Wake up Calls

The jury of conscience has just released it’s recommendations after the
culminating session of the World Tribunal on Iraq came to its
conclusion. I’ll post the news story I wrote on this later, which will
provide more details.

I will add now, as a preface to a letter I received just now from an
Iraqi who asked me to pass it on to the American people, that the jury
made the following recommendations:

“The recommendations made by the jury included the demand for an
immediate, unconditional withdraw of all occupation forces, the
governments of the coalition to pay full compensation to Iraqis for any
and all damages, and that all laws, contracts, treaties and institutions
created under the occupation that Iraqi people deem harmful or un-useful
to them be banished.

Other recommendations included immediate investigations of crimes
against humanity for Mr. George Bush, Tony Blair, and every other
president of countries belonging to the coalition. In addition, the jury
called for a process of accountability to begin to bring justice to
journalists and media outlets that lied and promoted the violence
against Iraq, as well as including corporations who have profited from
the war.”

Here is the letter from my friend:

>From an Iraqi citizen to the American people:

We always have thought that you are citizens; away from the savageness
which controls
many people in the world because you suffered from the injustice of your
own occupation
more than two hundred and fifty years ago. Therefore, you picked up
weapons against the occupiers until you forced him to go out of your
state which was a great victory for you.

Naturally, this occupier was giving unreasonable justifications for his
stay in your country. Like any occupation, no country ever admit that
they occupy some land but always says that they are a liberator of the
people who are then unable to govern themselves and so on…

Such reasons cannot change the origin of occupation.

Nowadays, your army is occupying our homeland, destroying our homes and
killing our men, women, and our children. The occupation is leaving this
country full of chaos to the point we are now facing so many disasters,
including suffering from looting and robbery.

Sudden attacks and cruel murders have been perpetrated by your army who
then prevent all people from submitting judicial complaints. This
encourages all soldiers to kill thoughtlessly without any threat of trial.

We have seen our Holy Quran desecrated by soldiers, but you continue to
say your soldiers do not do what the Mogul and Barbarians did in the
lands they occupied.

Your soldiers did many immoral acts but your government leaders have
done even more.

We, the Iraqi people, do not put the responsibility of this on your
shoulders because you are a people and not your government. But when the
people have a decision in the fate of their country and decide to go in
a direction which only benefits the government, this means that the
people are satisfied with their governments’ actions.

When you elected Mr. Bush for the second time, this was a declaration
from you of being satisfied with all his acts in violation of the
holiness of a state which shares a place with yours in the United
Nations Security Council

Has the age of occupation returned back to a place where agreements and
treaties and international laws which forbid aggression are useless?
When the people who chose to defend their land and reject the occupier
are then described by your government as a terrorist? How long have you
heard that an occupation which continues will have no resistance against
it? Do you refer to the patriots of your own country as terrorists in
your history books?

Have you ever heard that there is a peaceful occupation? One that ended
in victory for the occupier?

American people, please remember the land of Iraq and remember the Iraqi
people and think of yourselves as if you were in our place. In this way
you will realize what Iraqis suffer.

I am an Iraqi who bears no grudge against any person all over the world.
We simply wish that other people may realize our suffering now,
especially the people who do not support their thoughtless governments
and their aggressive acts. For the people who support these corrupted
governments will be responsible for them, and history will hold them
responsible for allowing this tragedy to have occurred.

This will be a shame on their ancestors who will not be able to hide
this black page of history.

Thank to the American people for listening attentively, and I am wishing
you reasonableness and the ability to comprehend the truth.

** Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches **
** http://dahrjamailiraq.com/ **