Members of the December 2001 delegation to Iraq. David Radcliff, Elgin, IL; Donald Parker, Ashland, OH; Edward Esho, Middle East Council of Churches, Baghdad; Stephanie Schaudel, Lancaster, PA; Nathan Musselman, Roanoke, VA; Chris Fitz, Washington, DC

December 29, 2001 A US delegation to Iraq from the Church of the Brethren spent eleven days over the Ramadan and Christmas holidays to witness and understand the effects of the eleven-year embargo on the people of Iraq and to stand with them in Christ's love. Having seen the devastation, both subtle and brutal, of the US-led sanctions on the people of Iraq, we, the members of this delegation urge an immediate end to this embargo and a cessation of all military hostilities. After careful study and witness of the situation, we see these policies as counterproductively influencing Iraqi society, unlawfully targeting civilians and unjustly denying people basic health, security and dignity.

The delegation was a diverse team of Church of the Brethren members. Included were: David Radcliff, organizer and director of General Board's Brethren Witness; Donald Parker, MD retired, and current General Board chair; Nathan Musselman, Arabic-speaking student studying in the region, Stephanie Schaudel, BVS volunteer and activist with Voices in the Wilderness; and Christopher Fitz, outgoing National Young Adult Steering Committee Chair on staff at the Education for Peace in Iraq Center. The complimentary experience, knowledge and perspectives of the group members allowed them to dig deep into the complex maze of issues raised by the eleven years of embargo on the people of Iraq.

Children outside the Syrian Orthodox Church in Mosul, northern Iraq. Twenty percent of the congregation now needs emergency food rations each month, a 20-fold increase from 1990—before the sanctions. Photo by David Radcliff

Hosted by the Middle East Council of Churches office in Baghdad, the delegation spent one day for each of the eleven years of embargo meeting with Iraqis in both official and personal capacities, sharing Ramadan and Christmas greetings from over 3,000 Church of the Brethren well-wishers in the US and witnessing the unique sights and sounds of a country under extended siege. In the cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Karbala, the group met with medical doctors and their struggling child-patients in hospitals, with Muslim and Christian religious leaders in their war-weary communities and with numerous, ordinary Iraqi children, women and men struggling simply to "get by" in a land lacking basic economic life. Despite hardships, Iraqis greeted members of the delegation with warm affection and constantly made distinctions between the people and the administration of the United States. The otherwise bleak picture of Iraq would be incomplete without seeing the resilience of the Iraqi people, the grace with which they have adapted to survive such precarious conditions and the beautiful and historic land that is part of their collective life.

"We need medicine." This was the plea of Sajah Mohammed with her three-year old son who suffers from leukemia. According to Iraqi doctors, only 40 percent of requested medicines are delivered to Iraq through the Oil for Food program. And many medicines are second rate or need refrigeration—which cannot be guaranteed because of frequent electrical outages. Photo by David Radcliff

Over one-third of all Iraqi children suffer from chronic malnutrition according to the latest report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Cases of stillbirths, extreme birth defects, child leukemia and other cancers continue to rise, while sanitation-related illnesses and deaths due to infectious disease continue at unacceptably high levels. All this is happening in a country with vast natural resources. In 1997, the United Nations "oil for food" program began to allow Iraq to buy food and basic humanitarian supplies. However, extended delays in relief aid, undue complications with the aid process and a crippled capacity to repair bomb damage to basic infrastructure, especially power plants and water treatment facilities, continue to render the situation of ordinary Iraqis depressing and extremely insecure. While regular US bombings remain a physical threat in the North and South of the country, the suffering of most Iraqis under the eleven years of sanctions is a silent, invisible process. Most Iraqis see themselves as forgotten by the rest of the world, able to survive the onslaught of the US government only with the strength of a strong, centralized government of their own.

In the wake of the September 11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, it is more important than ever that the voices of ordinary Iraqis be heard. While many Iraqis are genuinely sorry to see the viciousness of such attacks, they have already witnessed massive brutality in their own country. They express a universal sorrow for the thousands of innocent lives sacrificed–by governments and individuals–in their own country, in the United States and in Afghanistan.

Click here to view the 1998 General Board Statement on the Conflict with Iraq

Acting out of the love of Jesus Christ, as witnesses to the unlawful and inhumane policies of the US government that have targeted civilians for eleven years, and having seen the ineffectiveness and counter-productiveness of such brutality in accomplishing even stated goals, we hereby urge members of the community of Jesus Christ and all those willing to hear a message of cross-border compassion to demand the following:

1. Immediately lift the economic embargo on the people of Iraq, allowing them to freely trade for peaceful purposes and develop basic economic sectors: self-sustaining food, health, educational and infrastructure systems.
   
   
2. Immediately end all military hostility and threat against Iraq, including bombings, missile strikes and support of armed insurgents.
   
   
3. Begin negotiations for military disarmament on a regional basis, including the cessation of funding and military support–and the establishment of weapons-only sanctions–for all states in violation of established international law.
   
   
4. Carry out a fully funded UN-based study on depleted uranium used in the Gulf War by US-led coalition forces, including the extent of adverse health effects, continued soil and water contamination and a proposal and funding for its cleanup.

It is time to lift the economic sanctions and end military hostilities against the people of Iraq. As only the second most important commandment, Jesus commanded his followers to "love your neighbor as yourself." "Our neighbor," he made clear was the one who we least expect, the disdained foreigner, the "Samaritan" who graciously takes us in and cares for us, even when it is clear we are supposed to be enemies. The people we met in Iraq deeply understand how we as Americans, as Christians, as fellow travelers on this planet, are all neighbors. When will the people of the United States and its government understand this about Iraqis, about Muslims, about other fellow travelers of our world?

We seek support in continuing to advocate for the people of Iraq, grateful for the generous share of God we found in all we experienced in Iraq this holiday season. May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts and deeds.

Chris Fitz, Stephanie Schaudel, Donald Parker, Nathan Musselman, David Radcliff