Recent news coverage of FOR's Iraq Photo Project has prompted an outpouring of new interest. As a result, FOR has decided to continue accepting photo-messages from people wishing to reach out to the Iraqi people. These photos will be posted to this website.

FOR held a News Conference in Washington DC on October 20 to announce that the first phase of the Photo Project was ready for the Arab and International Media. We will be sending the photos to additional media in the next few days, in the hope that ordinary Iraqi civilians will see them and understand that they are not forgotten. We hope Iraqis will see in the moving photo-messages another face of America: the face not of occupier or prison torturer, but of decent, compassionate American men women and children who feel deep sorrow and shame at what has been done in their name.

So far FOR has received about 400 photos involving more than 2,000 people. More than 200 of these photos have been put on CDs for distribution to the media. They can also be seen on this website.  

How you can join the Iraq Photo Project

• Gather with family, friends, neighbors, members of a church, synagogue, mosque or faith community, co-workers or classmates. Some photos received have only one person in them. Others have 25 or 30. Individuals or groups numbering fewer than 10 work best.   Bring in young and old, and people of all races. Let's show the face of America.
  
• Prepare a large sign (at least 3'x5') with a boldly handwritten message. (Hint: Use black or other dark, bold colors. Yellows and greens do not show up. ) The words should be hand-written and from the heart.
  
• Your message can be a sincere and heartfelt apology, an expression of sorrow, or a plea for forgiveness for the innocent lives lost and the torture and humiliation of prisoners. The message can be a prayer for peace or an affirmation of our common humanity.
  
• Remember the intended audience and address Iraqi civilians directly, not in the third person.
  
• Keep your message short – no more than one or two sentences. On our website you will find a dozen or more one-sentence sample messages to give you some ideas; however, we strongly urge people to use their own wording on the sign. Feel free to decorate the sign with symbols, colors or artwork that you think is appropriate.
  
• If you know any Arab speakers willing to help make a sign in Arabic, consider doing so. But like the messages in English, Arabic signs should be hand-written to show that it is the original work of individuals, not a mass-produced campaign slogan.
  
• When it is time to take the photograph, please stand seriously and solemnly. Photos of laughing, grinning, waving people, and flippant messages or gestures are NOT appropriate and will not be included.  
  
• NOTE: If you are using a digital camera, please take the picture at the highest quality (resolution) setting on your camera, as we may wish to print some of the pictures as well as display them on the website.
  
• Take a few photos of your group holding the sign and send the best one to us. Alternately, send us two or three and we will choose.

How to send the photos:

If you have a digital camera, you can simply download the picture on your computer and email it to us at Iraq@forusa.org . If you own a regular camera, you can develop the pictures and then send them to our mailing address:

Iraq Photo Project
Fellowship of Reconciliation
521 N Broadway
Nyack, NY 10960

Include the following information with your pictures: the name of the group (if you are members of a community, a church, a youth group, a club, etc), the name of your city or town, your state and the date on which you took the pictures. This information will be used to identify each photo.

Please also send the name and contact information of at least one of the people in the photo (full name, email, mailing address and phone number) in case we need to contact your group.

Please pass this on to all your networks, listservs and friends!

Contacts:

Hossein Alizadeh, FOR Iraq Coordinator (845) 358-4601 iraq@forusa.org

Jennifer Hyman, FOR Communications Coordinator (845) 358-4601 communications@forusa.org