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Two more members of the Montreal and Quebec communities will be
leaving for Iraq on 6 March as participants in the Iraq Peace Team.
This message provides the basic details of the initiative and the
various ways in which you can support them and their work.
IRAQ PEACE TEAM. Chicago-based Voices in the Wilderness has been
actively opposing the sanctions and ongoing bombing of Iraq since
1996. They have organised over 50 delegations to Iraq from the U.S.
and have a solid understanding of the situation in Iraq. In the face
of mounting threats against Iraq, they initiated the Iraq Peace Team
project. Since September 2002, the Iraq Peace Team has maintained a
constant presence of international activists in
Iraq, standing in solidarity with the Iraqi people and working to
prevent the invasion. The Iraq Peace Team intends to remain with the
Iraqi people during an attack, sending back reports about how the
assault is affecting people on the
ground. See http://www.iraqpeaceteam.org and
http://www.nowar-paix.ca/
PAST CANADIAN PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ PEACE TEAM. Since
November 2002, Canadians associated with the Canadian Network to End
Sanctions on Iraq (CANESI) have been active participants in this
project. Dr. David Swann from Calgary (http://swann.activist.ca/)
and Dr. Amir Khadir from Montreal joined the team in November; four
women from Vancouver (Irene MacInnes, Linda Morgan, Irene Vandas, and
Jennifer Ziemann (see http://www.cbc.ca/news/features/iraq/anti_war_iraq.html joined in December; and three Montreal/Ottawa activists (Mary Foster, Lisa
Ndejuru and Mick Panesar) joined in late January (see http://www.nowar-paix.ca/).
CURRENT DELEGATION. Zehira Houfani (author and journalist based in
Montreal) and Robert Turcotte (educator and activist from Quebec
city) will be entering Iraq with about 10 other new IPT members on 8
March. They will join about forty Iraq Peace Team members currently
in Iraq, including Montrealer Lisa Ndejuru. All three are planning to
stay indefinitely. (Full biographies at end of call out.)
GOALS. The primary goals of the delegation are to show solidarity
with the people of Iraq and to strengthen the growing antiwar
movement in Canada. The latter is important not only because of the
tremendous threat posed by an invasion of Iraq, but because the Bush
administration seems intent on continuing its war plans beyond Iraq.
ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ. As the volatile situation allows/demands, Zehira,
Robert and Lisa will visit families, hospitals, schools, and other
public centres; engage in media work; help organise antiwar actions
inside Iraq; and be involved in other activities aimed at
demonstrating solidarity with thepeople of Iraq and opposing the war.
YOUR SUPPORT. There are many ways in which you can support these
three members of the Iraq Peace Team and help make their work
effective.
** FINANCIAL SUPPORT. Each new member of the team needs to raise at
least $2700. This will cover the flight to Amman (about $1200) and
their costs for an indefinite stay, including transportation from
Amman to Baghdad, accommodation, food, and support from Voices in the
Wilderness (about $1500 total). Checks can be made out "Objection
Conscience - Voices of Conscience" (c/o 8166 Henri-Julien, Montreal
QC H2P 2J2). Checks need to be clearly marked "for Iraq Peace Team."
** TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT. The team needs to urgently borrow a laptop
and a digital camera. Please call 514 521 5252 if you can end them
one.
** DIFFUSING REPORTS. If you would like to receive and use their
reports from Iraq, please sign on to our list (send a blank email to
iptcanada-subscribe@yahoogroups.com). Please circulate them, post
them on websites, publish them, and generally use them in your
antiwar work. Reports and pictures are posted at www.nowar-paix.ca.
** TRANSLATION. There will be a need for French to English
translation of reports and English to French translation of media
bulletins. If you can volunteer to translate, please let us know.
** MEDIA CONTACTS. If you have contacts in alternative or
mainstream media, please put us in touch. We are looking for
opportunities to publish reports in print, online and tv/radio media
before, during and after the trip.
** RADIO REPORTS. The peace team members intend to report regularly
to community radio stations, including CKUT and Radio Centre-Ville in
Montreal. These reports will also be posted online. Please pass on
and otherwise use the reports once they are posted.
** SUPPORT GROUPS. If you can help to coordinate support for Lisa,
Robert, and Zehira, please join the support group. They will be fund-
raising, organizing
contact with MPs and other government people (as necessary),sending
reports and appeals, and doing media work. Contacts below.
** FOLLOW UP. If you are interested in having Robert, Zehira, Lisa
or an already returned IPT member speak at a public event, in a
classroom, or some other public gathering, let us know.
CONTACTS: The Montreal-based support group can be contacted via iptcanada@yahoo.ca, tel. 514 276 0950 or 514 921 7441 (pager). Lisa,
Robert and Zehira can be reached in Baghdad by telephone or email via
the support group.
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ZEHIRA HOUFANI is an author and journalist. A Canadian of Algerian
origin, Zehira uses her writing and actions to promote peace and
solidarity between peoples. The dramatic consequences of the economic
models imposed by the big powers on peoples of the third world have
moved her to write numerous critical articles, which have been
published in the Quebec press and French press in Ontario. She has
participated in meetings and conferences organised by community
organisations and NGOs. She has campaigned for equality and
improved conditions for women in Arab countries. She has served as
president of the "Association algérienne femme en mouvement (AFM),
created in partnership with Alternatives AES, of which she is a
member. AFM is a member of the World March of Women project that
wasinitiated by the Fédération des femmes du Québec. Zehira is a
member of the"Association des auteures et auteurs de l'Ontario
français" and permanent member of the "Union des écrivaines et
écrivaines du Québec". She has published four books and numerous
novels. Her latest book Lettre d'une Musulmane aux Nord Américaines
deals with the inequalities of the global system that condemns a
large part of humanity to poverty, ignorance and leads to violence.
She denounces the policies of the United States which create
conditions that undermine dialogue and International
solidarity ,particularly the war against Iraq and the 12 years of
scandalous economic sanctions administered by the United Nations. In
this book, Zehira Houfani has used her Muslim pen to expose the
injustice experienced by her community, especially in the wake of
September 11, 2001. She decided to join the Iraq Peace Team
delegation to live side by side with the Iraqis during this tragic
moment in their history and to expose their suffering to North
Americans and the world. She does so with the hope of helping to
build an insurmountable wall of NO to the war.
ROBERT TURCOTTE has been an educator and an advocate for the
recognition of the rights of handicapped people. He has initiated and
been involved in many social and economic projects in Quebec City. He
has also been involved in the defence of the French language in the
province. After having travelled in 52 countries, in 1993, he
accompanied Guatemalan refugees returning home. He returned to
Guatemala again in 1999 to accompany medical experts during
exhumations and to escort massacre witnesses to two war crimes
trials. He has given over 60 talks on the situation in Guatemala and
participated in the production of the documentary Pour Une Culture de
la Paix (Towards a culture of peace). During the 2001 Summit of the
Americas, in Quebec city, Robert lead public forums at the barricades
and other places in the city. He is currently finalising a book
about attitudes and behaviours in situations of risk. He enjoys
snowboarding, skating, canoing, swimming and, recently, gardening.
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