Journey to Iraq: the Faces of Children
by Ginger Paul
"A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be
comforted for her children, because they are no more."
(Jeremiah 31:15)
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
My trip to Iraq at the beginning of 2003 with the delegation representing the National Council of Churches
of Christ is never far from my thoughts. I have seen on
television the faces of some leaders with whom we met
who have been captured or who have surrendered, including Tariq Aziz. I have not seen, nor am I likely to
see the children, men and women, ordinary Iraqi citizens we talked with. Where is beautiful little Caroline?
I had a wonderful visit with three generations of her
family on New Year's Eve following a prayer service
for peace in Our Lady of Our Hearts Chaldean Catholic
Church. Are they still alive or are they among the thousands who have died?
The purpose of the trip, led by NCCC General
Secretary, Dr. Robert Edgar was to hear the concerns
of the Iraqi people and to better understand how churches
in the U.S. and Middle East could work together to
strengthen the humanitarian response given the sanctions and ongoing threat of war; to offer pastoral support to Christians and other faith communities; to meet
with religious leaders to discuss the ongoing threat of
war. We were very clear that we did not support the
Iraqi government. The goal was to bring back to the
people of the United States, "The Faces of Children"
through pictures and stories we witnessed in the hope
that they too would join those of us working to stop the
rush to war.
President Bush has declared the hostilities at
an end. Today's local newspaper says that Mr. Bush
has announced the end of sanctions against the old Iraqi
government by the United States and chided the U. N.
Security Council to do the same. "No country in good
conscience can support using sanctions to hold back the
hopes of the Iraqi people," he said. Did not the Iraqi
people have "hopes" during all those years when sanctions and war caused untold suffering and death for all but the most elite!
We didn't stop the rush to war but I believe we
did accomplish our other goals.
When we met with deputy Prime Minister Tariq
Aziz, I asked him what the Iraqi government did to alleviate the suffering of the many malnourished women
and children. He laid off most of their misery to the
sanctions but told me we should talk with the Women's
Federation, a ministry of the Iraqi government. Unfortunately, on such short notice we were not able to schedule a meeting but did learn much about their endeavors
from the UNICEF officer who often works with and
through the Federation. There are 16,000 women who
are paid staff and more than a million members throughout the country. They are primarily concerned with
health and education but increasingly advocate for the
rights of women and children. I learned in a one-on-one conversation with a mother at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church that the group was really making a
difference and growing rapidly. My hope and expectation is that the Federation is and will be at the forefront
of the new Iraq, especially as it relates to women and
children.
A 316 bed maternity and children's hospital was
home to many very sick babies and young children. In
the first ward mothers and grandmothers smiled and
seemed glad to have visitors. As one little boy held
tightly to my finger and tried to smile through the pain
of dysentery and pneumonia, I thought of my two year
old granddaughter, Caroline, the picture of health and
wanting for nothing. Life is so unfair! This little boy
may be dead by now. On another floor a young mother
adjusted the oxygen flowing into a more than 10-year-old incubator that only partially worked. She was eager to have her picture taken with her two-month-old
baby now weighing less than three pounds and losing
weight daily. Mothers and grandmothers who supplied
their own food also provided much of the care. UNICEF
estimates that more than 100,000 Iraqi children have
died needlessly each year. As we left that hospital and
drove to our next meeting I reflected on the warm welcome we received from doctors, nurses, patients so small
and sick and their anxious families. Would I hold out
my very sick child to someone I hated or considered my
enemy? I pray that much needed medication, up to
date medical equipment and continuing training for doctors is now available through relief agencies so that many
lives of the innocent children are now being saved.
The singing and laughter were hearty and loud
in the school in the very poor neighborhood where we
distributed pictures drawn by children in the United
States and Switzerland. Why are there so many windows with broken or without panes? Why do all of the
children wear heavy coats and gloves? Why does the
floor seem so damp? Why do several children share the
same books? Why do 31% of girls and 17.5% of boys
not attend primary school; 50% of boys and 60% of
girls not attend secondary school? Why do teachers
make $3-$5/month? Why do 70% of the schools need
rehabilitation? We, of course, knew the answers but
found the cruelty of the realities a bitter pill to swallow
while our necks were stiffened!
New Year's Eve we watched hundreds of beautiful young children holding a silent demonstration in
the streets of Baghdad. They carried olive branches
and candles along with signs, which read, "No to sanctions! No to war! Hands off the children of Iraq!" Those
who spoke English talked with us and were even more
eager to have their pictures taken. I wonder how many
have been killed or orphaned just as I hope that sanctions will quickly be completely lifted so that these children, the hope of the future of Iraq, may grow up believing that there is the possibility of a better future.
We traveled south into Shiite country, where
there was a marked difference in the way we three women
were treated. When we stopped at the first of three
mosques, we were each handed a chador, the black covering all women must wear. Unlike our welcome in
mosques in Baghdad we were not allowed to ask questions or to shake hands. We had been told that we might
be isolated from the men at the feast we were to have. I
resolved to fast. As I sat, fighting back tears, at the
humiliation I felt from this garment and all it symbolized, I looked out into the area surrounding this mosque
and realized with shame how privileged I am and under
what miserable circumstances these my sisters live every day of their lives. Even in Sunni country we were
granted the privilege of eating from the same table as
men minus the yards of black cloth that I had clutched
under my chin to keep the chador in place. Life is not
fair.
A group of about 80 interfaith religious leaders, many of whom opposed the war recently gathered
to consider the consequences of the military action in
Iraq and to consider next steps in the healing process.
In a joint statement, "An Urgent Call for Reflection,
Hope and Action," the Christian, Muslim and Jewish
leaders argued that American society is "at a moment
of choice even more urgent than before the war began.
We are faced with choices between hope and courage
or fear and violence; between a future characterized
by global solidarity, international cooperation and multilateral action or one characterized by unilateralism and
wars by choice rather than necessity; continuing terrorism; unfettered efforts to extend U. S. power and
the exploitation of fear."
My sisters and brothers, pray for a just and
peaceful future for our sisters and brothers in this ancient land called Iraq, the cradle of civilization.
Ginger Paul is president
of the Episcopal Women's Caucus
We are entering the adult phase of human evolution
Patricia Mische