By Donna Mulhearn

Dear friends,

There’s a gun battle outside. It has been going ferociously for 20 minutes. There’s been several large and fatal bomb blasts today.

It is cold without electricity. I, and most families in Baghdad, now sit in the dark. My Iraqi friends are anxious and sad about everything.

But there is good news in Baghdad.

On the morning of Monday, November 29, peace and social justice activists blockaded the US federal building in downtown Chicago. The activists were protesting the use of US taxpayer money to fund war and violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Colombia while human needs remain unmet. Several of those engaging in the blockade have traveled to Iraq with Voices in the Wilderness as well as to Columbia with Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Before the 5th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, November 10-12, 2004

On 11th September, people everywhere were shocked into the realization that we live in a dangerous world. Those who lost loved ones, and the American people, had our sympathy. But how did the American Administration respond?

Tragically,very badly. There was no breath of vision, no wisdom, only violence, terror, and war. In spite of millions of people calling for ‘no war’ British and American Forces, rained death and destruction on the people of Afghanistan and then Iraq. Iraq, a country where, when I visited in l999, not only their children, but the whole country, was being destroyed by the effects of the Gulf War, economic sanctions of UN/USA/UK, and the cruelty of a Military dictator. As if their lives were not desperate enough, they were brutally bombed again. These wars were not heroic, courageous, or honorable. They were immoral, illegal, and unnecessary. In time all those involved in the murder of many thousands of Iraqi people ( the latest figure is 100,000 civilians), and Afghans, will want to say they are sorry. Over 1,000 US and many British soldiers, were killed, and untold thousands of US soldiers injured. The Russian war against Chechnya was another example, of State terror against a civilian population. This planted seeds of revenge and hatred, and resulted in desperate acts of terrorism, such as those against the children of Beslan. As sure as Spring follows Winter, terrorism follows State Violence and Repression. In spite of this, we are promised ongoing Wars by the United States. I believe that War is State Terrorism by another name, and is itself a threat to humankind. It may well be, only a matter of time, before some Government, or terrorist group, decides to use Nuclear weapons, and that is why Nuclear Proliferation is also a threat.

By Tom Fox, Christian Peacemaker Teams
November 28, 2004

Last week Maxine Nash and I visited a friend of the team at his home. Nuir (not his real name) invited us for dinner and to spend the night. A number of things related to that visit seemed quite “normal” for life here in Baghdad. But trying to put in the context of what is normal in North America really strained my imagination.

Visiting their home: Nuir picked us up after dark to minimize the possibility of our being seen going into his house. Maxine and I wore Iraqi head coverings again to minimize the likelihood that someone might see him bringing Westerners to his home, since that would make Nuir a potential target for insurgent retaliation. Imagine: You live in North America and you invite some friends who are visiting from Japan over to your home. You tell them not to arrive until after dark and to please wear the caps and jerseys of the local high school football team to help them blend in.

By Cliff Kindy, Nov 26,2004

Christian Peacemaker Teams
Read Cliff’s blog from Iraq.

[Readers will understand that sources wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.]

November 19, two thousand people gathered for Friday prayers at the Abu Hanifa Shrine. As prayers ended, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Guards shot percussion grenades, or “sound bombs,” in the plaza outside the mosque. Within minutes they entered the doors of the mosque behind a barrage of 25 more sound bombs that blew out the glass.

U.S. and Iraqi troops moved the more than 80 women from their prayer room into the central prayer hall where the men were collected. The invaders fired shots in the outer hall of the mosque, killing four people and injuring nine. In the prayer hall some of those who had been praying grabbed shoes to throw at the soldiers to show the deep insult for bringing the guns and violence into the mosque