The session has started. Join us with your questions.
Answer
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Name
ZAM
- India
Profession
Question
Hello Friend of Peace!
My questions:
1) What do you expect from the American Government as you refused to fight in Iraq?
2) Have you appealed to your fellow soldiers to do the same thing?
3) What is your point of view on his war?
May Allah Help you to work for peace and understand the message of peace - Salaam = Islam.
Answer
1. To be prosecuted to the full extent of the uniform code of military justice. The problem is, military justice is arbitrary. I could get five months; I could be executed.
2. No. That would be seditious. If they believe the war is wrong, they are living a lie if they continue to participate.
3. It was a war based on false pretenses:
a. WMDs
b. link between secular Baathist regime and fundamentalist terrorist group.
c. the worst thing that could happen for the US in Iraq is for true democracy to emerge.
Obviously, my country has an insatiable thirst for oil. Also, fundamentalist Christians have a lot of power in our government and I think, to some extent, they are trying to play out “The Clash of Civilizations.”
Name
omar mar
-
Profession
Question
We Muslims, as well as we arabs are proud of you for refusing to fight in Iraq. I have three questions. First, how do you feel, being away from your country and you can't come back,and does that make you feel like you made a mistake rufusing to fight? Second, and is there a message to the teenagers who are signing up to fight in Iraq? Third, how do you feel seeing these American troops abusing the Iraqi prisoners?
Thank you for all that you did. God Bless you, and your family, and everyone like you and know that there is too many people around the whole world are so proud of what you did and they are praying for you.
Answer
1. I don't feel for a minute that we made a mistake. A piece of land is a piece of land to me. I have no particular affinity to the United States. However, as time goes on, I will probably miss our family more and more.
2. Don't do it. It will haunt you the rest of your life.
3. I don't think it's an isolated incident. It's just a matter of us living in an age of digital cameras, so it's easier to be caught.
Name
Khan
-
Profession
Question
What led you to think that the war in Iraq was not for you? Were you afraid to go there or you feared that you'll be involved in killing innocent people?
Answer
I am afraid of killing innocent people and people who are fighting to maintain control over their future rather than be exploited by a power that is around the world. If I were to be shot, my life would be over and I wouldn't know the difference.
Name
lukman
- Indonesia
Profession
Engineer
Question
I appreciate your courage to refuse to fight. Now the US fighting is far from previous -- i.e WW II. At that time Americans were the hero of the world, but now? It looks like that US politicians now are only thinking about their wealth and power. What do you think?
Answer
There is a blatant collusion between big business, which the president and his cronies represent, and the government, which they have taken control of. Cheney is an example. He is the former CEO of Halliburton, which is trying to turn Iraq into a massive oilfield.
Also, as bad as World War II was, US was a late entrant. They only entered when their business interests were at stake.
Name
ANSER KHAN
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
architect
Question
Is it true that the Iraqi women in jails are being raped and photographed naked by the US soldiers? I want to know the facts.
Answer
I' m not there, so I cannot say.
Name
abdul muhaimin
- Malaysia
Profession
Student
Question
Hi Spc. Jeremy Hinzman. It's good knowing there is still someone out there who lives by principles. May God bring us to His truth.
I would just like to ask you, how have your family, relatives, close friends, or in short, how's the US community around you reacted to your reluctancy to join the war in Iraq?
One more thing: I salute your bravery :)
Answer
The way the debate in America has been framed is that you are either with us or you support the terrorists. Under that definition, many Americans would say I support the terrorists. Of course, this is not true.
My family is supportive and we have received a great deal of support from around the world, including America.
Name
Naima
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Hello there,
Do you plan on returning to your country as a soldier? If you are allowed to return into your country and in the army, and in the future America plans another war(God forbid), would you then do the same what you did now?
Don't you think your refusal to go into a war will have a negative impact on your son in his later life?
Thank you.
Answer
My experiences in the Army have taught me that all war does is create a perpetual cycle of violence. The only way for me to help stop that cycle is to not participate and take myself out of the equation.
I believe my son will have an example from me that one doesn’t have to be a sheep and that they can follow their convictions no matter what the cost.
Name
Fahd
-
Profession
Question
What are the good things and the bad things about being a soldier the US Army?
Answer
The good things are that you are given security, in terms of money, housing, and medical care. You also grow quite close to your fellow soldiers.
The bad thing is that you have to basically abdicate you duty to be a moral being and, essentially, sell your soul for this security.
Name
Amber
- United States
Profession
Question
Did you refuse to go to Iraq because you were afraid of getting killed?
Answer
NO. If I were to be killed, it would be the end and I wouldn't know the difference. However, I was afraid of killing and living with the consequences and guilt of that for the rest of my life.
Name
Jerry
-
Profession
Question
What are the most striking things that you can't forget about Afghanistan, since you have been there before a soldier?
Answer
The sunsets.
