Shocking and Awful - Part 1 of 3

Speaker 1: The United States has already had a busy day attacking. And it was shocking, and it was awesome.

Speaker 2: Shock and awe. Shock and awe. Shock and awe.

Speaker 1: If you have to ask, is this shock and awe, you're not seeing it. We refuse to carry on business as usual while American soldiers and Iraqi civilians die. We want to know why you came to Iraq. Why? No, no, not you. You're a politic. You're a command. Why came here? You said you have many reasons. Still now, you don't have anything. But look what you've done. You, damar, damar, destroy. You destroyed all the people. Why? Because your politics is very wrong from the beginning when you let the people steal everything or take everything and you. شنو؟ راح أريد إيش ترجميلي هذه كل شبهة؟ إحنا هذا كله صار.

Speaker 2: This all happened, okay?

Speaker 1: This all happened, but we want to know how we can live now.

Speaker 2: Tens of thousands of Iraqis had to give away their lives for reasons still unclear to them. Many reasons were given. Some of them were it was the house for terrorists. Some of them were weapons of mass destruction, which proved to be a false story. And, of course, the real story is untold yet, but our doubts as Iraqis is I think that it's a very terrifying new world order, where the most tremendous military machine has a blank check to bomb any place in the world every other year as a show of power, to prove to the whole world that they are the only police.

Speaker 1: I'm a refugee from Iraq. Okay, do you have the permit issued by the brigade commander of the U.S. forces in the area?

Speaker 2: We are women demonstrating against abduction of women.

Speaker 1: Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 2: And I am demonstrating in my own city. Do I need a permit from somebody to have a demonstration for women? I do not think so.

Speaker 1: I think so. All right, if you have the demonstration, the Iraqi police will come down here and ask you to leave. So ahead of time, I'm telling you before you have this demonstration, get the permit. Bam!

Speaker 2: All you have to do. Demonstrations and nobody's asked us for a permit. This is the first time I am confronted with this. Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Speaker 1: All right.

Speaker 2: We were not allowed to demonstrate for four months. If you want to stop this demonstration, it will be a very bad thing against you. I'm telling you.

Speaker 1: I'm not stopping the demonstration.

Speaker 2: I am not stopping.

Speaker 1: Hundreds of women— Hey, shut your mouth!

Speaker 2: Hundreds of women have been killed in this city.

Speaker 1: Don't ever use obscene language against Iraqi citizens. And this is by the law.

Speaker 2: You are not allowed to.

Speaker 1: Stop! You better stop! My ass! My ass! You run my goddamn checkpoint, I'll fucking shoot you!

Speaker 2: Get out!

Speaker 1: Get out of the goddamn car! Do you speak English?

Speaker 2: I understand.

Speaker 1: But you don't run a damn checkpoint for a U.S. soldier. Do you understand? خمسة شكل في طلع الباب ديت ماشي ديت تاكسي. my car engine trouble. my car. they want to get a taxi. طلع بالشارع العام يعني راحك منها مدينة أو تروح للشغل. أشوان ده شغل بالحديقة تتمح ت ت ت ت ت ت غرب وتابولها شنو أميره مرض صار. بعد شوية جاء واحد ديرقط يقول لي أبو مازن البس هدومك وتعال ويانا ليش؟ ده يقول البس هدومك وتعال ويانا أجي البس كاتليف صدر بطمة رجل بإيده يعني كان يقول كان كسيار حتى ثلاثة مال مال الجيش الأمريكي. ده تمشي ما في يقولون أكو سيارات أخرى مدنية دي دي طار مطاردة الظالمين طلقة هذول رشوا على الكل هو وو وو ووام دي تضر تاكسي هو هو انكتل إذا أكو تقاعد خاطر أطفاله يعني بثاني الأول والألشانك مثل أخرى أنا بالنسبة لي يعني إحنا يعني the end of of our life يعني. but the child يعني الأطفال تخاد. أنا على مو يعني همنا أريد الاعتذار بس. يعني أخوي ما كان شاعر المسدسة بإيدك. وأساسا هو ما يحمل الخدمة العسكرية المسلحة ولا. مريض مريض. يعني ما ممكن إنه فرحة بلبها. يعني إحنا دن فطنا وانا فطور سويتنا الصباح. وتسألكنا. وأخذ أغراضه وطارع للعمل. يقول لي شايف مسدس؟ لا، ويتهم يقول لي كان أخوك دا يطلق نار على سيارة بيكاب دا يحاول يسرقها.

Speaker 2: منصات القوي، نعم، وسياحهم، نعم، والشركة العراقية هما تينوفت سيارة لاند بروز بيضيت، فطفرة ورأسنا منع السياج ومن الباب، طفرة من فوق السياج؟ من يعني صورها مجيئة، يعني حتى أتوقع أنه حتى عند الجيران شون صار صعودهم وعن طريقها لتضع، إحنا غلقناها لأن سمعنا الدباوات جتتي، نعم. فإحنا إن شاء الله عندنا علم إنه بدأت شغلة الصحف تحديداً في اختبارات نظرتني يوم التالي فاسعة بعد عشرين سبعة اثنين ساعة ثلاثة ونص تقريباً لحمة باسم المقابل الجديدة قواتها جريت مستقلة جريت مستقلة قوات أمريكية وكون من دبابتين ومجموعة أشخاص الخزانة المكونة كيف تقريباً من المستمرات المعتدة؟ وجهاز كمبيوتر جهاز كمبيوتر يعني التنظيم وكذا بالمواد الجديدة وأمور شخصية أخرى يعني مستمتكات شخصية جواز سفر مع المساء قضايا أخرى حقيقة أنت بسمعون نفسها؟ إحنا سمعنا إنه رئيس مجلس الإدارة اعتقل فعلا تم اعتقاله مباشرة رئيس مجلس الإدارة الأستاذ عبدالصلاة الشعلان وقتدي إلى منطقة أو مكان مجهول مجهول ما تعرفونه لحد الآن لحد هاي اللحظة ما نعرفين مكان جوّب المرة هنا الصبح جوهنا أفترى بكل المنطقة وراح جابوا الدرع منا أتقدوا علينا إحنا داخل البيت كانوا يقولون نطلع ما خلونا كل شي نطلع من البيت تلفزيون ستاتلايت يعني كل أثاث البيت كامل وخلونا كانوا يطلعونا نريد ملابس الأطفال يضربونا ولما نقول لهم نريد ملابس الأطفال أي والله ضربونا إحنا آني وبعد وياك وبنات ضربونا يقولون نطلع حتى سحب علينا راضي يضربنا وطلعونا طبعاً سبعة بس نسوي إصلاحي خوفنا ومشي أنا قسمنا علينا قدامهم ودونا اللي هناك عشان نقدم لهم الدرع هذا المرافق الصحية هدموها وتقدموا على البيت ضربوا ضربوا إجينا لقيناه هيتشي ورش هدوكم بعدين ورا ما ورا ما كملوا القصف اللي هدوونا ولا الساعة ساعة كان لهنا يضربون بالبيت ذاك العتادم كان بكت بكت درعات اثنين يعني ضربون عليه بس بكته. بكته وقاذفه.

Speaker 1: قاذف.

Speaker 2: إيه. سلام.

