CPTnet
March 20, 2004

IRAQ: Notes from "Break every yoke" fasting vigil, March 13, 2004

Matthew, Cliff, Jane, and Peggy stood in vigil today. Hatham from the
district of Abu Ghraib, who comes often, attended again today and helped
with the pictures and banner. Three young boys participated, holding up the
large laminated photos of detainees. A young man from Germany and his
friend from Jordan also joined us for the entire vigil.

As we have come to expect, a number of interested and interesting people
stopped to talk. One man from Basrah spoke with Cliff about his experience
working with Northrup Grumman, a large U.S. military contractor. This man
had trained in San Antonio and Long Beach. He asked a number of questions,
trying to understand what we were doing. During the conversation, another
man approached and told us that Saddam Hussein killed his brother and
imprisoned his father for twenty years. Cliff acknowledged the oppression
of Saddam's regime, and said that CPT holds all families in our concern --
those who suffered under Saddam and those who suffer under occupation. We
want to work so that such injustice does not happen again. In the end, the
young man from Northrup Grumman said more than once to Cliff, "What you
are doing is VERY important!"

Jane observed that there is a whole generation here (in this neighborhood at
least) that does not know how to read. Although the older adults can read,
many of the children and young men had great difficulty sounding out the
words on the signs.

 Several simply decline the flyer with a hand wave and a smile to indicate
that they cannot read. Ironically, on this very day Jane and Matthew
also spoke with a man who has ideas about educational reform, and wanted to
know how he could contact Paul Bremer or George Bush about his concerns.

Matthew and Peggy had quieter (or at least less intense!) days that they
have experienced in the past. One man did ask the "Where were you when
Saddam . . . ." question, but he genuinely wanted to know. He continued his
thoughts saying, "We had abuses under Saddam, now we have abuses under
the Americans." Peggy also talked to a number of Iraqi newspaper reporters.

It is troubling how many expressions of hopelessness we hear. Jane spoke to
a man who seemed to have great heaviness in his heart as he asked, "Can
you help me get my son out of prison? He is in Kirkuk." Another asked, "Do
you think this demonstration is going to do any good," before
answering himself by saying, "It's a mess. No hope." But in the end, an
elderly man expressed a more universal vision, not only concerning this one
action, but ALL actions: "You have to have God in your heart to do any good.
You need prayer, and careful discernment."

May this be so for all of us, for all people. This is our prayer today.