Name
Kate
-
Profession
Question
Some soldiers are kind-hearted and they went to Iraq trying to protect Iraqis from other bad soldiers. Some went to Iraq really, and sincerely, to liberate it, to free and help the Iraqi people, to rebuild. What do you think of their stance? Should people of that kind go there trying to make a difference?
Answer
Motives are essential in whatever we do in life. However, whether a people live under freedom or tyranny, it is their own responsibility. If some outside power comes and "liberates" them, of course the people will be suspicious of their motives. A politician summed it up well when he said that the US doesn't have friends; it has interests.
So, their individual motives may be pure, so I wish them safety. However, they are simply pawns for business.
Name
Peg
-
Profession
Question
What are you planning to do if you are denied asylum in Canada?
Answer
Go somewhere else. Perhaps the participants in this dialogue have some suggestions about countries that may be hospitable to us. Hint, hint.
Name
Mohammed
-
Profession
Question
What was your view of the Iraq war and the war on terror before becoming a Quaker?
Answer
My wife and I were already attending Quaker meetings before the war. I think one could be an atheist and see that this war is criminal and wrong.
The "war on terror" is another matter that I don't believe I'm too qualified to discuss. I will say that I believe America is using it to justify any action it wants to take, even if it has nothing to do with this supposed war. We live in a paranoid society.
Name
Jessica
-
Profession
Question
What will you tell your son about war and peace? About your country, his country?
Answer
I could and should probably write a book about it which I could give him upon his passage into adulthood. He will be a citizen of wherever he lives, meaning he is a human being. My country is a nation of immigrants, as is Canada. If he learns anything, I hope it is acceptance of the differences amongst people and the knowledge that we are all people with hopes, dreams, fears...
Name
Frank
- United States
Profession
Question
Many of us opposed the war, yes, but at the call of duty, you have to respond and fight for your country.
Answer
That is what the officers at Nuremberg used for their defense. One can't claim that they are simply following orders. The desire to fight without question for one's country is the cause of most war. If everyone who didn't believe in a bogus war refused to fight, there wouldn't be so many wars.
Name
anonymous
-
Profession
Question
Isn't war necessary sometimes? In light of many's greed, and we are after all human, one has to resort to war, because it is impossible to force everyone else to be pacifist and one has to defend oneself.
Answer
In a pragmatic world, it probably is. However, I feel that we need to live our lives the way we believe they OUGHT to be lived, rather than resigning ourselves to the horrors of pragmatism and realpolitik.
Name
Ali
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
What do you think of the Iraqi resistance?
Answer
There seem to be some different elements to it: the indigenous resistance and the resistance that is composed of people who have come from outside of Iraq. From what I understand, most Iraqis are not so crazy about the foreign resistance and don't condone attacks where innocent Iraqi people are harmed.
Name
Naveed
-
Profession
Question
Due to what reasons did you refuse to fight in Iraq?
Answer
It is a war based on false pretenses and our thirst for oil, not about liberation. When I enlisted, I agreed to defend my country from imminent threats, not take part in unprovoked acts of aggression.
Name
Amal
- Egypt
Profession
Question
What would you write in your book?
Answer
Give me a few years.
Name
Abdulla
-
Profession
Question
Have you killed before (give that you went to war in Afghanistan)? How does that make you feel?
Answer
No, I haven't killed. When I was in Afghanistan, I worked in a kitchen as I had a conscientious objector application being processed during that time.
Name
Magid
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
How do you comment on and describe what can be described a culture of war in the United States? A culture that mobilizes ignorant people for war in the name of patriotism? Many ignorant Americans don't know what you know about the fact that the war on Iraq was not justified.
Answer
The history of our country has been the bedrock for our culture of war. I don't think there has been a five-year period that America has not been involved in some sort of military action. The way that Americans enjoy such a high standard of living is because its people are willing to pretend that most of the world is being exploited so they can live there comfortable lives, oblivious of the suffering it inflicts on the rest of the world. And if you try to tell them they just tell you to shut up.
We now live in a culture where we are constantly bombarded with mass media. It's nearly impossible to escape from it. This media does a great job of injecting people with messages to consume. Eventually, it has to collapse.
Name
Tom
-
Profession
Question
Would you accept to go to Iraq as a peace activist, journalist or aid worker, if you wouldn't go there as a soldier?
Answer
Yes, but not as a representative of an organization i.e., CNN, that is just a tool in the box of manipulation. Right now, and justifiably so, I think Iraqis may be suspicious of the motives of anyone in their country, no matter how benevolent they may seem to be. I think there need to be observers who can document, objectively, what is happening.
Name
Amal
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Do you just have basic, preliminary ideas for your would-be book that you would like to share with us?
Answer
It would talk about human motivation and how it is exercised in a collective manner. It would discuss that one cannot espouse change in the world unless they are willing to make radical changes in the way they live their own life. History is composed of individuals making individual choices and we need to know that we are not victims of the zeitgeist.
