March 6, 2011
Dear Friends,
We would like to introduce or to update you on developments in the Duluth-Rania Friendship Exchange and to ask for your financial support of the next stage of this project.
As you may know, our project was initially inspired by Michele Naar-Obed, a long-time Duluth resident. Michele has spent considerable time in Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) since the American invasion in 2003. CPT’s mission is to provide nonviolent alternatives to conflict areas around the world. Inspired by Michele’s vision and contacts in the region, our project began with a delegation of six Duluthians traveling to Rania, Iraq in May 2009. Rania is a Kurdish city of nearly 100,000 in northeastern Iraq, set at the base of the Zagros Mountains. The second step was to host a delegation of five Ranians to visit Duluth in late September 2010. These were productive and culturally enriching experiences for all. Not only have personal and business connections taken root, but we have built the strong foundation for a continued relationship with a region that our government has only previously been militarily involved with.
This project is a citizen-based movement in a very real sense. While Duluth Mayor Don Ness has been very supportive, we have no official connection with our government at the local, state or national level. We also do not yet operate under the umbrella of Duluth Sister Cities, which is a local organization that manages similar citizen exchanges. Our previous grassroots fundraising efforts have been very successful and have allowed us to pursue our work so far. We are very grateful for that support. And now we are asking for your support of the next stage of our project: sending a second delegation from Duluth on May 25th, 2011 to Iraq for a six day stay in Rania.
At the heart of the Duluth-Rania Friendship Exchange is a belief that citizen diplomacy is a powerful and important tool in the struggle for peace with justice around the world. The purpose of citizen diplomacy is to confront our fears—our national nervousness—about fellow human beings in the Middle East. Concrete relationships with people in a different part of the world decrease the likelihood for the demonization that is often at the heart of calls for war. Concrete relationships also bring the needs of seemingly remote communities to the forefront of our moral imaginations and empower strategic, effective alliances. For the most part, we’ve found that the Kurdish people want meaningful and fulfilling lives without the constant threat of war and violence. They are eager to join the community of nations—to share their rich culture and history with the world and to learn the best of what the world has on offer. These are goals that most Americans share. Peace with justice will only be secure when a vibrant civil society in Iraq is connected in multiple ways to the world community.
We know that the Kurds represent only a small piece in the complex web of the Middle East. All of us understand that we need to listen to still more voices in that part of the world. We’ve chosen to start in Rania. And we think it’s a good place to start.
Appended to this letter are the biographies of the new group of Duluthians planning a second visit to this city in Iraqi Kurdistan. We very much hope that you will continue to support in this important peacemaking project. Please consider contributing today! Checks can be made payable to the Arrowhead Interfaith Council and write “Duluth-Rania project” in the memo.
Mail your contribution to:
Mail your contribution to:
Duluth-Rania Friendship Exchange,
c/o Arrowhead Interfaith Council,
102 W. Second St., Duluth, MN 55802
c/o Arrowhead Interfaith Council,
102 W. Second St., Duluth, MN 55802
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Fletcher Hinds
Rebecca Hinds
Ethan Scrivner
