Generosity: Iraq Day
10 by Steve Clemens
The dinner was held in one of Najaf’s best restaurants
according to the former owner of Sinbad’s in south Minneapolis who sold his
business to return to help his home nation rebuild during the war. Sami Rasouli
and another member of his Muslim Peacemaker Team escorted us to the Holy Shrine
of Imam Hussein in Karbala, about an hours drive north of Najaf if one doesn’t
allow for the 4-5 checkpoints we must encounter on the 80 kilometer trip. After
returning to Najaf and seated at the restaurant, Joan and I were chatting with
Mohammed across the table. Mohammed mentioned to me that he had liked what I
had written in my blogs which he found cross-posted on my Facebook page and
then asked Joan if the “Joan Haan” on his Facebook search was her page. After
she affirmed that she was, he sent her a “friend request” and they were
connected on Facebook.
Joan, in her direct manner, looked at Mohammed and asked him
why his name appeared as “Eng Mohammed” on her screen, commenting that it was a
name she hadn’t heard before in Arabic. I said I thought it stood for
“engineer” and Mohammed laughed and said, “Yes, I’m an engineer”. With so many
Mohammeds, Alis, Ahmeds, etc here, other abbreviations are in order - just like
one of my other new friends, Ahmed, who has tacked “Pre” on to his Facebook
name because he is a Petrochemical Resources Engineer in his paying job. Then
Joan suggested we talk face-to-face rather than text each other across the
table. Light-hearted conversation continued through the meal and it wasn’t
until the tea was served that conversation for us got serious very quickly.
Our host, a very successful contractor who has made a
significant amount of money recently in helping rebuild Najaf since 2004, stood
up as Sami translated. The first words were quite shocking to me: “Before you
came here, the US was known as the #1 killer of Iraqis. But you came in peace.
And today you did the most difficult thing in taking the time and effort to
visit the Shrine of Imam Hussein. It shows that you come as friends and God is
bringing us all closer together. Now children and adults [here in Najaf] can
see a new face of Americans. You came and provided water filters with Sami
under the Water For Peace, you sent letters to schoolchildren. Now reconciliation
is happening.”
Joan leaned over the table to have better eye contact with
our host. “Actually you, with your words to us have initiated this
reconciliation with us. And we are so very grateful for your kind words.” All
of us in the delegation are acutely aware of how dangerous this reconciling
work can be – for both sides. There are those who want to keep us apart, who
profit by our animosity and the weapons produced to “protect” ourselves from
the other. For Iraqis, they risk being seen as collaborators with the nation
whose “Shock and Awe” campaign was designed to force an immediate cowering
surrender. For American peacemakers, we risk getting identified with “Muslims”,
“terrorists”, and the “other”.
Only as we reach out and offer the olive branch to each
other, to look across the table and see the other as our sister, our brother
can that healing salve of reconciliation be allowed to help relieve the
festering boil of resentment and retaliation. “Reconciliation is now
happening”, our host continued. “You’ve come here to help us [with water
filters, letters for peace, …], now that Sami has helped me secure a visa [for
travel to the US], maybe I can come to your country and help you.” He
continued, remarking about people losing homes to foreclosure and other ills in
the US.
And then he gave us the invitation: next time, don’t wait
for the Governor’s invitation. You don’t even need to contact the Governor –
I’m inviting you, I’ll put you up. I want you to return –soon!
It was a long day. The trip to Karbala dusty. I was tired,
full, ready to stretch out on my bed and think about what I could write for my
blog today. In those brief minutes, with those heartfelt words, I/we were
revived. Sami said in his translation, “His heart is full of love and he just
keeps repeating how glad he is to be here with you.” This is what the Iraqi
& American Reconciliation Project is all about: getting on with the
business of healing peoples whose heart has been broken and now want to be
whole again. Thank you Hussein for opening your heart to us. May we always be
ready to reciprocate in kind.
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