Remarks for Children of War
Candlelight Service December 28, 2012 by Steve Clemens
Children
are our most precious resource. They are our future as well as reminders of our
past. They embody our hopes yet their vulnerability makes them available prey
for those who seek domination over others.
Ten
years ago this evening, Peter Thompson and I were here showing photos of Iraqi
children we had met – having just returned from Baghdad three months before our
war-of-choice began. We don’t know the fate of most of those children but all
of them had their lives severely impacted by the actions of our nation and its
military machine. So part of me comes with a heavy heart tonight, remembering
their smiling faces, their eagerness to have their photos taken – wondering if
they were allowed to make it to their teens and early 20s, and if so, with what
physical, emotional, and psychological scars?
So
the opportunity presented itself this year to return to Iraq, now that most of
the US troops are gone and we are no longer at a state of war with them
(although war was never declared – small comfort to those on the receiving end
of bombs and bullets); some of us received a beautiful engraved invitation from
the Governor of the Province of Najaf. My immediate response was “let’s go!”
Originally planned for March, it didn’t happen until November after messages of
disappointment that the cultural celebration we were invited to participate in
had been postponed and then canceled.
Many
of you know that Minneapolis is a Sister City with one of the largest cities in
Iraq, the holy city of Najaf. This city is about two hour’s drive from the
capital city of Baghdad and has an older, neighboring city, Kufa, which lies on
the Euphrates River making it very similar to our own Twin Cities. Najaf is
home to the world’s largest cemetery because it is also the location of a
shrine to one of Islam’s most revered leaders, Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the
Prophet Muhammad and many devout Shia Muslims wish to be buried near his
shrine. The photos being shown tonight were taken in the Province of Najaf at
schools and neighborhoods I visited last month with friends from the Iraqi
& American Reconciliation Project.
When
we hear the Bible story of the birth of Jesus, what follows quickly is a story
of the visit of “Wise Men from the East” who have heard of a special child
being born. Empires are always fearful about anyone who could disrupt the
present order, especially the potential of other leaders arising who could
contest their domination of others. Herod, the King appointed as a vassal ruler
for the Roman occupiers of the land we now know as Palestine and Israel, owed
his power and wealth to the Romans and would tolerate no opposition. If “Wise
Men” traveled a great distance to “worship” at the birth of a new leader, this
baby was a threat unless he was part of Herod’s “royal” family. Therefore, an
order goes out from the palace to kill all the newborns. Joseph and Mary,
having been warned in their dreams, quickly take their infant son out of the
country. But, the story goes, many infant children did not escape the terror of
an empire bent on keeping power over others – even if the victims were children
under the age of two!
Many
here tonight know about the war against Iraq in 1991 that was followed by 13 years of brutal economic
sanctions against the Iraqi people. Some of you know how those economic
sanctions destroyed much of Iraq’s economy, devaluing the currency to such a
drastic degree that many children dropped out of school to try to earn a little
money to help feed their families. Iraq lost many, many children, a whole
generation to that cruel policy kept in place by the US and British
governments. United Nations experts estimated that more than ½ million children
died unnecessarily because of those policies. This service tonight is the 15th
year we have gathered to remember the young victims of war. It was that cruel,
relentless policy of economic sanctions which led Marie and others to begin
this service of remembrance and reflection. Tonight, even as we gather, those
economic sanctions are now directed toward new victims in Iran.
Most
Americans think the second Iraq War is over since most US troops left Iraq last
December. The past several years had witnessed far fewer deaths than the period
of intense fighting by people labeled as “insurgents” which occurred primarily
during 2005 to 2007. But the aftermath of war and the chaos following the
devastating destruction of the nation’s infrastructure continues. Despite
billions and billions of US tax dollars squandered under the promise to rebuild
Iraq into a flowering democracy, there still is only intermittent electricity
available from the national electrical grid which must be supplemented by
neighborhood generators, privately owned, and sold to those who can afford the
greatly additional charges. The water flowing from the taps is polluted and
contaminated, a toxic stew for the poor who can’t afford the cost of a
water-filtering device and the weekly and monthly costs of replacing filters.
But
less I paint too dark a picture, there was another startling sight: Iraqis who
had every right to sneer and scorn visitors from the nation which had visited
them with such wanton destruction welcomed us last month with not only open
arms but warm hearts. We were lavished with so much food and affection we felt
like royalty. The fact that we came unarmed, as friends rather than
conquerors, was deeply appreciated. I could go on about our visit
but that will have to happen another time since our focus tonight is on the
children.
Many
of the children we met when visiting schools where the Muslim Peacemaker Team
had installed water filters had not even been born before the US campaign of
“Shock and Awe”. They never lived under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam
Hussein. Although the effects of war linger, they are no longer victims but survivors who need and want
partnerships with us. The older high school students and young adults
in the colleges we visited were eager to try out their English with us. Many
are seeking exchange programs to study abroad to widen their horizons. But
there remain many challenges. Visas to come to the US are very difficult to
come by and the cost is prohibitive for most who continue to struggle
economically.
In
a poor neighborhood we visited, the families lived in “homes” they were allowed
to build as squatters - but they did not own the ground under those structures.
A family that graciously welcomed us in apologized when the lights went out so
we were forced to meet outside so we could see one another. As the men sat and
discussed in one area, the women and children gathered by their kitchen area
where they learned that some of the children did not attend school because they
couldn’t afford the “uniform”-dress expected of them.
This
year, however, the thoughts of many Americans will be focused on the 20
innocent children gunned down at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Connecticut two weeks ago. And we should mourn their loss as well as the
teachers and other adult school staff. Maybe this loss will help us as a people
gain
empathy for the other Holy Innocents victimized each week in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere by un-manned aerial
vehicles, drones, with the names of Predator and Reaper as though they are part
of nature’s own cycle of life and death rather than the macabre machinery of
military domination.
The
Biblical story of King Herod killing the Holy Innocents in his frantic attempt
to destroy any possible competition to his political rule is how all empires
react to threats they perceive. If we wish to stand with the Holy Innocents, we
must stand in opposition to empire, the creator of more victims. The candles we
light are reminders that even in the midst of darkness, we are called to bear
witness to the light we have been given. Quakers are known for reminding us
that everyone has a spark, a glimmer, a light within – that of God or the
divine within each of us. May we fan, feed, nurture that spark within us,
within each other as we remember the lives lost, the futures squandered, the
hopes dashed by war and help us to recommit to stand with the survivors
demanding an end to the violence – especially that visited on children.
We
remember the survivors of the empire’s violence – first Moses,
escaping from the decree of the Pharaoh to kill all male Hebrew children, then
Jesus, being taken to Egypt to escape the murderous King Herod; they were
survivors. These children whose photos you see are also survivors. May we stand
with them as we say a loud “No!” to those who seek to do them harm.
