By Daily Press staff
An Iraqi woman will be in Santa Monica next week to discuss with Americans their experiences with the occupation of her country.
Faiza Al-Araji will speak on behalf of her countrywomen in Iraq. Al-Araji is an engineer, married, and currently living in Amman, Jordan. She is Shia and her husband is Sunni. Her son Khalid, a student at Baghdad University, was arrested by Iraqi officials from the Ministry of the Interior without ever being charged. The family had to pay ransom to secure his release, and then fled to Jordan. Al-Araji and her sons write a blog called “A Family in Baghdad” (afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com).
“It is a rare occasion that we get to hear directly from Iraqis themselves, especially women,” reads an announcement by the event’s organizers, CODEPINK, the SMC Women's College, and the Associated Students. “They can tell firsthand about the effects of the war on their lives and the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Some have lost loved ones in this war, some are doctors or humanitarian workers who have witnessed the ravages of war. All ardently oppose the presence of U.S. troops.”
The women have had to risk their lives getting to Jordan to request visas, and they take great risks just by coming to the U.S. to speak out against the occupation, organizers said.
The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be held on March 14, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. in room 214 at Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd. Saving a life is free and open to all
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 10, 2006. Read the original PDF.