By Gordon Berry

A ST ANDREWS woman who is currently living without the benefit of any security cover as she takes part in a peace mission in Baghdad has spoken of life in the capital city and also the “terrible devastation” of Falluja.

Retired educational psychologist Maureen Jack (58) is leading a delegation from the Christian Peacemaker Team, and over the past few days she has been travelling in and around the city.

The fear of kidnapping and roadside explosions has driven many foreign aid and peace workers from Baghdad.

But speaking from the city, Maureen said since her arrival she had so far been on three full days of trips.

She said that although significant precautions had to be taken—more than during her last visit—there had been no security problems.

But she added that she and other women always wore the “hijab,” the Iraqi head covering, when they went out.

“We have paid two visits to the Green Zone, once to the American section and once to the Iraqi, and our purpose in going to the Iraqi section was to meet Adel Ahman, who is the chief electoral commissioner for the whole of Iraq.

“CPT has known him since the days when he was a lawyer working for a human rights group; he had been active in the group too during Saddam’s regime.

“He told us proudly how they had refused the offers of help they received from outside Iraq (e.g. the USA) and how the vast majority of election observers were Iraqis, either from the political parties or from NGOs. He felt that security for the election had been better than expected.

“Adel’s view is that the security situation has been better since the election than before. All the ordinary Iraqis we have spoken to have told us this, too”

Maureen said that something else that was always mentioned was the relationships between various groups, and that people at home may think that things were bad between Sunnis and Shias, or Christians and Muslims.

“A Catholic priest told us that he is on good terms with the local mosques and that the imams have told him that if he has any trouble they will come with men from the mosque to protect the church.

“We have met a man who is Shia and whose wife is Sunni. And everyone, both Shia and Sunni, tells us that there is no trouble between Shia and Sunni.”

Maureen did speak, though, about concern over the situation in Ramadi, where people fear that there will be an attack as devastating as those on Falluja.

“The US military have reportedly bombed Ramadi the last two days. Also, there are reports of people fleeing Ramadi in their thousands.

“Two team members travelled with two Iraqi women friends yesterday to Amoriyah village, which is between Falluja and Ramadi. They passed the edge of Falluja and saw terrible devastation there.”

“They visited a school there where there are a number of refugee families from Falluja living in makeshift tents in the gym. In the school there is one bathroom that about 100 people are sharing.”

Maureen will return to the UK this weekend.