traditions eventually recorded in the Book of Exodus narrate the tales
of the ancient Israelites' escape from bondage in Egypt. A cruel Pharaoh
was ruthless in his murderous demands. Already crushed by the work
of building monuments to their oppressor, they were then ordered to
also gather the straw to make the bricks that would be used for building.
It was the last straw. The Israelites began to heed revolutionary
calls for escape.
I visited the former Iraqi Air Defense Camp in Baghdad. Under Saddam
Hussein's regime, now legendary for ruthless repression, military
officers and their families were given decent housing. In this camp,
they even had two swimming pools. Heavily bombed during Operation
Shock and Awe, the compound's main buildings are now massive heaps
of rubble, with a few long, grey tubular US missiles scattered on
the US led invasion of Iraq, at least 400 families moved into this
camp. It's one of several similar vacated and bombed areas that have
been "squatted" by desperate families who prefer eking out
an existence amid the wreckage to whatever misery they left behind.
Before the Occupation, in poor neighborhoods such as the oft-cited
Saddam City, renamed Sadr City, several families would inhabit one
hovel. I can well imagine the infighting over scarce resources that
would inspire a young couple to pick up their meager belongings and
move. What's more, when local and absentee landlords realized that
there was no government system to prevent them from evicting people
and raising the rents, numerous families found themselves kicked out
of their homes at gunpoint or unable to pay skyrocketing rents. Under
Saddam's regime, landlords would face long drawn out court appeals
in their efforts to evict people, perhaps because the regime couldn't
cope with greater numbers of homeless and displaced people. In spite
of appalling conditions, it's clear that the people who are squatting
in this camp have gambled on the possibility that enduring present
hardships could lead to something better in the future.
children in the camp are among the loveliest little ones I've ever
met. They were shy, but smiling, friendly, and incredibly well behaved.
The collapsed buildings and mounds of debris don't seem to phase them.
Several of them worked industriously atop hills of rubble, their little
hands digging for intact bricks. They bring the bricks to their parents
who use them to build new housing walls.
least a dozen of the children have large red spots covering their
faces. It could be that they've been bitten by midgets or fleas. But
now visitors begin to wonder if they're affected by contaminants from
the bomb parts. A proper needs assessment of this new housing area
ought to be undertaken right away. Clearly they will need a new ration
distribution system. For now, parents return to the "old neighborhood"
to pick up ration distributions, since they have no formal identification
as residents in the squatted camp. The new "householders"
need access to clean water, medical care, a clinic and a school. Yet
it seems unlikely that their dismal situation will gain much attention
in the near future.
over candles during the US war to liberate Iraq, while gut-wrenching
explosions continued late into the night, my companions and I talked
about how we must work, in the future, not only to help rebuild Iraq
but, even more crucially, to rebuild ourselves, our way of life. We
must find a way to share our resources, live more simply, prevent
the US from going to war in order to exploit other people's resources.
The Pentagon system has become the new Pharaoh. Our reliance on threat
and force to resolve problems inspires other leaders and cultures
to act similarly. The warmongers rob people of the resources needed
to build a better world. I think of the little ones digging for bricks,
growing up in desperate conditions, and I wonder what sort of revolutions
we can expect. The promised land that so many of us learned about
as we listened to scripture stories will never be found by electing
or following warmongers. We face a tall agenda. Rebuild Iraq. Rebuild
ourselves. And insist on compassion for the little builders in Iraq
who may be poisoned by their very efforts to build a sheltering wall.