Speaker 1: يا سيسا تبعتكم هنا عايشين؟ إيه لا والله عايشين هنا.

Speaker 2: ما عدنا مكان غيره وين نروح؟ ورا مخضل ولد؟ إيه. قمنا نشتغل بالكرك. إحنا ما نعرف نشتغل بالكرك. قمنا نشتغل بالكرك ونزجي ونفلاح.

Speaker 1: يعني إحنا كل شي ما نعرف.

Speaker 2: وإحنا نوزلهم كل شي ما نشتغل.

Speaker 1: أبويا رجع رجع رجع مكسورة. لا لا أنا فك واحد أنت ما أدري فجأة شايف واحد يزع دم ببغداد أبويا يزع دم يدب دم ببغداد. Let's go. Come on. Oh yeah. Oh, oh, here, here's your cane. Hey, sit down, you. Hey, sit, sit. All right. Go to the house. You got him? Hey, you with Hala, shut the— This guy's got a bomb on you?

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You have to stay. You stay. My son is in the toilet and I let go. Hey, start seeing. Put them all in here. Put all the women in here.

Speaker 2: Jesus Christ.

Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 2: You got to let them.

Speaker 1: You too.

Speaker 2: You too.

Speaker 1: Why you got to hit a child? There's a little kid in here.

Speaker 2: Hey! There's some more females.

Speaker 1: No, no, no, you too. Go, go, go. Come this way. Somebody get this old man. This guy. You want to take him up, Karen? He's just like a sack of weight. You can stand there. It'll probably take you an hour for you to go back up. Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen. We engage. You have to engage the population. We engage them with direct and indirect fire when they attack us. Which is more often than we would like, and then we engage with dialogue. Look. Hey, hey, hey.

Speaker 2: Look.

Speaker 1: Look here. Look. Come inside. In short, the only ambulance you saw, they shot the ambulance and they shot the driver. After they checked his car, inspected his car, and knew that he was carrying nothing, then they shot him. And then they shot the ambulance. Now I have no ambulance to evacuate over 20 wounded people. I don't know who's doing this and why he's doing this. This is terrible. This has never happened before.

Speaker 2: And—

Speaker 1: And I don't know who to call, because it seems Nobody is listening.

Speaker 2: What happened?

Speaker 1: They say there is a ceasefire. They said 12 o'clock, people went out to do some shopping. Everybody who went out was shot. And this place was full, and half of them were dead. I don't know why. Please, you do your best to ask them. Why? Thank you very much. كربامك والباتين لو كرباك وباتين يتوفى بس كربامك تعرف النبوة النفط قالت لا تعرف خمسين درهم نهاية ليش هو النبوة النبوة يقولون جداكم نفط والندابة هذه معاصي ما ما استفاد يعني من كل شيء من الظروف هذه. زين هذا المي واقف لا البلدين يروحون عليهم يجوني نفوها لا كل شيء نفوها. إيش قد صار لها خير؟ هاي صار الأسبوع. This has been going on for. ليش الأمريكان هنا ما يشوفون؟ لا يفوتون منا يومين يفوتون. The Americans are passing every day through. شو نسووني على أمريكا؟ What have they done to us? هذا لا يخنط.

Speaker 2: Was it like this before?

Speaker 1: كانت هيجي قبل زمن. لا قبل ما كانت هيجي. جانت أي مجارة سيد الروح للأمانة، الروح للأمانة يجون سيارات تجتنا الظفر. هسه هاي صار الأسبوع يمكن أربعة خمس مرات. No one hears us.

Speaker 2: No one listens to you.

Speaker 1: No one. Before very good, but now not good. You see. Everything is miserable. Yeah, before very good. The education, the water, drowning pipes.

Speaker 2: Anything.

Speaker 1: يعانون ما يعانون. عنهم عنون. جابوا هذا شهر تموجوا آب. أقوى وأقصى أيام الحر هي بهالشهرين. تقدرون هم لاحظوا كهرباء ماكو بالبلد. تقدرون. July and September. الشهر فلار إيه القيد؟ هالسماكو هي تشيشي. ناس قامت تشتري الغاز. قامت تشتري بدك تشوفها. بدك تشتري بسعر يعني كلش غالي.

Speaker 2: لا ترهم غالي. ما الغاز.

Speaker 1: بيش اللي ترهم السعر؟ مئتين وخمسين. بالمحطة هو بعشر يعني. إيه. بالمحطة بثمانين دينار صار. بالمحطة بثمانين دينار. بثمانين دينار. إيه. People pay electricity for the auxiliary electricity, which is becoming the main electricity, and they pay the Iraqi government for providing them four hours of electricity also through a meter. So they're paying both for the Government electricity and the private electricity, and you can see the wire strung. We went into Mussolini's bed. They are providing electricity to as far as one kilo, one one kilometer and three hundred meters away from his place. We want justice! Now, what we don't want is that under Saddam and his clique, there were a few people who were beneficiaries, and the majority of Iraqis simply were spectators. We are creating now the same circumstance. The Iraqi public at large are spectators. There is a small clique who are beneficiaries, along with the International companies. So where is the real change in terms of economics? Where is the real change? If the peace dividend is going to accrue to international companies, then I'm sorry to say this is a formula which is unfair, and I think in the long run it's a formula for disaster. عراقي بديل أبن. شعب العراقي الشعب العراقي هذا شعب يعني ما أدري مع الأسف حمل جريرة ظلم الكرة الأرضية كلها خمسة وثلاثين سنة صار هذا الشعب يضرب ويضرب ويضرب وتحت المطرقة وما كو ما كو ما سمعنا صوت ما سمعنا صوت نادى بحقوقه ولا So actually, we are traumatized, and those who have returned back from abroad are traumatized as well. They have been traumatized before leaving the country, and they have been traumatized when they have returned to the country. It's like a Frankenstein. That's what I've been thinking. You know, this country's been chopped up by by dictatorship and then by sanctions and by war and now by occupation. And now it's being— it's stitched together in a very haphazard and ugly way. And it's, you know, I don't know. هذه سياسة وهذه مصالح ومصلحة أمريكا فوق كل وكلها أكاذيب بس الشعب بعد مغلوب على أمره مغلوب على أمره لأنه صدام دمر كل شيء. حتى قتل بي الروح الروح قتلها بي يعني أبداً ما متفائد بوجود الأمريكان وبالعكس أنا أحب الشعب الأمريكي شعب الله سبحانه وتعالى خلق الناس كلها وخلقنا نحب واحد يحب الآخر مؤمن جداً بالسلام مؤمن جداً بالحب لكن أبداً ما مؤمن بوجود الأمريكان بوجود الأمريكان يشكل ضرر العراق والبلدان المجاورة ويحاول يخلق فتقائد والمستقبل القريب هو اللي راح ينبئ لكم الكثير أنه الأمريكان وجودهم كان جريمة جريمة بحق المنطقة منطقة الشرق أصلا كلها واللي أوجدها صدام زيد بوش اتشرب علينا يقول لك أنا خل العراق عسى شيء مو أوجيه لا جاب الأمان لا جاب الثقل لا جاب البشرية دولة كلهم قاعدين على طالبة الطالب قطع لا كهرباء لا مي لا سيارات تسليب بشارع نهب أي واحد يطلع هو على التلمغربة تحداه أو يطلع السيارة نظيفة تحداه قاعد ماكو باسين ماكو قاعد ماكو نفوت ماكو جيد وين الأمانة جادة والله يا صدام يعني ما أدري شي إذا أقول لك يعني هو الأذات عاملوا يا كل دول العالم وده الشعب هذا ويأمرك تعامل ويبرطانية تعامل ويا فرنسا تعامل ويا التعاطف ويتي تعامل جميع البلدان العالم وضد هذا البلد. The whole problem is not to be hostage to this Saddam-US binary because it's not a binary. That is the crux of everything. That's why these people like the poet Ali Zaidi, the old man, and the hotel. Manager and all that. This this is this is what it's all about. These people who've suffered so much under Saddam do not hesitate one moment in telling you how painful it is for them to see an American tank come in. Okay, أقول لك شيء. أقول لك الضغط اللي تواصل علينا مدة خمسة وثلاثين سنة فقدنا توازننا إحنا بشر. احنا كائن يتخبط في كتلة من الاعصاب حتمية الزواجية هذا عصاب يعني تقدر تقول احنا هالشعب هذا مزدوج ليش لانه قد نتوازننا شن نسوي بغض بغض بغض بغض بغض اي بارقة امل حتى لو قشة بهالطعم هذا ممكن نشلب فيها فاحنا قد نتوازننا في اي شي حتى لو تكون من العدو من الشيطان من العدو من الشيطان ما كوبدير خيار ما عدنا خيار نضع أيدينا بيد الشيطان من أجل يمكن أن يركننا شوية أو يرفع شوية بينا نحن نعرف كل شيء المجلس لا يمثل سياسي الداخل بل مثل المعارضة الخارجية ومعارضة الخارج وهؤلاء ناس تمتعوا بحياة تختلف أما عنا الداخل بالنسبة للمثقفين والأدباء والسياسة.

