[A continuing series by guest author Dr. Dahlia Wasfi]
Iraqis are still suffering today under the brutal grip of American-led occupation. Life goes on in the hope that one day, circumstances will improve.
For now, however, as it has been for decades, they struggle. Electricity, water, and jobs remain scarce. The destruction of Iraq’s healthcare system has contributed to the deaths of one aunt and one uncle since my 2006 trip.
In August 2007, one of my cousins was killed in the violence we brought to his country. He left behind a wife; a 2 year old son who keeps asking ”Where’s Daddy?”; a heart-broken mother and brother; and an entire family devastated by grief for whom life will never be the same.
These precious souls are only three of the more than 1,000,000 lives (and counting) taken by the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.[1]
Every country around the world is made up of families. It is those families who either reap the benefits of their government’s actions, or pay the price.
Our victims in Iraq (and elsewhere around the world) are dehumanized to us. Through media stereotypes, we have been programmed to dismiss the humanity of the “other.”[2] That disconnection from humankind is why my college classmates could celebrate the 1991 Gulf War. That disconnection from humankind is why I focused on my personal gain while my taxes brought suffering to millions.
It was Rachel Corrie’s generous spirit—and the shocking loss of her life—that reconnected me to what is truly important.
If there are political differences between states, then whatever they may be, no resolution comes from targeting the innocent families of their respective societies.
We should respect the humanity of women and children, who are the majority of any population. And if we respect their humanity in Iraq, can we respect their grief as they lose their brothers, fathers, husbands and sons, the same way we mourn with and share the pain of American military families?
From Rachel, I learned that the answer is yes. Our human connection is all that we need to reach one another.
Dr. Dahlia Wasfi
[1]a)http://www.alternet.org/world/123818/iraq%27s_shocking_human_toll:_about_1_million_killed,_4.5_million_displaced,_1-2_million_widows,_5_million_orphans/
b) http://www.zcommunications.org/more-than-1-000-000-iraqis-murdered-since-2003-invasion-by-orb
[2] Shaheen, Jack G. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. Olive Branch Press. New York, 2001.