Peaceniks
Amman, Jordan - 2002

       While handing out flyers in Amman Jordan describing our hopes for a non-violent solution in Iraq, we had an opportunity to dialogue with a wide variety of people. Jordan is a mosaic of people from all over the Middle East and people were only too happy to share their opinions with us. There was an amazing degree of consistency in what everyone said: The U.S. government is after oil and extending American imperialism; the impending war will kill many and have wide ranging affects on the whole Middle East - not just Iraq; problems in the Middle East stem from the U.S.’s one sided approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and, virtually everyone voiced solidarity with Iraqi citizens.

       After reading the flyers, people often responded by saying “peace” or “thank you for what you are trying to do.” This boisterous and friendly group of men in a taxi cab near the downtown market in Amman, saw us and called us over to their car, asking for a flyer. After reading it, lacking confidence in their English ability, they affirmed what we were doing with the peace sign.

CSpaulding
January 2003