Name
Ahmed
- Qatar
Profession
Question
I would like to praise you for your noble stance. I would like to ask you if there is anything you can doing to put your message across to other Americans.
Answer
It appears that a few may be on this site. I have had some presence in the American media, which has had some effect on others. Do you have any ideas?
Name
Activist
-
Profession
Question
Are you networking and cooperating with others who share with you the same cause so that united you can make a change?
Answer
To some extent. I would welcome the chance to work with others if the opportuniteis present themselves. The refuseniks in Palestine would be an example.
Name
frei
-
Profession
Question
Hi! First and foremost let me congratulate you on the decision of refusing to "kill" inocent people for GWB and Cheney's profit. I didn't use the word fighting but I used "killing" instead because that is what this war is. It takes a strong human being to do what you did, and I salute you for that. My question is, what mostly made you refuse to go in Iraq? and second, How are you dealing with all the trubles and problems than now face you for refusing to go in Iraq, a.k.a from the military and others? We, Muslims, and not Muslims pray for your safety and well being, may God Bless you. YOU ARE THE REAL HERO.
Answer
First, thank you for your praise. However, let me shatter you vision. I as human as anybody and my wife could probably make a long list of all my faults.
I didn’t go to Iraq because it didn't even pretend to be a war that was not based on greed.
Name
Ayman
-
Profession
Question
What are your plans for your future and your family?
Answer
Hopefully, we can gain permanent status in Canada. I would like to go to university and study an unemployment art such as history or philosophy. We just want to a live quiet, but conscious life.
Name
Salam
- Iraq
Profession
Question
Did you know before the war the Saddam was killing Iraqis and many Iraqis were in jail for no reason, and all the Iraqis like even the davil to remove Saddam?
Answer
Yes. Would they really want the devil to remove him?
Name
Ishraqatul-Amal
-
Profession
Question
Hi Jeremy,
I would like to commend you for your wise decision to quit killing innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I have a few questions for you; I hope you have the time and the will to answer them.
What made you take such a courageous decision? Was it because of your association with the peace-loving Quakers, or was it because of your awareness of the real circumstances and the real reasons behind the US war on Afghanistan and Iraq?
How did you become aware of the real reasons behind the war, and why didn't you enlighten your comrades about them?
What makes other soldiers insist on killing innocent people? Is it because they blindly follow orders, or is it because they are convinced that they are fighting for good causes like the ones that US government preaches about spreading in the Islamic world?
Do the American soldiers really believe that Afghanistan perpetrated the 911, and that the US's freedom is being under attack from the so-called "Islamist terrorists"?
My best wishes for you and your family.
Answer
1. Religion didn't have a whole lot to do with it.
2. If one simply reads between the lines, the real reasons are right in front of us, not hidden.
3. I would try to engage fellow soldiers in conversation. It was quite frightening in that most of them did not know and did not want to know why they were doing what they were doing. Perhaps that is necessary to be a successful soldier.
4. I think some of them truly think they are doing the right thing. I also think that many who do believe it is wrong are simply following orders and don't feel there is anything they can do to change their circumstances.
Name
Karen
-
Profession
Question
Are there other soldiers who refused to go to war in Iraq in a way or another? Can you tell us about them, if any?
Answer
There are a few who went to jail or who are currently in jail for refusing to fight. One is Camilo Mejia, the other is Stephen Funk.
There are also a few more in Canada. Brandon Hughey and Dave Saunders.
Name
Muslem From Canada
-
Profession
Question
Dear,
Since 9/11 lot of things have happened and lot of message have been conveyed through the media either in the West or else. Of course you read and watch some of them. Would you tell us the information about Muslims and Arabs before you went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq? Have they changed or are they the same? You refused to fight in Iraq only because you think it's a wrong mission or because u don't like solve any problem by killing, or because the resistance in Iraq is so fierce? And also what will happen, in your point of view, for you after the war ends? And do u think all US soldiers killed or hurt in Iraq are wrong or just cheated by their government? And if so what are the right steps to protect US lives and also other countries’ lives?
Answer
Muslims are and have always been depicted as the "other" throughout the history of American popular culture.
I don't think any problem can TRULY be solved by killing. The symptom may be temporarily abated, the root cause can never be removed by killing.
President Bush has said the "war" will never end. Being in a state of war allows the president to do what he wants unchecked by the other branches of government
Name
student
- Canada
Profession
Question
I find it amazing how patriotic an average american is! So much so, that they refuse to hear anything against it! kinda blinding their thoughts. So how do you deal with such patriots who think you have deserted their country in a cowardly fashion. Thank You. And I hope you stay longer in Canada!
Answer
I think “nationalistic” is a more appropriate word. I deal with them by listening to them and trying to tell them where I am coming from. However, rocks are not very good at carrying on a conversation.
If you hope we can stay loner, please write you MP, the PM etc.
