2 February 2004
By Angela Garcia

On January 11, 2004 we launched Bowling for Basra and it was a blast! Bowling for Basra is a fundraising event where bowlers collect pledges and donate them to families in Iraq. Pledges ranged from a penny to a dollar for each point or a flat pledge overall or for each strike. Participants are encouraged to bowl along with the official bowlers for additional fun. The bowlers were activist and not pro-bowlers so the point spread was low and the fun factor was high.

The idea was spawned from Bowling for Baghdad that was birthed from Michael Moore’s film “Bowling for Columbine”. Bowling for Baghdad was a match between reporters and activist in Baghdad during operation “Shock and Awe”. You can read more about Bowling for Baghdad at communitycampaigns.com.

We decided to change the name to Bowling for Basra because of course Umm Haider and Mostafa live in Basra. Their story is quite complicated and very touching. Um Haider is the primary wage earner in her family and has had a difficult time providing for her family while she was in the US. They traveled to the US on medical visas on April 8th 2003. They were in California until August 9th when they moved into my apartment in Rogers Park. They returned to Iraq on January 15, 2004. While they where in the US, Mostafa has had a root canal and has had shrapnel removed from his body. Unfortunately, removing all of it will be more damaging. The doctors decided to leave the rest untouched and allow them to surface as he grows. Some of the shrapnel is now being tested for depleted uranium. Because of the costs of running the test, we are still collecting donations.

Umm Haider and Mostafa were happy to receive so many people and bid them farewell. Mostafa spent the entire night bowling and snapping photographs. Umm Haider was very grateful and expressed her gratitude during our welcome. Overall, there were 10 bowlers who collected pledges and over 30 people came to support and join the bowling bonanza. The next Bowling for Basra II: Life Under Occupation will be coming in the spring.

With these events, it is extremely important to educate and create a healthy dialogue so people understand what effects of occupation and containment have on people. The first Gulf War sparked a new type of warfare, sanctions. The military big heads like to say that containment is a way to control a population without any US casualties. What they fail to say is that it kills children and old people; people with cancer because of Depleted Uranium and people who suffer from malnutrition and years of unrelenting war. What they forget to tell you is that it is inhumane. Now that the second Gulf War has happened and the citizens of Iraq are liberated, guess what, they aren’t telling us of the grave dangers that Iraqis face now because of occupation. We need US citizens to become involved and understand what is really happening because of US intervention, US militarism, and the results of these actions globally. Through events such as Bowling for Basra, we hope to address grave issues in a welcoming and easy-to-understand sort of way that attracts people to get involved and stay informed.