Justice Is a Process—Not an Event

Throughout human history in the most ancient regions of civilization, evil has routinely manifested itself, forever masquerading around as the savior and emancipator of man. Twenty years ago, I set out on a mission to put an end to its campaign, by ambushing its greatest ambassador—the devil himself.

All right, it was twenty-five years ago, and the mission was to unearth him from my grandmother’s back yard. At five years of age, that was as far as I was allowed to go. Outfitted with overalls, a spatula with which to dig, and an intense willpower, I was determined to find this menacing character and negotiate a ceasefire on behalf of my warring country. I suppose I could call it a pact with the devil.

But at five, I lived in a literal world and could not grasp that even if I had managed to dig my way to the earth’s core I would not have found anything but the back of that spatula on my behind for having dug up my nana’s garden. I did not know then that my grandmother’s back yard in Mosul, Iraq was indeed an ancient region. Nor did I know that the massacre that was then the Iraq-Iran war was only a prelude to a succession of wars to come. Nor could I, in my wildest childhood imagination, even suspect that twenty-five years later I would see that same backyard, thousands of miles away, through the lens of a video camera, where I would be greeted by the smiling faces of family I have since forgotten or never met, all of them expressing well wishes to their American cousin and their fellow compatriots who had managed to make it to this side of the ocean.

And although my search for the emissaries of evil has never completely ceased, I have since realized that I must go a little further than backyards and a little deeper than the top soil of ancient lands to find and isolate the source of human affliction. And now, equipped with only a pained heart, a tortured mind and a spatula, I ceremoniously reserve for my son’s behind, thousands of miles away from Mosul waters, I discovered that the agents of evil no longer reside in ancient grounds, but permeate the whole of human civilization, traversing all kinds of sacred and secular boundaries. Their objective however, remains the same – to exploit the weakened hearts of those who have never tasted genuine liberty and who lack the ability to discern the difference between true emancipation and the artificial variety, which only serves to reinforce ruthless despotism. And while enlightened modern societies and the little girls of today may have evolved immunity to the superstitious elements of evil, it has not exempt individuals from the sinister influence of the more sophisticated nature of this evolving “beast.”

While you may feel naturally disposed to fill in the blanks by equating beast with capitalism or fanaticism, or MTV, the reality is that some things are a little too complicated to submit to fixed characterizations. I, for one, have been exasperatingly trying to rely on the refuge of words to isolate, by means of a definition, this complex beast called evil. And believe me, the words began to protest before I had the opportunity to do so. And that was twelve f****** hours ago. You can fill in the blank there and have your last reaction if you must. Because if you cannot commit yourself to reading the remainder of this discourse with an active mind, as opposed to a reactive one, then you best stop reading now.

If history is mostly an account of human atrocities, then the history of our times will either be a massive narrative written by a historian, or a captivating spurious account written by a novelist. Either scenario will not absolve us of the responsibility to be honest and outspoken, if not for the sake of historical accuracy, than for the sake of our progeny.

For American Muslims, being outspoken can mean being branded as either a champion of American atrocity or a terrorist sympathizer. So the question, in my fragmented Iraqi American psyche is, How can one reconcile the love he feels for one country and the love and loyalty he holds for the ideals of another, without compromising the integrity of truth telling and the pursuit for justice? And does the integration of these splintered identities undermine one’s capacity to take ideological stands and make political assertions?

After three skinny grande double shot café mochas, no whipped, and a cocktail of B vitamin pills to sustain my energy, armed only with the courage that a laptop once removed can permit me, I boldly insist that politically opinionated multiple personality types like me (i.e. Arab, American, progressive, Muslim), are not only qualified to make political assertions but are more so. And not only obligated, but are morally obligated, or is that more obligated.

Either way, we are obliged to protest the atrocities committed in the name of religion (i.e. suicide bombings), as vehemently as we are the more sanitary forms of carnage in the name of freedom operations.

And yes it is easy for me to say, as I recline in the well-manicured surroundings of my suburban home, with relatively balanced cortisol levels, divorced from the trauma and the drama of occupations and genocides.

It is precisely because it is easy for me to say that it becomes even easier for me to perceive. We have the luxury to plead a certain level of objectivity and perspective when reflecting on world events that those dodging bombs and bullets do not. And so we must discard any arguments dismissing our sentiments on the basis that we are lacking in “survival guilt.” And we must stop using silence as a courtesy to our brethren who are too blinded by pain to see with clarity. Nor can we afford to resort to the safeguards that complicated situations pose by passing the moral buck. The buck stops here with me.

