|
|
|
| |
| |
Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
|
|
| site design imagesparkle.com |
| February 25, 2005 |
My Iraq Experience – Takato Naoko |
|
| |
 |
| Ms. Takato with employees of Fallujah General Hospital in July 2003 |
In April of 2004, Ms. Takato Naoko was serving as an aid worker in Iraq when she was taken from the streets of Fallujah and held hostage. A group calling themselves Saraya Al Mujahideen demanded that Japan remove its Self Defense Force troops from Iraq within three days, or the group would “burn (the hostages) alive and feed them to the fighters.” At that time, there was still a deep divide of public opinion regarding the situation. |
|
|
Ms. Takato was safely released nine days later, but when she returned to Japan, she was subjected to harsh criticism from the media, as well as from individuals. At that time, rather than listening to her description of the conditions the Iraqi people were suffering, the majority of people were more interested in censuring her for the trouble her presence in Iraq had caused the Japanese government. The criticism she endured was so strong that shortly after returning to Japan, she withdrew from the public eye for three and a half months.
 |
| Having spent one year as an aid worker in India, Ms. Takato was excited to be with Peace Boat when it docked in Cochin, India. |
As a guest educator, Ms. Takato joined Peace Boat’s 48th voyage from Singapore to Kenya and provided an immensely popular series of lectures and open discussions on topics including the situation in Iraq, volunteerism, and activism. This was a particularly impressive experience for participants, most of who only knew about what Ms. Takato experienced through what had been reported by the mass media.
“Peace Boat hopes to be able to give (Ms. Takato) a voice a forum to be heard,” staff member Nakamura Sachie said when introducing Ms. Takato’s first lecture. “We feel it was very important for her to come on board and to let us know exactly what is going on in Iraq.” |
| |
Ms. Takato shared with participants frightening recollections of US troops ordering her from her vehicle at gunpoint, of small children’s limbs being blown off in cluster-bomb attacks, and many other unimaginable things she saw during her time in Iraq. In particular, she wants people to understand the true situation in Iraq.
“Now, I’m giving lectures to people to let them know that the Iraqi people need our help. They most important thing for us now is to realize what is happening to them. There is an invisible wall within the media. Behind this wall, many things happen but it is difficult for us to know what is happening.” Ms. Takato shared. “The Iraqi people are trying to take videos and photos to let people know what’s happening, but it’s really difficult. You know, some of my friends were shot by US snipers while filming an operation. Even if they get video of the facts, they have other problems – getting those facts out of Iraq. Now, the journalists can’t really work in Iraq.” |
| |
“Coming onboard Peace Boat was difficult”, Ms. Takato admitted, “I was so nervous, because I’ve had some problems.” She spoke of people in Japan shouting at her and breaking the windshield of the car she had been in. “Even now, I can’t go outside in my hometown. But after spending time on Peace Boat, I’ve had so many conversations with passengers. They really want to know about the true situation in Iraq. There aren’t many people who can tell them the truth.”
Ms. Takato believes that people must understand the situation in Iraq before changes can be made. She encouraged people to think for themselves and not to trust everything the mainstream media reports. Through the actions of courageous people like Ms. Takato, the truth can still be told. |
| |
Links
Iraq Hope Network: http://iraq-hope.net
Iraq Hope Network – Journal (In Japanese only): http://iraqhope.exblog.jp |
| |
|
|
|
