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Dear All,
I have received this from the Iraqi ceasefire campaign. I have signed, though at
this stage I find it difficult to figure out what is best for Iraq. If you are
on this list you are probably not just concerned about Iraqi's heritage but
also about its people and you'll be interested in the information below -
whether you decide to sign or not.
Cheers,
Umberto
--
Umberto Albarella
Department of Archaeology
University of Sheffield
Northgate House
West Street
Sheffield S1 4ET
United Kingdom
Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943
Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 27 22 563
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/albarella.html
For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/global-justice.html
"There is no way to peace. Peace IS the way".
----- Forwarded message from "Ricken Patel - CeasefireCampaign/Avaaz.org"
<[log in to unmask]> -----
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:04:56 -0700
From: "Ricken Patel - CeasefireCampaign/Avaaz.org" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: "Ricken Patel - CeasefireCampaign/Avaaz.org" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Iraq is Dying
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Dear friends,
The nightmare in Iraq worsens daily. It's make-or-break time -- but next
Thursday in Egypt, we could start to turn the tide. Because on May 3rd – for
the first time ever - top US and Iraqi leaders will meet with Iran and Syria
plus international powers. They can agree on negotiations to end the war -- or
escalate their bloody conflict.
Avaaz is launching a major advertising and text-message campaign inside Iraq
this week to bring Iraqi voices to this decisive meeting . As citizens around
the world, let's join our voices with theirs to end this war -- sign the
petition calling for negotiations and a withdrawal of US troops here:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/iraq_new_plan/?cl=7753226
To make sure we're heard, we'll hand-deliver our petition to the leaders'
conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on May 3rd, and project Iraqi text-messages on to
a huge wall near the US Capitol building in Washington.
Thousands of Iraqi Avaaz members have supported our N.E.W. plan -- for all-party
"Negotiations", "Empowering" international mediators and the responsible
"Withdrawal" of US troops. Please read the personal email below from Khalid, an
Iraqi Avaaz member. Khalid and our other Iraqi members need a show of global
support from the rest of us. The campaign is already supported by over 75,000
people as well as key international experts -- let's gather a massive, united
voice of Iraqis and citizens round the world to tell our leaders to do the
right thing in Iraq:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/iraq_new_plan/?cl=7753226
With hundreds of thousands dead and 4 million made refugees, just criticising
the US government for this catastrophe is not enough. It's now the
responsibility of all of us to help save Iraq, and the only solution is a
political solution.
Khalid Jarrar and his mother Faiza Jarrar have been wonderful supporters of
Avaaz in Iraq. We asked Khalid to write a message to Avaaz members, here's what
he emailed us yesterday:
alright:)
feel free to edit it if its too long.
and just for the record, i am not a drama queen, these were written for real,
and tears in my eyes are my witness...
Dear AVAAZ,
I want to introduce myself, and tell you a story, but i don't know how to start,
and where to stop.
My name is Khalid, i am an environmental engineering student and i am 24, but
this is the least important to know about me, what's really important for me to
tell, and for you to know, is that I am Iraqi, and that I have a deep, deep
wound in my soul, that has been bleeding for over four years now.
Iraq, my soul, is bleeding. And i had to leave it against my will, because of
the incredibly bad security situation that led to me getting kidnapped and my
family paying a huge ransom, which made me leave immediately after i was
released in fear that i would be kidnapped again. I left Iraq one month before
my graduation and had to come to Jordan, which made me lose two years of my
university time and life, but even worse, made me lose the company of the
Tigris and the Euphrates.
I had to travel, leaving Iraq behind me, to live like a refuge, one of a million
other refuges, in a country of less than five millions people, that already
has its own financial problems without needing our additional burden to add to
it. I am an Iraqi refuge in Jordan.
Since I left in July 2005, things have exponentially deteriorated in every
possible aspect, now people hardly get 1 hours of electricity a day, they have
water problems, regular lack of gas that its prices multiplied about 20 times
since the war. Let alone the main and real problems of the actual presence of
an occupation that is leaching on the country and causing the destruction to
its people, unity, sovereignty, infrastructure and economy.
Iraq is the loving mother, that gave birth to thinkers and builders, people that
enriched humanity with their contributions in all aspects of life, people that
their civilization accumulated for over 7000 years till now.
Iraq, the noble wisdom, the land of the two flowing rivers, the land of the
mosques and churches, is in crises, and needs your help.
yes.
it needs your help.
Iraqis need the support of the world, of every human being that believes in the
values of justice and peace, of every person that cares about the judgment of
history on what the world did when Iraq needed its support the most. Iraq,
needs your voice, to support the voices of its own people, to help remove that
injustice, and help it rise up again and stand on its feet.
Help us demand to give Iraq back to Iraqis, and to prove to the future
generations once more, that occupations don't last, that occupations are wrong,
and that the will of people is invincible. Help us clear to them that our
hearts and minds, our values and sense of justice, are stronger than any tank,
battleship or rocket. Help us by singing AVAAZ petition that will be presented
to the politicians discussing the future of Iraq security, help by asking your
friends to do so, let our voices be louder than the roars of weapons and the
madness of greeds, help us, sign AVAAZ petition now, let our voice be heard,
support Iraq today, and once the last occupying soldier leaves iraq, and once
we rebuild our country with out own hands, we will reciever you in Baghdad, and
you will see the love and gratitude competed by nothing but Iraqi hospitality.
Together we can prove that our brotherhood is strong, together we can prove
that our bonds are real, I can see that day coming, really soon.
Khalid
Click below to join Khalid in telling US, Iraqi and international leaders to do
the right thing for Iraq:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/iraq_new_plan/?cl=7753226
With hope,
Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Tom and the whole Avaaz team.
Avaaz.org is a global organization with almost 1million members all over the
world. Our goal is to use technology and the internet to make the values and
view of the world’s public opinion heard by global decision makers on
important world issues.
Do not hit reply to this email to unsubscribe.
https://secure.avaaz.org/act/?r=unsub&cl=7753226&b=95&lang=en
----- End forwarded message -----
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