*EPF204 08/31/2004
Iraqi Addresses Republican Convention About New Freedom in Iraq
(American Islamic Conference director thanks Americans for sacrifice) (540)

By Judy Aita
Washington File Staff Writer

New York -- The Iraqi-born director of a private organization dedicated to promoting religious tolerance appeared at the opening session of the Republican National Convention August 30 to tell delegates that Iraq now faces a brighter future.

Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, said that she came to the convention "to tell you that Iraq enjoys a new day. Yes, there is still bloodshed and uncertainty, but America, under the strong, compassionate leadership of President Bush, has given Iraqis the most precious gift any nation has ever given to another -- the gift of democracy and the freedom to determine its own future."

The 33-year-old Al-Suwaij was born in Basra and was part of the failed 1991 uprising against Saddam Hussein. She fled to the United States after the Gulf War and is now the executive director of the American Islamic Congress, an organization formed to promote religious tolerance after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

She participated in the Republican National Convention's opening day, which emphasized the theme "A Nation of Courage" and highlighted the dedication of Americans in meeting the challenges of terrorism since September 11, 2001. Other speakers on the program with Al-Suwaij included Rudolph Giuliani, who was mayor of New York during the terrorist attacks; Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War; Bernard Kerik, former New York City police commissioner; Robert Khuzami, a former assistant U.S. attorney in New York who prosecuted accused terrorists; and relatives of some of the September 11 victims.

"When I came to the United States from Iraq 12 years ago, I would never have imagined myself speaking to a group like this. Living under Saddam Hussein, we could not gather as we do now to discuss things like democracy and freedom," Al-Suwaij said, drawing cheers and applause from the thousands of convention delegates.

"We could only dream of a day when we could speak freely and worship God in a way of our own choosing. Instead, we lived under a murderer who used every weapon in his arsenal against us, from tanks to torture chambers to poison gas," she said.

"When people talk about the war in Iraq, I want to remind them that there has been a war raging in Iraq for the last three decades. A war was waged by Saddam against his own people. I lived through it. I saw it brutalize my friends and my family," Al-Suwaij said.

"So as I grieve for the courageous Americans and Iraqis who were killed and injured during Iraq's liberation, I tell you proudly that their noble sacrifice was not in vain," Al-Suwaij said. "Already the seeds of democracy are bearing fruit, with popular elections recently held for local officials. And we know our children face a brighter future," she said.

"As Iraqis assume full sovereignty, they embrace the American people in friendship and gratitude. I promise you we will never forget what your sons and daughters did for us," Al-Suwaij said.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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