Good Morning from Baghdad, A City of Peace

September 25^, 2013, Baghdad, Iraq

We were received by one of the young Iraqi volunteers, who took us to the hotel. As soon as we went out on Baghdad’s streets, I felt a sense of familiarity. We drove to the hotel on the morning’s rush hour. We were exhausted, but extremely happy to be in Baghdad. We hadn’t slept much, as our flight was in the middle of the night. Baghdad had the air of any other of the Arab capitals, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo; except for all the checkpoints and military cars.

Once we got to the hotel, all our colleagues were already waiting; they were really happy to see us. It was very emotional, a meeting of old and new friends, that can’t believe they are reunited despite difficult conditions. We joined part of the last day training on advocacy for Iraqi activists, some of our colleagues from Spain had organized the training to strengthen the skills of activists that are organizing campaigns for human rights in Iraq, teaching them communication skills, listening, team work, and how to build strategies, organize resources and identify needs.

The day was slow, with many of the international activists arriving at different times. I stayed in the training listening to my colleagues from the Save the Tigris campaign, and how they identified resources and needs, set goals, and timelines, and then developed strategies to achieve the desired goal.

Then, I went to take a nap, and then joined the group once more. The young volunteers were ready and eager to help, if they saw that I was listening, they will come close to me and started to translate what had being said in Arabic.

If I try to describe these young Iraqis, they are not different to other youth around the world. Well, the only difference might be that they have a different appreciation about life. The sense that they are here today, but they don’t know if they will be here tomorrow. They are children of the war, the latest war; some of them were so young, that they might not remember how things were before the war. Yet, this experience has transformed them into what they are and what they believe, that Iraq can be a place of freedom and peace. You only have to sit with them to feel their positive vibrations. Some days ago, when I opened my Facebook, one of my Iraqi friends post read: Good Morning from Baghdad of peace- Sabah al khair min Baghdad al Salaam. I just smiled and I thought: this is why I have to go to Baghdad.

I’m not saying there are no risks; there are risks in every decision you make. When I went to Palestine, when I participated in a peaceful demonstration in Beit Ommar that was teargased by Israeli soldiers, when I went to south Iraq, Basra, Babel, Nasriya, Najaf, all these times there were risks, but I was with locals and I felt protected by them. There is no sense of security that a convoy, a tank, or armed guards can give you; on the contrary, they make you a target. I felt safer wearing a hijab, or an abayah (a traditional black women dress) and following the locals’ advice. Three months ago, I was in Babel, and saw the Babilonian Lion, the Ishtar Gate (the replica, the original is at a German museum), went to Ur, sat by the Euphrates and the Tigris River, navigated on the Mesopotamian marshes, and felt completely safe, trusting my colleagues and knowing they will put me in any danger.

In the next few days I hope to see another Baghdad, a Baghdad full of energy and hope, of dreams of peace and unity. That might not be the Baghdad portrayed in the media, because what they mostly show is blood and killings. I think the mainstream media will not show news of the Iraqi Social Forum, but I will try to convey this other Baghdad through my experience, my thoughts and feelings as I take part in this historic event with the slogan “Another Iraq is Possible.”

The anxiety of the trip has gone, and now I am happy to be in Baghdad, to show solidarity with Iraqis, to support their work and to bring a message from abroad that Iraqis are not forgotten, the work of justice is not easy, but that they are not alone. There are people out there doing the same in their own countries, because the work of building a country relies on the citizens of that country. Democracy comes, not with occupation by a foreign country, but when its citizens work actively to build a strong civil society that can support democratic institutions. How do you build democracy in a country destroyed by war, that is using religion as an instrument of division? You have to stop supporting the propaganda that uses terror and sectarianism and support that part of society that believes in the values of inclusiveness, social justice, freedom of expression, workers rights, and the protection of the environment. These are the principles that the Iraqi Social Forum promotes. These are the values that Iraqi activists have been working hard to shape, using sports, art and culture to unite Iraqis. These are the things I believe that will hold Iraq together and that is why I came to Baghdad, because I believe that if we support these principles, a peaceful Iraq can be a reality.

