CPTnet
9 March 2007
IRAQ: About our work in Iraq

by Peggy Gish

We got a call from a former neighbor in Baghdad who recounted the horror and
pain she and her children experienced on the street near their home when a
bomb exploded. Her son lost some teeth and they saw others injured and
dead.

CPT Iraq had planned to help train members of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in
Najaf to be trainers in non-violence, but after a member had been shot on
the streets of Kerbala, the group was in mourning and needed to heal.

In Yezidi communities (an ancient Mesopotamian religious group) CPTers saw
extreme poverty and heard people talk about the neglect they feel from the
Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Central Iraqi Government, and US military
in their area.

Human Rights organizations in the KRG invited CPT to help them expose human
rights violations with prisoners. Another organization invited CPT to help
with nonviolence training in Kirkuk, but wanted to go with armed guards.

A refugee camp in northern Iraq that shelters Kurdish people who fled
persecution in Turkey, endured a series of raids this past month. U.S.
soldiers and Kurdish military said they were looking for weapons and
"terrorists," but found neither.

In the Kurdish north and around the country of Iraq, we encounter much fear
and mistrust between different religious and ethnic groups. People on
either side of tensions say the other group wants to kill them.

The need for truth telling, support of nonviolent movements and ethnic and
religious reconciliation, are great. Our team felt called to continue this
work and so returned to the Kurdish north to explore possibilities and build
collaborative relationships with people and organizations in this area.
Violence prevention or reduction work would take us into situations of
conflict, but we did not want our presence to put local people we work with
in greater danger.

The team saw options for work, but had not yet found a clear, specific path,
when an incident interrupted this process. In late January, Will Van
Wagenen, two Iraqi associates and I were abducted briefly in a Kurdish area
outside the official KRG, and then released unharmed. The abduction has
shaken the team and the organization. Because of the embarrassment this
incident has caused them, Kurdish authorities have refused to complete CPT's
NGO application.

We want to respond responsibly, but not be dominated by fear. We all still
feel a deep love for the Iraqi people. We know that the suffering and daily
threat of violence Iraqis face have been so much greater than anything we
have experienced. We don't want our struggles to detract attention from
their story.

The week before last, our team left Iraq to return home for healing,
examination, and discernment. We continue to question whether or how we
could responsibly work now in Iraq. Is it time to close the project? To
withdraw for an indefinite time and return in the future if we are given a
clear call and vision? We appreciate your continued prayers.