DESCRIPTION BY ELIYAHU MCLEAN OF AN INTERFAITH GATHERING IN
BAGHDAD, MARCH 2004.
I have received the following E-mail LIST E-mail, which I append,
complete and without elisions nor additions (the 3-dots are in the
original, and probably indicated merely pauses, not elision).
Date:Thu, 08 Apr 2004 20:31:58 +0800
Subject:Prayers for Peace in Baghdad
From:"Eliyahu McLean"
To:"Eliyahu McLean"
Dear friends,
Most of the news coming from the Middle East these days is
discouraging,both from the Holy Land and from Iraq. This report I
hope will serve as apoint of light amidst the darkness.
On the anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, March 20th,
a group of religious leaders came together in Baghdad to pray for
the peace of Iraq and of the whole world. I was part of an
interfaith delegation that traveled to Iraq to join a prayer
gathering at the National Theater in central Baghdad.
We met in Amman, on Wednesday March 17th. James Twyman, a
musician and spiritual peace activist, invited me to be part of a
colorful group to travel overland from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad.
In our group was Jose Arguelles, an expert on the Mayan calendar
and prophecies and his apprentice; Chief Arvol Looking Horse,
chief of the Sioux nation and 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred
White Buffalo pipe, with his 20 year old daughter Grace. Also
joining us were Yarovit, a shaman from Russia and his translator;
Warigia, a spiritual teacher from Kenya; and Sofia van Surksum,
from Durango, Colorado, who helped with the logistics of the trip.
As we first gathered together in our hotel in Amman, we heard on
the news that night that a hotel in downtown Baghdad had been
bombed and many people killed. The news just strengthened our
resolve about the importance of our mission and we decided to
continue with the journey.
On Thursday morning we left Amman for the Iraqi border, driven
by two Iraqi Chaldean Christian drivers. On the way, I said
'Tfillat Haderech', the Jewish prayer for a safe journey and Arvol
said a Lakota prayer. In my car I learned a little spoken Aramaic
from our driver Sahel, e.g. 'hashlama alukhum' means 'peace be
upon you'.
After we crossed the Iraqi border we stopped and held a small
prayer circle for the safety and success of our journey to
Baghdad. Jose Arguelles offered a Mayan blessing. Chief Arvol said
"creator help us make this journey of peace...many people are
praying for world peace and harmony and are praying with us."
Warigia offered a prayer in Swahili, I offered a prayer in Hebrew
and Yarovit shared an invocation in Russian.
Just inside the border I noticed a monument in the form of
missiles pointed towards Israel. I had been on the receiving end
of missiles from Iraq during the first Gulf War, so it was a bit
unnerving. Our drive took 10 1/2 hours, and after hours of driving
through vast and seemingly empty desert, we finally saw lots of
trees and green as we approached the Euphrates River and passed
the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.
When we arrived to the Arab Palace hotel in downtown Baghdad, we
were welcomed by Donna, an Australian, and Ra'id, a young Iraqi.
Donna talked about her work in Baghdad- the centers she founded to
help Iraqi youth to heal from the traumas of war. We also found
out that our hotel was just 3 blocks from the hotel that had been
bombed the night before. Indeed from the window of my hotel room
on the 7th floor I could see the damaged hotel.
That night there were rolling power blackouts, which are a
regular part oflife in Baghdad. We heard the sounds of tanks
driving by. We were a bit anxious when we heard a very loud
explosion outside. We soon learned that such sounds can be heard
on most nights.
On Friday the 19th, several from our group went to the largest
Sufi mosque in Baghdad to invite Sufis to come to the next days'
prayer gathering.
Approaching the main gate, we walked past vendors selling prayer
beads, scarves and holy books. Standing in the alley were some
young Sufis singing and chanting with their drums, with an aura of
joy around them. We entered the large sanctuary, which surrounds
the tomb of one of the most revered Sufi saints, Abdul Qadir al
Jilani.
Inside the courtyard we were led to meet with the head sheikh.
