against drone warfare. This year we are
also supporting a group that helps young
women who have been victimized by
human trafficking.”
“I am marching today because the Vet-
erans For Peace have partnered with us in
our benefit for Dorothy's House,” said
Misty Craig. “They invited us to march with
them, and we are happy to be here today.”
According to its website, Dorothy's
House offers “girls an opportunity to re-
cover their bodies, hearts, souls and
voices by providing basic needs, begin-
ning with security in a home environment.
To this we add a healthy diet, specialized
care, education and training, and the abil-
ity to recognize their potential and dream
of a positive future.”
“All the warfare that is going on is a
waste. Usually it is for the wrong pur-
poses. I'm here giving my support to all the
veterans, Veterans For Peace,” said Dan
Hughes. “If we want peace, we have to
stand up for it. That's what everyone
should be doing.”
“I live in the Catholic Worker community
and so do some of the veterans. From
them I have been learning what war
means. A lot of these guys were drafted,
you know. They didn't go to war by
choice,” said Jake Fee. “They saw death,
they participated in death, participated in a
war that rich men decided and poor kids
had to make up the difference.”
“The war machine, as it becomes more
industrialized, mechanized, digitalized,
robot-ized, and drone-ized, it becomes
easier to kill people without really thinking
about it,” he added. “I really want to sup-
port these guys, because they have been
through hell.” —Michael GillespieCelebrating Omani Culture
The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center in
Washington, DC opened its doors to the
public July 18 for an evening of traditional
Omani hospitality, offering guests an array
of activities, along with delicious Omani cui-
sine, including special desserts and coffee.
Setting the mood of a desert oasis, oud
player Laith Al-Attar entertained the crowd
with a selection of traditional and contem-
porary Arabic and Middle Eastern musicalarrangements.
Many people waited patiently for calligra-
pher Sam Mousavi to write their names in
exquisite Arabic script. Afterwards, young-
sters proudly displayed their names in the
flowing handwriting.
Bhavna Naik created delicate henna de-
signs on the hands of ladies of all ages.
Possessing natural cooling properties, the
art of henna has been practiced in the Mid-
dle East for more than 5,000 years by peo-ple of all economic strata.
In the center’s basement, children dis-
covered leather crafts and experienced
Bedouin weaving, in addition to learning
about the environment with a sea turtle ac-
tivity.
The Sultan Qaboos Center is open to the
public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Visit <www.sqcc.org> for informa-
tion about upcoming Arabic classes and fu-
ture events. —Elaine PasquiniVFP members and supporters gather to march for peace and human dignity at the Iowa State
Fair Veterans’ Day Parade.STAFF PHOTO M. GILLESPIEBhavna Naik creates a beautiful henna design on the hand of a visitor to the Sultan Qaboos
Cultural Center in Washington, DC.STAFF PHOTO PHIL PASQUINI62 WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2018activisms_60-66.qxp_October 2018 Activisms 8/29/18 9:23 AM Page 62