IRAQ UPDATE: 16-30 November 2010
CPTnet 29 December 2010 IRAQ UPDATE: 16-30 November 2010
On team during this period were Bud Courtney, Rosemarie Milazzo Carol Rose, and
Chihchun Yuan.
The ‘Eid began on the morning of 16 November, virtually closing down the city for four days as folks met with family and friends, asking forgiveness and sharing chocolate. The team was invited to the homes of good friends on the first two evenings.
On 18 November, the team traveled to Halabja to see the city. They visited the Tragedy Museum, which commemorates the atrocities that the Iraq government has committed against the Kurds. The following day, the team visited friends from MCC ( Mennonite Central Committee) outside of Erbil hoping to open some doors to different groups.
The next day Bapir ( representative of displaced people) and Khaled (head of Rania Youth Center), visited the team and discussed its work in the area. Khaled wanted the team to work on some projects with the youth center in Rania.
The team returned to the Suleimaniyeh Youth Activities Center after a week off on 24 November. English language ability varied widely in the first class. Students in the second class were more fluent, but the range of language ability has varied from week to week.
On 25 November, the team attended a meeting of NGOs looking to organize around a recent law passed by the Parliament restricting demonstrations and assemblies. The group hopes to put a delegation together to meet with Parliament and President Barzani, and encourage them to amend the bill.