Frequent readers of Scholars* will remember me discussing Abbas Mehdi, a sociology professor born in Iraq who frequently appears on Twin Cities media to discuss his home country. While not a supporter of U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he has decided to return to Baghdad to help with reconstruction as an advisor with the US mission. He sent a letter to the university yesterday which I excerpt with his permission:

You'll be wondering why a person like me who lives a comfortable, stable, and secure life here in the United States is risking everything and putting himself in danger by going there now, when things are so bad.

The answer is very simple: Iraq needs help and my duty is to help. Also, I love Iraq more than anything else in my life. To me, it means love, dignity, happiness, my family, my oldest friends and everything that is most precious.

If I stay away from Iraq too long, I'm thirsty for its water, its sun, and its air.

He has lived in the West for 30 years. I salute his commitment to the Iraqi people.

UPDATE: St. Cloud Times article here.

*I apologize to those of you who were here this morning looking for the site and saw the expired domain screen; I paid the bill a month ago but Hosting Matters' automatic processing failed them on this one, first time they've ever given me a problem and they fixed it within an hour of my discovery. I still recommend them to everyone who asks.

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