At the age of 34, Donna Mulhearn – a committed Christian - had grown disillusioned with her career as a journalist and political adviser. When she heard someone on the radio seeking volunteers to serve as human shields in Iraq, Donna - already opposed to the war and a staunch advocate of non-violent action - immediately knew what she had to do. Despite the objections of concerned family and friends, she travelled to Baghdad to join hundreds of other volunteers from around the world. But all too soon things got complicated. The Iraqi authorities had their own ideas about where the human shields should be deployed – and then Donna, along with other volunteers, witnessed scenes of carnage. Despite all this, Mike Wooldridge, asks, does she feel with hindsight that she did the right thing?
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Let's go back to 2003 after 9 11, when it appears ever more likely that the United States will lead a military attack on Iraq as part of President George Bush's war on terror.
Around the world, millions protest.
An Australian woman hears a former American Marine on the radio suggesting that Westerners go to Iraq as human shields to prevent bombing by coalition forces.
It was an amazing idea.
And then he put the question out, who wants to come?
And I just stood there in the room I was in.
My heart was beating very fast, my hands were shaking, and I thought, this is it.
This is a way that I can show my opposition to the war.
This is the documentary from.
From the BBC World Service.
I'm Mike Wooldridge and in this edition of Heart and Soul, I'll be hearing how Donna Mulhern put her body on the line because her Christian faith told her it was the right thing to do.
Donna started out as a journalist in Australia and later became a political advisor.
Then in her early 30s, life took a very different turn.
I had recently had an experience that was quite transformative for me in that I discovered the rich, long history of the contemplative Christian tradition.