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Letter To President Bush from Women For Iraq
Women For A Free Iraq ^

Posted on 03/11/2003 11:38:17 AM PST by zeaal

Letter to President Bush

February 27, 2003

Dear President Bush:

As women from Iraq who fled our homeland to escape persecution by Saddam Hussein’s regime, we write to offer our support for your principled leadership. We applaud your determination to disarm Saddam and your commitment to help liberate the people of Iraq. We are daughters, mothers, wives, and sisters whose families and communities have suffered for too long. We stand with you because only the United States and its allies can help the people of Iraq break free from Saddam’s 34 years of brutal rule.

Those who have taken to the streets with signs reading, “No War on Iraq” are misled. It is Saddam who has been waging war on the people of Iraq. Every day that this war continues, more of our brothers and sisters will suffer from Saddam’s totalitarian and racist policies.

A quarter million Iraqis have been murdered in summary executions and mass killings - thousands of them gassed with chemical weapons. Millions have been forcibly displaced in ethnic cleansing campaigns, their homes destroyed, their property seized, their relatives deported and never seen again. Public beheadings, arbitrary arrests, torture and rape are routinely used to intimidate the population. This systematic campaign of terror will never stop until Saddam and the Ba'ath party are removed from power

We regret that the use of force to remove Saddam’s evil regime will entail the suffering of innocent people. But we also know that many lives have been lost in the past and many more will be lost in the future if Saddam is not stopped. The cost of inaction and appeasement would be very high for the people of America and Iraq alike. We know from personal experience that Saddam cannot be “contained” and will always be a danger to the world.

The Iraqi people will help to liberate their country, just as they heeded America’s call to rise up against Saddam after the Gulf War in 1991. But without American assistance, that uprising was crushed. Some of us participated in that uprising, risking our lives and losing relatives. When the United States comes to our assistance this time, the Iraqi people will not only be grateful, we will join in. But we cannot overthrow Saddam on our own.

We look forward to the day when, with the help of Americans and others of good will, Iraq can take its place as a Free World nation – a nation that is founded on the rule of law and equal rights for all citizens, where women participate fully in society, their rights respected and protected. As you plan for a post-Saddam Iraq, we ask you to maintain your commitment to establishing the building blocks of democracy, and to ensure that no neighboring powers interfere militarily with our desire to live in a free, pluralistic and democratic Iraq. Anything less would be an opportunity foregone to dramatically change the fate of millions of Iraqis, and sow the seeds for even greater changes across the Middle East.

Again, we wish to extend our heartfelt support to you for your leadership, and our gratitude to all Americans who will be asked to risk both lives and treasure to remove Saddam. Know that the Iraqi people will eagerly contribute everything they have to the task. Our prayers are with you, with the American people, and with the Iraqi people.

Women for a Free Iraq


TOPICS: Front Page News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: iraq; muslimwomen; presidentbush; women
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May there be freedom for the people of Iraq soon.
1 posted on 03/11/2003 11:38:17 AM PST by zeaal
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To: zeaal
We applaud your determination to disarm Saddam and your commitment to help liberate the people of Iraq.

So do we!

2 posted on 03/11/2003 11:39:59 AM PST by kcvl
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To: zeaal
Again, we wish to extend our heartfelt support to you for your leadership, and our gratitude to all Americans who will be asked to risk both lives and treasure to remove Saddam.

Freedom bump!

3 posted on 03/11/2003 11:41:03 AM PST by Carolina
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To: zeaal
Excellent!! My first question was how many signatories, but by looking at the website, it appears that there are stories on a dozen or so names. I do hope that they get a petition or something going, to give this powerful letter and it's meaning as much effect as possible!!

[names and mini-bio's of women on webpage follows]


Iraqi Women Speak

Maha Alattar
Sh’ia from Baghdad. Fled Iraq in 1993 to escape the fate of her relatives who were being imprisoned, “disappeared” or deported to the mine-filled border with Iran.