Speaker 2: أمل إنه يتشكل يعني شيء مثلنا إحنا صدق مو مجرد قعود أو يريدون بس يأتون للحكم. Our hopes are this is the last war that the Americans can do all over the world. This new world order that they have Imposed on everybody, where their single goal is to be the single policeman in the world, has to end right away. We have given very big losses, especially the women and the children. It doesn't need to happen again.

Speaker 1: راحت الميدي جالستان هذا الحج راحت الميدي جالستان. هذا ملخص ما هو فيه الشعب هو أصبحية. All shock and awe.

Speaker 2: Shock and awe.

Speaker 1: If you have to ask, is this shock and awe? You're not seeing it. We refuse to carry on business as usual while American soldiers and Iraqi civilians die under the machinery of war.

Speaker 2: والله أطلب من النساء الأمريكية يعني رسالة أوجهها إلهم. إنه يطالبون أولادهم أخوانهم اللي هسا موجودين بالعراق إنه يرجعون البلادهم ويرجعون ديارهم لأنه حتى لا تشوه الصورة أكثر لأنه بدت تشوه مع الأسف الشعب أشكر الشعب عاني اللي هم قسم من عدهم مقفوية العراقية والجيش هم أشكر لأن أقول لأنه بسرعة يغادر الوطن إنه طلع عنا صدام من حكوماته. شح الحضور الوطني يجي عندك لنظام مستقر والعمل المستقر. إحنا كل الزيال ندري ما جايين على صدام جايين عن نفط. وين؟ بس كده كان قدرون يأخذون النفط بأسلوب غير هالأسلوب اللي دمر البلد. What a wonderful morning. What a wonderful group of people. Women's International League was started in 1915 by women In the spirit of Code Pink, who crossed borders, tried to stop World War I, saw the connections between the economic reasons why men went to war and why women had to cross borders trying to stop this war, we decided the most subversive thing we could do would be to communicate directly to the women of Iraq. We have a letter that thousands What is it? It's a letter that thousands of people around the country have signed, which we're sending to the women of Iraq. As women, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts and sisters, we are reaching out to you, offering our friendship, support and strength. You are not alone in the struggle for peace and justice. We pledge to do everything in our power to prevent further suffering for you and your families. Your children and all of the Iraqi people. We call on women everywhere to join in nonviolent action to end the current military operations and stop future attacks. Diplomacy, yes. War, no. War will not bring anything to this world. Of course, Mr. Kim Jong-il is not my type. Miss Saddam Hussein is not my type, but Mr. Bush, he is. You are not my type either. We may be small, we may be young, we won't stop till peace is done. Maybe small, we may be young, we won't stop till peace is done. What do we want?

Speaker 1: What do we want? What do we want? Peace!

Speaker 2: What do we want?

Speaker 1: Now!

Speaker 2: Thousands of feet below you, there is a small boy running from your bombs. If he were to show up at your mother's house on a green sea island off the coast of Georgia, he'd be invited in for dinner. Now, driven, you have shattered his bones. He lies steaming in the desert in 50 or 60 or maybe 100 oily, slimy bits. If you survive and return to your island home and your mother's gracious table, where the cup of loving kindness overflows the brim and from which no one in memory was Gather yourself, gather yourself, and set a place for him. The political formula set forward by the U.S. occupation is a very tragic one. What is called the Governing Council in Iraq has set the dividing lines between The people of Iraq, upon ethnicities, upon religion, upon gender. Of course, speaking about gender is the biggest misery of all, because in this governing council, out of 25 seats, only 3 women got seats. One of them is a previous Ba'ath symbol, and 2 of them are women under veil. What does this— what is the message that is set forward for women in Iraq?

Speaker 1: I think it's a message of weakness.

Speaker 2: In Iraq, is that this submissive woman? This is the role that we should expect for our future in there. نين إنه للمستقل العراقي؟ تتمامون؟ أمان وخير واستقلال.

Speaker 1: وأنت؟ يعني همشي وحدة الكلمة بين ال يعني يكونون كلمة وحدة ما يكونوا متفرقين.

Speaker 2: هي أهمشي الحرية. ديمقراطية بصدق، مو مجرد كلام. This is her.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And she's wearing kind of a mini skirt. Yeah. Tell her she was very beautiful. مشيتهم أو تقافتهم أو شون عيشتهم بالشون يعني شنو هم رايتهم يعني مثلاً هم مدار العلمان يعني أمر أسر متحررة هذه الأمور يعني أي متحررة يعني موصول يعني أختار أهم شيء أهم شيء الأمان في حال إذا توفر حيكون وعي أكثر يعني التقاطات تغير الحياة بالنسبة للبنية يعني تكون شوية يعني نسبة انفتاح يعني متعادلة إذا كانت هي طبعاً من النوع اللي يتحمل مسؤولية الدين، فتقدر يعني توازن بين الحياة المطورة والحياة الدينية المتعصبة. Okay.

Speaker 1: May I ask you some questions?

Speaker 2: Hey. Can she start off by telling me what she thinks of the CPA?

Speaker 1: نبدأ بسؤال أنا شو رأيك بال بالسلطة الاعتلاف قوات الأمريكية يعني في العراق؟ والله قوات الأمريكية ما ريت تبقى هنا.