Notes from the Field in Iraq: Reflections in a Time of Violence

As I sit in front of my computer, reading the news about the escalation in violence in Iraq, my heart fills with sadness. According to UN reports, more than a thousand people have been killed in May. Iraq is not a distant, Middle East country, full of Muslim extremists. It is the place I live, work, and wake up every morning. I live in Sulaimaniya, far from the violence, but have colleagues and friends in Baghdad and I hear their frustration, and feel their fears of an escalating conflict. I also know that is it not a simple Sunni/Shia conflict as it is portrayed in the mainstream media.  It is full of complications and question marks.

There are two main political considerations: domestic and regional. On the one hand is the failure of the Shia/Sunni/Kurdish groups to develop a form of government that reduces marginalization and exclusion of some groups and instead creates division. Maliki’s centralization and consolidation of power undermines the authority of other groups, which serves only to weaken democracy and increases the probability of conflict. ‪There is also the increased use of identity politics to access political power. Maliki on one side is accusing the Parliament of obstructing his government performance and accuses the legislature of the security breakdown. On the other the Speaker of the Parliament, Nujaifi is accusing Maliki of controlling security and political decisions. Then the regional game: the inability to reach internal solutions leads to increased power of radical groups which see internal conflict as part of the wider conflict and gives legitimacy to the Sunni-Shia narrative. Then you have Baghdad accusing the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) of being secessionist and using Turkey to overcome the drawbacks of its land locked and troubled relationship with Baghdad. Increased tensions between Ankara and Baghdad are because of Ankara’s support to the KRG. Baghdad claims that KRG’s autonomy threatens Iraq’s unity.

As a human rights activist living in Iraq, it is tough to see that you work every day to protect other activists, to advance rights, to demand freedom, and yet, the situation seems all but better. What have politicians and people in power put forward as solutions? One side accuses the other and they just fuel the sectarian speech. They are not ready to leave their political differences aside to work for a safe, and democratic Iraq. Why, because they benefit by this state of chaos, they get to stay in power and continue to rip personal benefits at the expense of Iraqis.

I call for Iraqis to stop thinking on what divides them and start thinking on what unites them. To put an end to sectarianism, division, and ethnic divide. This is not a call for arms, is a call to re-think the Iraq that we want to see and live in. What is the Iraq we wish to leave for future generations? Iraqis have lived at war for 40 years. They are resilient and strong people. In fact, I am working on a daily basis with great people who want to advance their country, have equal gender rights, a democratic, and a participatory democracy.

There are people in Baghdad, Erbil, Basra and in every Iraqi city that work every day to advance rights and freedoms in Iraq. I work with some of them.  I hear their frustrations during this time of increasing violence; their work like mine is being tested. Moreover, some of my colleagues are working on an Iraqi Social Forum under the theme: Another Iraq is Possible. Now, more than ever, they need our support and solidarity. To plan such an event is very challenging under the current circumstances. Now more than ever, they need international solidarity, to share experiences from others that have succeeded, that have rebuilt their countries, that have overcome differences and have decided live together.  

What has Maliki’s government brought to Iraq? Peace? Development? Democracy? Democracy does not happen overnight (as some might have thought), it is a process. In order to have democracy there must be the economical and social infrastructure in place to support it. That requires people participation and people need to feel safe, and that they have a legitimate government that is able to protect them. This will not be achieved under the banner of sectarianism or accusations but united and working to bring about justice and an end to violence.

I really believe another Iraq is possible, I believe in the power of people. Iraq has young people full of dreams, people who believe in human rights and justice, and the environment, who do not buy this sectarian propaganda. Young, intelligent people that are capable of constructing their future, and using Iraqi resources to the best of its potential, and to compete in the global market of ideas. These are the kind of people whom the government is afraid of. Lets not be afraid, let’s start this revolution of ideas and to think how to rebuild our country. Unite and conquer, that should be our banner for a new Iraq.

