Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

IARP and our partner in Iraq, the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, are pleased to announce that 1689 more students in the area of Najaf, Iraq will now have access to clean drinking water through our Water for Peace program. This brings the total number of students who have received access to clean water through Water for Peace to almost 40,000.

Thank you to donors ECHO Valley Hope, Steve and Christine Clemens, Cathy Fasy, Shannon Ball, Laurie Bangs, and Students at the American Community School in Amman for contributing funds to install large (200 gallons/day) water sanitation systems at Mustafa Jawad School, Madinet Al Alem School, and Khawlah Bent Al Azwar High School in Najaf!

Below are some photos from the three schools:

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A note from Sami Rasouli, Director of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams

“Miracle in Baghdad”

It was with great apprehension that I took my wife and young son, Omar, to the United States Embassy last week. I was not nervous about being spotted visiting the US Embassy or for any security reason. I was nervous that, even though I am an American citizen as well as an Iraqi citizen, their visa applications would be denied. I see it happen so often to legitimate applications that I thought it might happen to my wife and son. Thankfully, there was a miracle in Baghdad that day: their visa applications were granted within 24 hours of our interview. Now I know what the 15,000 employees at the embassy are there for!

While I am very happy that Suaad and Omar will get to tag along with me to Minneapolis this summer, the success of their visa applications and the speed with which they were processed stand in stark contrast to the usual long delays and rejections given without explanation. For the past year and longer, I and IARP have worked to get visas for many Najaf citizens to visit their Sister City of Minneapolis. Many Najaf people want to visit Minneapolis, to make new friends and colleagues with Minnesotans. Najafis from many professions, including doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, parents, business owners, and others are anxious to see a different side of Americans than the soldiers and occupation forces.

Unfortunately, these applicants for peace are frequently denied visas, and infrequently given a good reason why. After preparing their applications for a US visa, Najafis must make the 3-hour car trip to Baghdad, find overnight lodging, and present themselves at the giant US Embassy complex. It is not an easy process, and often leaves the very people who want to come to the United States to make friends, generate business, and build connections feeling rejected and unhappy. This is an area of American policy that Iraqis do not understand.

Questions that Iraqis are required to answer on their visa applications include:

• Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances?
• Are you coming to the United States to engage in prostitution or unlawful commercialized vice or have you been engaged in prostitution or procuring prostitutes within the past 10 years?
• Have you ever committed or conspired to commit a human trafficking offense in the United States or outside the United States?
• Do you seek to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, or any other illegal activity while in the United States?
• Do you seek to engage in terrorist activities while in the United States or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities?
• Have you ever or do you intend to provide financial assistance or other support to terrorists or terrorist organizations?
• Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization?
• Have you ever ordered, incited, committed, assisted, or otherwise participated in genocide?
• Have you ever committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in torture?
• Have you committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or other acts of violence?
• Have you ever engaged in the recruitment or the use of the child soldiers?
• Have you, while serving as a government official, been responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom?
• Have you ever been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of the population controls forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free will?
• Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?
• Have you ever withheld custody of a U.S. citizen child outside the United States from a person granted legal custody by a U.S. court?

You can read the full application that Iraqis must fill out online at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/default.aspx.

The United States Embassy states that it takes a maximum of 6 weeks for it to process visas for Iraqis to enter the US. Unfortunately this is often not the case. For example, the president of a university in Najaf had to wait a (humiliating) 2 months to get his visa released. It was finally released after IARP, MPT, and the office of Congressman Keith Ellison submitted a complaint. A doctor and engineer recently waited 6 months to get their visas, and another doctor waited 9 months before receiving his.

Iraqis face these delays and difficulties after being invaded and occupied by more than 1 million American forces (rotated over 9 years) with no visas!!

After decades of war, sanctions, and occupation that have devastated Iraq, the United States should at least allow Iraqis who want to partner and make friends with Americans into the country. This is the least part of what the United States can do, but it is an important step toward reconciliation. IARP and MPT advocate for a more welcoming policy through communication with the US Embassy in Iraq, by providing assistance to Iraqis who want to visit the United States, and by generating positive publicity for Iraqi visitors. Thank you for your support that helps us to do this. I, Suaad, and Omar look forward to seeing you in the United States this summer.

Sami Rasouli

A note and request from the Mandaean Community in Iraq:

(This is a translation from the Arabic; for the original, see the bottom of this page)

The Problem: The security and political situation during Iraq’s recent stage of change contributed to the marginalization of several elements of Iraqi society, in particular ethnic minorities. Among these marginalized minorities are the Mandaeans, who have not been able to practice their beliefs freely.

Today, after the security situation in Iraq has improved, we the Mandaeans want to preserve our cultural and religious heritage, with the help of civil society activists in Iraq. Mandaeans want to teach the Mandaean religious language (Aramaic) to our children, who don’t know anything of the language except maybe 10 words. We are afraid the language will die because only old clergy currently speak it. We have proposed to open a school for Mandaeans in Iraq in recognition of our gratitude and love for our brothers who came before us and so that the bonds of love and brotherhood between us can continue.

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IARP and our partner in Iraq, the Muslim Peacemaker Teams, are pleased to announce that 915 more students in the area of Najaf, Iraq will now have access to clean drinking water through our Water for Peace program. This brings the total number of students who have received access to clean water through Water for Peace to over 36,000.

Thank you to donor Robert Miggler for contributing funds to install a large (200 gallons/day) water sanitation system at Ad-Doha Elementary School (915students) in Najaf!

Below are some photos from Ad-Doha:

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President Akeel Yasseen spent 5 days in the Twin Cities in April meeting with the University of Minnesota and other higher education institutions to support exchange programs between Kufa University in Iraq and Minnesota universities.

President Akeel Yasseen of Kufa University

The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP) hosted President Akeel Yasseen of Kufa University, Iraq in the Twin Cities from April 15 to April 19. President Yasseen spent the bulk of his visit with the University of Minnesota, but also met with students and faculty at Augsburg College, the University of St. Thomas, and Macalester College.

President Yasseen and Dr. Zuhair Alleban, who accompanied President Yasseen on the trip, gave a public lecture at the University of Minnesota on April 17 on, “Higher Education in Iraq: Strategic Opportunities for Partnership.” Dr. Alleban is a distinguished gene therapist and faculty member at Kufa University.

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