from meat, and by Lent I
would like to be ready for a liquids-only fast. I have become sick from
fasting before, so I will have to see what I can manage.

I encourage each of you to read the call for fasting below, share it in
your own church congregations, and join the fast in whatever way you are
able. In the meantime, if you have not yet had a chance to share the
Campaign to Ensure Justice for Iraqi Detainees which I distributed
earlier, I encourage you to do so now. Another copy of the Campaign can
be obtained from http://www.cpt.org/iraq.

Several of you have indicated you are not receiving updates from the Iraq
team as you do from Hebron. Most of the testimonies we have collected and
I have edited are going out on the Iraq list, and not on my personal list.
To receive regular updates from CPT Iraq, send an email to:
cpt_iraq-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

peace,

Le Anne
---------------
Break Every Yoke: A Lenten Fast for Justice and Healing in Iraq

"Is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? THIS is the
kind of fasting I desire: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the
cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. Then
your light will break forth like the dawn, and your wound will quickly be
healed. The ancient ruins will be rebuilt, and the foundations restored."
– Isaiah 58:5-6, 8, 12.

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) members living and working in Iraq appeal
to the worldwide church to join a Fast for Justice and Healing throughout
the season of Lent.

Mohammed huddles beneath two blankets at Abu Ghraib prison outside
Baghdad. U.S. forces raided his home by mistake last September. Ayia
weeps for her imprisoned brothers and their now-homeless wives and
children. She has not seen them since June and cannot get permission to
visit. A young soldier looks out at the night, haunted by what he has
seen and done. He wonders if he will ever heal.
No one knows how many Iraqis are being detained. The Coalition
Provisional Authority is able to provide names and locations for 11,000
to 13,000 detainees, but human rights organizations estimate that there
are over 18,000. Due process for the detained is unbearably slow or
nonexistent, and many suffer abuse, hunger, and psychological distress in
prison. Their families struggle to get by and wonder if their loved ones
are dead or alive. Thousands of families – both in the U.S. and Iraq –
ache for the wounds of war to be healed.
It is time to ask for miracles. It is time to empty ourselves and beg for
God’s mercy and compassion. It is time to proclaim a fast – a “day
acceptable to the Lord.”

We fast to set the oppressed free and to break the yokes of injustice that
keep thousands of Iraqis imprisoned without due process. We fast to
become more vulnerable to God’s presence as we seek ways to reduce the
fear, violence, and injustice that imprison all of us. We fast to seek
the miracle of forgiveness, peace, and healing from all the terrors of
war. We invite you to fast with us.

CPT members in Iraq will fast in a variety of ways (liquids-only,
Ramadan-style dawn to dusk) and will engage in daily public witness in
Baghdad.

Please JOIN THE FAST in whatever way you are able:
• Give up a meal, a TV show, or a favorite pastime each day during
Lent; spend that time in prayer for a detainee and their family.
• Join with a group to fast in a particular way for the entire
season of Lent, each person taking one day per week.
• Join with a group of friends, church community or family to fast
or eat a simple meal and pray for peace.
In the spirit of Isaiah, take concrete actions to BREAK EVERY YOKE: •
Write letters on behalf of Iraqi detainees and their families; go to
CPT’s website for the names and addresses of detainees, the
Coalition Provisional Authority officials who are in charge of these
detainees, sample letters, and other information.
• Organize your chuch/community/group to participate in CPT’s
[Adopt-a-Detainee] campaign to take action on behalf of Iraqi detainees;
contact CPT’s Chicago office for a campaign organizer’s kit.
• Hold a public vigil to draw attention to the plight of Iraqi
detainees; possible symbols could include candles, posters of detainees,
and wearing handcuffs and head-shrouds to graphically depict the situation
of Iraqi detainees.

Sharing your prayers, actions, and experiences of fasting will provide
encouragement and inspiration for others around the world. Please send
your comments to or

Team members include: Peggy Gish, Athens, OH; Shiela Provencher, South
Bend, Indiana; Maxine Nash, Centerville, IN; Jane Wright, Providence Bay,
Ont; Jim Loney, Toronto Ont;Steward Vrisinga, Lucknow Ont, Cliff Kindy,
North Manchester, IN

Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite
Churches. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel. 773-277-0253; Fax:
773-277-0291, E-Mail Peacemakers@cpt.org WEB www.cpt.org