Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

By Alex Potter, Program Assistant

“I want to be whole again.”

When Ikhlas came to Minneapolis in August, she was frustrated and resigned. Three months later, with the help of the Minneapolis-based Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Iraq, Ikhlas is taking new strides.

Six years ago, an errant US missile left Ikhlas immobile: she lost her left leg from above the knee and most of her right foot after multiple unsuccessful surgeries. Although a US military unit stationed in her hometown in Iraq supported her through several surgeries, the promise that a US colonel made of ‘new legs’ never materialized. Ikhlas and her family did everything they could to facilitate recovery: they searched for funds high and low, were supported by friends and family, and traveled for more surgeries, but it was never enough.

Photo by Anne Nettles

Ikhlas’ prostheses were painful and ill-fitting, and war-torn Iraqi society was unkind and inaccessible to the disabled. While visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in September, Ikhlas noticed the elevators and ramps and commented that none of that is available in Iraq. Before her accident, Ikhlas was trained as a schoolteacher. While teachers in the US are fully able to work while in a wheelchair or on crutches, Iraqi teachers are not. A government job center in Iraq threw Ikhlas’ papers on the floor when she went to apply for a teaching job. They said that, since she was disabled, she could never teach in an Iraqi school. Ikhlas set out to prove them wrong.

After hearing of her plight and how she believed herself to have “…so much potential that has not been reached…” the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and the Muslim Peacemaker Teams agreed to sponsor her expenses to come to Minnesota to receive new prostheses and regain the ability to walk through physical therapy. Partnering with Winkley Orthotics and Prosthetics and the Courage Center of Golden Valley, MN, Ikhlas set out on a long road to recovery.

Photo by Alex Potter

Working with physical therapists, nurses and doctors, Ikhlas was fitted for two new prostheses. Her right foot had a continuous open spot – a risk for infection and further surgeries – so the new boot-style prosthesis was fitted with the ability to slide on and off easily, as well as fit into more visually-appealing footwear. Amputations above the knee are always challenging to fit prostheses, but Ikhlas’ old leg was almost unusable. Painful, unsteady, and, in Ikhlas’ words, ugly, her old prosthesis forced Ikhlas to sit in a wheelchair most of the time. Winkley provided state-of-the-art prostheses – custom fit and adjustable according to comfort, height, and level of activity. With the new prostheses, Ikhlas practices her stride every day and is walking with less and less of a limp.

During her rehabilitation process, Ikhlas strengthened her unused muscles at Winkley and the Courage Center, a Minnesota-based rehabilitation center for children and adults with disabilities. Staff helped her walk on the treadmill, regain arm and core strength, and recover the balance and coordination lost from years in a wheelchair. The process was always difficult and sometimes frustrating, and she still has a long journey ahead of her, but Ikhlas has put forth an inspiring effort and begun to regain the ability to walk and to pursue her dream of teaching.

Throughout their time in the Twin Cities, Ikhlas and Sami Rasouli, Director of the Muslim Peacemaker Teams in Iraq, spoke at various venues about their stories and the processes of peace and recovery in Iraq. Along with Mustafa (an 8-year old Iraqi boy also in the Twin Cities for medical treatment) and Mustafa’s mom, Ikhlas and Sami talked with Americans about their lives in Iraq since the Iraq War began in 2003 – personal narratives rarely heard in the media. In addition to public presentations and medical treatment, the visiting Iraqis enjoyed touring the Twin Cities, shopping, visiting art museums, going sailing, meeting local Iraqi refugees, and spending time with new American friends.

Photo by Anne Nettles

Returning to Iraq will not be easy for Ikhlas. Despite her enormous progress, Ikhlas points out that she will still be viewed as disabled by Iraqi society. Iraq is recovering from a still-ongoing war, and it is a harsh environment for the disabled. Still, Ikhlas’ trip to Minneapolis has opened many doors for her. Her enhanced ability to walk will help her pursue a teaching position in geography – what she would love to do.  If this turns out to be not possible, she would also like to advocate for others, like herself, who are disabled in Iraq. “I want to be whole again. Then I can be a voice for the challenged in Iraq today.”

Ikhlas will be taking new strides in Najaf, ones with mobility, purpose, and confidence. Though her wounds will never disappear, Ikhlas will return to Iraq with new abilities and a new vision for herself and her future.

