Warning! Muslims will be present!

A little info: Mogens and Annetta own an organic food distribution company. Part of my time will be working at the company.



Sooo this morning as Mogens and I were leaving for work, he said, "Just to let you know, there will be a couple of Muslims there." I was dumbfounded. I thought to myself, Why the hell would I care if Muslims will be there? And why is he telling me this?



He could see the confused look on my face and in a funny, sarcastic manner said, "Well, from my understanding, you Americans don't like Muslims." We both laughed hysterically because it was a joke at ignorant folks who dislike Muslims, because they're Muslims. Because in case YOU are unaware, being a Muslim does NOT make you a terroist.



This is why I like Mogens. He has a great sarcastic sense of humor.



But I became a little nervous when he told me in the car that two women were Iraqis. Why? Well, I wasn't sure how they would react to me being an American. What would I say? Um, yeah, sorry my country invaded yours under false pretenses.* Sorry your country is a war zone and we have only allowed 800 refugees (until recently) into our country.** You read and hear conflicting stories of the Iraqi people's opinions of the invasion. I wasn't sure what to expect.



(*For those of you who still think Saddam and/or Iraq was responsible for 9/11, he wasn't. It was proven by the 9/11 Commission Report http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_Commission_Report. **More info on Iraqi refugees http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18944557/.)

Dana and her sister were super cool. Dana speaks English very well - it was like I was talking to an American. They both have lived in Denmark for 8 years. Their mother lives in southern Iraq, and says before there were 8 bombs a day and now there's only a couple.

We chatted a little about the war and as she put it ,and I agree, it's political (I would add ideological, too). She's happy as most are that Saddam is gone, but now it's a religious war. And concerns of establishing a stable Iraq are questionable.

For those of you who are thinking, Oh Brooke, you're being too critical, we helped the Iraqis. Well, consider this, if the US really went to save the Iraqis, then why haven't we gone into Darfur and helped stop its genocide? Which in all accounts is much more atrocious compared to Saddam's brutal tyrannies. Yes, it's old news to argue the war, but I believe it's important to not forget about this war for many reasons: 1) It's OK and democratic to question your government's potentional war motives. 2) War ain't pretty and it ain't cheap. 3) And most importantly, the war is still happening, with more than 4,000 troops killed thus far and an estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilian deaths.

Anyways, Dana doesn't blame the American people, she blames the politicians.

Later, for lunch, her sister made a delicious Iraqi meal, which consisted of hummus and pita; bubur salad with garlic, parsley and tomatos; and one of my favorites, meat pies.

Today was a humbling experience.