CPTnet
July 13, 2004

IRAQ: Looking down the barrel of a gun

by Greg Rollins

Before I tell you this story, I want to assure you that the following does
not happen to CPTers often, especially here in Iraq. Please do not worry for
any reason.
      At the end of our street, there is a small gang, the kind with nothing
better to do but loiter around shops and in front of homes. Often they are
friendly with us, but this evening they had something else on their minds.
I don't know what time but it was well after dark. The heat rose off the
pavement as it remembered the sun. CPTers Sheila Provencher, Stewart
Vriesinga and I were on our way home from the ice cream shop. As we passed
the gang at the far end of the block, they stood in our way. Then they
surrounded us. I didn't trust their smiles.
      With our full attention, one of them pulled out a gun. At first, we
weren't alarmed. It's common to see guns in Iraq. All Iraqis have at least
one for protection, even the church we attend
has armed guards but this gun and the smile on the boy's face were ill
matched. One inflated the other.
      Stewart and Sheila, friendlier than I am, tried to break the sudden
tension. Stewart gave his usual disoriented, deep, smoke-stained chuckle.
Sheila tried to say something kind; I can't remember what, because no one
heard her.
      The guy with the gun pointed it at Sheila. A laugh went up from
everyone around us. Stewart let out one of those wordless exclamations that
said, "Hey, there's no need for that, we're all
friends here." My thought was, "I was hoping this wouldn't happen," but I
reacted differently. "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greater") I screamed. Muslims
yell this whenever they enter battle or are distressed. I thought it might
disorient the guy with the gun, but it didn't. He laughed and with the gun,
squirted Sheila. (Did I mention it was a squirt gun?) He then turned and
squirted Stewart and me.
      Without waiting to get too wet, the three of us ran to our apartment.
We filled balloons with water and grabbed a squirt gun of our own. Sheila
and I went back down the street. Stewart went up to the roof and launched
two balloons that narrowly missed us. The boys down the street expected us.
They had pots full of water. We spent the next while wrestling for water
balloons and squirt guns and chasing each other up and down the street. When
it all was said and done, everyone was wet. The pavement had forgotten much
of the sun.
      As I said at the beginning, this kind of thing doesn't happen a lot to
CPTers, especially here in Iraq, but maybe it should.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite
Churches. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel. 773-277-0253; Fax:
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