He welcomed us to his office and said "Islam is a religion of
peace... we respect all religions, including Judaism and
Christianity". Leaving the mosque, we approached the Sufis we saw
earlier and handed them a flyer inviting them to the gathering at
the National Theater.
That afternoon, Friday, we walked to the National Theater and
were welcomed by the director who explained that the theater was
being renovated after its furnishings were looted after the war.
The theater staff welcomed us all warmly, even me when I told them
I was Jewish and live in Israel. We sang a few songs in rehearsal
for the ceremony the next day.
On Saturday afternoon, March 20th, leaders representing the
diversity of Iraq's religious traditions, some local Iraqis and
camera crews from different media outlets began to show up at the
National Theater. The first Iraqi religious leaders to arrive were
several Sunni Muslim sheikhs from Baghdad followed by the group of
Sufi drummers who we met the day before. A Chaldean bishop and
several Christian mystics also came.
In addition we were joined by a Shiite cleric, who teaches at a
very unique theological institute, the Hilla School of Religion in
Hilla, south of Baghdad. This school teaches young Iraqis about
tolerance between the religions, including teaching Christian and
Judaic texts.
To read more about this school see the article 'New Iraqi school
spans chasms between religions' at:
www.christiansciencemonitor.com/2003/1007/p01s04woiq.html"
James Twyman opened the ceremony by singing the Lord's Prayer
from the Christian tradition. "Lord, make me an instrument of your
peace...where there is hatred let me bring love."
Then Chief Arvol Looking Horse told a story from his people the
Lakota, Dakota, & Nakota Great Sioux nation. After a great race in
the Black Hills of South Dakota between all of creation the two
leggeds (humans) won. The eagles offered to protect humanity by
flying high in the sky to bless the earth. However they could only
be held aloft if people prayed for them with offerings of tobacco,
song and prayers. The prayers became weak and now eagles are found
in trash pits. Since we are all connected humanity is unhealthy-
we see now black clouds of viruses and disease. It is a
warning from the Animal Nation to humanity that we must again pray
for peace and care for Mother Earth.
Jose Arguelles played a flute and spoke as a messenger of the
Mayan tradition. He explained that in the Mayan calendar, time
began in 3133 BC in Uruk (ancient Iraq) and that this cycle will
close in 2012. According to the Mayan prophecy, as the end of
that cycle approaches things will accelerate and seem chaotic.
Only if we can learn to live in harmony by the closing of this
cycle then the coming universal religion will be the religion of
peace. "I came to take this message to Baghdad, close to the
original Uruk, to help fulfill the prophecy".
Then Sufi Sheikh Ahmad Aziz and three other Qadiri Sufis chanted
in Arabic and played their handheld drums, which was quite moving
for everyone. Three Iraqi children sang, bringing the voice of
the next generation. Then Yarovit, dressed in leather and fur
offered a shamanic ritual dance and chant. He then chanted "for
peace, for love, al-hamdulilah", getting everyone to sing with
him.
Warigia from Kenya brought blessings for the Iraqi people from
the elders of her country. Then she read out a letter written by
her 10-year-old daughter Nyambura. "War won't solve anything. If
they just put their guns down...they will see that killing is only
hurting. They don't see we are all one big family in heart and
spirit. So find peace and love within yourselves and there will be
no more wars." The letter touched everyone's hearts.
The Shiite cleric from Hilla, Shiek Abd Al-Jalil Al-Taei told
us: "I believe in the love religion everywhere I go, this is my
religion. How much we need the dew points of clemency instead of
the hell of begrudgements...
Our mission for peace and unity is an urgent necessity. Putting
the bridges between us is better than deepening the pits. We must
realize the sanctity and hugeness of the message we carry, which
belongs to all the prophets."
The Sunni sheikh had some harsh criticism of the policies of
Israel and of the American presence in Iraq. He added an
invocation calling for peace and justice.
Then the Asst. Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Baghdad,
Shlemone Warduny, spoke about his ancient Christian community in
Iraq and offered prayers of peace for the people of Iraq and the
world. Sister Nadira Khayyat from the Carmelite monastery in
Baghdad offered a prayer for peace in Jesus' name in Aramaic.
