Hands of Friendship, Hands That Help From the Women of America to the Women of Iraq:

In response to a call for support from Peace X Peace member and Iraqi citizen Naba Hamid, now living in Canada:

We, the women of the United States, hold out hands of friendship and support to the women of Iraq.

We deeply regret the chaos and destruction this war has wreaked upon your country. Our hearts break for the fear, loss of life, and unending sorrow that you and your families have been forced to bear. With loving arms stronger than the borders that divide us, and hearts deeper than the oceans that divide us, we commit to bridge the distance.

We are women, like you. We have sons and daughters like you. None of us raised our children to kill or be killed in war. Together as women we will find a way to stop the cycle of war in your great land and everywhere on the planet. The responsibility is ours. The time is now.

We raise an urgent call to the women of the US and the women of all countries to work with the women of Iraq for a brighter future. We will begin, and we invite signers to begin, by committing to one or more of these actions:

1. We will take our stand on Silent Saturdays and take other real and symbolic actions in keeping with the commitment below.
2. We will create direct partnerships between American women and Iraqi women--cross-sector, mother to mother, partner to partner, friend to friend--to rebuild and restore Iraq.
3. We will learn the facts about the situation in Iraq and share what we know with others, including elected policymakers.
4. We will donate time and money to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations that meet the needs of refugees and orphans, including the creation of refugee service centers at the borders and inside Iraq.
5. We will support the creation of safe houses in Iraq and elsewhere, providing sanctuary and services for the protection of Iraqi women, men, and children.
6. We will urge our elected officials to reform the asylum and refugee laws to allow more Iraqi citizens, and especially women and children, to seek temporary refuge in the United States.
7. We will urge our elected officials to observe UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which urges all member nations to ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.

We stand with our sisters in bearing witness to the human, cultural, and environmental devastation in Iraq, and we pledge to act as organizations and individuals to express our solidarity through action.