When was the last time you heard something in the news about Iraqi refugees? Sadly, the ongoing crisis–one of the largest refugee crises in history–has left the media spotlight. Yet millions of Iraqis remain displaced, with no home and an uncertain future.

Consider the following (from the website of The Unreturned):

• 4.7 million Iraqis were displaced by the Iraq War (Source: UNHCR, Refugees International)
• By 2010, only nine percent of the displaced had returned (Source: Refugees International)
• Forty percent of Iraq’s middle class has fled to neighboring Syria and Jordan (Source: UNHCR, San Francisco Chronicle)
• The US has committed to admitting a total of 50,000 Iraqi refugees by 2011 (Source: Human Rights First, Reuters)
• If this target is met, the United States will have accepted just 1% of the total Iraqi displaced (Source: 50000/4274000=0.0117; 4274000 = 4700000 displaced – 426000 returnees)
• Today, there are half as many health care workers in Iraq as there were in 2000 (Source: Refugees International, The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children)

Many Americans, including the leading Catholic bishop in the U.S., agree that the U.S. holds at least some degree of responsibility toward Iraqis and Iraq’s future.  If you would like to learn more about the Iraqi refugee crisis, here are a few places to check out:

• The Unreturned, an award-winning documentary film that follows the lives of five middle-class Iraqi refugee families.
• The Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), which organizes law students and attorneys to provide legal representation to Iraqi refugees and helps them navigate the rules and processes of resettlement in the US. IRAP “was started by graduate students at Yale Law School to provide legal representation and policy advocacy on behalf of Iraqi refugees seeking resettlement, and to assist those who have resettled. Eight other law schools and several hundred volunteers including students, lawyers and advocates have joined the effort to deal with this humanitarian crisis.”
• The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies “maintains the single largest list of Iraqis who are imperiled because they helped America.”

The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project is beginning to work with these and other organizations that provide aid and support to Iraqi refugees.

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Zuhair Sharba

Zuhair Sharba, President of the Najaf Chamber of Commerce, arrived in Minneapolis on Thursday, November 4. Mr. Sharba is in Minneapolis to meet with local government and business professionals about expanding trade between Minnesota and Najaf, Iraq.

Mr. Sharba was a member of the first official delegation from Najaf to Minneapolis in September of 2009 after the two cities became official Sister Cities in July of 2009. Since the beginning of that relationship, Minneapolis has welcomed multiple delegations from Najaf, including artists, business professionals, academics, and individuals injured by the war coming for medical treatment. A mental health professional from Minneapolis traveled to Najaf in January, 2010 to conduct trainings on identifying and treating mental health needs in a post-war context and a team of academics from Augsburg College plans to visit Najaf in January, 2011.

Mr. Sharba’s current visit builds on the relationships and trust established during previous delegation exchanges and will lay the ground for increased trade and business between the two cities. Najaf is a growing economic and cultural center in southern Iraq and many Minnesotan businesses have expressed interest in working there. The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP) in Minneapolis and the Muslim Peacemaker Teams (MPT) in Najaf are facilitating Mr. Sharba’s visit as an Iraqi-led trade mission and effort to promote the economic recovery of Iraq.

As President Obama holds high-level meetings to expand US trade and business in Asia, IARP is working at the local level to build economic ties that promote not only business but peaceful relationships. Mr. Sharba’s trip will expand economic opportunity for both Iraqis and Americans, but it is also part of a larger relationship growing between the people of Minneapolis and Najaf.

If you would like to inquire about a meeting with Mr. Sharba, please contact Luke Wilcox at luke@reconciliationproject.org.

By Salam Murtada, IARP volunteer

On Saturday, September 18, Ikhlas and Moustafa arrived in Minneapolis, MN from Najaf, Iraq. Both are in the Twin Cities to receive prosthetic limbs and physical therapy, thanks to generous American and Iraqi donors.

Ikhlas is a young Iraqi teacher who was hit by an errant missile in August of 2004. In order to save her life, the doctor had no choice but to amputate her left leg and right foot. As a result, she became disabled and confined to a wheel chair at a very young age. She lost her teaching job, a profession she loves, and became dependent on her family. The unexpected incident shattered her dreams of taking part in teaching today’s Iraqi generation and contributing to its better future. 

