A note from a missionary in Iraq

I follow a blog and today this was posted. I thought it was worth sharing. Thank you, Melissa.
Iraq: A Different Perspective
Posted by bucklesfamily at 08:44 PM on February 17, 2009
comments (1)
For those of you who know my sister, you understand that she is one of the most motivated, caring, spirited individuals you have ever met. She loves missions work and has been to Chile a number of times to build schools and churches and homes. Last fall she told us that she was going to teach English to women at a university in Kurdistan. Well, at the time she told me, I was probably right in the middle of doing laundry, listening to the girls singing, and trying to pay bills, because I didn't really think about the location of Kurdistan. When I talked to my brother a few weeks later, he asked me what I thought about Dee Dee going to Iraq. Wait... WHAT??? I realized at that moment I had not even given it a second thought when she told me. With everything that is going on in Iraq right now, why in the world would my sister want to go there?! O.k., she does have a heart of gold, and she believes in helping people. I am so proud of her and want to support her in everything she does; however, I did have a difficult time supporting her decision to go to Iraq. I mean, there is quite a bit of unrest throughout the entire region, and I truly don't want her to be caught in the middle of it. She continually reassured our family that she would be safe, and of course, in the end, what else could I do but give her my blessing, tell her I love her dearly and remind her to RUN FOREST RUN if she encounters any trouble! She has sent me a few e-mails that I found to be very interesting, and I wanted to share them all with you here. The first e-mail she sent was about the cultural rules for the area that she is in. Again, if you know my sister, you know that she has broken just about every one of them any number of times. She really needs to work on this, as the consequences can be very severe. Anyway, here is the list she sent:
"CULTURAL RULES FOR HERE(Not in any particular order…)1. Women do not look at men.2. Women NEVER touch men.3. Women (like me) must pull our hair back (too seductive if it’s down…)4. Women NEVER walk by themselves.5. Women do not take a taxi by themselves, after dark, or sit in the front seat.6. Women don’t go to the store after dark.7. Women go in a door after a man.8. Women don’t talk or laugh out loud.9. Women must be covered from the neck to the wrists, to the ankles, ESPECIALLY the rear end!!10. If a woman is home alone she must never open the door for a man.11. A woman must never be home alone with a man. At least 2 women must be present.12. If a man comes to a woman’s home, they must all cover themselves immediately.13. NO DATING! 14. When you go out to eat in a restaurant there is a special section for men only.15. If women are walking they must stop to buy something so it doesn’t look like they’re just “sauntering around.”16. If women are out walking they must stay together – like arm in arm or holding hands.17. Women walk behind men.18. Women don’t fix their hair in public – like bend over to make a ponytail!19. Women don’t speak to men unless men specifically speak to them first.20. There is a men’s section and a women’s section of the bazaar. If a woman needs to buy something from the men’s section, like an emergency lantern, EXPECT a lot of stares!21. A woman must never show the soles of her feet, for example, must never cross her legs or put her feet up."
The second e-mail she sent was even more interesting. Now, keep in mind that she is referring to the area of Iraq where she is living. These statements certainly don't represent the entire Iraqi population, but it's nice to hear that some feel this way:
"I just got done having a meeting with the President of the University ofSuleimaniyah, Dr. Alli. He gave me a great history of Iraq and personalinsights from the Kurdish people. I HAVE to pass this on, because thepeople of the United States need to know this! Iraq began as a countryin the 1920s after the Ottoman Empire was overthrown. Kurdistan is thelargest state in the world that doesn't belong to a country, because itbelongs to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. When Saddaam Hussein tookover in 1979, he wanted to get rid of the Kurds, so started a program ofethnic cleansing. He did this by starting the "no fly zone" that onlywas a few kilometers from the northern and eastern borders. What he didwas to get rid of all the villages within that area. He kept increasingthe area of that zone so by the end he had gotten rid of 4,600villages. The people from those villages got sent to what we would call"concentration camps" where they lived a miserable life. Saddammbrought in Arabs to live within that zone, so the whole demographic ofthe people changed. When Madeline Albright was the Secretary of State,she told Saddaam that he was not allowed to torture the countries aroundhim (Kuwait), the people of Iraq, and especially the Kurds of thenorth. The people of Iraq are especially grateful to the United Statesof America AND George W. Bush for freeing the Iraqi people. Dr. Allisaid that the people of the United States are mistaken for talking badlyabout George W. Bush for not finding weapons of mass destruction,because Saddaam Hussein WAS the weapon of mass destruction!! When theUnited States military took down Saddaam Hussein's regime in 2003, therewas dancing in all of the street in Kurdistan. Still to this day, thepeople tell me "God Bless you, God bless the United States of America,and God Bless George W. Bush!! One of the guys on my team took a taxiyesterday and the taxi driver WOULD NOT take any money from them!! Amazing! He said that he owes the United States a debt of gratitude andthat he would NOT take any money! My friend Mary Jane ran into the samething with a jeweler. She had a bunch of jewelry made for her friendsback in the States, and he wouldn't accept any money from her! WhenPresident Alli was speaking this morning, he kept talking about thegratitude that he had for us, and how he would do anything he could tomake our stay pleasant. He asked about our accommodations and even saidthat he feels guilty for not putting us up at his house! He said thatall of the Iraqi people feel the same way, and that the people of theUnited States should not feel like we "invaded" Iraq, but that we setthem free! He said that there is a long way to go to be a democraticnation, but that it is a start. He knows that Iraq is a developingcountry, but kept talking about how our part in teaching the people ofIraq to speak English will help them get along with the whole world. Myfeelings EXACTLY!! Like I keep saying - I'm helping bring about worldpeace through education!!! I just want everyone to know that the IraqI'm living in is NOT the Iraq you are seeing on TV!!! The Kurds aresuch a warm, loving people and are very eager to please and to learn. ya - the customs and culture are very different from ours, and I'mhaving a little time learning them, but as a whole, what I'm doing hereis probably the most important thing I've done in my life!!"
I just wanted to share these to give a different perspective on Iraq. If you can, please say a little extra prayer for my sister and most especially for all of the military members who are in harms way in that same country.