Using the mix of objectivity that physical distance provides coupled with our compassion for our families back home, we are in the best position to make impartial critical observations of our double standards. It is time to give Daniel Pipes, Paul Wolfowitz and even Dr. Laura that much needed vacation and relieve them from doing the dirty work of pointing out our obvious hypocrisies. While they may possess credentials, eloquence and political prowess, as long as they are possessed by ulterior motives, they have no credibility with me. I, on the other hand can boast something that they cannot, and it is not something that I possess but rather something I lack—an agenda.

Only two things motivate me—my heart and mind, both of which are seriously preoccupied at this time. While my mind is engrossed with the question of evil and justice, my heart is absorbed with a certain beautiful 19-year-old girl, who died languishing in an ill equipped hospital in Baghdad only a few hours ago. Her name was Raghad and she was one of many cousins who optimistically greeted her American cousin a few years back. Her death has reminded me that although I could not, at age five, dig deep enough to make an entreaty on behalf of her future, I could not afford to abandon the mission which drove me to risk punishment that day some twenty years ago.

While I no longer lobby the prince of darkness, I am not beyond imploring my brethren to courageously rectify our double standards and hypocrisies before they continue to be employed as ammunition by pernicious characters to further a cause towards our “liberation.” Liberation without the benefit of internal reevaluation is merely cosmetic and not one worth having.

On behalf of freedom loving people everywhere who wish to be purged of the barbarous hands which have divided our people. On behalf of all those who wish to become genuinely empowered through self-reliance and self rule. On behalf of all those who are prepared to embrace the show of sincerity on the part of individual supporters, who are not motivated by greed, but by a genuine belief in the ideals of freedom.

Let us declare that justice is a process, which will begin with us, and not an event that we can orchestrate by means of a suicide, an assassination, or even diplomatic declarations.

Let this process begin not with premature concrete actions but rather with the adoption of a few elementary mindsets.

First, let us make no distinctions between the occupation of lands and the occupation of minds. While the former is a human atrocity, the latter is the cause of all human atrocity.

Second, we must recognize as Americans and beneficiaries of a power structure that you cannot berate hungry distressed chronically depressed nations about the virtues of democracy and make their recovery subject to their acceptance of these principles, nor can you expect them to abandon religious fanaticism in favor of the secular fanaticism which has been the source of their anguish for decades.

As an alternative to categorical religious or secular attachments, let us advocate for the right to remain unattached. Let us generate a tremendous amount of unconditional good will, devoid of ideological expectations, a no strings attached policy of aid and relief. We must advocate for good faith as a matter of policy not morality, because the policy of one man is the morality of another and vice versa. And historically, the Middle East has responded to policy only when it is perceived to have moral underpinnings.

Third, make no distinction between western or eastern powers. We cannot name or point to those responsible for wars and those who throw and raise governments, inflate or deflate money and decide who lives or dies. They are a raceless, creedless bunch, loyal only to the deity of power and money. They are not immoral—they are amoral. And they believe they are exonerated as long as we refuse to accept the responsibility that freedom entails (i.e. tolerance of differing, even outrageous points of view).

In the interest of self reflection and honesty, many must confess that while they pay lip service to coveting freedom, what we really long for is a benevolent leadership to tell us how to think and about what. And while I am not opposed to benevolent rulers, I can only espouse their existence provided that we recognize it as a means to an end, a stepping-stone and not a stumbling block.

And fourth, we must do away with the creation of primitive enemies, which while they are a necessary ingredient for dictatorial programs, they have no place in a free society. I am not advocating for a hug the world mentality; I am only demanding that we no longer resort to primitive, subjective, artificial enemy creation (i.e. Jews and Americans), or esoteric enemies like Satan. The “enemy” cannot be isolated. All we can hope for is to evolve the capacity to know it when we see it, and to have the spiritual strength not to succumb to it. And we must keep in mind that enemy creationism is merely the most effective survival apparatus of the famished spirit and distressed mind, and use this to motivate us to exercise good will.

