Just as the number of U.S. troops massing in the Middle East has grown in recent weeks, so too has the number of ordinary citizens opposed to war with Iraq grown. Amongst the throngs of concerned protestors has been a steady stream of Hollywood celebrities who have used their popularity and visibility to call attention to what they see as unjust American foreign policy.

In January, Islam Online reported that actors including Susan Sarandon, David Duchovny and Matt Damon had signed an open letter to U.S. President George W. Bush condemning his administration’s bellicose rhetoric over Iraq. And actor/director Sean Penn actually traveled to Iraq to assess the humanitarian situation there for himself.

Now, as the world marches closer to another war in the Middle East, more actors are speaking out against a military solution in Iraq.

Several celebrities attending the Berlin International Film Festival last week had choice words for the Bush administration. Maybe most strident in his condemnation of impending war was director Spike Lee who is famous for such films as Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing and his most recently critically acclaimed work, 25^th Hour.

“Too many people are being bowled over by Bush and Tony Blair in Britain,” said Lee, as quoted by Variety. “It's ludicrous to expect the whole world to follow what they want. America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do. To say the whole world has to fall into line is you-know-what. I hope more people will rise up.”

Actress Rosario Dawson, who co-stars in 25^th Hour, expressed her concern over the current state of discourse on the Iraq issue in America. “Any dissenting opinion is considered unpatriotic," she said, also quoted by Variety. “It makes me upset. I'm embarrassed. It's my hope that Americans won't jump on anyone having a dissenting opinion.”

Back in the United States, actress and comedian Janeane Garofalo recently made the rounds on national morning news programs to call attention to her activist organization Win Without War. Speaking to the Washington Post about her concern over media coverage of the war build up, Garofalo said, “I'm being treated like a child, and that's how I think the American people are being treated by their media.”

In California, legendary folk/protest singer Joan Baez has recently returned to the spotlight. A long-time San Francisco Bay Area resident, Baez has been more visible since the 9/11 attacks. At a rally shortly after 9/11 Baez joined an eclectic grouping of citizens in a call for peace staged in front of the Palo Alto City Hall. Baez returned to that venue on February 1 for a similar event.

Maybe the most unlikely celebrity war critique, however, is none other than the former “Material Girl” herself, Madonna. On February 9, the Drudge Report reported that the superstar is currently putting the finishing touches on a video for her forthcoming release American Life in which she graphically portrays the horrors of war. According to Drudge, one scene in specific is said to focus very clearly and poignantly on Iraqi children.  

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