UM AL-IRAQ (THE DATE PALM TREE) The Life and Work of Dr. Rashad Zaydan of Iraq By Nikki Lyn Pugh, Peace Writer Edited by Kaitlin Barker Davis 2011 Women PeaceMakers Program Made possible by the Fred J. Hansen Foundation *This material is copyrighted by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. For permission to cite, contact [email protected], with “Women PeaceMakers – Narrative Permissions” in the subject line. UM AL-IRAQ (THE DATE PALM TREE) ZAYDAN – IRAQ TABLE OF CONTENTS I. A Note to the Reader …………………………………………………………. 4 II. About the Women PeaceMakers Program …………………………………… 4 III. Biography of a Woman PeaceMaker — Dr. Rashad Zaydan ….……………… 5 IV. Conflict History — Iraq………………………………………………………… 7 V. Map — Iraq ……………………………………………………………………. 14 VI. Integrated Timeline — Political Developments and Personal History ………… 15 VII. Dedication …………………………………………………………………….. 22 VIII. Narrative Stories of the Life and Work of Dr. Rashad Zaydan 23 ُ UM AL-IRAQ 24 ُّ ُّ ُّ أمُّ ُّالعُّــ راق ُُُُُّّّّّ ُُُُُُُُُّّّّّّّّّ ّأولُّث ُّمَرَةُُُُُّّّّّ FIRST FRUIT 25 ُُُُّّّّالنُّ ـــشــأْة I. GROWING UP a. The Dawn’s Prayer …………………………………………………………. 26 b. Memories of Al Mansur ……………………………………………..……… II. MEHARAB AL NOOR/TEMPLES OF LIGHT 29 م ُحــرابُّالنّـــــور c. Beauty in Diversity …………………………………………………………. 31 d. The Day of Ashura ………………………………………………………… 32 e. Summer School ……………………………………………………………. 34 f. The First Spark …………………………………………………………….. 35 g. A Place for Prayer …………………………………………………………. 37 h. Postscript: The Most Advanced Degree ……………………………………. 39 ُُُُّّّّالحـــــربُّ والعقوباتُّ)الحصار(ُُُُّّّّ III. WAR AND SANCTIONS 42 َ ُ ُ ّ i. The Meaning of Marriage ………….………………………………………. 44 j. Baiji ………….……………………………………….……………………. 45 k. Wishing for Stability …………………….…………………………………. 46 l. Kuwait………………….………………………………………………….. 49 m. The Charity Clinic ………….……………………………………………… n. Postscript: The Empty House ………….………………………………….. 51 52 ا لُّحـــــــتـــــــﻻل IV. OCCUPATION o. Preparing for What May Come ……………….……………………………. 53 p. February……………….…………………………………………………… 55 q. March ……………….……………………………………………………... 62 r. April ……………….………………………………………………………. s. Postscript: Midnight Visitors ………….……………………………………. WOMEN PEACEMAKERS PROGRAM 2 JOAN B. KROC INSTITUTE FOR PEACE & JUSTICE JOAN B. KROC SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO UM AL-IRAQ (THE DATE PALM TREE) ZAYDAN – IRAQ 64 V. PLANTING SEEDS 66 غَ ُـــــرسُّالبـــُذور t. The Good Gather Together ……………….………………………………. u. Haram/The Pure Place ……………….……………………………………. 73 77 VI. AL MAAREFA/KNOWLEDGE 79 المَُّـــعرفـــَـــــة v. From Dream to Reality ……………….…………………………………… 82 w. Cleaning House ……………….…………………………………………… 84 x. A Widow’s Story ……………….………………………………………….. 86 y. Rainy Days Shouldn’t Stop Us ……………….…………………………….. z. Celebrating the Dream ………….…………………………………………. aa. Postscript: Violet and Cream ……………….…………………………….... 94 96 98 الفـــَُّـلوجـــــةُّوُّأبوُّغريـَـــــب VII. FALLUJAH AND ABU GHRAIB bb. Going ……………….…………………………………………………….. 100 cc. Entering ……………….………………………………………………….. dd. Returning ……………….………………………………………………… ee. Postscript: Water ……………….…………………………………………. 104 105 VIII: FRIENDS NOT ENEMIES 107 ْأصــدقـاءُّوَليـــسُواُّأعداء ff. Evening 2011 ……………….……………………………………………. 108 gg. The Invitation ……………….……………………………………………. 111 hh. First Night in America ……………….…………………………………… 113 ii. Washington, D.C. ……………….……………………………………….... jj. Charlotte ……………….…………………………………………………. 114 kk. Morning 2011 ……………….……………………………………………. الث مَ رةُّالخيــ رة LAST FRUIT IX. A Conversation with Dr. Rashad Zaydan ….………………………………. 116 X. Best Practices in Community Support and Peacebuilding ………………. 127 XI. Further Reading — Iraq ……………………………………………………. 135 XII. Biography of a Peace Writer — Nikki Lyn Pugh ..…………………………. 136 XIII. Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice ………………………………... 137 XIV. University of San Diego ……………………………………………………. 138 XV. List of Acronyms ……………………………………………………………. 139 XVI. Endnotes ……………………………………………………………………. 