Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

By Alex Potter, Water for Peace Program Assistant

In 2003, the US declared war on Iraq. Almost eight years later, the effects of invasion and occupation remain. Besides the thousands of troops and civilians killed or wounded, the unreturned middle class, homeless victims of bombings, and destroyed infrastructure, another result of the conflict has been more hidden. In 2004, the number of children suffering from cancer and birth defects began to increase dramatically. A recent study in the International Journal for Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERP) illustrates the dramatic difference in infant mortality in Iraq compared to the rest of the Middle East: from 2006 – 2010, Iraq averaged 80/1000 still-born children compared to only 9.7/1000 in Kuwait. The apparent cause? Depleted uranium.

During the siege of Fallujah in 2003, the US used 1000 – 2000 tons of depleted uranium munitions in their attack. With a half life of 4.5 billion years, the depleted uranium virtually never disappears, meaning the effects on the environment and public health are serious and obvious. True to its mutagenic nature, depleted uranium can cause cancer, adult malignancies, and fatal birth defects. Many bloggers have posted gruesome photos of malformed Iraqi infants, supposedly the result of depleted uranium munitions. Although the evidence of depleted uranium seems obvious, some involved in the occupation continue to deny the use of depleted uranium in the assault on Fallujah, as well as understating its use elsewhere. Regardless, it is imperative to find out if cities like Fallujah and Najaf are still contaminated with chemicals and determine how to protect those at risk. Public health professionals in Iraq and the US are researching this in a most unorthodox way: with teeth.

Our bodies contain a certain amount of uranium without contamination; all of it natural and most concentrated in our bones. Since it is not feasible to take a traditional bone sample from Iraqi citizens, doctors turned to gathering teeth, a lesser known form of bone. Doctors and dentists across Iraq are partnering to study the amount of depleted uranium in children’s teeth. The reason for using children’s teeth is two-fold. First, it is the youth of Iraq that are being affected by cancer, malignancies, and birth defects. Second, children’s teeth are some of the fastest growing bones in the body; the use of fast growing primary teeth provide the most reliable judge of the depleted uranium remaining in the bodies of Iraqi children today. After gathering teeth that have been lost or extracted, researchers will analyze the components of the teeth using mass spectrometry; this will measure the amount of chemicals and minerals present in the teeth.

Named the Iraqi Children’s Tooth Project, the research is controversial and possibly dangerous in both Iraq and the US. Some teeth have been gathered in Iraq already, but participating dentists have felt their safety has been at risk and have limited their participation in the study. Yet participants are still willing to continue with the project because they believe it is important to determine if and where depleted uranium remains in the environment. What do you do with a silent enemy you can’t get rid of? That is the great question. If successful, the Tooth Project hopes to publish its findings in an international medical journal and seek further research, answers, and solutions.

Joint statement by the Muslim Peacemaker Teams and the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

Pastor Terry Jones, a Christian minister of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL, announced plans to hold an “International Burn a Qur’an Day” this Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the Sept 11th attacks.

Muslims consider the Qur’an to be the word of God and believe that it should be treated with respect, along with the name of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Qur’an is considered an offense to Islam.

The Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT), the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP), and Muslims around the world are deeply concerned that images of the burning of a Qur’an would significantly inflame public opinion and legitimize violent action of extremists around the world.

MPT and IARP have been working closely over the years with their partners at the Twin Cities Peace Campaign, St. Joan of Arc Church in Minnesota, and others across America to mend the broken relationship between Muslims and Americans by fostering a new kind of relationship based on friendship. IARP and MPT have worked particularly in Minnesota through the Najaf-Minneapolis Sister City Program that involves humane projects based on love and respect.

IARP and MPT’s involvement in interfaith groups through Sister City activities over the past several years has been a blessing.

We can’t express how much Iraqis and Americans have been blessed by the dialogue and by working together in so many ways to restore and maintain right relationships between both people.

We believe most Americans are compassionate, kind and open-minded people and don’t feel the same as Mr. Jones.

