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Peace on the Tigris by Charlie
Jackson
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photo by Joel Preston Smith
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On a cold January 16, 2003 I was in Baghdad when an invitation
came from a nearby school to attend their "peace day"
event.
I was in Iraq representing Texans for Peace and Christian
Peacemaker Teams, two of the many groups that were trying to
head off the war that would eventually only two months later.
Along with members of the Voices
in the Wilderness and the Iraq Peace Team, we got into various
taxis and headed uptown to a place on the Tigris where the students
were going to light peace lanterns to sail down the river.
During the past weeks students at this school had been learning
about the history of Japan, the story of Sadako
Sasaki and the cranes
for peace, and they had made Japanese lanterns to float down
the Tigris.
The students arrived on 2 buses, along with their teachers and,
after laying out the lanterns in a large peace sign, sang some of
their school songs. There were a number of international journalists
there interviewing the students and teachers and at least 10 peace
organizations from around the world.
It was beginning to get dark and the students were getting cold
by the time the lighting finally started. We adults began lighting
the candles as the students came up one by one. A stiff breeze made
it difficult but the laterns were well constructed and once lit
shined brightly in the twilight.
One by one the students took lanterns and proceeded down to the
river to a place where the weeds had been cleared.
Gently each student put his and her lanterns into the water and
together we watched them glide away gracefully amid the swirls and
eddies of the Tigris.
When we asked the students and teachers what they most wished for
their answer was often "peace with Americans". Some of
the students gave us hand-drawn pictures that they wanted us to
share with students back in the U.S. While the boys often had fast
cars or airplane with bombs, many of the girl's pictures were filled
with hearts, rainbows and "love" ... not much different
than what students here would draw.
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photo by Joel Preston Smith
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We said "goodbye" to the students and got back in our
taxis for the ride to our hotels. We wondered, could the U.S. really
launch an invasion on a place with so much hope? Isn't there something
better that can be done for the children of Iraq who are already
being taught lessons of peace along the Tigris?.
posted 10 November 2004
End the War in Iraq!
A project of Texans for Peace.
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