Ola Al-Ghazzouli has watched the scenes of war in Iraq play out on her television screen, almost nightly. Only 12 years old, Al-Ghazzouli didn’t know how she could help the children of Iraq during this difficult time. That changed on Friday night.
Al-Ghazzouli was one of dozens of local school children, many from the Al Fatih Academy in Herndon, who came together at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center mosque in Sterling on Friday night to help innocent Iraqi citizens caught in the crossfire of war.
Due to sanctions against Iraq and the ongoing war, many Iraqi families have had difficulty getting basic hygiene supplies, said Deirdre Ritchie, one of the organizers. The relief kits, which are still being collected, contain basic necessities, including everything from toothpaste to shampoo and bath towels to fingernail clippers.
Afeefa Syeed, the director of the Herndon academy, said the campaign, dubbed "Muslim Kids Giving Salaam (Peace)," is part Al Fatih’s overall strategy to teach students about the situation in Iraq. "We hope it will empower our children by giving them something positive to do and contribute towards during this time of war," Syeed said.
<b>AFTER HELPING</b> to pack boxes at the newly minted ADAMS mosque, Al-Ghazzouli, of Ashburn, made her way to a table where she, and other children like her, were encouraged to write messages of peace and drawings to children in Baghdad and other parts of war-torn Iraq. Many of the recipients of the care packages will be about Al-Ghazzouli’s age, organizers said. Al-Ghazzouli said, because of the war, she was concerned about Iraqi children’s safety. "We pray for them everyday," she said, putting down her magic markers and construction paper.
Al-Ghazzouli works in the ADAMS Center’s youth group and she said she was very excited to be sending notes and supplies to the Iraqi people. In her handwritten note, written in Arabic, the young girl said she was praying for the safety of the Iraqi people. "I always pray for them. I told them not to be scared and I hope they will be OK. I know they must be very scared," she said.
A friend of Al-Ghazzouli, Lubna Safi, 12, of Sterling, was also writing cards to send to the children her age thousands of miles away. Safi said she has seen many stories on the news about the war and the effect it is having on the people of Iraq. "I told them to stay brave," Safi said. "I am sure they are very scared because of all the bombs. I think it is good that we can send all of this stuff to them."
Uzma Unus is a second and third grade teacher at Al Fatih, one of the organizers of Friday’s collection drive. Unus, who lives in Sterling, said the collection has been a great teaching tool for her young students. "I am so proud of my students, they have done such a great job collecting all of these supplies," Unus said. "This teaches them to think about other people and it shows them that there are people who don’t have it as good a situation as they do here. It also shows them that, despite their young age, they can still help and they can make a difference in other people’s lives."
Unus also said that this project has been a "welcome relief" from all of the negative stories associated with the war in Iraq. "Of course, we talk about the war nearly every day," the teacher said. "I think this has helped put things in perspective for my kids. It has reassured them that we are safe here, but, at the same time, it has showed them that we have to do something to help."
<b>THE AL FATIH ACADEMY </b>students, parents and teachers are working as part of an interfaith effort with other Herndon-area congregations, said Hoyt Maulden, of the Northern Virginia Mennonite Church, the organizer of the collection. Church of the Brethren chapters from Dranesville and Oakton as well as the Herndon Friends Meeting are also participating in the effort, which to date, has produced more than 200 relief kits. The Mennonites will be sending a truck from their Pennsylvania headquarters on Saturday, April 12 to pick up the completed collection. Since the collection drive was first announced, ADAMS has received donations from as far away as Louisiana and Arizona. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society, as part of the Mennonite Central Committee’s million-dollar humanitarian aid package, will distribute the kits to the people of Iraq.
The Mennonite, Brethren and Friends, or Quakers, all promote pacifism and service to others and are the three "historic peace churches," Maulden said.
"For us to join forces with ADAMS was a natural fit," said Maulden, who knew Syeed from their time at George Mason University. "I was calling around to congregations in the area to see who might be interested and the folks here just jumped at the suggestion. It has just been a great partnership."
<b>AT FRIDAY’S "ASSEMBLY PARTY"</b> Syeed, the academy director, was clearly happy with the level of cooperation and enthusiasm among the children who were packing the boxes. "We’ve been looking for a way to involve the children," Syeed said. "They are very frustrated and scared."
Other members of ADAMS, not associated with the Herndon academy, also came by to lend their support to the relief project. Amal Abdulmalik, of Herndon, sat on the mosque’s cold white tiled floor putting scoops of laundry detergent into plastic zip-lock bags. Abdulmalik, who has a 7-week-old son, came to ADAMS on Friday for her "how to be a better Muslim" class. What better way to achieve that goal than to help with the project, she said. "I want to help because as a Muslim we are taught to help the helpless. We can’t let this war get us down," she said. "I just pray that Allah softens President Bush’s heart."
Ritchie, of Fairfax, is also a member of ADAMS and one of the chief organizers of the mosque’s Iraqi outreach effort. Ritchie, who has a four-year-old daughter, said the project is an important and positive tool for all involved. "It’s a great teaching experience for us, the adults, and it is an equally important learning experience for the children," Ritchie said on Friday. "It’s a great way for them to learn about the situation in Iraq and to show them that more can be done than just fighting. The kids have no real concept of war so this gives them a real personal connection. It’s just a positive message."
Ritchie also applauded the interfaith dimension of the project. "They begin to see what good can happen when they work together and reach across boundaries," she said. "This whole experience has been a really healthy relationship."
Maulden, the Mennonite, agreed. "At times like this, it is important for kids to feel like they are being useful," he said. "And at times like this, it is hard to find positive messages to show our kids that’s why this is so great."