MSNBC Reports on Locally Initiated "Apology to the Iraqi People"

Anti-War group apologizes directly to Iraqi people

MSNBC (from KNBC-TV)
July 9, 2004

A Bay Area anti-war group has taken out a full-page newspaper ad in Baghdad apologizing to Iraqis for the war.

The Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed paper is carrying a full page ad, in which the anti-war group Not In Our Name apologizes for the war, and for alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners, according to local news reports.

The ad reads: "As people living in the United States, we offer our sincere and heart-felt apologies to the people of Iraq for the countless injustices done to your nation by our government, in our names..."

"We did want the Iraqi people to know there are people in the U.S. that are opposed to this government and we oppose the injustices done by our government in our names," said Jeff Paterson, of Not In Our Name.

Similar ads were recently taken out in San Francisco's Bay Area Guardian, and Muslim's Weekly, which is read in America.

But it's the apology being read in Baghdad that has some Americans upset.

"They're saying 'not in our name,' as if they're speaking for 280 million Americans. They're only speaking for a small minority," said Michael Denunzio, the San Francisco Republican Party Chairman.

Last month, a similar apology was issued by American religious leaders on Arab-language Al-Jazeera television: "As Americans of faith, we express our deep sorrow for the abuse committed in Iraqi prisons."

One of the men who wrote the newspaper ad says these apologies are one way to counter U.S. government propaganda in Iraq. But he admits it doesn't appear to have inspired much hope from Iraqis.

"Some of them say: 'It's nice to know some are against the government, but your government doesn't listen to you; and doesn't listen to us; and does whatever they want,'" Paterson said.

Related

"US Torture and Occupation - Not in Our Name" ad published in Baghdad newspaper; Iraqis respond
Not in Our Name. July 8, 2004
Includes complete text of ad

Ad contributors included

Suzanne Ali * American Muslim Voice * Stephanie Austin * Valerie Bach * Jane Bark * Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace * Anton Black * Judith Bello * Stacey Byrne * Beth Elpern Burrows * The Carlsson Family * Raymond A Chamberlin * Thomas F Check * Marjorie Van Cleef * CodePink * Luis Cubillos * Carol deProsse * Kartar Dhillon * Riva Enteen * Caroline L Everts * Larry Everest * Gary and Karen Forbes * Jayn Foy * Melodie Morgan Frances * Ayesha Gill * Dr David B Gill * Mary Gleysteen * Bettyanne Green * Nancy Gruber * William Harmon * Khalil Hassan Ali * Annemarie Heineman * Dr Todd Huffman * Evan Winthrop Jones * Lillian Jones * Cindy Kaeser * Kyle Keller * C Clark Kissinger * Miriam and Jack Lawrence * Lynda Leigh * Heidi Lipscomb * Shannon Lockwood * Stephanie and Michael Locker * Hadley Louden * Barbara Lubin * Maryknoll Sisters Western USA * Jennie Floyd and Keith McConnell * Middle East Children's Alliance * Leba Morimoto * William and Barbara Moses * National Lawyers Guild-SF * Nektarios Katsifarakis * Paula and Frank Panzarella * Jeff Paterson * Peace Action of New York State * Cherie Pleau * Margo Ann Polley * Patricia Pryce * Refuse and Resist! * Revolution Books * Andrew S Rogers * Phil Runkel * Frank Scafani * Kesiah Scully * Lisa Sigler * Ellen Silbermann * Arthur A Strauss * Jane Overstreet Stein * Ryan M Tauber * Glenn Thureson * TIKKUN * Vanguard Foundation * Staci "Sulis" Visco * Claire Vogel * Rev Gloria R Weber * Deni Wetsel * Jan Zobel

Not in Our Name Bay Area
3945 Opal Street
Oakland CA 94609
510-601-8000
bayarea@notinourname.net
bayarea.notinourname.net