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<\/a>I sat in on a lecture, given in English, to maybe fifty or more young men and\u00a0women at a college in Ramadi. They were all about 22 and 23 years of age, in\u00a0their last year of a 5-year program. That means they were about 13 or 14 years old\u00a0during the U.S. led invasion and beginning of the occupation. I was invited to\u00a0speak by the president as an \u201chonored guest\u201d after the lecture. To my\u00a0embarrassment the professor graciously hurried through his lecture on my account.\u00a0I had everyone\u2019s attention. It was awkward for me, and after introducing myself, I\u00a0said I would be grateful to hear from them. There was only silence. I am sure my\u00a0words sounded empty, trite and artificial.<\/p>\nThen a young man in the front row only a couple of feet from me said in a quiet\u00a0voice \u201cWe have nothing to say. The last years have been only sad ones.\u201d Again\u00a0there was silence.<\/p>\n
Sami, my host from Najaf and part of the Muslim Peacemaker Team, stood and\u00a0shared. He told the story of how, after the U.S. bombing assaults on Fallujah, he\u00a0and others came from the Shia cities of Najaf and Karbala, to carry out a symbolic\u00a0act of cleaning up rubble and trash in the streets of Fallujah. This gesture, he said,\u00a0melted hearts and healed some of the brokenness between Sunni and Shia. He
\nspoke of the delegation of peacemakers from the United States who were just in\u00a0Najaf for twelve days, of the work to build bridges and seek reconciliation.<\/p>\n
An impassioned young woman from the middle of the lecture hall spoke up. It was\u00a0obviously not easy for her. \u201cIt is not,\u201d she said, \u201cabout lack of water and electricity\u00a0[something I had mentioned]. You have destroyed everything. You have\u00a0destroyed our country. You have destroyed what is inside of us! You have\u00a0destroyed our ancient civilization. You have taken our smiles from us. You have
\ntaken our dreams!”<\/p>\n
Someone asked, \u201cWhy did you this? What did we do to you that you would do this\u00a0to us?”<\/p>\n
\u201cIraqis cannot forget what Americans have done here,\u201d said another. \u201cThey\u00a0destroyed the childhood. You don\u2019t destroy everything and then say \u2018We\u2019re sorry.\u2019\u00a0\u201cYou don\u2019t commit crimes and then say \u2018Sorry.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo bomb us and then send teams to do investigations on the effects of the\u00a0bombs\u2026No, it will not be forgotten. It is not written on our hearts, it is carved in\u00a0our hearts.”<\/p>\n
We are happy to make bridges between people, said the president of the college,\u00a0but we will not forget. What can you do? In Fallujah 30% of the babies are born\u00a0deformed.\u201d What can you do?<\/p>\n
He spoke of how he\u2019d met an American soldier in the airport. He was part of the\u00a0Special Forces in Iraq. The soldier told him \u201cThe bible tells us not to kill. But we\u00a0were taught to kill, to kill for nothing. Just kill. I am so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuild bridges? the president repeated. Apologize? he said. What can you do?\u201d\u00a0There was no rancor in his tone or demeanor, only anger and deep pain.<\/p>\n
A young man said\u2026.The U.S. is still here. There are fifteen thousand people at the\u00a0U.S. embassy in Baghdad. [and 5,000 security personal to protect them]. They\u00a0have their collaborators. The war is not over.<\/p>\n
We later visited a Sheik in Fallujah in his home. He and Sami embraced warmly\u00a0and he welcomed us into the sitting area. In the course of our sharing we spoke of\u00a0our visit to nearby Ramadi, of what was said there. \u201cWar always results in two\u00a0losers,\u201d he said sorrowfully.<\/p>\n