The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Dear all, My name is Hadi I am an Anglo/Iraqi student who has followed with interest the work of organisations and individuals on this list in their efforts to remove the genocidal sanctions against Iraq. First of all I would like to thank all these individuals and organisations in their efforts to remove one of the worst crimes against humanity in history, which I believe ranks equal in comparison to the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews in the 1940's and the Stalinists purges of the 1930's. Undoubtedly when history condemns sanctions as it condemned the Holocaust and the Stalinist purges your efforts will be highlighted by future historians in languages we yet know and in nations yet born. However it is with regards to your efforts I would like to seek clarification on two points. 1) The issue of sanctions is an emotive issue widely known and condemned by the Arab masses on a street level, in the same fashion for example that their is widespread condemnation of Zionism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the Zionist entity know as "Israel" on the street level. I am interested given the nature of this list is dominated by Non Arab and Non Muslim individuals why so many of you are active in the anti sanctions movement. To be more specific I would like to know how any of you became aware of the effects of sanctions and subsequently became active in the campaign against this weapon of mass destruction. Is it because you are involved generally in left wing causes in the third world? Were you already activists in the Middle East for example over the Palestinian issue? Or are you simply individuals with no academic or professional connection to the Middle East who felt compelled to enter this just cause due to its own significance of being a great crime against humanity? 2) Given the various answers to the above I would like to ask the various active campaigners against sanctions on this list, how do they propose to make the injustice and affects of sanctions known to the general public on the street level in the UK and US (the only two countries in favour of continuing sanctions with the power to maintain their application) in order to get the facts and issues we are all aware of on this list to a popular audience outside of Middle East academic and professional circles. Such a feat would involve overcoming mainstream public ignorance and indifference, mainstream public clichés of Arabs and Muslims as "fanatics," "extremists," "fundamentalists" and "backward" dark skinned foreigners who deserve what they get and mainstream public perceptions based on the US and UK stereotype proclamations about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction, refusing to comply and being a military threat to regional peace and stability etc? I would welcome any insight into the two above questions, Regards Hadi. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk Full details of CASI's various lists can be found on the CASI website: http://welcome.to/casi