In Order to have Peace in our World: A Letter from Najlaa Al-Nashi, DAI Coordinator in Jordan

In support of the La’Onf campaign in Iraq, I have been helping to gather photos that we can send to La’Onf activists to demonstrate our solidarity with them. At the same time, I feel there are words stirring in me that I want to share with you more than photos.

At DAI, we know Iraqi children who have lost their entire family to violence and who have been injured badly. We know parents who have lost their children or whose children have been tortured. These friends of ours who have suffered such huge losses do not want more violence. They want an end to violence. Photos of them holding a sign in solidarity with La’Onf can send an important message. We need these images which say “No More Violence.” 

We also need to learn to speak to each other, simply and directly, about what we care about most deeply. I’m sure all of you have thought or felt the things I am about to say, but it is good to be reminded, and maybe it is also good to hear them from an Iraqi woman who believes in love and peace. 

In order to have peace in our world, we have to work for it, starting at home with our families and with friends and others around us whom we meet at work, in the street, during shopping, etc. 

I believe our world has been broken by human beings and we need to fix it. There are many clear simple signs from nature that tell us whether we are moving in the right or wrong direction. What images come to mind when you think of “peace?” I think of a forest filled with trees, flowers, birds. I think of love, like a mother hugging her baby, children playing joyfully, or a family gathering happily for dinner. But look at our world nowadays: it’s filled with noise, parents don’t have time for their children, families are scattered, children often have emotional, social, and educational problems. All of this makes for a kind of violent environment in which we live and work and go about our daily activities. It is easy to respond violently to a violent environment.

I think it’s time to re-think our lives. I think it’s time to think about how we can spread peace all around us, starting from our small home and our small family and moving to our global family.

It has become almost impossible to live in Iraq, and it is so difficult to describe: it has become one of the most violent places in the world, where innocent people, of all ages, are killed every day. And for Iraqis who have fled to neighboring countries, life is also desperate, as people see their resources dwindling, as single mothers who cannot provide for their children are forced into prostitution, as the months drag on without any hope of building a future. 

And just when Iraqis most need help, people in America and Britain seem to be forgetting what your governments have done, of their own choosing, without provocation. Before the invasion, many of you stood in the street against the war, but when the war came, you went home.

Now the question is: how we can we work for peace? What are the practical steps for making peace a reality? My answer is: in order to have peace around you, you must first have it inside you, and to accomplish this, you have to work for it by loving and accepting love, by helping others, and being responsible by taking positive action. And you have to work on all these things in a joyful way, not like you would a task in school. No, you have to feel the happiness of giving. Don’t wait for someone else to start instead of you. We all need to be active. We all should work and support each other, person to person, and start with the issues and concerns about which we are most passionate: human rights, war and peace, environmental restoration, etc. 

If you want peace, you have to give peace — give from your time, from your heart and mind in order to enjoy the quiet and inner peace that will change your life forever.

For all these reasons and with this in my mind, I joined Direct Aid Iraq (DAI), which is a powerful, peaceful channel between Iraqis and Americans for better communication and understanding. We need improved communication and understanding if we are to build a bridge of peace between Americans and Iraqis, because as things stand, many Iraqis see Americans as terrorists, given what their solders and government have done and continue to do in Iraq. At the same time, many Americans think of Iraqis as terrorists. This belief is fueled by lies which seek to connect Iraq with 911, which say that Iraqis like killing each other, and so on.

For the good of everyone’s future, I invite you to really explore where your government is taking us. After that, tell me what do you think. How can  we  make our human world accommodate everyone? And what will you do to further the work of peace?

Sincerely, Najlaa Al-Nashi

Coordinator, Direct Aid Iraq