About the War

By Amie May

 

War"How 'bout that war in Iraq?" I've been asked. I answer honestly that I am not especially politically savy. I don't know enough about the politics behind the war to give an educated response as to whether I am 'for' or 'against'. I'm not sure that any of us every really know enough to take any side. My husband served in the USAF and I know for sure that even soldiers are only given information on a "need to know basis".

Reasons for supporting the war vary. Some suggest that "Islamic Jihadists" are represented as an "existential threat" in Iraq itself, some say that the soldiers in Iraq are fighting for American freedom, and some say that it was important to save the Iraqi people from the mistreatment that they experienced under Saddam. There are compelling arguments against these reasons for war. For one, there's the question of whether we need to employ violence to solve problems. I find myself feeling like a child caught in a parental battle - I don't care who is right I just wish they would stop arguing.

This year I was blessed to have been able to attend "Transmillennial 2008". I listened to a story shared by a man from Iraq. He shared his experiences both in words, and in slides. He served as a translator for the US post-Saddam. His brother had done the same until he was killed. The photos of his brother brought the reality of it home for me. He shared an image of a letter written as a threat upon his own life, again, really driving home the reality of it all. His intense eyes retold the story as he paused in between slides, saying everything without saying anything.

I found some of the things that he shared to be telling. One photo was of a small girl, standing beside her parents' bloodied and deceased bodies. He asked what she might think of America. My mind was blank. I didn't have an answer. Then my thoughts drifted briefly to a Thomas Friedman documentary that I once watched in which he traveled into different parts of the middle east to learn what their view of the US was. I could hear the words from that program as it was explained that they saw America's position so high, that they felt it looking down on them. It didn't matter whether America put itself there, it didn't matter even whether it was true that America was in a higher position or not. All that mattered, all that my heart connected to, was the way that they felt. So minimized and condescended to.

The man from Iraq shared another slide, of an American soldier carrying a child to safety. These children are hurting, crying, and confused. Will they notice that the soldiers cared? Will they find comfort in their embrace? Or will they see them as killers? It's still not a call that I am able to make. I would hope that the world would find a way to comfort them as they grieve, and to love them as they grow.

The deepest recesses of my heart were touched. I felt maternal. I so wanted to hold the little ones and I couldn't contain my tears. I saw the photo of another mother holding her child in obvious terror, in a trench. I felt a longing to help the helpless - and initially an overwhelming sense of helplessness myself. I couldn't reach down and pull her from the ditch. I couldn't offer parents work or support them as they got on their feet here in the US. The issue in Iraq is HUGE and we struggle in keeping needs met in our own home. I live among people who do support their family on $7 per hour jobs. Some of them are ex-military, some still serve. There were people in my midst during the conference, who could contribute (and had contributed) in big ways and I was humbled.

Following many of the pictures, the man repeated that such suffering is too great a price to pay for freedom. This reminded me of Israel's response after having been led out of Egypt. They were angry and thought themselves better off under Pharaoh's rule. And this also reminded me of the emancipation of the slaves in America. Many of them were angry as well, experiencing the loss of the little they had alloted to them and for many, the loss of their own identity in whatever form that took. If I could ask the conference visitor one question, I would ask him "What freedom?" Israel had been delivered, slaves emancipated, but I am failing to see freedom in Iraq. Not for Iraqi people and not for the American soldiers who daily fight to keep them safe and to defend themselves. I was left with a deep curiosity concerning the experiences of other Iraqi's. Do they feel the same? Are there those, like so many American soldiers here at home, and soldiers from other parts of the world, who would volunteer to give their lives for freedom's sake? Are the Iraqis who do not want to pay the price being robbed of their freedom? Is giving them their freedom, robbing those who would willingly sacrifice themselves of their freedom? Is it robbing the nation of Iraq of a future filled with actual freedom for all its' citizens?

There are so many arguments, regardless of their origination, that serve as a distraction from focus on solutions: Are you for or against the war? Will America be liked? Is freedom too great a cost, or worth the sacrifice? Where is this freedom and who does it belong to? Does any of that matter in view of real people living with real issues? None of it turns the power back on, cleans up running water, or offers safety enough for the women and children to crawl out of the ditches.

If you are able to bring relief to those in need, I encourage you to join in the efforts of Iraq outreaches. You can find links here (http://www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/iraqaid.html) along with some tips for consideration. If you are feeling at all how I was feeling, it is my hope that you know that we can help. We can talk about it. We can tell our own stories and the stories of the people in Iraq - whether American or Iraqi. We can put ourselves in diverse company and learn how to transcend arguments toward lasting relationships. We can be sensitive to our childrens' needs so they might be sensitive to the needs of others; they are the future. We can be catalysts of love - and it will matter.