Dear Mrs. Bush,

It has been a tradition for the first lady to espouse humanitarian causes ranging from children’s health to banning land mines. I would beg you to intervene on behalf of the innocent citizen of Iraq. No one is advocating for their safety. No one is in a better position than you to help them.

I emigrated from Iraq to the America of the early 1960s. At that time, America was a beacon to the rest of the world. It was an example of freedom, fairmindedness and generosity. I believe that the foreign policy toward the Middle East over the past 40 years has not represented the people of this nation but has favored special interests.

In Iraq, I have a sister, the family of my deceased brother and have a new grandniece who was christened last year. They and everyone there share a common humanity with Americans. When American children hear a plane they look up and smile. In Baghdad, children feel terror at the sight of an airplane or when they hear a loud noise, fearing an American attack.

I am a physician who treats cancer. Cancer can spread and harm the whole body. Terrorism is like metastasized cancer and is not likely to be controlled by weaponry and military campaigns. I beg you to use your influence to have our government understand the need to prevent terrorism. We need to move toward an equitable and just foreign policy that is in the best interest of the American people, of whom I am a proud citizen.

The formulators of our foreign policy know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the crucible of the Middle East. They choose to ignore that for their own reasons. Israelis and Palestinians should not need to suffer. The children in Baghdad and elsewhere shouldn’t have to exist in the squalor of sanctions, with the constant jitters in expectation of a rain of bombs and terror.

Mrs. Bush, please trust me when I tell you that this is not too simplistic.

When I look up to the sky, I see nothing but black, filled with agitated hawks and eagles. I am afraid we may never see the heavens as we continue to ignore God’s word, and ignore the call to mercy, of the ancient evangelists and other saints.

The quality of mercy is mightiest in the mightiest!

Mrs. Bush, will I ever be able to see my grandniece Sabrina?

Maged S. Khoory, M.D. practices practice hematology and oncology in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and is a currently employed at CancerCare of Maine at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.