Honoring Margaret Hassan

HONORING MARGARET HASSAN -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 24, 2004)

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness and reflection that I rise today to honor Mrs. Margaret Hassan-a friend of the international community and a true humanitarian.

Mrs. Hassan worked in humanitarian relief in Baghdad for more than 25 years, the last 12 for CARE International as CARE Iraq's country director. She was a British citizen from an Irish family-but her husband Tahseen and her friends would attest that she was an Iraqi through-and-through. She loved the country, the people and the challenge. While others would leave, her hard work never wavered. "I'm staying with my people," she was quoted as saying. "This is my home."

I had the unique experience of talking with Mrs. Hassan about the challenges and difficulties facing the Iraqi people. We spoke at length about the people, the security and the future. While she expressed concern about the safety of the Iraqi people, she maintained a sense of optimism for the future of her adopted home. She was determined to continue her work, and her personality, courage and compassion kept her spirits high, even in the darkest of hours.

In October, the Times of London described her resiliency and courage in the face of the utmost danger. They wrote, "Even at the height of the air raids on Baghdad, she would travel around government departments in the city offering assistance to local officials who had helped her in the past and lobbying them to ensure that fresh water was available in the main hospitals" (Times Newspapers, 10/20/04). She was always working for the betterment of the Iraqi people, even when it threatened her own personal safety.

In her death, the Iraqi people have lost a hero, and the world has lost a true friend. My thoughts and prayers are with her husband, her family, her friends and the Iraqi people.