From Deseret News archives:
Iraqi delegation sheltered in Utah?
Their American handlers, led by University of Utah professor emeritus James Mayfield, said they kept the group away from Utah Iraqis because they feared some local Iraqis who might not like the purpose of the trip could possibly commit some sort of terrorist attack on the group.
"We did not want the bad people to have the time to organize something," Mayfield said.
That disappointment aside, the group of Iraqi elected officials said they learned much about democracy in action while spending six days in Utah. They met with local leaders, including Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., concerning mayor/city council relations, economic development, community planning and other tools of democracy building.
The group of Iraqi leaders from the province of Babil, Iraq, came to Utah at the request of South Jordan City Councilwoman Leona Winger, who has established a new charitable group — the New Hope Humanitarian foundation — designed to strengthen women and families in Iraq.
While in Utah, the contingent that included Babil Gov. Salim Al-Musilmawi met with LDS Church officials and forged a relationship with Deseret Book, which has agreed to send Arabic children's books to the war-torn country.
While taking questions from the local media Monday, certain delegation members seemed to become a bit agitated by questions regarding violence and the treatment of women in Iraq.
Speaking through a translator, Ahmed Al-Amidy, chairman of the Babil Provincial Council (similar to the Utah speaker of the House), said there are goals set to have 25 percent of elected officials be women. That would be a higher percentage of female elected officials than in the U.S. Congress.
As for how male and female relations will shake out in Iraq, that will be a question left to Iraqis and the newly formed democracy. Those gender relationships will not and should not be influenced by other cultures, which may have different ideas regarding gender roles, Al-Amidy said. The Iraqi government should be established on "love and peace and not getting engaged in other people's business."
Members of the delegation also questioned why the American press is always asking about killings and terrorism in Iraq and never about the good things Iraqis are doing — like building political infrastructure, physical infrastructure and holding successful elections.
"You always asked about the killing," Al-Amidy said. "That is not everything in Iraq and does not represent a high percentage of what is going on."
Members of the contingent said they are eager to reach the point where U.S. troops will be able to head home and thanked U.S. soldiers who have given their lives fighting for Iraqi freedom. The group boarded a plane back for their its homeland Monday.
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com
