[imc-baghdad] to IWPR from BAGHDAD

[Andrew Stern]

hey  ramzi,

thats great you sent this to IWPR, i had already contacted them about 
this as the newspaper project seems to fit w/ their mission statement 
perfectly.  i haven't heard anything from them yet, but hopefully 
your letter will help to get them interested!  would be great if they 
jumped on board.....

cheers,
andy

>Hello,
>
>I work with Voices in the Wilderness, a Chicago-based
>advocacy group that's been operating in Iraq since
>1996. Since the war ended, I've been working with a
>group of (mainly) students from Baghdad University to
>help them start their own newspaper. Nick Wood
>suggested I get in touch with IWPR regarding the
>project.
>
>We published our first issue yesterday, and hope to
>publish weekly from here on out. We have a website
>(kindly donated through indymedia) at:
>www.almuajaha.com but it's currently down - that
>problem should be resolved shortly. If not, I'd be
>happy to email you the articles from this first issue.
>
>The project has gone wonderfully so far (especially
>considering the lack of funding & logistical problems
>here), but we do desperately need assistance - both
>financially and in training.
>
>I'm appending below the proposal we sent around as we
>were starting this project last month. Please do get
>in touch with me if you have any questions or would
>like to pursue this further.
>
>Warm Regards,
>Ramzi Kysia
>Voices in the Wilderness, Baghdad
>http://www.vitw.org
>
>Al-Muajaha Iraq Newspaper Development Project, a
>Proposal
>
>SUMMARY:
>To provide training and resources to a group of young,
>Iraqi journalists - unconnected with either the
>previous Ba'athist regime, or with the successor
>American government - in order to help them begin an
>independent newspaper in Baghdad, called ìAl-Muajaha,
>the Iraqi Witness.î [Al-Muajaha can be translated
>alternatively as, ìThe Facing,î ìFace to Face,î and
>"Confrontation"].
>
>Depending to some extent on funding, Al-Muajaha will
>be published weekly in a single issue with both Arabic
>and English sections, as well as being available on
>the web, again in both Arabic and English.
>
>
>MISSION STATEMENT:
>Al-Muajaha is an independent Iraqi newspaper,
>representing all levels of Iraqi society. We aim to
>help the world understand Iraq, and to help Iraq
>understand the world.
>
>For decades, almost all governments in the world,
>including our own, abused and terribly ignored the
>basic humanity of the Iraqi people. Al-Muajaha aims to
>provide an open forum for all Iraqis to freely debate
>current issues, and in so doing educate themselves and
>the world. We aim to support the legitimate desires of
>the Iraqi people by providing a voice for them that
>can reach the world, and we hope to promote
>understanding of the fundamental equality of all
>peoples and nations under both human and Divine law.
>
>
>NEWSPAPER SECTIONS:
>- News & Features (news & human interest stories), 2-4
>pages.
>- Arts & Culture (to include 2 poems by local poets),
>1 page.
>- Religion (inclusive of all faiths & sects in Iraq),
>1 page.
>- Community Announcements (open submissions policy),
>1/2 page.
>- Opinion/Editorial (open submissions, as well as
>solicited essays), 2 pages.
>
>
>EQUIPMENT NEEDS
>- 5 computers w/Arabic language support & keyboards
>- 2 printers
>- a Xerox machine
>- a fax machine (once phone lines are back up)
>- 2 phone lines
>- a dedicated internet line (satellite modems to serve
>until phones are up)
>- 2 digital cameras
>- 2 video cameras (for web reports)
>- 2 file cabinets
>- 5 desks/chairs
>- a sofa & lounge chairs
>- an air conditioner
>- a fridge
>- a generator (even when power comes up, it's likely
>not going to be available at all times)
>
>Satellite modems are $1300 each, plus $13/megabyte
>(downloaded or uploaded), the other items comes to
>$12K, by our estimate (purchasing it locally)
>
>
>ADDITIONAL COSTS:
>- Salaries: $50/month for 12 full-time staff, or
>$7,200/year
>- Rent: estimated $7-12K/year
>- Transportation: est. $5K/year
>- Food: est. $1K/year
>- Office supplies: est. $1K/year
>- Utilities: est. $1K/year
>- Printing Costs: 18 cents - 30 cents per issue,
>depending on the size of the run, and the local
>economy (prices are in extreme fluctuation right now).
>For a weekly run of 5,000 papers, at 24 cents a paper,
>this comes to $1,200 per week, or $62,400 a year [We
>are in the process of locating a more affordable
>printer, but this is the cost for printing at this
>time].
>
>
>TOTAL COSTS FOR FIRST YEAR:
>Estimated $99,100.
>
>
>DECISION MAKING STRUCTURE:
>Al-Muajaha will use a partial-consensus model for
>reaching all decisions. After group discussion of
>pending decisions, proposals will only move forward if
>there is full consensus on them, or if no one decides
>to block a decision.
>
>All Iraqis are welcome to participate in all aspects
>of this project. Pro-active efforts are being made to
>assure equal representation of all levels of Iraqi
>society, as well as equal representation based on
>gender.
>
>Limiting factors for participation include a lack of
>money available for salaries, and problems in
>communication and transportation stemming from the
>war.
>
>
>SPONSORING ORGANIZATION [this section written by
>VitW]:
>Voices in the Wilderness (VitW) is/was a grassroots
>campaign, based in both Chicago and London, to end
>sanctions against Iraq and stop the war. For almost 8
>years, VitW brought delegations of Westerners to Iraq
>in order to see first hand the effects of sanctions
>and bombings on the Iraqi people. In our home
>countries, VitW pressured policymakers through
>advocacy and agitation in support of the Iraqi people.
>  While many of the members of VitW come from the
>Christian Left, VitW itself is a secular organization,
>and VitWís lead organizer of this project in Iraq is a
>Muslim.
>
>Though VitW is helping to provide advice, training and
>resources to this project, all decisions in the
>project are being made by Iraqis. All research and all
>writing is being done by Iraqis (although VitW is
>sometimes providing advice in English-language
>phrasing). Furthermore, if another organization with a
>shared philosophy of openness and consensus, would
>like to take over as the outside, sponsoring
>organization of this project, VitW would be happy to
>step aside as the lead, outside organizer. In any
>case, this project is and must remain in the hands of
>those Iraqis who wish to make it a reality.
>
>More information on Voices in the Wilderness is
>available at: http://www.vitw.org
>
>
>
>Sincerely,
>The founding members of Al-Muajaha:
>Haider Hamza
>Yassar Farouk
>Mohammed Al-Jubaili
>Salaam Al-Jubouri
>Khalid Jarrar
>Majid Jarrar
>Waleed Rabi'a Al-Merza
>Hamsa Mohammad
>Hekmat Mohammad
>Hosni Mohammad
>Salaam Al-Onaibi
>
>  [for Voices in the Wilderness: Ramzi Kysia]
>
>
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