Extremism, however, can be found in all religious groups. Every faith tradition is capable of distortions from extreme elements. This is true in the Jewish tradition, in the Christian tradition, and in the Islamic tradition.

But the much larger moderate middle, the community of devoted adherents, can live together peacefully.

MPT and IARP’s urgent appeal is that the US public at large not remain silent–otherwise they are giving Mr. Jones permission to speak on their behalf.

A good deal of time has been invested positively by IARP and MPT’s work for peacebuilding, and the human family cannot afford further damage to a relationship that has suffered tremendously through wars, economic embargoes and occupation.

We urgently ask you to stand with us in the Arab-Muslim World and in the US because, simply, we are all one family.

Muslim Peacemaker Teams, Najaf, Iraq

Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project, Minneapolis, MN, USA

September 9th, 2010

Iraqi artists Fatin Al-Jumaily and Ghalib Al-Mansoori spent two weeks in Minneapolis this August, talking with Twin Cities residents about their art and their country. Through their art and their presentations, both brought words of peace, a message of the continuing humanitarian suffering in Iraq, and pleas for Americans to support the rebuilding of their country.

"Iraqi Women," by Faten Al-Jumaily

Their art was featured in the exhibit, “The Art of Conflict: American and Iraqi Art in Dialogue,” hosted by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. The exhibit brought approximately 15 pieces by Iraqi artists and 15 pieces by American artists together to reflect on and converse about the effects of violent conflict, war and displacement, particularly on Iraqis, veterans, and everyone involved in the Iraq War.

Because of delays in receiving their visas, Al-Jumaily and Al-Mansoori were not able to make it to the U.S. in time for the opening reception. Instead, they presented on their art at a “featured artists” night (see gallery below) and in many other formal and informal contexts.

Two of Ghalib Al-Mansoori's paintings at "The Art of Conflict" exhibit

In her review of the show, Minnesota Public Radio’s Marianne Combs wrote about Al-Jumaily’s piece, “Iraqi Women” (pictured above), “at first glance (it) appears to be an assemblage of colorful dots and lines. During a panel discussion she revealed that for her, the dots represent women, and the lines, fencing. It is only where the women are clustered densely together -supporting one another – that they can break through the binds that oppress them.”

Besides presenting on their art at the gallery, the two visited studios of local artists, toured the city, and spent significant time with their host families, who generously opened their homes to Fatin and Ghalib. They went to Iftar dinners, shared their stories with AmeriCorps volunteers working with refugees, talked candidly with U.S. veterans, and interacted with Twin Cities residents in many other contexts.

The Art of Conflict Featured Artists Evening

Reflecting the focus of The Art of Conflict, both Al-Jumaily and Al-Mansoori consistently talked about the continuing effects of the Iraq War (such as the lack of electricity in Iraq – both reported having electricity for about 1 hour a day). Both urged Americans to provide more support to Iraq and Iraqis in rebuilding their country. Curator Tricia Khutoretsky said about the exhibit, “I was expecting a broader range of artwork about conflict in general, but people were very focused on the Iraq war. I thought most people would be numb to it by now, but the work we got was very charged and very specific. The artists weren’t all necessarily involved directly in the war, but as Americans they wanted to say something about it” (Marianne Combs, “Iraqis and Americans“)

For a review of the show, The Art of Conflict, by Minnesota Public Radio’s Marianne Combs, click here.

From niqash.org: “Restlessness and discontent with the delay in forming the new Iraqi government has prompted four of Iraq’s most prominent NGOs to file a lawsuit with the Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial body in the country, accusing parliament’s political blocs of ‘deliberately and repeatedly breaching the Constitution and disabling the nomination of candidates for the three presidencies, thus delaying the formation of the Iraqi government.’”

To read the full article, click here.

From niqash.org: “Too often, Iraq is well known for the wrong reasons. If there were Guinness World Records for conflict, it would sadly be well represented. But Fareed Lafta is trying to change that. This young Iraqi grew up in Baghdad has devoted his life to skydiving, astronomy and record-breaking achievements, with the aim of spreading a message of peace, and inspiring his fellow Iraqis to see beyond war…”

To read the full article, click here.