Speaker 2: أولاً أمريكا أمريكا من جت حررتنا على أساس التحرير التحرير تحرر وترجع ما ريت تبقى هنا. إيه هذا اللي نريده نريد أمريكا بأسرع وقت تطلع من عدة قبل الاهانة وقبل لا يصير ترابية مو خوش. This morning I woke up and thought about how the people in Iraq must be feeling right now with the absolute certainty that their lives are going to be short, with the absolute certainty that everything they know and care about And how, how could I get through the day knowing that this was being done in my name? Where do I go to find— I am fasting because words alone are not enough to express my deep opposition to this unconscionable act. It is not acceptable to me that this action be taken in my name or the names of other American women and our families, especially women of color, who know what it means for our lives to be considered worthless. As human beings, we're supposed to treat others as we would want to be treated. Sit down and communicate. Consider, would you want this to happen to your own children? If you're a mother, if you're a grandmother, if you have, you know, sisters and brothers, would you want your family to be treated like this? And I think that the answer would come very quickly and very clearly, that no. The poor children and women in Iraq didn't do anything to the United States to deserve this. Awaken to your power. We decided that we did want to work as women and that Daddy got us into this, and we're going to have to get ourselves out of it. Awaken to your power. Well, I think it's a very sort of profound and important way to make a statement that is not just verbal, that speaks to people's souls. Awaken to your power. Well, when you ask me, you know, why I think our leaders are taking us to war, it's interesting that I can't immediately come up with a good answer. Anytime that someone says we don't have a choice, I start not to trust them. I am fasting to express my opposition to the war in Iraq. To the U.S. waging war in Iraq, that this opposition spreads across the nation. When I woke up this morning, I remembered hearing that a rare sight of Venus was to be visible in the— but when I came and looked out the window, I could only see Mars, not Venus. I was disappointed, but when I thought about it, it seemed a little metaphor about how the consciousness of this looming war takes up so much of my attention these days and weighs down my spirit since 9/11. Having a quiet time here to feel connected to other women concerned about peace There were those who didn't care about praying, the young ones, the ones who had been to America. They told the old ones, you are wasting your time. Time? The old ones prayed for the young ones. They prayed for Allah to mend their brains. One of the women in the book wrote an alphabet of words, and the last word was Zest, and I don't want to forget.

Speaker 1: It's not nice, not nice. It doesn't matter.

Speaker 2: جوا والمرة هنا الصبح جوا هنا افترى بكل المنطقة وراح جابوا الدرع هنا اتقدوا علينا. وذاك العطادم كونوا بكتت من درعات اثنين.

Speaker 1: يعني ضربون عليها بس بكتت.

Speaker 2: بكتت وقادفة.

Speaker 1: قادفة.

Speaker 2: سلام. يا سيسي تبعتكم هنا عايشين؟ ايه لا والله عايشين هنا. ما عدنا مكان غيره وين نروح؟ وراء مخضول ولد؟ قمنا نشتغل بالكرك. انا ما نعرف نشتغل بالكرك. قمنا نشتغل بالكرك ونزجي. ونفله يعني شنو كشي معنى عرفوا شنو زلم كشي معنى اشتغل. look at Iraq for the last year so many explosions so many people are killed innocent people civilians and so many places are targeted so many explosions just in the last two days four or five explosions in Baghdad and in other places of Iraq and for the last 11 months, 12 months, a year, many, many explosions. Where is the security? Women cannot go out alone, especially in the afternoon and at night, even, in fact, even in the morning. I hear many stories about women who work, for example, teachers or employees, who are being kidnapped when they go to their work, who are being shot dead, who are being abused. So, for women, no, the security situation is really bad, and not only for women, for all the people. Human Rights Watch put a very long report on this issue, and they worked on more than 70 cases, but they documented 28 cases in that report. I mean, you can hear about women you know. At least 3 cases, women I know, who But why this happened, I mean, there are many— there could be many reasons. But I think the main reason was that the absence of authority, the absence of security. Many of you may know that women in Iraq lived much better conditions than other women in that area. In the Middle East. We were much better off when it came to access to education, access to work, and also in rights. And that had a reason for it. The progressive movement in Iraq has started early on. By 1958, almost 45,000 Iraqi women were organized under what's called Women's League, and they did huge Demonstrations on the streets and were able to change some of the civil laws. And most of those included articles of the law that were based on Islamic Sharia. Can you imagine? More than 50 years ago, there was a strong women's movement in Iraq. The goal of this demonstration is for the fair representation Representation for the women in the transitional government. We want the women to take place in this transitional government because we don't want only the man take a place for these places. Why should the woman be in this position? Because she is able to do everything the man can do. We always talk about the democracy. I think democracy is not being established when the women is not in this place. أحب كل الناس تقول ويايا نعم للنساء نعم للمساواة نعم للنساء نعم للمساواة نعم للنساء نعم للمساواة especially politically women cannot be oppressed anymore we need to be everywhere we need to be on all councils And our numbers are 60%. We are more than half the society. Nobody can keep us down anymore. We want representation. We want councils that have policies that are friendly for women. We want equality between men and women. Long live equality between men and women in Iraq! Long live equality!

Speaker 1: Why don't you pay your costs?

Speaker 2: Well, just because it's the right thing, I'll call and pay. I mean, you're the law, and I'll go ahead and do it. Women in Black started in Buffalo in October of 2001, shortly after we started bombing Afghanistan. It came out of a discussion group, one of many here in Buffalo, New York, that were holding meetings about September 11th, 2001. It's a model that we borrowed from women in Israel, who started a Women in Black group in 1988 in response to their government's policies, particularly concerning the Jewish settlement and failure to reach peace with the Palestinians. And this is a worldwide organization. Not just in Israel. It's a group of women that show up and hold vigil, a silent vigil, for peace. The idea is, too many words have been spoken. There's too much rhetoric talking about war and the need for war, and even the need for peace. And by our silent presence, they would hold up stop signs, Stop the Occupation. Here in Buffalo, we adapted that, but a silent vigil for peace and against our U.S. government People really take to this model and understand its significance and also its simplicity. You come once a week. You stand silently. You stand for peace. You show that dissent is still possible in this democracy. Sacred the land, sacred the water. Sacred the sky, holy and true. Sacred all life, sacred each hour. And we pray that these conversions take place in our hearts, in our spirits and in reality. We pray this through Christ our Lord.

Speaker 1: Amen.

Speaker 2: Our specific intention for being there, which we had prayed over, which we had discussed for months, was based on the fact that war was imminent, that there were threats made by the president to use weapons of mass destruction on the Axis of Evil countries. So, every time the threat would come out, you know, we had studied for years international law.

Speaker 1: Right.

Speaker 2: And so, we were aware that the international law that has been incorporated into the Constitution of the United States, that this was being defiled. So we knew that we had to go and stop a crime. We looked at it as a form of liturgy, as a form of prayer. And so, we wore white Tyvek suits that had disarmament specialists on the front and, in big letters, CWIT on the back, Citizen Weapon OK. Weapons inspection teams. And we clipped a link in the fence, in the cattle gate fence, clipped a link in the fence around the silo, opened that up and put our banner, Sacred Earth and Space Plowshares, on it, poured our cross— our blood on there in the shape of a cross, on the railroad tracks, on the sides of the missile silo.

Speaker 1: God bless.

