How do you explain the war to children?

What follows is a letter I wrote to my 10-year old niece shortly after I arrived. She is a very bright, inquisitive girl, who I know wants to understand why my being in Iraq matters.


My dear niece,

Marhaba! That means HELLO in Arabic!

I was so excited to get your email! I'm so glad you had a good Easter at Grandma's. It's important to spend holidays with people we love, isn't it? That's part of what makes being a family so special.

I'm writing to you from the city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. When you can, look on a map and you will see where I am. Did you know that Baghdad is the capital modern Iraq, but that what is now Iraq is the site of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world? For thousands of years, people have lived in Iraq on the land between two great rivers, the Tigris River, which flows right through the middle of Baghdad (on the left), and the Euphrates River. Together, they formed what was call the Fertile Crescent. The land was rich for farming and living, unlike the desert that surrounded it.

Thousands of years ago, even before Jesus was born, the people who lived here were doing great things. The first written alphabet was called cuneiform, and was created by people called Sumerians over 5000 years ago. One of the first sets of written laws, called the Code of Hammurabi, was developed here 1700 years before Jesus was born. Have you ever heard of the "Wonders of the Ancient World?" (like the pyramids in Egypt.) One of those wonders was called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Those were in Iraq, too, very close to Baghdad. When you think about it, you can understand why the people who live in Iraq today are very proud of their history and their culture, just like we are in America.

I know that you have learned about the difficult times that the people in Iraq are having now, and because of that I want you to understand why I am in Iraq. Like so many Americans, and people from all over the world, we are trying to help the people of Iraq learn how to achieve all those great things again, and to help them live in a peaceful country, where they can enjoy the freedom and safety that we have in America.

So what part am I playing in that very big plan? You know that I went to law school, and that I used to work for a judge, right? Well, here in Iraq, I am taking that experience, and working with Iraqi lawyers, judges and police officers, so that we can help them all make Baghdad a safe city for people to live and work and raise their families.

The lawyers and judges and police are so important, because they are the people who protect those who aren't strong enough to protect themselves. They make sure that the courts are fair, and that people are treated as the laws of Iraq say they should be treated. These judges and lawyers are very brave men and women who have the courage to stand up and give help to those Iraqis that need it. If we can be sure that this happens all over Iraq, the country will become stronger, and people will know that when they have a disagreement with their neighbors, they can trust the law, enforced by the judges and police, to protect them. You can see, we have a BIG job!

Every morning when I walk from where I live to where I work, I see a group of Iraqi girls in their school uniforms waiting for their ride to school. It makes me think of you and your sister. Even though you and these girls are separated by many miles and even though you speak a different language, you have lots in common with them. Like you, they want to go to school and learn about the world. And they want to grow up and have families of their own that they can raise in freedom and peace.

Well, that's a very long email! But I hope it helps you understand what I'm doing here, and that maybe it won't seem that we are so very far away from each other.

How about this...in every email, I will teach you a word or two in Arabic, they language they speak in Iraq, and in many countries in this part of the world. So here's your first couple of words....I started the email by saying "Marhaba!" That means "hello!" Now that I'm saying good bye, I will say...

Ma'salama, which means, go in peace.

So, Ma'salama, my dear niece. Go in peace. I love you very much.

From the banks of the Tigris River, in the ancient city of Baghdad,

Love,
Uncle Rob