140 WOMEN PEACEMAKERS PROGRAM 3 JOAN B. KROC INSTITUTE FOR PEACE & JUSTICE JOAN B. KROC SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO UM AL-IRAQ (THE DATE PALM TREE) ZAYDAN – IRAQ A NOTE TO THE READER In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. The document is not intended necessarily to be read straight through, from beginning to end. Instead, you can use the historical summary or timeline as mere references or guides as you read the narrative stories. You can move straight to the table of best practices if you are interested in peacebuilding methods and techniques, or go to the question-and-answer transcript if you want to read commentary in the peacemakers’ own words. The goal of this format is to reach audiences through multiple channels, providing access to the peacemakers’ work, vision, lives and impact in their communities. ABOUT THE WOMEN PEACEMAKERS PROGRAM Made possible through a generous grant from the Fred J. Hansen Foundation, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice’s (IPJ) Women PeaceMakers Program annually hosts four women from around the world who have been involved in human rights and peacemaking efforts in their countries. Women on the frontline of efforts to end violence and secure a just peace seldom record their experiences, activities and insights — as generally there is no time or, perhaps, they do not have formal education that would help them record their stories. The Women PeaceMakers Program is a selective program for leaders who want to document, share and build upon their unique peacemaking stories. Selected peacemakers join the IPJ for an eight-week residency. Women PeaceMakers are paired with a Peace Writer to document in written form their story of living in conflict and building peace in their communities and nations. The peacemakers’ stories are also documented on film by the IPJ’s partner organization Sun & Moon Vision Productions. While in residence at the institute, Women PeaceMakers give presentations on their work and the situation in their home countries to the university and San Diego communities. The IPJ believes that women’s stories go beyond headlines to capture the nuance of complex situations and expose the realities of gender-based violence, thus providing an understanding of conflict and an avenue to its transformation. The narrative stories of Women PeaceMakers not only provide this understanding, but also show the myriad ways women construct peace in the midst of and after violence and war. For the realization of peace with justice, the voices of women — those severely affected by violent conflict and struggling courageously and creatively to build community from the devastation — must be recorded, disseminated and spotlighted. 1 WOMEN PEACEMAKERS PROGRAM 4 JOAN B. KROC INSTITUTE FOR PEACE & JUSTICE JOAN B. KROC SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO UM AL-IRAQ (THE DATE PALM TREE) ZAYDAN – IRAQ BIOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN PEACEMAKER — DR. RASHAD ZAYDAN Dr. Rashad Zaydan of Iraq became a pharmacist to heal people. When her country was torn apart by war, her healing work expanded to include the physical, emotional, social and psychological needs of Iraq’s women and children. As the founder and head of the development organization Knowledge for Iraqi Women Society (K4IWS), Dr. Zaydan seeks to bring hope and empowerment back to the lives of Iraqi women and children, especially widows and orphans, through the humanitarian, educational, economic, social and medical Photo credit: Sun & Moon Vision Productions programs that K4IWS provides. A native of Baghdad, Dr. Zaydan is a survivor of multiple wars. The year she graduated from college and became a pharmacist, Iraq entered a long, destructive conflict with Iran; then came the Kuwait invasion followed by the First and Second Gulf Wars and 13 years of sanctions. During this time, Dr. Zaydan helped create charity medical clinics, taught Qur’an to young girls, ran her own private pharmacy and raised four children. In 2003, convinced that war would soon return to her country, Dr. Zaydan organized basic first aid emergency training for girls and women in her community. As neighbors fled Baghdad before the invasion, she moved medical supplies and medicines from her private pharmacy to her home. After the bombs began to fall and as the city collapsed outside, neighbors started knocking on her door for medical help. Dr. Zaydan converted her family’s home into an emergency clinic, giving away medicines and treating minor medical emergencies out of her garage. In the aftermath of invasion, but still in the chaos of violence, Dr. Zaydan gathered her women friends to rehabilitate their community. Dr. Zaydan’s first priority was the destroyed schools, which had become impromptu bases for the Iraqi government and U.S. forces. As occupation continued, she responded to the disempowerment and loss of faith that many women felt in her community due to the lack of security and ability to move freely in the city. She had a