The 20th Anniversary of the Abu Ghraib Scandal

 The 20th anniversary of the Abu Ghraib scandal passed rather quietly in recent weeks, most likely due to the world's focus on Gaza, and all the campus protests in the United States and around the world.

Twenty years ago, I had been living in Baghdad, along with the rest of our Christian Peacemaker Team, and we had spent the year carefully documenting dozens of testimonies from the survivors of U.S. human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere throughout the country.

We prepared a report with our data showing the patterns of misconduct, and sent it to every member of Congress, every U.S. and international news outlet, and of course, the White House and military officials.

The response was...underwhelming, at least at first. Rep. Dennis Kucinich responded, and I think we heard a bit of interest from the CBC, BBC, and maybe NPR. For the most part, though, we were pretty sure our report had gone directly into most folks' wastebaskets.

And then a soldier leaked the photos, and the phones began ringing nonstop. Apparently, our report hadn't been thrown out; it was just shelved until something came along to make people take notice.

We were all giving nonstop interviews for a week--some of mine were with CNN, BBC, and ABC, but the rest are now a blur.

And then, because of the enormous anger of the people at everything that had been done to them, at how horribly and humiliatingly abused the prisoners had been at the hands of the U.S. troops-- it was time to evacuate.

I thought I might get to go back in a few weeks once things settled down, but for me, that was the last I ever saw of Baghdad, and all of my friends that I'd made there.

Over the years, of course, with the rise of social media, I've been fortunate to hear from a handful of Iraqi friends who have survived, or who have even gotten out and moved elsewhere.

Barely a day goes by that I do not think of Baghdad; just like barely a day goes by when I do not think of Israel and Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan, and all the dear people I have known in each place as well.

Here's to All the Clergy Mamas

Here's to all the Clergy Mamas

who not only
planned, preached, and led
Lent, Holy Week, and Easter

but also, more than likely,
planned and prepared
all the holiday celebrations
at home, too:

the Easter dinner and
the Easter outfits and
the Easter egg hunts and
the Easter baskets and
the Easter bunny 'magic'
(like moms usually do)

and,
who likely still did all
the cooking, cleaning and parenting
the laundry and dishes
the shopping and scheduling
and maybe even
tending a sick child or two
(like they usually do)

throughout these long days
of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter

it's quite similar,
after all,
no matter the season
or the holiday

It's well known by now
that Clergy Women
can do anything and everything
that Clergy Men can do

even at half their pay
even with half the respect
even when needing
to be their own secretaries
even with the full weight
of the housework at home, too.

The world seems to get a bit better
with each generation
a bit more equitable
and surely some notable exceptions
here and there,
as some will boast;
but on the whole,
we're not there yet...

So here's to the Clergy Mamas
who do all that they do

Christ has died, Christ is risen
once again and every year

And may you, Clergy Mamas,
when the holiday frenzy is over
find a moment
of rest.

(c)2024 Le Anne Clausen de Montes

Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes is a pastor, parent, poet, and creator of Clergy Mamas International and Clergy Parents of Children with Special Needs. She has served congregations in the PC(USA), UCC, ELCA and UMC and is active in ecumenical and interfaith cooperation through the Iowa Faith Leadership Network and Center for Faith and Peacemaking. Prior to seminary and parenting, she was an international human rights worker who helped to investigate the Abu Ghraib scandal; trained hundreds of international volunteers for human rights documentation and reporting and nonviolent direct intervention; and was an assistant program developer for the first Arabic-speaking women's crisis center in the Middle East. During seminary, she was a Prisoner of Conscience in a maximum-security federal facility for her nonviolent protest of the use of torture. She continues to be active in multiple efforts to promote equity and inclusion at home in the North Iowa area of the United States.