During my growing up years, I can remember being admonished by my parents that I had better behave or the boogie man would get me. This admonishment is a remnant of European colonial experience when the Islamic pirates of the Boogle coast of Suliwesi in Indonesia were the most frightening group they could think of. Hence the name “boogie man”. I spent much
time looking under my bed and in my closet to be sure that the “boogie man” wasn’t there. On my recent trip to Tanzania and Rwanda, our group spent a day in a small village outside Arusha, Tanzania where I have been involved in projects to assist the local church and establish a health clinic. When we arrived, we were greeted with great fanfare by the residents and leaders of the village. As we mingled with the residents, one of my friends, who is the quintessential grandmother, knelt down to interact with a young girl. The young girl looked carefully at my friend and then burst into tears. As we discussed this reaction with our Tanzanian friends, they
said that she had probably never seen a white person before and didn’t know what to make of this strangely colored person. They also said that for many Africans their only experience with white people is that of oppressors and American TV characters who carry guns and kill people. Parents admonish their children that if they don’t behave “the white man will come and kill you”. As the drumbeat towards war with Iran continues, we seem intent on insuring that Iranian parents will have a scary enemy with which to threaten their children. Although it might result in better behavior of Iranian children, I am not sure that we want another group of children growing up hearing “you had better behave or the Americans will come and kill you”. I recently received a photo collage of Iran from a friend. It portrays a country much different than the images that we receive from our media and politicians. A friend who is currently working in Iraq recently said “When my Iraqi friends go on vacation, they go to Iran. They tell me that I should go. It is such a beautiful place.” I encourage you to look at these pictures (
click here) and ask yourself “Is this a country that we want to destroy?”.
time looking under my bed and in my closet to be sure that the “boogie man” wasn’t there. On my recent trip to Tanzania and Rwanda, our group spent a day in a small village outside Arusha, Tanzania where I have been involved in projects to assist the local church and establish a health clinic. When we arrived, we were greeted with great fanfare by the residents and leaders of the village. As we mingled with the residents, one of my friends, who is the quintessential grandmother, knelt down to interact with a young girl. The young girl looked carefully at my friend and then burst into tears. As we discussed this reaction with our Tanzanian friends, they 
said that she had probably never seen a white person before and didn’t know what to make of this strangely colored person. They also said that for many Africans their only experience with white people is that of oppressors and American TV characters who carry guns and kill people. Parents admonish their children that if they don’t behave “the white man will come and kill you”. As the drumbeat towards war with Iran continues, we seem intent on insuring that Iranian parents will have a scary enemy with which to threaten their children. Although it might result in better behavior of Iranian children, I am not sure that we want another group of children growing up hearing “you had better behave or the Americans will come and kill you”. I recently received a photo collage of Iran from a friend. It portrays a country much different than the images that we receive from our media and politicians. A friend who is currently working in Iraq recently said “When my Iraqi friends go on vacation, they go to Iran. They tell me that I should go. It is such a beautiful place.” I encourage you to look at these pictures (click here) and ask yourself “Is this a country that we want to destroy?”.
1 comment:
Say what you will about weaknesses in the case for invading Iraq, but Bush didn't just wake up one morning with a hankerin' to "destroy" a country.
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