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Sami Rasouli speaking at the Washington DC display of EYES WIDE OPEN. |
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Iraqi-American Calls for War's End in Campus Lecture
By Dylan Thomas, Mankato Free Press staff writer
March 3, 2006
MANKATO - Sami Rasouli is a man who lives between two worlds and two different cultures.
That was never more apparent to Rasouli than when the Iraqi-American returned to his homeland for the first time in 2003. Since that trip - a joyous reunion with his family set against the backdrop of war - Rasouli is determined to be a bridge between the country of his birth and his adopted home.
EIn a lecture at Minnesota State University Thursday night, Rasouli called for an end to the war in Iraq. The war, he said, is tearing Iraq apart, and weakening the United States both at home and abroad.
Whether or not Americans see the conflict as a war between religions, Rasouli said it is perceived that way in much of the world.
"Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere perceive the war in Iraq as against Islam," he said.
Rasouli preached a message of religious tolerance, returning often to Abraham, the mutual patriarch of three religions.
"The children of Abraham are one, and we cannot let a few fanatics define us, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim," he said.
When Rasouli first traveled to Iraq from Minnesota in November 2003, he found his three sisters and numerous nephews and nieces "devastated" by the sights and sounds of war.
He returned after three weeks to run his Minneapolis restaurant, but found he could no longer even function.
"I felt lots of guilt for being the oppressor and the oppressed," he said.
From that guilt suddenly sprang a sense of urgency. He had to return.
In December of last year, Rasouli met several members of the Christian Peacemakers Team at work in Karbala. The group sends teams to regions of conflict to work toward nonviolent resolution.
Rasouli spoke of working side-by-side with the Christian activists, and being impressed and inspired by their dedication. But he said their efforts alone can not lead to peace.
First, he said, the United States must pull out of Iraq.
Speaking as an eyewitness, Rasouli said talk of progress, of winning "a battle of hearts and minds," is misleading.
"It's not happening."
"When Saddam was ruling, life was difficult - but now it's worse," Rasouli said. "And believe me, I hear some people say they miss Saddam."
"The country has been broken, and the country is lawless."
Rasouli acknowledged an abrupt pull-out could lead to civil war, but he said he is convinced sectarian violence will end when the occupation forces leave.
Instead, he said, the world should turn its attention to what he said was the root of the anger and discontent felt by many Muslims: the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"We need to sit down and recognize that we are brothers, we are human beings," he said. "The sooner, the better."
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