September 4, 2004
A Young Iraqi Man's Testimony
By Peggy Gish

Mabel Brunk, David Milne and I sat in the modest rural Iraqi home with members of the extended family.  On a nearby road, an explosion killed a U. S. soldier in January 2004. An uncle brought Kareem (not his real name), a 24-year-old man into the room to tell us his story.

He had been sleeping on a mat on the floor in this home to protect the family while his uncle was in prison.  He heard U. S. soldiers break into the home at 4:00 in the morning.  Before he had a chance to get up, a soldier smashed him in the face with the barrel of his gun and broke his nose. Soldiers cuffed him and put him on the floor of a military vehicle.

When soldiers got in and out of the vehicle, they stepped on him. His nose was bleeding and he had to breathe through his mouth.  When they reached the base, the soldiers threw him off the truck down on the ground with his hands still tied behind his back.  He understood some of what they were saying and heard soldiers refer to Iraqis as animals. At night, the soldiers poured cold water on him and other men.    

Kareem said when a doctor treated his broken nose, another soldier hit him.  The doctor told the soldier, "Don't you see how I am trying to repair him, so don't beat him. Treat him like a human being."  The soldier replied, "A friend of mine died."  The next day they released Kareem.  

As we took pictures of his face and the damage to his nose, his uncle said, "When we saw him after he was released, his face was so swollen that we couldn't see his eyes."

We learned that not long before this happened, Kareem had completed his training as a physician's assistant.  Now he is still healing from the injury to his body as well as to his spirit.


Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical violence-reduction program with roots in the historic peace churches.  Teams of trained peace workers live in areas of lethal conflict around the world.  CPT has been present in Iraq since October, 2002.  
To learn more about CPT, please visit www.cpt.org. 
Photos of our projects may be viewed at www.cpt.org/gallery