An Inspiring Story

Return to Rutba. Front row: Weldon, Cliff, and Shane. Back row: Rutba General nurse Tarik Ali Marzouq; physician’s assistant Jassim Muhammad Jamil; and, fourth from left, Muslim Peacemaker Teams founder Sami Rasouli, an Iraqi-American who helped coordinate the reunion in Iraq. Photo by Jamie Moffett.

“You Are Safe With Us”: How Ordinary Iraqis Rescued U.S. Civilians in the Midst of War

Seven Years Later: A Return to Rutba

In 2010, the three peacemakers returned to Iraq. Ignoring kidnapping warnings from the embassies and militaries of Jordan and the United States, they traveled to Rutba to express their gratitude for the kindness that saved two of their lives, and to escort a journalist (myself) and a filmmaker into a story they hoped would seed reconciliation.

When we arrived at the director’s office of the rebuilt Rutba General Hospital, on January 15, 2010, I wasn’t sure if we’d parachuted into a meeting, or an interrogation. The office was crowded; men stood quietly in the corners, along the walls, in the doorway.

Cliff began to explain our presence; Sami Rasouli of the Muslim Peacemakers Team interpreted: “It is an honor to be back in the city of Rutba. We were here in March 2003.”

Seated at a desk at the head of the room was a 30-something Iraqi man, clean-cut with a goatee, blue jeans, and brown leather coat. As Cliff and Sami volleyed English and Arabic, he stared straight ahead or down at the desk, his jaw muscles clenching.

Cliff told the story of the accident and the care received at the makeshift clinic. Weldon said his life was probably saved in Rutba and that “ever since that day, I have looked forward to coming back to thank you.”

The rest of the story – well worth reading!