Michelle Tan
St. Cloud Times
As Abbas Mehdi sits in his neatly organized office, his elegant and calm demeanor hides his deeply troubled thoughts.
The St. Cloud State University professor of organization and sociology has four classes to teach this semester and activist duties to fulfill, but one burden weighs on his mind and heart: the war against Iraq.
Mehdi was born in Iraq 51 years ago, but he hasn’t seen his homeland in 26 years. Now a U.S. citizen, Mehdi fled Iraq in 1977 to save his life. If he returned home, he is certain Saddam Hussein would have him killed.
An early critic of the Iraqi president, Mehdi longs for a free Iraq and the day when he can be reunited with his aging parents.
“I’m shaking. I’m concerned,” Mehdi said.
“I’m the enemy of Saddam Hussein. I want him to go,” Mehdi said. “The question is, how do we get rid of him? I think it’s illegal for the U.S. to go by itself. It’s the U.N.’s responsibility.”
