February 17, 2005
By Peggy Gish
Christian Peacemaker Teams
"I guess if we want to be safer, we should move to Fallujah," one of my
teammates, here in Baghdad, said jokingly when he read a news article that
said Fallujah is the safest city in Iraq. I picked up the article and read
that 8,000 people from Fallujah, a city of 300,000, had voted in the
election.
I found the article's observation sobering. It reported that some refugees
had returned to Fallujah and were trying to clean the rubble and prepare to
rebuild. The premise was that it is safe now, because insurgents are gone.
But the journalist also described other conditions: little water and
electricity, heavy curfews and restrictions on moving around the city.
Last November, the U.S. government defended the month-long assault on
Falluja as a way to insure safe and free elections. In reality, it led to a
massive decrease in voters and the majority of Sunnis, throughout Iraq,
boycotting the election.
Since last November, members of our peace team have visited three Fallujan
refugee camps and interviewed refugees in other private locations. The last
visit a few days ago was with a group of about 1300 camped at the Baghdad
University Mosque. Here, families were crowded in tents outside, and inside
the mosque in rooms created by blankets draped over ropes. They talked
about their demolished shops and businesses in Fallujah, and said that more
homes there are still being destroyed. It can take them more than twelve
hours at checkpoints to get into the city. Families had stories of family
members or friends missing, killed, or detained. Most refugees have decided
not to return to Fallujah until it is safer, more accessible, and until
U.S. forces have left.
The children were quick to speak about their situation. Twelve-year-old
Rania asked, "If the Americans are strong, why didn't they find Al Zarqawi?
Why did they destroy my books and games, and the children's toys? What is
our fault?"
This group of refugees has chosen to remain in the cold and mud until five
demands are met:
1. A U.S. apology for the indiscriminate bombing.
2. Restitution amounting to $5-10 billion.
3. U.S. soldiers leave their city.
4. No Iraqi militias present from other areas.
5. International organizations and media be allowed to come into Fallujah
and report freely.
Fallujah could possibly be the safest city in Iraq, but it's not the kind
of safety I would want to live with. The way to produce real safety to
Iraqis, or to U.S. Soldiers, is not to level every city as U.S. soldiers
did in Fallujah. Safety for all will not come by killing more U.S.
soldiers, nor by U.S. soldiers killing more Iraqis. Building safety and
democracy comes from building up a destroyed society, providing jobs,
assisting dialogue and unity among different ethnic groups, and for taking
away the main reason for the violence, the occupation of their country.
Peggy Gish, local farmer, is currently working in Iraq with the Christian
Peacemaker Teams.
Paola Manduca, Prof.
Dipartimento di Biologia Sperimenale, Ambientale ed Applicata
Università di Genova
4°piano, Palazzo delle Scienze
26, C.Europa
16132, Genova
Tel.& Fax 0039-010-353 8240
Email man-via@???
