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

by Donna Mulhearn
(Donna was in Iraq prior to, during and after the US invasion of Iraq. She is from Australia and recently returned to Baghdad. Click here to read Donna’s prior writings from Iraq.)

Friends,

At any given moment, the atmosphere of Baghdad provides a heavy blend of competing noises. Having to yell at the person sitting on the lounge next to you is often necessary in order to be heard. The concept of some ‘peace and quiet’ and ‘a good sleep’ has long been forgotten. Headaches are normal.

Here’s a sample of the cocktail of sounds that make up the noise of Baghdad:

by Kathy Kelly

In the past year, several groups have asked me to facilitate retreats for people who want to further explore nonviolence. At the retreats, I ask volunteers to role-play situations likely to generate discussion about challenges people face when involved in peace activism. One of the most reliably difficult scenarios stages a spouse raising with his or her partner a decision to become a war tax refuser and stop paying federal income tax.

In one such scene, an anguished husband implored his wife to understand his reasons for stopping payment of federal income tax. “How could you do this to our children?” she asked. “And why didn’t you think of this before you became a father?” The husband responded, “Honey, I just want to do something for peace,” to which the wife blurted out, “At Christmas?!” The room filled with laughter. Cut! Point well taken.

Last night, after spending Thanksgiving Day with family, my mother and I groaned over TV news clips that anticipated today’s shopping binge. Many progressives refuse to participate in the orgy of shopping that accompanies the Christmas season. But what about the appropriations for weaponry that are so hard to eliminate from our personal budgets?

by George Capaccio

Imagine what life would be like
if everyone reacted the way I have.
The churches, mosques, and temples
would all be full from dawn to dusk
with people praying for guidance,
praying for light,
for a way out of this darkness,
an end to this slaughter,

praying for God to come through smoke and fire,
cries of the wounded and dying,
hatred and fear flowing like blood
on the battlefield,
to gather up all this horror in His radiant arms
and with one godlike breath
blow it out
that we might see each other again
as His children, one and all.