micah shristi reports before the war

Report and photos by Micah Keller Shristi

January 8, Baghdad - Four Americans who lost their family members in the September 11 attacks met today with Iraqi families who lost loved ones during the Gulf War.

The nearly 2 hour conversation took place inside the Amariya Shelter, a civilian bomb shelter in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad which suffered a direct hit from a precision-guided bomb on 13 December, 1991.

"A man who lost four relatives in the bombing started firing [accusations] at us down in the shelter. He was obviously angry at the United States and justifiably so," says Kristina Olsen who lost her sister, Laurie, in the World Trade Center attack. "Later though, the same man came up to me, took my hand, and invited me to be a guest at his house."

Members of the American delegation are impressed with the hospitality of Iraqis they have met. "We've been offered cups of tea at every turn in the road, even though our government has hurt these people so much through sanctions and ongoing bombings," says Kathleen Tinley whose uncle Michael was killed on 9/11. "The people here are just so friendly."

The American delegation is visiting Iraq as part of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, an organization calling for peaceful diplomatic solutions to global terrorism. An additional four American peace activists accompany the four family members.

"People say bombing Iraq is going to make the world a safer place, but in reality this will only create generations of pain and suffering on both sides," says delegation member Lenore Yarger.

Dialogue with ordinary Iraqi citizens is the major focus of the delegation's visit to Iraq. The group's 5-day itinerary includes visits with medical professionals, Iraqi clergy, teachers and students, and an all-important shopping trip to the "suq" or market.

On their visit to Basra in the southern no-fly-zone, the delegation hopes to meet with family members of civilians killed in bombings during the last few weeks.

"We're here to put a human face on these people, the so-called 'enemy'. In the United States they [Iraqis] are thought of as statistics or 'collateral damage'," says Thomas Gumbleton, delegation member and auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Detroit.

"We're here to say these people are mothers and fathers trying to raise happy healthy children; people trying to live normal lives."

During an informal group discussion, delegation members decided on oil as the main motivation behind US aggression. They agreed that a high-profile mediator, such as Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu, is needed to help start dialogue between Iraq and the United States.

Terry Rockefeller, who lost her sister Laura in the attack on the World Trade Center, says, "We're just repeating the Gulf War. It's hard for me to believe that two countries who are about to start killing each other are not talking to each other."

"The only way to avert war is to make it politically advantages to President Bush," says Bishop Gumbleton. "If Bush can save face by saying he forced Saddam to disarm, then peace is possible."

Drawing on her experience working with troubled adolescents Colleen Kelly says, "The US is like a schoolyard bully, they aren't going to back down after calling in all these troops and putting so much pressure on the UK and the other allies." Her brother William died in the World Trade Center on September 11.

"It's really hard to say goodbye to the people I'm meeting here in Iraq. You know, what do you say: 'I hope you don't get killed in a month'? I feel really powerless, really awful," says Rockefeller.