http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=2792
Sept. 11 Families Join Nonviolence Efforts in Iraq
by Terry Rockefeller 10-10-2008
Please, spread the message: There is not only violence
in Iraq, there is something more " people are building peace and
seeking real change. Today La’Onf exists within the polarized and
dangerous political environment of Iraq, where if you speak about
resistance you are accused of supporting terrorists and advocating
violence, but if you speak about nonviolence you are accused of
supporting the occupation. La’Onf seeks to create a third way with its
message that nonviolence is a tool to resist occupation and terrorism.”" Ismaeel Dawood, founding member of La’Onf, a network of peace and nonviolence activists in Iraq.
Under the most difficult conditions, a peace and nonviolence movement called La‘Onf (Arabic for “No Violence”)
is growing in Iraq. Members are women and men from all religious and
ethnic groups. The only requirement is a passion for nonviolence and a
willingness to build a culture of peace.
Ismaeel Dawood studied statistics and read widely about human
rights. When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, he collected stories of
civilian casualties and the detention of Iraqis by the U.S. military.
As Iraqi society was overwhelmed by sectarian violence, Ismaeel and
other activists felt a need for a greater Iraqi response. Together they
asked, “Can nonviolence be a tool for change in the midst of
occupation, violence, and suffering?”
With financial support from European NGOs, they organized
nonviolence training workshops in Jordan in January 2006. Twenty-three
Iraqis attended and studied the work of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.,
and Nelson Mandela.
For a Nonviolence Week in the Baghdad area, they distributed posters
of a map of Iraq with no internal boundaries, imprinted with “La’Onf.”
They talked to people everywhere: police stations, Iraqi and U.S.
military bases, shops, schools, and mosques.
A second Week of Nonviolence in 2007 led to a democratic structure
to carry out their work, and they elected coordinating committees in
Iraq’s 18 governorates (provinces). La’Onf now includes more than 100
civil society organizations.
La’Onf’s third annual Week of Nonviolence will start tomorrow, Oct.
11. The focus is how to make the upcoming provincial elections
informed, free, safe, and truly democratic. September 11 Families for
Peaceful Tomorrows and other U.S. peace organizations are supporting
La’Onf’s efforts. For more information and how to help, see www.peacefultomorrows.org.
Terry Rockefeller is a member of September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows,
an organization founded by family members of those killed on Sept. 11
who have united to turn our grief into action for peace. By developing
and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of
justice, we hope to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and
terrorism. Acknowledging our common experience with all people affected
by violence throughout the world, we work to create a safer and more
peaceful world for everyone.
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