Iraq Forum Fills Common Grounds

Students, professors, and fellow members of the Harrisonburg community packed Common Grounds on Monday night to hear a panel give their insights about one of our nation's most pressing issues: the war in Iraq.

The dialogue, organized by EMU's first anti-Iraq war club, R.A.I.N., proved that passion against the war in Iraq is still burning brightly within various pockets of our community.

The R.A.I.N.-assembled panel consisting of Bible and Religion professor Peter Dula, CJP's Lisa Schirch, and CJP graduate and native Iraqi Johnna El-Hor provided insight, stories, and advice to the crowd, which numbered over 100. Sophomore Greta Shenk reflected, "It's good to hear stories from people who have been there and know what's actually going on rather than just rehashing media stories." As the dialogue progressed it became apparent that story-telling would be the highlight of the evening.

The tone and focus of the panelists varied. Schirch spoke most vividly about U.S. foreign policy, saying, "The problem with U.S. foreign policy is that it is about control, not democracy and human rights." Schirch also spoke of the death of Quaker activist Tom Fox as a reminder of how intimate and small the world can suddenly become despite its grand size and complexity.

Current program director for the American Islamic Congress and former CJP student Johnna El-Hor gave vivid personal insight into the conflict in Iraq. El-Hor made it clear from the beginning that she would not address whether she is or is not against the war and whether or not she supports a troop increase or decrease, but she did share many realities of how the conflict has changed her nation's way of living.

According to El-Hor, one-third of Iraqis live under the poverty line and have no monthly income simply because they can't get to work. She attributed the ongoing violence, at least in part, to this economic situation.

Former lead coordinator of MCC's Iraq mission, Peter Dula provided perspective to the audience by beginning his segment by articulating what the U.S. would be like if it was Iraq. Dula asked the audience to picture 30,000 Americans dying monthly, Bush having less power than the mayor of D.C., regular assassinations of key political leaders, and insurgents controlling everything from Ohio to California.

Yet despite many of the negative statistics and painful realities, the panelists and several audience members shared beautiful stories about the Iraqi people. All three panelists agreed that Iraqis are the most gentle and accepting people in the Middle East, and in the midst of violent occupation they still try to enjoy life.

As the conclusion of the dialogue neared, the conversation headed toward debating the possible solutions that are so often talked about in our media. However, Dula responded by saying, "We don't need people to go over there with what they believe to be some kind of answer. We just need people to shut up and listen." When asked to reflect on Dula's plea to listen to those suffering, freshman Bryan Cunningham responded by saying, "It is obvious to me that unless we empty ourselves of preconceived cultural or intellectual images, we cannot hope to understand the broken people of Iraq; we cannot even genuinely listen to them. Without emptiness we cannot feel empathy."