The first Gulf war, the years of sanctions, and now a second war have left Iraq in shambles. Where once it was a country with a highly educated populace and reasonable security for most, Iraq’s civil society has been shattered by a ruined economy. Unemployment is 50% to 60 % in many parts of Iraq. People have turned to violence in desperation to exist. Now, no one is secure from thieves or kidnappers. Compounding this situation is a destroyed infrastructure, wrecked housing, clinics, hospitals, and schools, and the lack of funds for even simple things like trash collection. People are overwhelmed and do not know where to start in order to make improvements in their lives. The Muslim Peacemaker Team is a source of support and encouragement and the leadership necessary to get things back on the right path, while teaching peace through word and example. MPT is focusing on the immediate needs of the people, which were determined by a consensus of its members.
The idea for a Muslim Peacemaker Team developed in January of 2005 in the spirit of the Christian Peacemaker Teams that work in Iraq and several other countries. CPT is a non-profit organization based in Chicago and Toronto that is committed to supporting communities struggling with violence and was founded in 1984 by the Brethren, Quaker, and Mennonite Churches and is also partnered with other peace churches. While working with the Iraqi Human Rights Watch in Karbala, Sami Rasouli met CPT members and liked what they had to offer. They had deeply passionate and selfless solidarity, fellowship and respectful capacity building. He also liked that they were not proselytizing or patronizing and did not offer money or propaganda. Sami asked that they train Muslim men and women to be peacemakers so they could work with the CPT. After a week of intensive training in the skills of documentation and observation, nonviolent intervention and patience, 15 Muslims became peacemakers. Acting out everyday events such as the 2 and 3 day wait in the gasoline lines gave them opportunities to practice using nonviolent means to resolve differences. Working through their own hurts and biases in order to be open to others’ feelings and experiences were also included in the training. They took the name Muslim Peacemaker Team and chose Sami Rasouli as their director and Mr. Hussein Al abrahemy as co-director.
The mission of the Muslim Peacemaker Team is to bring all Iraqi groups together in peace to work for the good of the country by getting in the way of violence while encouraging the people to be self sufficient. Our immediate goals are to teach peace and human rights so the Iraqi people can once again live in a civil society, to help the people to maintain their physical health, and to lift their spirits by providing encouragement and support.
MPT will continue to organize new trainees into peacemaking teams until there are at least 20 teams working throughout the country.
The most pressing issue is sanitation education. Members of MPT will be the educators and will train others to help them. The infrastructure of the country has been ruined by the first Gulf war, the years of sanctions, and now a second war. Water and sewage treatment plants have been destroyed. Most Iraqis do not have a dependable source of pure water and have electricity only 6 to 8 hours a day. Contaminated water and spoiled food are main causes of illness. MPT will be organizing teams to go house to house to tell families how to protect themselves by adding some household bleach to hot water for bathing, washing dishes and clothing. Families also need to learn to adapt to the lack of dependable refrigeration for their food.
Education about basic human rights as defined by the U.N. and the Geneva Convention will be developed for the Iraqi National Guard, police forces, and teachers and taught by the MPT.
Planting green belts around cities to protect them from sandstorms is a future goal. At one time, sandstorms occurred about three times a summer, but with climate change there now are sandstorms every week during the summer months. These natural windbreaks will provide shelter from the blowing sand. Iraq has millions of palm trees, but the ongoing war causes destruction of the vegetation on a daily basis. A tree nursery may need to be developed for this project.
The best way Peace organizations across the the world can be involved is to be supportive of the Christian Peacemaker Teams and the Muslim Peacemaker Team by promoting them in the community.
Sami Rasouli, director of the Muslim Peacemaker Team, left Iraq when he was 24 years old to teach in United Arab Emirates for several years and then to Germany to teach for 4 more years. After arriving in Minnesota, he drove a cab until he had enough money to buy a café and market he named Sinbad’s. In 2001, Sami became a U.S. citizen.
After his mother died in September of 2003, he went back to Iraq for the first time in 27 years to visit and to console his sisters. He was stunned by the destruction he witnessed in his homeland. Sami returned after a month, but the images he had seen continued to haunt him. His sleep was fitful and he was often weepy. It became clear to him that he needed to return to help rebuild Iraq. In 2004, he sold his business that he had had for 14 years and left his three sons to go back to see what he could do to help.
While living in Minneapolis, Sami served on the board of directors of the Whittier Neighborhood. He also served on the boards of several other organizations. Among his friends and community, Sami was known as a passionate peace advocate.
Sami Rasouli’s first assignment in Iraq last fall was to be a liaison between Global Exchange and Code Pink of San Francisco and the refugees of Fallujah to deliver medical supplies. As a member of the Iraq Human Rights Watch of Karbala, he accompanied doctors to visit several different camps of refugees. Then he met the CPT.
When others heard of the newly formed Muslim Peace Team, people from all over the country interested in knowing more contacted Sami. He is certain that 20 teams can be established and working in all areas of the country.
Hussein Al Ibraheemy, the co-director, is a mechanical arts teacher in Karbala, a member of the Iraq Human Rights Watch, and a fine art artist. He also donated artwork to be sold to raise funds for MPT.