I don't know anything about the site, Iraq has a voice, other than it promises to give Iraqis a voice. So if I am being naive in taking it at face value, I hope someone will tell me.

This post records compassion shown to an Iraqi man by American soldiers. Mind you, rescue from a mob — well, that's a job we hope they do. That sounds a tad niggardly. Given the constant danger everyone is in, for some Iraqis, they do make a difference, and in the political ranting over the whole Iraq Thing, we often overlook that.

Yesterday I came across Chikitika's blog where I read about the funeral banners that go up in neighbourhoods whenever there are deaths. Of course googling the banners, sidetracked me even further. But we can't overlook that there are far more black banners than there are white banners — the white banners signifying those who have been killed by American actions.

I think it's like this: we have to get past the point of feeling so squeamish about what's happening in Iraq and past seeing it purely as a bloody big blunder.

If you look closely, it's not all noise and nonsense out there. When they're off duty, many soldiers are involved in projects to help and rebuild local communities. It's not all blogging and bloke stuff out there. Maybe, less grudgingly, we should recognise the peacekeeping part when we spot it.

There's more to this name

I chose the title Above All Nations for this blog, because I was moved by, and wanted to replicate, the spirit behind the original compilation Above All Nations. I hoped that it would be possible, in these turbulent times, to record acts of kindness in current conflicts across the globe.

I have previously agonised over the title and changed nothing. However, I am increasingly of the opinion, especially when I see what googling "above all nations" trawls, that it is too sectarian a title. Just the sight of it, could alienate a lot of readers. Ordinarily, when I see titles with any jingoistic undercurrent, I click straight on Next Blog. There's no denying that, without the "is Humanity" tag, this blog falls into that category. So, for starters, there is a change which I'm going to run with for a couple of weeks: I've added "is Humanity" to the original string.

I've been exercising my mind over the past few days, torn between letting go of this blog, and trying to come up with a title that reflects my conviction that we need to give nationalism and other divisive forces the push. By night, I welcome 'brilliant' ideas that come to me half asleep, a brilliance which eludes me when I'm fully awake and have struggled to retrieve them. ("Noisy Households" was the last straw.)

What we have in common, has to be stronger yet softer, more enduring yet less rigid, than what drives us apart. It's the spirit of Us, rather than You and Them that needs to drive our actions towards others.

I'm passing the baton on this to you. Please comment, or email to aboveallnations at gmail (etc.)

"But who shall return us our children?"

This question forms the refrain in the first and final verses of Rudyard Kipling's poem, The Children [1914–1918] .

Sorting out my desk muddle this morning, I came across the poem in the form of a cutting of it when it was the Saturday Poem in The Guardian some time back.

I thought of the children who aren't returned to their parents. Anwar, and so many other sons and daughters, lost in a violent encounter. And young children, spirited away by those with malicious intent.

There is nothing of ubuntu in the recruiting, often forcible, of children as child soldiers. How do we undo some of that damage when the children are rescued, or escape?

According to Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, "It is easy to become a child soldier, but it is much more difficult to recover one's humanity. But it is possible." (My italics.)

There are at least a quarter of a million child soldiers. You can find out about the work of Save the Children here, and of Unicef, here.

In the UK, War Child publishes resource packs for teachers.

I will be adding a new side bar area for organisations which work with former child soldiers, or which actively seek to support children affected by war. Please look out for it.

For Anwar, for his family, for all whose lives are shattered by conflict

Today I have been thinking of Anwar's mother, who, despite her grief at the murder of her son, said to her nephew, repeatedly:

“Thank God for everything. We still have you and the rest of your cousins. Thank God for everything.”

I can see how faith can be an insurance against despair, even as what is done in the name of faith, only serves to diminish the residues of mine.

Today is a good time to reflect on the grace, despite great suffering, of Anwar's family, including Omar, his cousin.

In searching for a tribute to this lost life, I will return, today, to my neglected PTSD project.

This time I will not let frustration or despair distract me from it.

