PROTEST MSA, YALA, GSC Protest Against U.S. Sanctions on Iraq By Arianne Aryanpur Hoya Staff Writer

Charles Nailen/The Hoya MSA, YALA and GSC members protest U.S. imposed sanctions on Iraq in Red Square Wednesday. The protest preceded a debate on U.S. policy on Iraq in Reiss.

Over 15 students from the Muslim Students Association, Young Arab Leadership Alliance and the Georgetown Solidarity Committee participated in a “die-in” demonstration Wednesday protesting U.S. sanctions on Iraq.

Ten students laid on the ground in Red Square holding signs that read “I am not Saddam Hussein” and “A child dies in Iraq every 15 minutes.” Remaining students stood distributing fliers to passersby that explained what they perceived to be an 11-year humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

According to United Nations statistics on the fliers, 32 percent of Iraqi children are malnourished and at least 5,000-6,000 children die under the age of five monthly.

“We believe that U.S.-led sanctions against Iraq are responsible for the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians,” MSA member Younus Mirza (SFS ’05) said.

In August of 1990 the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions under the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein after he invaded Kuwait . The sanctions prohibit all imports into and exports out of the country. The U.S. later repeatedly bombed Iraq in an attempt to persuade Hussein to withdrawal from the country.

In early 1991 the UNSC adopted Resolution 687 that established the UN Special Commission to engage in weapons inspections and eliminate Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. While recent international pressure had led to the lifting of some sanctions to allow for the importation of more civilian goods, protestors said the Sept. 11 attacks and President Bush’s subsequently declared “war on terrorism” have increased pressure on Washington to make Iraq the next target.

“We chose to die-in because we wanted to catch the attention of the average Georgetown student who might not otherwise be interested in the plight of the Iraqi people,” Mirza said. “[It] was the most effective way to get our message out to a large number of students.”

The hour and a half long demonstration was successful in educating students and encouraging dialogue on a topic that organizers say does not often receive the attention it deserves.

“Passersby were responsive to the protest by accepting and reading our fact sheet on sanctions, asking questions on our stance concerning U.S. policy toward Iraq and even gathering around some of the protestors,” she said.

Organizers said the protest was also successful in promoting a debate Wednesday night that drew what they called an impressive 140 students to Reiss.

“When we were organizing it we didn’t want it to be a simple lecture with 20 students,” MSA member Shadi Hamid (SFS ’05) said. “We wanted to make this into a big event that would get people excited and consequently spark their interest . and after all with Bush referring to Iraq as part of an `axis of evil’ it has never been more important for Americans to understand the tragic situation in Iraq.”

In his first State of the Union address Jan. 28 Bush enumerated his three goals for his second year in office that included battling economic recession and fighting terrorism especially in what he called the “axis of evil” that includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Panelists at Wednesday night’s debate included Georgetown Government Professor Sohrab Sobhani and Vice President of the Fourth Freedom Forum Alistair Miller. Executive Director of Education for Peace in Iraq Center and Gulf War veteran Erik Gustafson and Institute for Policy Studies and Editor of the Middle East Report Phyllis Bennis shared their views on the most effective ways of enacting internal change in Iraq as well.

In the ensuing question and answer session panelists fielded questions ranging from the role of the Iraqi intelligentsia in a liberation movement and the similarities between the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“In the question and answer session, the members of the audience got into it and 45 minutes wasn’t nearly enough to cover all the questions the crowd had,” Hamid said. “In any case, I think the debate succeeded in showing students a wide range on ideas on how we should deal with Iraq.”

The Georgetown Israeli Alliance, the Lecture Fund, the Georgetown Democrats, Students for Middle East Peace and the International Relations Club sponsored the debate in addition to SA, YALA and GSC.

“I think the debate accomplished its purpose,” International Relations Club Chair Myra Cortado (SFS ’02) said. “It’s purpose was not to resolve the issue or draw a conclusion but rather to allow people to gather different perspectives from experts and to air some of their own. I learned a lot,” she said.