Ikhlas Muhassan Abbas

IARP is sponsoring her trip to Minneapolis to support her stay while the doctors can attach an artificial leg so that she can resume her teaching career and become an active member of her society once again. The procedure of designing, building and adjusting the bi-lateral prosthesis is being donated by Greg Gruman of Winkley Laboratories. The physical therapy is also being provided free of charge through Winkley.

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Statement from Ikhlas

 اني المواطنة العراقية اخلاص محسن عباس احمل الشهادة الجامعية بكالوريوس كلية التربية / جامعة الكوفة .My name is Ikhlas Muhassan Abbas, I am an Iraqi woman and I graduated from the University of Kufa with a bachelor’s degree in education.

تعرضت لحادث مؤلم بسقوط قذيفة امريكية على ارجلي اثناء الاحداث التي حدثت بين القوات الامريكية وجيش المهدي في النجف المصادف 5/ 8/ 2004 اخترقت سطح الدار دون ان تنفجر وأنا في حينها كنت نائمة في فراشي ليلا ونقلتني من عالم الى اخر مبدلة مسار حياتي ومستقبلي فأصبحت غير قادرة على السير والحركة ولم ادر ماحدث ففتحت عيني وأذا بي في المستشفى بين الموت والحياة . I experienced a traumatic event during a conflict between U.S. forces and the Mehdi Army in Najaf on August 5, 2004, where a shell tore into my home and did not explode. At the time, I was sleeping in my bed. It took me from one world to another, altering the course of my life and my future. I awoke in the hospital, unable to move or walk. I opened my eyes and I did not know what happened, or if I was alive or dead…!

 وبعد معاناة من الالم وفترات طويلة في غرف العمليات اجريت لي اثنا عشرة عملية جراحية بين فترة واخرى وقد بترت ساقي اليسرى من فوق الركبة واليمنى من القدم وبعد كل المعاناة والالام حصلت على اطراف صناعية الا انها غير مريحة ولا استطع التحرك والتعايش معها . I suffered from pain and long periods of time in the operating room. I had 12 surgeries in which finally my left leg had to be amputated, as well as my right foot. After all the suffering and pain, I received prosthetic limbs but it is not convenient and I am unable to move or live with them. 

 وحصلت على كرسي متحرك , وجلوسي عليه يشعرني بالعجز فبت اكرهه ! اذ انه يشعرني بعدم تحقيق أي حلم من احلامي وخاصة التعيين في احد المدارس الحكومية لانني كنت انتظر بفارغ الصبر من بعد التعب والسنوات المرهقة ان اتخرج واتعين واعيش حياتي واقطف ثمار التعب ,I got a wheelchair, but sitting in it makes me feel disabled. I hate it. It makes me feel like I can’t achieve any of my dreams, particularly becoming a teacher in one of the public schools. I waited eagerly after years of exhausting work to graduate and live my life, and reap the fruits of my hard work.

الا ان سهام الزمن الغـــادر قد اصابت الثمرة وهي في علو مكانها في شجرة العمر والسنين واذا بها قد تناثرت وسط تلك الخلافات التي ما جنينا منها غير الالم والخسائر التي لا تعوض بثمن وتخلف الكثير من المصابين والمعاقين امثالي But the treacherous arrow of time has struck the fruit of the tree of life at the height of its ripening… scattering it amongst the conflicts of which we gained nothing but pain which can not be compensated with a price for those, injured and disabled, like myself.

فأنا اناشد من قادر على مساعدتي ان يمد يد العون لي ليخرجني مما انا فيه وتعديل سير الحياة وان شاء الله ما اطلبه ليس مستحيلا كل ما ابتغيه هو ان لا تنسوني لانني ذقت مرارة الحياة كثيرا كثيرا وأنا في او حياتي ,فأنا بحاجة الى اطراف اصطناعية جيدة لامارس حياتي لاكون مواطنة نافعة فما زالت في داخلي طاقة كامنة لم استثمرها بعد , ولو لا الحادث اللعين لقطعت اشواطا في حياة المجتمع وادعوا من الله مع التماسكم ان لا تمروا على امري هذا مرور الكرام ولكم مني جزيل الشكر والامتنان . I appeal to the capable to extend me a helping hand and change my course of life, God willing. What I ask is not impossible to achieve, don’t forget me. I am in the peak of my life yet I have tasted the bitterness of life too much. I need good artificial limbs to live as a good citizen. I still have so much internal potential which has not been invested yet, despite the dreadful incident. I request that you not allow this to pass unnoticed. My sincere thanks and gratitude.