Speaker 2: Yes, thank you so much. God bless.

Speaker 1: God bless.

Speaker 2: Thank you for being in Black Lives Matter.

Speaker 1: May the Lord bless you.

Speaker 2: Thank you so much. It's great seeing you. It's great being with you. Thank you. Peace be with you. It seems like I've seen a lot of you in this way, on this journey. Thank you so much. My name is Freda Barragan. I'm a member of the War Resisters League and part of Ardeth and Carol's Jonah House community. And Ardeth and Carol and Jackie have asked me to introduce them this morning and explain why they and many others of us are dressed in black. As the sisters go into court today to be sentenced by the government for their courageous and legal Yes. —of exposing and inspecting U.S. weapons of mass destruction, they are dressed as women in black. Ardeth and Carol and Jackie will wear black and stand silent to be in solidarity with the voiceless millions held hostage by the threat of the Minuteman missile and the mushroom cloud. Our only problem is not just equality. We have much more immediate problems. We don't have jobs. We don't have money. We don't have jobs. We cannot survive if we go on like this. So we decided to take part in the unemployment movement, and we went out marching in the streets. And this movement was a big one. It started with thousands, but when I was there— and this is a month ago— the number reached 125,000 people who are— who have membership in this organization and who Who we represented when we went into negotiations with the American officials. We certainly cannot trust the media to cover the reality of occupation. We did an amazing job as the antiwar movement. Here in the U.S., we managed to get over 600 organizations to come together under the umbrella of United for Peace and Justice. And around the world, there were simultaneous demonstrations, like we had on February 15th, that I don't think has ever been seen before. in history, where millions of people came out on the same day with the same message, a very clear message: The world says no to war. So we tried our best, and we succeeded in building a strong movement. We succeeded in forcing the U.S. to go to the United Nations. We succeeded in getting the Security Council not to go along with the United States. There is a big secular base of people, of working class, of women in Iraq who are willing to fight for a better future. The occupying forces are trying to impose a very different reality. And if we are not there, if we do not get your support, it is not possible.

Speaker 1: We are the people, and we declare peace! Here we go!

Speaker 2: We are the people, and we declare peace! We're the squeaky wheels and we need a little grease. Workers and unions, the people of the prol, this is no just war, so let's take control! Being a radical cheerleader means being able to speak your truth in a way that's thought-provoking, hopefully, by the lyrics of the cheers, and also in a way that's When I saw people coming out to these protests, you know, in bad weather and in small numbers, I just felt that they needed someone, you know, to congratulate them and thank them. It wasn't until we got closer and closer to possibly invading Iraq that, you know, the tens of thousands of people came out. Generally, protests are, frankly speaking, really boring. They're just a lot of yelling and screaming. It was really boring. You know, you're just walking. And that's great. People want to be there, obviously. But at the same time, I don't think there's anything wrong with being entertained and having fun when you're out there. When there's a group of people who are participating in the rally, they're marching by, and then, you know, maybe they're starting to get a little tired, or they're just feeling frustrated about the issues that they're And then they see the radical cheerleaders who are saying— you know, we're saying, like, yay, peacemakers, thanks for being out here. It sort of pumps people up and makes them feel good. Hey, Kristen, did you know the occupation has got to go? Do you want war?

Speaker 1: What?

Speaker 2: Do you want war? No! Hey, Stella, did you know the occupation has got to go? Do you want war?

Speaker 1: What?

Speaker 2: Do you want war? No! Hey, people, did you know the occupation has got to go? Do you want war?

Speaker 1: Do What? Do you you want war? want No! Hey, people, did you know the occupation has got to go? Do you want war? What? war? No!

Speaker 2: Do you want war?

Speaker 1: No!

Speaker 2: Usually, we pick a color, say, red, white and blue, or pink and black, or red and black. And then people just go out and find what they can find and try to be creative and fun. And, you know, you can go to whatever extreme that you want. We remember! We remember! It was just a year ago! Iraq was bombed, the world said no. We're aware, we're ear-aware. You said the weapons would be found to extract from oil in the ground. We believe, we, we believe it's time to take a different tack. Come on, Bush, bring them back!

Speaker 1: Thank you!

Speaker 2: We remember. We, we remember. It was just a year ago. Iraq was bombed, the world said no. We're aware. We're, we're aware. You said the weapons would be found to extract from oil in the ground. We believe. We, we believe. It's time to take a different tack! Come on, Bush! Bring it back! The Dish.

Speaker 1: He did.

Speaker 2: Extreme that you want. We remember! We remember! It was just a year ago a rock was falling and we all said no!

Speaker 1: We're aware. We're ear-aware.

Speaker 2: You said the weapons would be found to extract from oil in the ground. We believe. We, we believe. It's time to take a different tack. Come on, Bush, bring them back!

Speaker 1: Thank you!

Speaker 2: We remember. We, we remember. It was just a year ago. Iraq was bombed, the world said no.

Speaker 1: We're aware.

Speaker 2: We're, we're aware. You said the weapons would be found to distract from oil in the ground. We believe. We, we believe. It's time to take a different tack!

Speaker 1: Come on, Bush, bring it back!

Speaker 2: These bitches. He did.

Speaker 1: The United States has already had a busy day attacking. And it was shocking, and it was awesome, and it was incredible. Good old shock and awe.

Speaker 2: Shock and awe.

Speaker 1: If you have to ask, is this shock and awe, you're not seeing it. We refuse to carry on business as usual while American soldiers and Iraqi civilians die under the machinery of war. When they start looking at or start exploring the issues of Muslims and the Islamic fundamentalists, And start portraying them as terrorists, you know, that does add to a certain resentment towards these communities, which lead to hate crimes towards them, as well. And when hate crimes are being committed, people of similar physical traits and from a certain geographical location kind of get clumped together.

Speaker 2: Ah! Oh!

Speaker 1: 8:45 a.m. People coming down. We felt a little shake. Everybody fell to one side. We had no knowledge that steel core weakened by the plane's impact and the searing fire. Tragic hour in America's history. Allahu Akbar.

Speaker 2: Allahu Akbar.

Speaker 1: Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.

Speaker 2: Ameen. Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 49-year-old turbaned Sikh and father of 3, was shot and killed while planting flowers at his gas station in Mesa, Arizona. Hours before the crime— Sodhi's alleged killer, Frank Roque, had bragged at a local bar of his intention to, quote, kill the ragheads responsible for September 11th. In addition to shooting Sodhi 3 times before driving away, Roque also allegedly shot into the home of an Afghani-American and at 2 Lebanese gas station clerks.

Speaker 1: Sat Nam Waheguru. Sat Nam Waheguru.

Speaker 2: Waheguru. Waheguru.

Speaker 1: We don't share the same ethnic or religious affiliations of the people, at least, who they think that they're targeting.

Speaker 2: The day is Friday, April 28th, 2000. I cannot forget that day ever in my life.

Speaker 1: More charges are expected to be filed next week against the man accused in Friday's deadly shooting rampage outside of Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2: My brother-in-law called me and says, somebody shoot Sandeep. 34-year-old Richard Baumhammers is in custody, accused of killing 5 people and wounding a 6th at several locations around Suburban Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon. He allegedly shot a Jewish woman, 2 Indian men, a Chinese man, a Vietnamese man, and an African-American man. Sandeep was in helping my, my sister in a grocery store, and that guy just came in and started shooting him.