"I am what I am because of who we all are"

This post title is another line on Ubuntu, the African concept of "humanity towards others" which regulars might remember was one of the U words in this post. And in these murky, messy times, not always reflected across the continent, sadly.

But, but, but...it's also the name of Open Source software that's currently so alive on Klei Lat's Moddereiland potgooi blog that even I registered the kick to check it out.

Technically literate or not, you can get the gist of the Ubuntu Technology Community on the Ubuntu web site. Expect the glimmer of a smile to broaden into a grin.

As one of my gripes is that information is no longer freely accessible on the Internet (as was originally envisioned) I feel heartened by the generosity of the Ubuntu community. When they need Ubuntu for Dummies, as they will, I'm volunteering.

Ubuntu's website defines ubuntu as "the belief in a universal bond of sharing which connects all humanity" so there's another variant of what you've read earlier.

Now for the ground rules as given in Ubuntu's code of conduct as this is what's relevant to this blog's Impossible Quest. Wouldn't they be a universal blueprint just for plain decent treatment of others? As within families, between colleagues, in takeovers (political and financial), in handovers of power, against vanity in bosses especially...

Here they are (with the nitty gritty thereof elaborated on the site):

Be considerate.
Be respectful.
Be collaborative.
When you disagree, consult others.
When you are unsure, ask for help.
Step down considerately.

Mooi bly, Ubuntu. (Lank sal julle lewe!)

Speaking of good causes, here is something any blogger can do

There's now a banner in support of Alan Johnston on this blog.

That's Alan's picture to the right of the first post.

Today he has been missing for 43 days. 43 days in which a good bloke has been held captive, unjustly. Any rational Muslim would agree it is thuloum, an injustice - I learnt that word from Jill Carroll's description of her time in captivity.

Many, many Palestinians have called for his release because they recognise that his is a voice that speaks up for those whose voice is faint or unheard, regardless of their religious or political beliefs. That voice still needs to be heard. In Palestine and in too many places across the globe.

If you would like to show your support for those who are trying to secure Alan's release, you can easily add this banner to your blog too.

Follow this link to the BBC site. You'll find the HTML code you need to insert in your blog or on your web page. Select and copy it, and then paste it into your blog template. Do a quick preview, just to make sure it appears where you want it to, before you save it!

Some come home...

I've got mixed feelings about this. Relieved that the released marines and sailors were able to board a flight to return home from Iran: disturbed by the 'scripts' and other pressure which seem to have been imposed on the prisoners and the distortion of facts by at least one side. This means that I can't consider their release as an act of generosity on the part of the Iranian President.

Dismayed as, at almost that exact moment, four more soldiers died in Iraq.

Who gets the credit for this release? It seems, Iran's President, though it also seems as though he didn't really want to release them.

My favourite Iraqi bloggers help me to have a sense of the lives of the Iraqi people in this ongoing struggle. But I am also conscious of many other civil war zones and the suffering that goes on, right now, as I type this.

I still hope to come across those seemingly rare acts of kindness and generosity which I longed, when I started this blog, to be able to celebrate here. No change either on feeling naive in having started this blog. A wild goose chase might have been a better option.

At last

Came across this when I returned some books to the library, and saw Baghdad Burning Volume 2 on display. Now, although I visit this blog fairly regularly, it's a lot easier to read a book, than online, so I went to the catalogue to track down Volume 1. It was on loan, but I went to the shelves to see what else was parked at that Dewey number.

Picked up Andy McNab's Bravo Zero Two for the first time and flicked through it. Scanning page 280, I spotted the following:

The door opened and I saw daylight. I stretched out my arms, palms upwards, in a gesture of helplessness.

'I can't move,' I said. ''Stiff.'

He called to another guard. I clenched my sore muscles in readiness for the kicking I was about to receive.

They came into the toilet and bent over me.

'Up, up, aah,' one said, all nice and gentle. They put my arms around their necks and lifted me upright, almost with compassion. they were actually
concerned. I couldn't believe it.

The crash of a door bell and the friendly shout of 'Good morning! Good morning!' echoed round the block as they helped me towards the door to the courtyard.

