September 99

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

Iraq-Bizarre Targets in the 'No Fly Zone'

LONDON, August 23- Since the four-day bombing of Iraq in December, there have been almost daily attacks by British and American planes 'not at war with Iraq,' with only two brief lulls in March and May. Targets are often bizarre. In a recent visit to Mosul in northern Iraq's 'no fly zone,' we saw flocks of sheep which had been blasted to eternity with the small child shepherds who tended them. There were two such flocks at Ba'sheeqa, ten minutes drive from Mosul, site of another bizarre, poignant bombing this week.

Mosul, Iraq's second city, is in Nineveh, immortalized in John Masefield's poem "Cargoes," "Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir..." and Kipling's "All our pomp of yesterday, at one with Nineveh and Tyre." Continuously inhabited for 6000 years, it has castles, monasteries, and churches, testament to its unique Christian heritage: the 13th century churches of Simon Peter and St. Thomas, the ancient Church of the Immaculate, and St. George's Monastery where pilgrims visit each spring. Jonah is reputedly buried here in the great Mosque named after him.

Theologians and historians believe Saint Matthew is buried at a unique sacred 4th century monastery. Throughout the Middle East, believers of all denominations visit his tomb-a renowned healer, affectionately known as "St. Matti." St. Matti's Monastery, at the top of Mount Maqloub, is Mesapotamia's Lourdes.

At dawn on Tuesday, August 10, people drove the steep winding road or climbed the near-sheer mountain path, worn by the steps of centuries of pilgrims, to St. Matti's, to vigil and await the last eclipse of the millennium the following day, from the highest point, at this holy place, in the land where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam evolved. In regional lore the impact of an eclipse is great-the earth may remain in darkness forever, so prayer is vital before the restoration of the sun, and afterwards as thanks for its return.

Scientists, astronomers, and physicists traveled from Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, and Jordan to watch the spectacle and attend the subsequent three-day conference at the University of Mosul on the contributions of Arab scientists through the ages, to solar studies, astrophysics, and cosmology. Mosul's two hotels, virtually empty since the embargo, were near full, and eclipse fever mounted with ophthalmologists and astrologers advising people to watch "through broken glass blackened by soot from a candle." Sunglasses and spectacles are vetoed under the embargo, and those available are unbuyable in stratospheric black market currency.

On Tuesday morning St. Matti's Monastery was damaged by missiles fired by British and American planes, with "a number of people killed and injured" say Iraqi and Western agencies, the latter expressing "regret." It's difficult to asses exact damage or casualties. Iraq is reluctant to release casualty figures at any time. The UK and US are equally reluctant, since "they are not at war with Iraq" and "only respond when threatened."

Hearing of the bombing of St. Matti's, I recall my visit last May. The blasted flocks of sheep lay on the plain below the mountain. I climbed to this revered overlook to see if there could possibly have been any "legitimate targets" which could have explained the mis-fired missiles killing tiny shepherds and their sheep. The plain was flat and barren as far as the eye could see.

The Monastery has 4th century arches, tiers of century-worn steps, and the small, dark, rock-hewn chapel where St. Matti is believed buried. Candles burn, pleaders come day and night for cure. Coming out of the dark chapel, I approached an elderly monk sitting facing the blazing sun without blinking. He talked of the suffering of the people under sanctions and the relief work of the monks. It was a few minutes before I realized that he was the blind, 82-year-old Patriarch.

On my way down the mountain I encountered people carrying a makeshift stretcher on which a young woman was lying, up the flights of ancient steps. She was 28 and had been in a coma for some months. Her father was an eminent surgeon in Baghdad and had worked in both the UK and US. He had sold everything to the last hope, to transport her here, for St. Matti to cure her. The family was Muslim.

To date I can't confirm exact damage or death toll. I am reminded of the incineration in Baghdad's Ameriyah Shelter during the Gulf War, on the anniversary of the bombing of Dresden, St. Valentine's Day, and the Muslim Feast of Eid. I'm also thinking about the embargo on Iraq, which has caused probably two million deaths, implemented on August 6, 1990, the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. And now this decimation, on the occasion of a unique astral and religious millennium, at a place of special sanctity.

The Pentagon and the Ministry of Defense would neither confirm nor deny the Monastery bombing; "but if the Iraqis don't want to be attacked, it's very easy for them to arrange that; they can simply not challenge allied planes flying in patrol of the no-fly zones. If they don't challenge allied planes, allied planes will not respond," said Ken Bacon for the Pentagon.

Last spring I heard the story of one of the families minding the sheep. They lost six of their members. The youngest of the family-Soulman-was six, his brother Moultza was thirteen. Their father and grandfather were with them. After the bombs fell villagers searched until dusk. "Eventually we had to bury them in two tombs instead of six; we could not identify one body."

"Every day there are new orphans, new widows, new widowers," said Father Jandir Al-Kazzi at the Church of the Clock, named after the clock donated by the wife of Napoleon the Third. "Why don't they just say they are bombing because they are bombing? How can they call themselves Christian?"

Two young sisters from the US have received more than 100,000 replies since they launched their "One Million Postcard Campaign" against the sanctions on Iraq. "Our goal is to collect one million postcards to President Clinton," said 12-year-old Kouthar Al-Rawi who with her 10-year-old sister, Marwa, asked adults and children around the world to draw or write a postcard requesting an end to the sanctions on Iraq for the sake of the children. "The people of Iraq are hungry, they are thirsty, and the children continue to die."

The web page for the postcard campaign is http://members.aol.com/hamzaha/ iraqichildren/