Speaker 1: मैं स्टोर में अकेला था, उसने मुझ पर गोली चला दी और सीधे मैं जमीन पर गिर गया। उसके बाद मुझे कुछ नहीं पता। Neck down, his body is completely disabled.

Speaker 2: He cannot move his arms or legs or nothing. For food and for every little thing, he has to be dependent on somebody else.

Speaker 1: This was clearly an example where people outside of our communities didn't differentiate between whether you were from India or Pakistan or from Guyana or Trinidad. You look the same to them, and those who want to hurt you or discriminate against you, you know, will not differentiate where you're from exactly.

Speaker 2: September 11th, 2001. My name is Shukriya Iyagi. I'm a mother of 3. I've been married to my husband for almost 10 years now. And I came to the United States from Afghanistan after the war over there, or during the war over there. That's— yeah. I grew up here in Albany. This is my niece. She's 7 years old.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And he has his teeth falling out. And this is Ziad. He's 9. And that's Abdallah.

Speaker 1: No!

Speaker 2: He's 5. Life in Albany is peaceful. It's a small city. So, I mean, I grew up here. I know it. I— this is where— I couldn't call anywhere else home other than here. My family's here. You know, I went to school here. My husband basically spent his whole adult life here. My husband, he was detained for 3 days before he was able to make any phone calls to a lawyer or to a family member or anything like that. It was basically— he was picked up off the street and just taken away. And it was— that was it. No one knew anything about it. Since 9/11, the FBI and INS began illegally detaining Arabs, South Asians, Muslims, and Sikhs, rounding up over 1,200 in the first weeks of the crackdown. The government has yet to disclose the detainees' names, where they are being held, and on what charges. Those released report many more Arabs in detention, leading experts to believe unknown thousands are being It happens with the Chinese Exclusion Act. It happens following on— many years after that with the internment camp, putting away 120,000 Japanese Americans just because of their country of origin and their race, even though many of them are actually American citizens. And today, with the Southeastern Muslim Arab Americans They're under the same kind of destiny. They're going through the same thing. They're being crucified. They're being ostracized. They're being detained. They're being put away for the same reason. That's why I'm here today. That's why I say history has a way to repeat itself. We feel that when people of Arab and Muslim descent are attacked and their civil rights are violated, that this affects everyone. What it actually feels like to be part of a community that's being targeted Because these days, if you're a man aged 16 or over from any country that's predominantly Muslim, you're assumed guilty until proven innocent.

Speaker 1: When I came into the INS checkpoint, they saw my passport, and it says clearly country of origin is Iraq. They asked me to step into a room, where the first question that was asked to me by the 2 officers The questions that were in that room was if I was a Muslim or not, and whether or not I was patriotic and to whom I was patriotic. Do I have beef with what— or do I have problems with what the United States is doing to my country? Mistakenly, not realizing that until after I'd been trapped, I said, yes, I do have a problem with what's happening in Iraq. And that was the mistake I made.

Speaker 2: I think I the question was, do was you have a problem with thinking what's happening in Iraq?

Speaker 1: that I could actually speak my mind to these folks and that any of my amendment rights counted at this point.

Speaker 2: I'm sorry. So I didn't really think much of it. I said, OK, they're questioning. That's fine. Then, you know, he should be out within a day or two, because how long can questioning take? You know, and now I found out it was— it was so amazingly, amazingly horrible. That, you know, no one, no one, no one— I mean, no one should be— should go through that. He was held in solitary confinement, or as it's— they call it the special housing unit, where in that particular cell area that they keep you, it's a— from what I was told, it's a 6-by-9 cell, and it has a tiny little window that you You couldn't look out from, because you're in there 23 hours a day, sometimes 24. And the window that he had to look outside to see whether it was day or night or the season, if you want to even say, because since he was in there all of fall, all of winter and all of spring, they painted it on him, and apparently to all the other inmates, as well, so that they couldn't look outside to see anything. He was in there for 23 years. He was videotaped 24 hours a day, so he had absolutely no privacy. The light was shone on him 24 hours a day. Many detainees have reported that they were mistreated while in custody. This included humiliating body searches, confinement in cold cells without blankets or shoes, and, in some cases, being drenched with cold water by guards. As the jails filled, some were taken Yeah, well, I—

Speaker 1: Yeah, who is it? Hold on, she finishes.

Speaker 2: Hello? Assalamu alaikum. Do they know where they took him? They do? Because usually they don't even tell that. They didn't let him see any lawyer?

Speaker 1: No.

Speaker 2: All right. Ma'a as-salam. My daughter said that one of her— the brother of one of her friends was picked up and— by the INS with no— with no charge and then detained. So, she didn't know who to call to do something about it. And they weren't letting him see a lawyer.

Speaker 1: So— Is this happening a lot?

Speaker 2: In the last 2 weeks, yes. I mean, it goes in waves.

Speaker 1: If the—

Speaker 2: you know, now INS is under Homeland Security, so if If they decide to do a sweep, you know, of questioning or detentions, a lot of them do happen here in the D.C. area. And how do you know if they've been picked up? It's really cold. It's really exactly like in, you know, what it used to be like in Argentina, the disappeared. They are the disappeared. They take them. They don't let them speak to anyone. They don't let They don't let them get a lawyer. They keep them indefinitely with no charges whatsoever. And they— people know, because they have relatives. They know these people disappeared. So it's very disconcerting. And I'm sure you can see that we are nearing the Immigration and Naturalization Service door. Hi.

Speaker 1: I'm Zad Daftar.

Speaker 2: How you doing? Nice to meet you. I'm Kathy Holtz Springston. Why don't we go right inside, and we can talk?

Speaker 1: Sure.

Speaker 2: We'll be with you. Tell me about what happened the first time you came here.

Speaker 1: The first time I came here, this was on March 20th. I came here because, being a citizen of Pakistan, I'm required, you know, to comply with a policy of the U.S. called INS special registration. On March 20th, I came actually right to this office of INS. I had consulted with the international student adviser of my university to make sure that from an immigration perspective, you know, things are in order, you know, before I went for registration. And, you know, we looked at my case, and basically I had no concerns, you know, coming into the INS special registration. That certainly didn't, you know, turn out to be true, and the special registration turned out to be an enormous surprise for me, in fact, a shock. At one stage of the registration process, I was— without fully knowing what the reasons of my arrest was or were, I was arrested and put in a cell. I was placed in a detention cell right in this building for a couple of hours. Following that, I was taken, transported to a county jail in Stratford, Virginia, for the night. And as we spoke about this, you know, slightly before, we— I was released on bail from Stratford, Virginia, the following afternoon.

Speaker 2: You had been here for so many years. And obviously done so much and to help our country and to do so much for our communities, too. And then to have this suddenly change, obviously, you know, there was some sort of a mix-up here.