Safia Al Souhail
Shi’a from central Iraq. Represented her one million-strong Bani Tamim tribe the recent Iraqi opposition conferences in London and the Kurdish safe haven; led a delegation of Iraqi women who met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in December 2002.


Zainab Al-Suwaij
Shi'a from Southern Iraq. Executive director of the American Islamic Congress (www.aicongress.org); fled after the 1991 uprising in which she participated.


Tamara Darweesh
Born in Baghdad of Shi'a and Kurdish parents. Fled Iraq as a child in 1979 with her parents who were targeted by the Ba'ath regime for their opposition activities; participated in the recent Iraqi opposition conferences in London and Kurdish areas to plan the post-Saddam transition.


Rend Rahim Francke
Executive Director of the Iraq Foundation, (www.iraqfoundation.org); active in democracy planning for Iraq.


Tanya Gilly
Kurd from northern Iraq. Daughter of prominent anti-Saddam activists; democracy activist advocating for a federal, pluralistic Iraq.


Maha Hussain
Muslim Arab from Baghdad. Witnessed Iraqi government brutality at a young age; President of the Iraqi Forum for Democracy (www.iraqifd.org), a Michigan-based organization of Iraqis worldwide working to promote constitutional democracy in Iraq.


Katrin Michael
Chaldean Christian, from northern Iraq. Joined the anti-Saddam resistance 1982 and was injured in chemical attacks in 1987; an advocate on behalf of Iraqi women.


Esra Naama
Shi'a from Southern Iraq. Daughter of a leader of the 1991 uprising following the Gulf War; fled with her mother and siblings, crossing the desert by foot into Saudi Arabia.


Raz Rasool
Kurd from Baghdad. Daughter of a prominent Iraqi dissident, now a member of the Kurdish parliament and head of the Kurdish Writers Union; member of the Iraqi National Congress (www.inc.org.uk) an umbrella organization of Iraqi opposition groups.


Kanar Sarraj
Kurd from Northern Iraq. Worked with victims of Saddam's genocidal campaign until she was forced to flee in 1996 under threats by the regime.
4 posted on 03/11/2003 11:47:29 AM PST by AgThorn
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To: zeaal
Thanks you ladies,I'm sure the President appreciates your letter as do we, but you really need to send some letters to Coffee Anus, Chiraq, Schroder and Putin and all the other Chamberlin types out there, and explain it to them, cause they sure don't seem to get it.
5 posted on 03/11/2003 11:48:20 AM PST by AFreeBird
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To: zeaal
Each one of these women's opinion is worth more than that of a million anti-war protestors.
6 posted on 03/11/2003 11:58:30 AM PST by cdefreese
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To: zeaal
Bump!
7 posted on 03/11/2003 12:02:36 PM PST by k2blader (Please do not feed the Tag Lion. ®oar.)
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To: zeaal
Some of the reasons why Tony Blair is standing up to the pressure of the so-called 'peaceniks':


8 posted on 03/11/2003 12:11:41 PM PST by Slyfox
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To: zeaal
Why won't the antiwar movement listen to the PEOPLE OF IRAQ and the IRAQI people who live outside of Iraq?

http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article.jsp?id=2&debateId=88&articleId=983

Followed a link from the Women for a Free Iraq website and found the above site.

excerpt from Letter to Peace Movement:

Saddam rules Iraq using fear; he regularly imprisons, executes and tortures large numbers of people for no reason whatsoever. This may be hard to believe, and you may not even appreciate the extent of such barbaric acts, but believe me you will be hard-pressed to find a single family in Iraq which has not had a son/father/brother killed, imprisoned, tortured and/or ‘‘disappeared” due to Saddam’s regime. What then has been stopping you from taking to the streets to protest against such blatant crimes against humanity in the past?

Saddam gassed thousands of political prisoners in one of his campaigns to ‘‘cleanse” prisons; why are you not protesting against this barbaric act?

