[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 136 (Wednesday, November 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MARGARET HASSAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, 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.

                          ____________________