Arabs who have experienced oppression of the worst sort still prove that they are more inclined to give into oppression of the most criminal among them, than to the perceived oppression of a foreigner. And in the interest of re-examination, I suspect that the sad fact is that our condemnation of Israel is often inspired more by our hate for the idea of a Jewish state, or dare I say Jews, than it is for the love of the Palestinian people. The embarrassing facts speak for themselves. In Israel you can protest, demonstrate and (unless you are an Arab in the West Bank or Gaza) even vote. But if you spent your entire life contributing to Saudi society you will literally always remain a second class citizen, with few rights, and no voice, just by virtue of your ethnicity. How is that for institutionalized racism?

Why are we so incensed that America supports Israel and not equally infuriated that, but for American espousal, the Saudi Government and their royal behinds would not have survived long enough for the effect of whiskey to wear off what’s left of their brains. If it is because we think that support for Israel is ideological and for Saudi Arabia, material, then my fifth point, that we are politically naive, has already been made. Let’s stop taking things so personally. Evil does not discriminate.

And sixth, let’s not make any distinctions between the mentally deranged and the greedy and wicked. The evil have always used the imbalanced to do their bidding. The crazies are easy to recognize (i.e. Saddam, Qaddafi); the wicked on the other hand, are impossible to separate. They hide behind a host of corporate logos, governments and humanitarian ideals.

But if I could isolate them long enough to keep their attention, I would have this to say.

I confess that the Middle East and civilization at large have a long way to go. But it is our way to go. It is the way of the ruled and not the rulers. It is the battle of the oppressed and not the oppressors. It is our struggle for justice, our process and not your corporate, political, media event.

We must overcome these hurdles, relying on our own spiritual and material resources. Wait scratch that, while we may not be as adept at capitalizing on our material resources, at least allow us the dignity to resurrect our spiritual ones. And as you pillage our wells of resources, leave our untapped wells of wisdom for us to drown or die in, if we must.

We demand that you make a separation between our “church” and your material stake. And we demand the alleviation of chronic devastation and an end to the manufactured emergencies which have only served to facilitate capitalist ambitions.

Stop casting the third world down the ladder of progress, then patronizingly extend a hand in help. And though your hands appear clean, your souls are tainted.

The prerequisite for justice is tension and agitation. And the Middle East must agitate before it gravitates towards a more pluralistic humanitarian vision. There are no shortcuts to building a society where competing ideas can peacefully coexist. Justice is a process and not an event you can coordinate like a war, campaign or a well-constructed ideology.

And the last and most radical mindset we must promote is a prayerful one. Let us pray for the ill and the evil, for the mad and the maddened, for the realist and the idealist, for easterners and westerners. Even for that sophisticated entity which has successfully fragmented our collective conscience into a million pieces, so that victims become indistinguishable from the perpetrators, and the vicious from the unfortunate.

We are all, by default of being human, accountable. As Yossi Klein Halevi so brilliantly wrote, “Theology distinguishes between truth and untruth, prayer knows only different measures of depth.” Prayer is the only universally accessible remedy for anyone with a kernel of sincerity in his or her heart. Let’s join hands and hearts devoid of any worldly accretions.

And let us pray that the desires for expediency not compromise the necessity to preserve and protect the lives of the innocent. Let us pray that the hearts and minds of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers of our American troops, of our families back home, and of those whose hearts naturally beat for the pain of the oppressed everywhere, not grieve for loss of life. But grant us the opportunity to celebrate with the promise that not one life will be lost in vain.

Let us pray with tearful eyes that no nation become filled with a grief-inspired vengeance but only with the joy of final vindication from ruthless bondage.

Let us pray that the compassion, which is so easy to generate during times of peace, will prevent us from seeking retribution in times of stress.

Let us pray that the artificial boundaries, which have divided us in the past, become blurred by the light which radiates when freedom and opportunity are actualized.

Let the American determination, as best illustrated by a storefront sign which promises to do anything possible by tomorrow but concedes that the impossible might take a few days longer, become the mantra which will, with compassion as its compass, propel us towards a quest for justice and not aggrandizement or profit or hidden agendas.

And lastly, on a more personal note, I would like to extend a prayer to my cousin, and all the other young lives that have been needlessly lost. On behalf of her and all the other innocents of the world I proclaim that if justice were an event, it would be your ceremony.

Without the baggage of political aspiration and now armed only with the perspective that grieving mothers can understand, we beseech you to allow the sacred burning in all our hearts to become the inspiration that guides us towards a mission which will break the shackles of tyranny and greed. Our hearts and souls have been awakened by the rustling wings of liberty and justice, and after having tasted this, nothing less will ever do. And God knows best.