Welcome to the Womens Club in Arrabeh Village, 09-30-10--Galilee, Israel

We were welcomed in the village of Arrabeh, by five wonderful women. It is a Palestinian village in the Galilee in Israel, one hour away from Haifa. The majority of its 20,000 inhabitants are Muslim. There, we had a meeting with women of the village that have been organizing and gathering now for 2 years. Their group was born out of an empowerment course that was sponsored by Kayan. We heard how their lives were changed after they participated in this group. The women, mothers, wives and now active part of the community, told us how hard is for women to come out of the house and become active.

Two women from the Arrabeh womens group


One of the women told us how, before Kayan's workshop, she had never been out of the house, always busy with her 7 children. “It was hard to get out of the house. Women are not used to get out and participate and volunteer outside of house. It took a while because of the 7 children. I came to make my friend happy. But after some lectures I was convinced by the topics, they were very interesting. They strengthened my personality, gave me self-confidence, I found something to dress up. The way I talked to people changed, after the empowerment training, I was able to convince my husband. The entire village now knows about the group” says the woman.

Reem one of the community organizers from Kayan, which provides support to the group


The women were clear that keeping the group together was not an easy process, but they were able to gain the respect of people. There were internal problems that almost caused the group to break up, but at the end they overcame them. One of the women, one of the few Christians in the village, got a call from one of the religious leaders of the village to address the women’s group discuss strategies to talk to the authorities. This shows that their work with the community has made them gain the respect of other community leaders, crossing the religious borders.

Another woman said “I knew that the work was serious, and I was going to get something important for myself. I dedicated my life to my children and now I wanted something for myself. I needed the empowerment course”. As the conversation moved on, women started to open up and share more personal things. One of them shared that she wanted to become a nurse, but she saw her dream shattered by the fact that women are not allowed to go out of the house, so she quit school because what was the point of finishing high school if there was no option to go to university. Now, she says, she regrets. Now, she is encouraging her daughters to complete their education, because she now knows the importance of it. She wants to raise her children to have opportunities, like she didn’t have. She now is working on finishing high school and getting her diploma. It is basic to get any job, here in Israel.

The women from Arrabeh were very happy to share their experiences with us, in English and Arabic


As the women started to meet after the empowerment course, they started to assess the needs of the women in the community. They realized that despite the age, the women’s needs were the same; they had the same frustrations, the problem of restriction, and the same concern across all ages.

The women organized an event and went to the neighborhood to invite people personally. It was a very important event for them because every woman had the opportunity to stand on the microphone and speak about what the group did for them. They were not sure if the people on the village will come and they were nervous. They put up 300 chairs for the event and Rafah, Kayan’s community organizer was a little skeptical and told them to remove some of the chairs. After 15 minutes, people started to show up, and all the chairs that they took out, they had to put them back. The event was a complete success. The women are very thankful to Kayan, for giving them the space to think and plan on their own.

Now their challenge is to achieve more at the local level with the authorities, their next project is to find a space to have a women’s center. They want a place for them, to meet, to have programs. Now, they do lectures and programs, but is very challenging to find a place that suits their needs. They want to offer courses like Hebrew, computer skills for the women and even First Aid.



The women’s stories were powerful and spoke to the heart. They also spoke of the realities of other women in this village and many other villages that Kayan is working. It shows that is possible to change the realities on the ground, step by step. It just takes a group of women that believe that change is possible and that are willing to take responsibility. Lastly, there was one question about when will there be elected women involved in politics in Arrabi, and although there was some skepticism, some women ventured to say that maybe 10, 15 years. These women are an inspiration to me and show me the real face of the struggle. They give me some hope when I think that it is impossible to change this very complex situation. I hope to come back to Arrabeh, if they have another meeting while I’m here!!!! There was such a positive energy here today……

These women are an inspiration and show what women are capable of doing when they are empowered and working together