Speaker 1: Yeah. No, and it's— you know, for me, as, you know, a student, for me as a resident, you know, in the U.S. for 11 years, you know, this— all of this has been like, you know, an enormous surprise Is your knowledge based on specific targets, or is this— has this decision been made based on the weight, more the weight of everything that you're looking at? I think I'll stick with the statements we've made, that intelligence, which is assessed on a regular basis, provides a very sound basis and a responsibility for us to communicate what we believe to be an There may be some bumps in the road. That's life. Everything doesn't go according to plan. It's not going to end like it does in the soaps, you know. I don't actually know how it ends in the soaps, because I don't watch them. My name is Sonny Hamza. I'm a victim of September 11th. We are detainees for INS. They just pick people up and just leave them here. They don't even come over here and tell us I wish, you know, we can deliver this message to all the public, to all the people. People have been over here trying to kill themselves because they want to go home. You got guys that just came off the boat and they want to go. I just had to save a guy's life the other day because he tried to kill himself. I will let everybody know that we are suffering over here. I want to say, please, I'm a father of 7 months and a baby. I don't have a— I don't see— I don't see my baby yet. So, thank you for everything. And that's it.

Speaker 2: Well, today, April 25th, marks the deadline for the 5th wave of special registration, special registration being a new policy to really round up Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern South Asian immigrants in the U.S., to make sure— kind of like placing a surveillance tag on them. They've put it under the pretense of special registration, something that's going to extend to the entire population of immigrants. But what they're really doing is labeling anybody in this country who is Middle Eastern, Arab or Muslim, as a terrorist. What's this?

Speaker 1: This? Yeah.

Speaker 2: It's message. Whose is it?

Speaker 1: Allah.

Speaker 2: Allah? No, but whose is this? Whose was this?

Speaker 1: Baba's.

Speaker 2: Yeah? Hamza's? My younger 2 children, they're 7 and 5. They don't know that, you know, any of the reasons as to what has happened. I've tried to explain to my oldest one what happened, just so, you know, he's going to hear it in school Things like that. I didn't want him to be upset over it. But he can't comprehend the reasoning behind it. I mean, he understands that he was— you know, why he was taken in and things like that, but he doesn't understand what it has to do with us, why— what it has to do with his father, because he knows his father is innocent. You know, my children hasn't seen their father, and he hasn't seen them, or, you know, us, all of us, haven't been together for 15 months now. And, you know, that's 2 birthdays for each one of them that has passed that he hasn't seen. And I don't know, maybe this will be at one day, you know, it will be an experience that I can, you know, say, okay, well, I've had that experience, now I know how to deal with it. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, though. It's horrible. For the children, In the middle of what the major demonstrations have been about, you know, against the war, there were placards that said, stop racial profiling, no more detainments of Middle East people. I think people are much more sensitive and more informed at this time. War!

Speaker 1: Not by our mouth, we let fear silence us. Not by our heart, we allow whole people or nations to be defeated. Not by our will, and not in our name, we pledge resistance. We pledge defiance to those who come under attack.

Speaker 2: It's not just statistics, and it's not just numbers. It's actual There are many Americans who are fed up with all the unrighteous things that America has done. You know, wars and how these, these horrible things done by 1 or 2 people can destroy millions and millions of lives. I think the statistics are that if 1 person is killed, at least 10 people are immediately affected by it. You know, all these people who have been detained and deported, 10 more people, or maybe even more, have been affected by this, and their lives have been turned upside down.

Speaker 1: We pledge to make common cause with the people of the world to bring about justice, freedom, and peace.

Speaker 2: Free Farouk now!

Speaker 1: Free Farouk now! Free Farouk now! Do you know about Farouk Abdelmuti?

Speaker 2: No, I don't. I don't think he needs to be freed. We know exactly who he is. They got to stop letting foreigners into the country and letting them do whatever they want to do, and we don't know a thing about who they are or what they're doing. America isn't the same anymore.

Speaker 1: As you know, this is a rally demanding the freedom of Farouk Abdelmuti, who was arrested April 26th. Honestly, we all feel since September 11th, the government has been using the incidents of September 11th to justify the imprisonment of thousands of people across the country. You know, the NYPD intelligence was well aware of Farouk's political activities. The INS devises lists of people who have outstanding deportation orders, particularly people coming from certain ethnic communities— they've said this publicly— and they hand these off to the Absconded task forces in certain cities. The task force then makes its own decision who to go after and when to go after. During the time that he was arrested and taken to 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, this FBI agent, who's not supposed to be asking him any sorts of questions about crime or terrorism, because that's not his charge, Interrogated him severely and beat him, kicked him in the groin, slapped his face and hit his head. If it were solely for INS reasons, then that would have never happened to him. My name is Farouk Abdelmouhti. I am Palestinian. I come to this country from 1976, and include I have a son, children with an American, born here. His name Tariq. I be detained on 26th of April, after my voice was in WBI, Radio Pacifica, to bring the voice of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. I'm a Palestinian refugee. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country heard the broadcasts, you know, broadcasts from Jenin, broadcasts from Nablus, all these different places where all these humanitarian disasters were taking place. People were getting, like, firsthand information of what was actually happening. You know, I was with all these groups when we make a big rally In— after 9/11, with the interfaith, I bring the Muslim speaker, I bring the Christian Arab speakers to be part of this big rally. I believe in peace, peace and justice, an equal society in the historical land of Palestine. He always makes a distinction between legitimate national liberation struggle and terrorism. He doesn't believe in exporting the Palestinian struggle outside of Palestine. You understand, about my community, the Palestinian and the Arab community here, beginning to be afraid, and is afraid even to talk, afraid to go to the streets, afraid even to deal, to talk by telephones. The INS detainees, many of them, especially the 9/11 people, have families, have lawyers, have cases, and be deported one day, and 9/11 deportees Never you know what time you can get— move you from here. Then you move you, and after, you disappear. Strange policies is working very secretly. You don't know what is going to happen to you. This kind of psychological war against the Arabs and the Muslims today is the same time repeat the history of the 1943 against the Japanese Americans. We have to stop these things, you know. We have to go to talk about the balance and criterion of right and true. Can you talk to my son? Say hello to him, huh? You have a telephone number, right? Yeah, of course. Okay, please call him.

Speaker 2: Indeed. Indeed.

Speaker 1: The United States has already had a busy day attacking. And it was shocking, and it was also— The bombing of Madagascar was shocking, all talk and all. Shock and awe. If you have to ask, is this shock and awe? You're not seeing it. We refuse to carry on business as usual while American soldiers and Iraqi civilians die under the machinery of war. The best activism is that which empowers the silent. I think poetry is a really public voice.

Speaker 2: So many people who are not artists and who don't make things took a piece of cardboard off a box. There were so many wonderful signs of every kind.

Speaker 1: Puppetry is power. When magic confronts authority, magic always wins.

Speaker 2: Lie down! Lie down!

Speaker 1: 100 people by 5 o'clock. 200 people by 6 o'clock. Lie down!

Speaker 2: We wanted to get 200 people to lie down in the streets with us to represent the 200 people so far who have been murdered, civilians in Iraq.

Speaker 1: Imagine 9/11 times a billion.

Speaker 2: That's what We're here right now, and we're lying down right here in the middle of Washington Square Park representing those who have lost their lives, both our own, both soldiers and the Iraqis and the Iraqi children.

Speaker 1: We're all humans, and to think that one human would want to kill another human being really just— I can't understand it.

Speaker 2: We need to stop this war before it gets worse and before more innocent people die.

