CPTnet
30 January 2006

IRAQ REFLECTION: Violence, feasts, and gifts

by Peggy Gish

Two weeks ago, just after supper, we heard the sound of heavy shooting, much
louder and longer than the common gun battles on the streets. Neighbors were
out on the streets wondering what was happening, and soon concluded that it
was U.S. air-strikes in another neighborhood some distance from here. We
have not yet found out where they took place or the reasons given for the
strikes.

The last weeks in Iraq have been more violent, with over 200 people killed
and an American journalist we met last summer, kidnapped. Knowing that it
has been common for there to be an upsurge of violence just before major
events and holidays, doesn't make it any less horrible.

During the four-day Muslim celebration of the Eid al Adha, people were out
in great numbers shopping for food and gifts for their families'
celebrations. I enjoyed being there in the festive atmosphere, greeting
people we know. The increase of violence doesn't stop people from going on
with the celebratory or recreational activities that help hold back despair.

Most any day we can still see rousing soccer games going on in the park
across the street from us. At least for those short periods, those men, or
boys can forget and release their worry and frustration as they throw
themselves into their games.

Last month, when I first arrived in Baghdad, I felt nervous being out on the
streets, not knowing what things would be like since the kidnapping. There
are some who have been more hesitant to relate to us now because of
potential danger, but for others this has not been true. I have been glad to
receive welcoming greetings from people in our neighborhood who know who we
are and what we do here. Many stop us and ask whether we have any news about
our four colleagues. Many, Muslim and Christian, tell us they are praying
for them.

They know what it is like to worry and wait, to have family members injured
or killed. Some Iraqis have become bitter, mistrustful, and willing to take
advantage of their fellow Iraqis during this chaotic time, but most continue
to be gracious and generous in their care for each other.

One neighbor explained to me that when a member of an Iraqi family is
kidnapped by a criminal gang, everyone in the neighborhood contributes to
the family to help get them freed, implying that our neighbors would help us
that way if we wanted them to. We are not about to ask them to do that, but
are humbled by what he said. In their hardships and struggles, we can't
expect them to be able to take care of the internationals in their midst.
What they have been able to give, however, and what we feel privileged to
receive, has been the gifts of love and acceptance that he and others
generously offer us.