Dr. Rashad Zidan (Iraqi Doctor brought to U.S. by Global Exchange and CodePink) finally gave a face to the suffering - the victims, the orphans and widows. For thousands who heard her message at various venues throughout the country, she has given them a face and given them a voice.
She brought pictures - pictures like those which we have become too accustomed to seeing - and told of her experiences since the invasion - as a mother of four and as a doctor. She speaks of the horrors which now shape their daily lives - of the terror inflicted upon them by the troops of the occupation. When asked what she noticed about America, she remarked on the quiet of the nights - this is the first time in three years she has slept without bombing, without the nightly raids and gunfire.
She spoke of having to give up her pharmacy - because it is no longer safe to travel to and from work alone as she was accustomed to doing. She now runs several organizations which help the thousands of widows and orphans in Baghdad, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib. A pharmacist who now must watch the sick succumb to the rigors of disease, having nothing to offer but apologies to the mothers for there is no medicine to treat their dying children. Children dying of simple diseases, and children dying of cancer - a cancer brought about largely by America's use of depleted uranium for three years now, caused by the destruction of the basic infrastructure like water treatment plants. In a land of the Tigris and Euphrates, there is no clean water.
She spoke of the horrors of their daily lives - always on the edge, ready for anything. Life under Saddam was not perfect, but for those who were just interested in their own lives, they were safe. He committed atrocities, it is true - but against those he considered enemies who dared to challenge his power. Now all are seen as possible enemies of the state - no one is safe anywhere - at school - or work - or home. Every day they send their children off to school, to be searched by American soldiers on their way, with just faith in God that they will come home, their school not accidentally destroyed, becoming yet another casualty. Faith and hope that their spouses and children won't be caught in the crossfire, or in random shooting - or to just disappear from the face of the earth. She is literally exhausted here from her tour of press offices, meetings with government officials, tv studios, and rallies. But the exhaustion she feels is nothing compared to the pure physical and mental exhaustion which they live with every day in coping with the occupation.
She speaks of similar exhaustion, the sheer frustration from dealing with the unknown which is taking its toll on our troops. Youth, unsure of their place, unsure of the players - who in desperation search even the small children on the way to school and hold rooms of women and children at gunpoint. The stress which culminates in scenes like Haditha - where frustrated at death of their colleagues - American troops murdered 15 civilians in cold blood. We've seen it before, and it's happening again.
The doctor's message: Please leave. End the occupation. Iraq is an ancient civilization which has not only endured, but prospered for far more centuries than America has been in existence. They can take care of themselves.
We have become desensitized to the horror, to the heinous atrocities to which we are silent witnesses - she has asked us only to break our guilty silence. Dr. Martin Luther King realized a generation ago, that "we shall have to repent in this generation, not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."
She didn't expect the outpouring of support she has received here - from all segments of society - from mothers who are worried about their children, veterans of the war, even government officials surprisingly willing to listen. She is returning to Iraq with good news for her people - that the official policy of the American government does not accurately reflect the feelings and wishes of the American public - that there is hope. The American public has stood up before in the face of injustice, and they may hope that we will again. She has heard our message - the question is, have we heard hers? We live here in America where we have the right and the power to effect change. Atrocities are being committed in our names. When will we finally stand up for right, stand up for justice, just stand up and break the wicked silence?