Andy McNab's move to another location that same day turned out to be the prelude to worse torture and suffering.

But amongst all of that, one more flicker for the count.

Looking for psychologists who are PTSD experts

The long gap between posts is because I've lost heart re this project, overwhelmed by the unrelenting, not to say mounting, "upheaval" in the Middle East. Senseless slaughter. How can the survivors ever feel peace?

With The Lebanon under siege once again, my heart is heavy. Even as I type, I wonder how many people will die violent deaths in Iraq before I have formulated what I am trying to say. Increasingly I worry about the long term effects of living under such constant stress.

I have been reflecting a great deal on the enormous emotional damage suffered by those living in Iraq today. Amongst my former pupils are two Iraqi brothers. A year or so ago, they had a cousin from Iraq over here to give him some respite from the civil war. They told me of the effect on him of a car backfiring. I met him once, and could see a young man whose eyes betrayed how much he had suffered.

I googled PTSD and found, amongst others a US site for veterans of conflict, with suggestions as to how they could manage traumatic stress.

But what can one do for Iraqis for whom Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is hardly "post"? What help and advice can one offer people to whom that traumatic stress is far from 'post'? And what about the children....?!

I have obtained a Google page. I want to use it to list simple points which will help people living in an environment of ongoing traumatic stress. That's damage limitation for those in it, now - not after the storm has abated.

If you know an expert, please ask for their advice. You can leave a comment or email me at aboveallnations at gmail dot com.

What colour week is this?

What colour will be assigned to this eventful week?

Black for grief, despair and death?

Red for anger, heartache and impatience?

Green for discord?

UNIFIL troops

I have been reflecting on previous peacekeeping efforts in The Lebanon e.g. by UNIFIL soldiers.

Sometimes I worry about the UN forces, given their impotence, for example in Rwanda and Bosnia.

At the time of the recent hostilities, I came across the Irish Lebanon War Veterans Organisation — I hadn’t realised quite how many Irish peacekeepers (47) died in “The Leb”, in the service of peace during what they refer to as “the endless war of Lebanon”.

Visiting their web site gives you an idea of how much they loved the Lebanon and its peoples, particularly the citizens of Tibnin with whom they built .

Earlier this month about 150 Irish troops were deployed to the Lebanon — let's hope with their role clearly defined, properly equipped for it. And that their intervention is not endlessly required.

"They didn't give peace a chance..."

Sectarianism has everything to answer for.

How do these tit for tat cycles benefit anyone, except the bullies?

However — I have come across what I feel is a strong case for Buddhism.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” BUDDHA 4th Century BC

Peace Potion 2

Don't ask questions. Question the answers.
[Colman McCarthy, Career Pacifist and volunteer teacher]

Read the story here.

Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief & Others

I’m aware that the details of the Jessica Lynch rescue are contentious but it came to mind again yesterday and, aware that those who rescued her had had some inside help, I googled to see what the current take on that story is. Some of the language of current commentary contains phrases like “official account” and words like claims and allegedly, so it is difficult for a non-American to sift out and suss.

The young Iraqi lawyer, Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief, who provided details of her location, was given asylum in the United States, together with his family in April 2003. At some point prior to the event, while taking information to her rescuers, he received a shrapnel injury which permanently damaged his vision. Although physically safe, in an undisclosed location in the US, and with his immediate family, he has suffered because of his role in her rescue in that he now has a physical handicap, and is living with the accompanying stress of a life in exile.

I’ve read neither al-Rehaief’s autobiography, Because Each Life Is Precious, not Lynch’s I’m a Soldier too.

Copious use of Google’s link command, over the past hour, has left me little wiser.

It does seem clear also (from the ‘kindness to enemies’ angle) that Private Lynch’s medical treatment and the nursing care from staff at the no doubt under-resourced hospital from which she was rescued, was as good as they could provide.

