What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City

Dr. Mona’s family has a history of resistance against Saddam Hussein and earlier Iraqi tyrants. One example is her great-uncle Nuri Rufail Koutani, who founded the Association Against Imperialism and Fascism, a leftist organization, in Iraq in 1935. The organization’s manifesto called for Iraq’s independence from the British empire, which catalyzed the Iraqi independence movement. Because of Nuri’s activism, he became a target of the Iraqi monarchy, which imprisoned, tortured, and executed many of his friends and fellow revolutionaries. Nuri hid in Haji’s family home for many weeks, and he ultimately fled to Paris where he became involved in the activism that led to the French resistance against the Nazi German occupation. He went on to serve in the International Brigades, which were volunteer military units of foreigners who fought against the fascists in the Spanish Republic. Nuri devoted his life to fighting for all of humanity in the hopes of making the world a better place for all. As a result, he spent half of his life in hiding or in jail. 

Because of her family’s history of activism and resistance, both Mona and her brother understood that a government could commit great acts of evil against its citizens and that all injustices must be challenged.