I hesitantly entered the auditorium this afternoon, having a thousand misconceptions going through my mind, hoping the lecture wouldn’t be too aggressive, too graphic, etc. I imagined what A.Q must look like; probably a raging fundamentalist I thought.

There I was, an Arab, actually falling into the trap, creating all sorts of unconscious presumptions! "A raging fundamentalist", seriously, when did I start being so naive?

Of course, the lecture was like nothing I assumed it would be.

A.Q was an Iraqi detained in Abu Ghraib, tortured by American occupational forces, for no reason whatsoever. His calm and serene presence among us was simply surreal. I'm amazed, just amazed, at how a man who has suffered at the hands of oppression, tasted the bitterness of torture, who has seen the hidden, dark, murky side of the story could be so peaceful and emitting such inspiring goodness. His plead for awareness and support made me realize just how much I've been turning my head to the other side, living like the world is okay and that what's happening across the street doesn't affect me. I do care about what happens to humanity, to neighbor Arab countries, to what's happening right here where I live. It's painful to see things happening every day and not being able to bring about change. It's too exasperating, infuriating even, to watch a man like A.Q relating his story to just one group at a time, and then turn on world news to watch our own history-in-the-making being shaped and represented.

It's a shame, a true shame, that his voice and the voices of others who suffered like him are oblivious to most parts of the world (a scandal that it applies on Lebanon as well). So yes, I tell them, the Bush administration is in the Middle East to "save" the people, to implement "democracy", to fight "terrorism", to clear out nuclear weapons which threaten world security.

After his atrocious experience, A.Q gave no place for spite and hatred in his life, instead, he created the Association of Victims of American Occupation Prisons to bring about positive change in Iraq. His association has over 50 000 members worldwide, from Iraqis all the way to Americans.

God bless A.Q, his peacefulness, may his voice and the voices of victims like him be heard all over the world.

I realize that many of you might not believe in what I'm saying, or might have forgotten what it actually is to be an Arab; heck I don't blame you, with all the propaganda, "raging fundamentalist" was my first thought. However, this just how I'm feeling - disappointement - in myself and in others. If I discriminated against any population in this entry, it was surely unintentional.

Please read what ~coffeeANDbluez has to say about the lecture as we went together today. Here's a link: [link]

Thank you for taking the time to read. If anyone is interested in taking further action and actually spreading the word about the Association of Victims of American Occupation Prisons, please do not hesistate, as it is a crucial, existing issue in Iraq and the world. This is about human rights , thus it should be irrelevent whether you approve or disapprove with the actions of the Bush administration in the region.