Speaker 1: We may win the war, but we are losing our souls. And the people that are lying down here are trying to reclaim their souls. I don't like what's going on.

Speaker 2: It's kind of a war zone, right? There's nowhere else for us to go other than the desert.

Speaker 1: I just want to say thank you to everyone who might see this.

Speaker 2: What 200 people looks like.

Speaker 1: The best activism Is that which empowers the silent. And as I've traveled the world, I found that people really feel like they are subjects of the U.S. Empire. This song for me is just a piece. It's my way of service, of trying to inspire the people to say, you know, this world is still a place that's worth struggling for. My name is Ahmed Ahmed, and I can't fly anywhere. You guys seen It's a hard time to be in Ahmed. My name is Ahmed Ahmed. So the devil was like, he pulled me off the plane. I was flying here to New York and the guy was like, Mr. Ahmed, we have some questions we want to ask you. We're going to have to pull you off the plane. I was like, that's cool, I get it. My name is Ahmed Ahmed and I am Arab. Sure. So I'm taking my seatbelt off and getting out of my seat. 2 white guys are sitting on each side of me like, I thought he was a Mexican. You didn't say Mexican, I came to the hookah. I was like, hey, I'll be right back. Just save my seat. Be right back.

Speaker 2: I know the painting well, since I was really very young when it It was at the Modern. And I always— I always really loved it and was very fascinated by it. And because I thought I knew it so well, if I wanted to copy a piece, I thought, well, this will go quick. But it was very complicated and very— very amazing how the parts locked together, the lines of tears and just— It's a beautiful piece. Everything about it is unfathomable, actually. I mean, and then I had done these women with the dead children, the women in black. Part of what I found really wonderful about the demonstration was that so many people who are not artists and who don't make things in their sort of daily life, obviously thousands and thousands of them When you took a piece of cardboard off a box, there were so many wonderful signs of every kind— words, images. Some were funny. Some were very cynical. But they were really full of life, and they were a real outpouring.

Speaker 1: I was a little girl. You, you are the fresh wind in this. This is totally fantastic to have this happen, you know, that you come with new things that come from the street, from the experience of protest, and for using puppetry this way and that way. It's an No war! No war! No war! No war! No war! No war! No war! 1, 2, 3, Audrey! 1, 2, 3, Audrey! 1, 2, 3, Audrey! Police surrounded a warehouse where they say a group of demonstrators were storing things to block traffic.

Speaker 2: Riot police surrounded the Ministry of Puppetgander, where they kept the puppets for the protests that took place today.

Speaker 1: Police arrested over 70 people.

Speaker 2: Somebody's very scared of our fake puppets. And they should be, because our big puppets spread the message of coming together, of peace, of joy, of solidarity.

Speaker 1: Puppetry is power. When magic confronts authority, magic always wins. We must do everything we can to protect the homeland. We will take actions necessary to protect American people. And we'll always value freedom. We will plant that flag of freedom forever by keeping strong and And adhering to the values we hold so dear, starting with freedom. You're either with us or you're against us. You're either with us or you're with the enemy. You're either with us or against us. We mean it. There's no middle ground when it comes to freedom and terror. They should not protest, because it is in the best interest of freedom and humankind.

Speaker 2: And I'm going to leave it at that. I'm going to read a poem of 6 lines by a hero of mine. He's a visionary. His name is Cameron Penny, and he is in the 4th grade. He is. He's amazing. He's in the 4th grade in a Michigan school. Cameron Penney wrote this. He said, if you are lucky in this life, a window will appear on a battlefield between 2 armies. And when the soldiers look into the window, they don't see their enemies. They see themselves.

Speaker 1: Thank you.

Speaker 2: As children, and they stop fighting and go home and go to sleep. When they wake up, the land is well again. This poem was originally entitled A Nursery Rhyme George W. Bush Could Read on His Own. Closer reading, we found out some of the words were still too big. If war was not an option— please, New York City, let me hear you. If war was not an option, I would leave no children dead. Instead of bombs, I would learn to use my head. If war was not an option, I would plant flowers, not mines, in the Iraqi soil, and I would use solar energy. I would use solar energy instead of crude oil if war was not an option. I would stop dreaming of gasoline. I would become a grown-up and no longer so mean if war was not an option. I would no longer threaten voices of dissent. In fact, I would actually find questions quite pleasant if war was not an option. I would extend my hand in sincere Friendship and call home our people on the battleships. If war was not an option, I would no longer fear anyone ever finding out it was the U.S. that gifted Saddam all his evil clout. If war was not an option, come on, y'all! Let me hear you. If war was not an option, I would spend money on education. —education and healthcare, and promise all Americans they would be treated fair. One more time. If war was not an option, America would become a respected and well-loved nation. Now all I have to do is use my imagination. Oumou Reda is a character that I've created, who is based on a woman that actually lived Yes. And she lives in the— or lives next to the Amiriya bomb shelter. There is a— Amiriya bomb shelter was bombed in 1991 during the First Gulf War, and there is a woman there who lost all of her family in that bombing. But her way of dealing with that was to set up a trailer and live outside and take people through as a tour. And this character is loosely based— it's based on And this is one of the circumstances from her life. And I had met her when I was there in 1991 and took the tour of the château. I am hard to understand why it's I survive and my children dead. I ask Allah why. Why you make me alive? That night, it's all people die, 403 people. There's nothing we can do. They are dead. This is Amiri Abu Mushatter. Here they write their name in chalk over the smoke figure. Here on the ceiling you see a charred handprint, footprint from people who lay in the top bunk. Here it's a silhouette of a woman. She is vaporized from the heat. This huge room, it's become like an oven, and they press to the wall to escape from the flame. I'm sorry. لا لا I don't want to show you there. It's too much walls they are stuck with hair and skin. Come, I take you to the roof. You can see how the hole it was made. Two bombs from U.S. airplane they come to this point of the roof. The first bomb it's a drilling bomb. Second bomb, it come inside exactly same spot. It explode in fire. U.S. said they thought it's communication center for military, but people here no think they wanted to kill as many people as possible. Now look around the hole. Wild greens they are growing. Life did choose to root here in this grave of Iraqi people. All. I know it's my family. It's here. Ghada. It's here. So I am Umm Ghada, mother of tomorrow. I take my full name back when I see its smile again. Then I know my daughter and son, they are alive again. I'm so sorry.

Speaker 1: I think poetry is a really public voice when you get right down to it. And although the poem is made in private, there's a public aspect. It's almost impossible to write a Where is that voice from nowhere, that burning bush, that passing dove? For I hear voices of generals calling for ammunition, presidents calling for arms, and women calling for help. And it was almost as though the whole country was waiting for the right march, the right moment, the right speech to stand up and say, wait a minute, we don't want to be a counterrevolution. accountable for 600,000 or 700,000 civilian deaths, or a million. Where is that voice from nowhere, that God of Abraham? Can he be heard over the gunfire, the whiz of passing missiles, the crash of buildings, the cries of children, the crack of bones, the shriek of sirens? Or is that his mighty voice, your angry God, craving the sacrifice of virgin generations, sons degenerate, your holy Holy books written in red ink on burning sands. Your prayers between rounds do no more than fasten the fate of your children to the hammered truth of your trigger, a truth that must be spoken.