Support from Fallujah

From the Fallujah Centre for Democratic Studies & Human Rights against US attacks and the kidnappings: (arabic original)

In the Name of God the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

And now the US occupation forces are once again betraying the civilians in Falluja and breaking all the agreements and the conventions that the world has known. As a result of the frequent mistakes of the US administration, careless and criminal towards our people, and in the midst of the river of blood which is what the occupation forces want, today, 7 September 2004, heavy and violent bombing has begun, with the use of all types of weapons, including those prohibited by international convention, such as cluster bombs. Under this bombing, the occupying military forces are advancing from many points, revealing once again their brutality, after all the blood that was spilled in the Holy City of Najaf. We ask all religious and political organizations, of all tendencies, local, Arab and international, to condemn this new massacre, today being perpetrated against the heroic Falluja, and to raise their voices to prevent this renewed violation of human rights, as occurred in April this year in this city. We further ask all honest Iraqis to stand together and not to allow the occupiers and their stooges to violate the symbol of our honour. We ask them to refuse the occupation and to defend the victims, even simply with their words.

Despite the fierce aggression and the tragedy we are living through, we heard of the kidnapping of two Italian women, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, aid workers for “A Bridge to Baghdad”, and of two Iraqis with them. We want the kidnappers and the whole world to know that these women are among the few who helped the people of Falluja and the Iraqi people and even helped the wounded. Their good deeds speak for themselves. Therefore, we want those who are holding them captive to know that it is not in the tradition of honest Arabs and Muslims to take woman hostage or to speculate on them. There is no reason at all that could ever justify violence against innocent human beings to avenge the crimes of guilty rulers or mercenaries. For this reason, from the liberated city of Falluja, we demand that you immediately release the hostages unconditionally. Otherwise you will be damaging the reputation of the patriotic and honest resistance and you will place yourselves in an ambiguous position, a position that suggests your collaboration with foreign forces whose aim it is to leave Iraqi soil in the hands of foreign occupiers. The best example we can give you of the goodness of these two women is the support they provided to the people of Falluja during the fighting last April when, together with some journalists and peace activists, they offered themselves as human shields in the attempt to rescue some civilians who were besieged in the Al-Askari neighbourhood. Is this the reward they deserve?

God the most merciful and compassionate said that those who perform an act of goodness shall reap its benefits, while those who perform a bad deed will see it turn against themselves. God spoke the truth.

More statements of support (in english, italian and arabic) on Un Ponte Per