As the last speaker I was uncertain how I would be received as an
openly religious Jew, wearing a kippah and peyot. The audien
relaxed when I spoke in Arabic, apologizing that I only speak a
little of the Palestinian dialect and not the Iraqi. I said "I
come from Jerusalem, the holy city for all our religions. Remember
that the Jews lived side by side with their Arab neighbors here in
Iraq for thousands of years. The second most holy book in our
tradition was written here and is named after Babylon-- it's
called the 'Talmud Bavli'."
And then I said "we are near Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, our
shared father and therefore we, the children of Isaac and you the
children of Ishmael, are brothers. Also know that many Jews are
working with their Palestinian friends for peace and
understanding. Of the Holy Land, everyone agrees it is G_d's
Land. Ultimately we are all the children of Adam and
Eve and thus all one family, the human family. " The Iraqis could
all be seen nodding in agreement.
Then we all went outside to dedicate a peace pole in front of the
National Theater, adjacent to one of the busiest traffic circles
in Baghdad. As we reached to touch the pole and offer a blessing
for peace, I got everyone to chant together first in Arabic "a-
Salaam il'alam ajma'u", and then in English, "may peace prevail on
earth". It was quite a magical moment to see us all openly
gathered at such a public spot in the center of Baghdad.
We then held up the peace banners and posed together for
pictures. Even though we were told it was risky if we lingered
outside as a group for much longer, no one wanted to leave. Many
felt it to be a historic moment. Ra'id shaking his head in
disbelief, said, "It's a miracle - what happened here
today," he said. ΠA miracle for Iraq.' "People will talk
about this for a long time."
Donna later wrote 'we had been warned that it was dangerous to
bring a Jew into Iraq. The anti-Jewish feeling here is strong and
deep. "Muslims sitting with a Jewish man to pray for peace! It's
unheard of," Račid exclaimed.
That night at our hotel we gathered to sing for James Twyman on
his birthday and to honor him for this amazing gathering that he,
Donna and others had organized. Yerovit led a shamanic meditation.
Then I led our group, with Iraqi friends in attendance, to sing
and dance together for havdalah, the traditional Jewish end of
Shabbat ceremony.
In our last night in Baghdad, Grace, the daughter of the Sioux
chief, and I were invited to the home of our driver Sahel in New
Baghdad. There we met his family- his parents and siblings and
their wives. We spent the evening comparing words in the Hebrew,
Arabic, Aramaic and Lakota languages.
On Sunday morning we drove back to Amman feeling both a sense of
accomplishment and relief. At the Iraq-Jordan border I noticed
that the monument of missiles had been taken down. It seemed a
sign.
In the lobby of our hotel in Amman, some of us came across a
group of Iraqi tribal leaders, each representing the largest
tribes in central Iraq. They were delighted to hear that we had
just come from downtown Baghdad to pray for peace with the people
of Iraq. One sheik said, "we are proud that Abraham is an
Iraqi...anytime you want to come back to Iraq you are most
welcome as our guests".
I returned to the Holy Land to news of increased tensions after
the Yassin assassination and of even deeper crisis in Iraq.
Nonetheless I can't help but feel that seeds were planted that day
in Baghdad. Our Iraqi friend Ra'id said about our gathering: "We
have a long way to go, but maybe this is the first step."
This report was prepared with the help of Donna Mulhearn.
To see some great pictures of this gathering, visit:
www.emissaryoflight.com/_.aspx?content=iraq_pictures
Shalom, Salaam,
Eliyahu McLean,
Rodef Shalom, 'Pursuer of Peace'
{END RECEIVED E-MAIL}
Eliahu McClean, to whom any questions re: this article should be
addressed, may be reached via:
eliyahu@peacemakercircle.org , and yahuolan@hotmail.com
or by Snailmail at:
P.O. Box 31894, Jerusalem 91316, Israel
================================================================
sa, 13 April '04 -- 22 Nisan (malkut sh'b' CHESED) -- [don't know
Islamic date ]
A hot day, grain drying in the heat, birds calling slowly, just to
keep their place --
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