Dear Friends,

Here on Carmen Avenue, ten of us gathered this morning for a reflection, as we've done each day of the fast. It was a tearful time. Cathy and Cynthia recounted their most recent conversations and correspondence with Ra'ad Ali, one of the four Bridges to Baghdad humanitarian workers kidnapped from the group's Baghdad office yesterday.

We remembered how relieved we felt when we learned that Ra'ad and his family were safe, following the worst of the bombardment. We've each quoted him, often, when speaking about Iraq with groups in the U.S. Ra'ad, a University professor and engineer, studies astronomy as an avocation. When the lights went out all across Baghdad, Raad went to his rooftop where he set up a telescope, knowing he could study the stars as never before.

Voices has worked with Bridges to Baghdad since we began travelling to Iraq in 1996. They have maintained a steady presence in Iraq, since 1991, and we relied on them for advice and insights whenever our delegations travelled to Iraq. Their vision and witness has provided peace activists worldwide with an inspiration to resist the economic sanctions and each of the wars waged against Iraq.

In 2002, when we were notified of a $20,000 fine imposed on us for bringing medicines to Iraq, we raised $20,000 and contributed it to Bridges to Baghdad's Sinbad Clinic which they operated in Basra to assist women and children afflicted with water-borne diseases.

We write today, aggrieved and concerned, asking you, urgently, to sign the statement which is attached. Please help circulate this statement widely. Simona Toretta, Simona Pari, Ra'ad Ali and Mahnaz have long recognized the grievances of people throughout Iraq who have endured ongoing siege and war. Their work compels us to recognize that no country should ever be held hostage to the greed and dominance of others. As we yearn for their liberation, we pledge ourselves to work toward a fair and peaceful future for the people they've served.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kelly and companions on Carmen Avenue


Special greetings from Danny as well.

With love,

Kathy
Kathy Kelly
Voices in the Wilderness
1460 West Carmen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60640
773-784-8065
www.vitw.org