Submitted by Badr al-Budoor, Jul 1, 2007 14:37

Many Iraqis greatly admire (albeit secretly) Mr. Alusi for his great courage. He broke the taboo with respect to reaching out to Iraq's displaced Jewish community through his visit to Israel. We feel a sense of great shame and guilt for the way our Iraqi Jewish brethren have been treated in Iraq, their ancestral homeland, in the course of the twentieth century. I hope more Iraqis will follow in the footsteps of Mr. Alusi.

If any of our Iraqi Jewish brethren (in Israel or anywhere else in the world) reads this, please know that we have never forgotten you in your exile nor have we forgiven ourselves for the great injustices that have been visited upon you--as I write these words tears are flowing from my eyes. We cannot forgive ourselves for what has happened to you nor are we asking you to forgive us because we do not deserve your forgiveness. We know that you are more Iraqi than most of us and dream that one day we will be able to welcome you back home. Baghdad has never been the same since you left it.
Budoor

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.