This is an example of the dictator’s policy you are trying to save. Saddam has made a law excusing any man who rapes a female relative and then murders her in the name of adultery. Do you still want to march to keep him in power?

Throughout my life, my father and many other Iraqis have attended constant meetings, protests and exhibitions that call for the end of Saddam’s reign. I remember when I was around 8 years old, I went along with him to a demonstration at the French embassy, protesting against the French sale of weapons to Saddam. I have attended the permanent rally against Saddam that has been held every Saturday in Trafalgar Square for the past five years. The Iraqi people have been protesting for years against the war: the war that Saddam has waged against them. Where have you been?

Why is it now – at the very time that the Iraqi people are being given real hope, however slight and however precarious, that they can live in an Iraq that is free of the horrors partly described in this email – that you deem it appropriate to voice your disillusions with America’s policy in Iraq?

9 posted on 03/11/2003 12:27:23 PM PST by zeaal
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To: zeaal
Women for a Free Iraq

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE DAN RATHER AND THE LIKE HAVE EXCLUDED FROM THE PUBLIC EYE. IGNORANCE IS BLISS FOR LIBERALS. Note this letter is 10 days old, where's the coverage?

10 posted on 03/11/2003 12:55:03 PM PST by Mister Baredog ((God Bless GW Bush))
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To: Mister Baredog
My sentiments exactly!!!

As for not as many names on the petition as there should be.....well, I'm sure there would be more if they were alive or able to sign it....

11 posted on 03/11/2003 1:44:56 PM PST by BossLady (ChIRAQ & Saddam sittin' on W.O.M.D...........K.I.S.S.I.N.G......)
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

To: Mister Baredog
Note this letter is 10 days old, where's the coverage?

My first question too........where has this been??

13 posted on 03/11/2003 1:47:32 PM PST by ohioWfan
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To: wolf24
How true...
14 posted on 03/11/2003 1:50:54 PM PST by cibco (Xin Loi... Iraq)
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To: zeaal; Miss Marple; Molly Pitcher; Howlin; patriciaruth; justshe; Mo1; Wphile; mtngrl@vrwc; ...
As women from Iraq who fled our homeland to escape persecution by Saddam Hussein’s regime, we write to offer our support for your principled leadership.

Principled leadership PING, and let's get going on freeing the people of Iraq from a murderous tyrant BUMP!

15 posted on 03/11/2003 1:52:07 PM PST by ohioWfan (PRAY for President Bush, our troops, our nation.......)
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To: ohioWfan; BossLady; Mister Baredog
Oh, no media attention here, but Pat Buchannan's rant about how this is simply a Jewish war and conspiracy is out early (on Drudge) and will be picked up tomorrow by everyone - mark my words. Of course folks who think like Pat and David Duke have to ignore these women AND everything the President has been saying about terrorism.
16 posted on 03/11/2003 1:58:40 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: anniegetyourgun
BUMP
17 posted on 03/11/2003 2:02:41 PM PST by GrandMoM ("Vengeance is Mine , I will repay," says the Lord.)
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To: anniegetyourgun
It makes you kind of think the media/people in this country could care less about women as well....hmmmm.....
18 posted on 03/11/2003 2:05:41 PM PST by BossLady (ChIRAQ & Saddam sittin' on W.O.M.D...........K.I.S.S.I.N.G......)
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To: BossLady
I'm sure there would be more if they were alive or able to sign it....

I have heard that many Iraqis in exile are afraid to speak out because they fear the long arm of Saddam. Families are so large in Iraq that there quite often are still relatives left behind that can suffer also.

19 posted on 03/11/2003 2:07:56 PM PST by Mister Baredog ((God Bless GW Bush))
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To: zeaal
A definite BUMP for freedom for Iraq and its suffering people. GO BUSH!
20 posted on 03/11/2003 2:19:01 PM PST by kitkat
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