A soldier's view

Fortunate son wrote (5 October)

I was told on several occasions by Afghan leaders that their personal relationships with me positively influenced their perceptions of Americans and I know that my team and I influenced hundreds if not thousands of young Afghans, leaving lasting, positive impressions of Americans as a kind, caring and giving, yet determined people who want nothing more than for them to inherit a free and open society where they will have opportunities not available to their fathers; where ignorance does not dominate their lives.

and more recently (10 October)

We have plenty "anti-War" types who are willing to demonstrate once war becomes a fait accompli, but we don't have near enough "pro-Peace" types willing to work for a more just and equitable world and actually prevent the conditions of war before they begin. As long as the average American's preoccupations are the price of gas; as long as we remain willfully ignorant of the world around us; as long as we're content to be the "Shining Gated Community on the Hill", it would seem to me that our fate will be to settle for the ensuing partisan blame game for the last crisis while waiting for the next Pearl Harbor or 9/11 in order to get people to pay attention to the miserable conditions of their fellow man and stop tolerating the existence of those regimes that benefit from their misery and ignorance.

As it stands, the score is still 0-0, the newspapers have already printed the headlines declaring our humiliating loss, our broadcasters are sending the opposing side our playbook, sixty percent of our spectators (most were "fans" only before kickoff) have headed for the parking lot, our coaches are down to fielding only seven players and we're still in the first minute of the game.

It's not going to be easy to nurse the ills of this wounded planet. It's going to require billions rather than millions to consider the possibility that a massive re-think may be required.

'Final' impressions (April 2003!)

In April 2003, as opposition to the 'occupying forces' grew, the BBC reporters who had covered the invasion, recorded ‘final impressions’ (sic) of the war.

Ryan Dilley wrote:

“I saw callous and calculated acts of destruction perpetrated by both sides, but balanced by acts of great generosity and kindness.”

I have seen a boy enraged to the point of throwing stones because he was denied a chocolate bar, while another youth — shot through the middle and dying — behaved with utter composure, politeness and dignity.

I have seen a palace the splendour of which was made all the more sickening by the poverty, filth and want in the city beyond its gates. I have seen people with great intelligence and potential, trapped in a situation surely created by fools.

What I am really not sure about is whether I have seen a liberation or an invasion.”

Nickel Mines and Forgiveness

Over the past decade I have become increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for peace on this planet.

Lately, I've been letting politicians off a little more lightly, since what leaves me aghast is the spiritual leaders preaching the propaganda of hate.

This week, grieving Amish families in Nickel Mines walked the forgiveness of their talk.

"They buried their anger, even before burying their children."

And what do they want from the world outside?

"Tell the world we are grateful for its prayers but also remember to pray for the gunman's family."

In search of Peace Potions

Here's the first:

Choose one of the things that you strongly believe and think about how you might be wrong.

(Repeat seven times.)

A question for Muslims

(This question is directed at those Muslims who follow Islam as a religion of peace.)

How best can those of other faiths, including those of no faith, express their goodwill towards you?

The Prophet Mohammed on the reward for kindness

Particularly since 7/7, I have been anxious not to behave in such way as to suggest to Muslims that I regarded them as potential suicide bombers. Hassan's plea, recently, for a minute of freedom resonated with me as that was something I have consciously, in spite of a certain "British" reserve, been trying to accord to my fellow passengers on London's public transport. Even though I sometimes wryly reflect that the very ones who are most obviously Muslim, are probably rejecting me, my nod, my greeting, my sitting next to them - because of my short sleeves and uncovered head!

One Sunday, a couple of months ago, I passed, and then turned back to stop at, a table in our town centre's pedestrian mall which is manned by Muslims from the local mosque. After a cautious sort of conversation, I took away with me a book they proffered A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam. I was looking at it again today, and I have found the Prophet Mohammed's response to the question: "Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?"

He said, "There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human".

(The references cited for this were: Saheeh Muslim #2244 and also Saheeh Al-Bukhari #2466)

On the Jill Carroll front, I had the disappointing response from the Monitor that my question (During her capitivity, did she experience any kindness from her captors?) was not one of the questions selected for her to answer.

Don't know that I'm giving up completely on that one yet. Suggestions welcomed.