Monday, June 07, 2004
good morning...
I have received many strange emails recently that made me feel confused..
I`ll paste one of them below...so, please read it with me...
and please send me an explanation about it...
does the western media tell you these lies about our life?
do you actually believe that Bush's coming to Iraq will bring civilization?
did your media tell you that Iraqis were living in tents and were riding camels?
and do you really think that girls did not go to schools, until the occupation forces entered Iraq, and gave us the freedom to read and learn?
that`s really funny...and really stupid.
I really have to write a long blog about Iraq history, and lives of Iraqis before the war.
thousands of years ago, when nations were new born, Iraq was the leader of the civilization on earth... Iraqis invented the writing, the first wheel, the stamps, and a list of an endless inventions and achievements.
and in beginning of the 20th century, there was not much difference... my engineering college was established at 1936
and even in that time, girls and boys attended schools, and women and men attended universities to study.
is there any updated information about Iraq's culture and life in public libraries or in universities?? does the western media gives any information about life and culture of Iraq in the past 50 years?
who is telling all those lies about Iraqis, Arabs, and Muslims?
who is disfiguring our reputation? and why?
send me an answer if you have...or let the question go around the universe.
faiza
******************************
Dear Faiza,
I want to thank you for your blog. It's good to hear your "voice" as a mother, a business owner and a woman in Iraq.
I have been reading Iraqi blogs since a few months into the war.
(I even bought Raed's book!)
At first, some of my co-workers insisted they were all fakes or
propaganda. These are the same people who thing George Bush is a good speaker ... sure, if you don't listen to him, but only read the cleaned-up version of what he supposedly meant to say!
Every time I hear of another explosion in Baghdad I have to check on you and the others to be sure you're OK. Even though you don't know me, I feel it's almost like I have distant relatives there. I worry about you, your family, Riverbend, etc.
I work for a newspaper, and the letters to the editor are almost funny if they weren't arguing about something so sad.
One writer criticized the U.S. for destroying schools, hospitals, power stations, water systems, etc. Another wrote back that the first writer must apologize to the troops "trying to free the people."
He also says these are the improvements the U.S. has made in Iraq:
"Electricity at a higher level and more reliable, clean fresh water more abundant, more schools open with more and better supplies, more hospitals open and supplied with medications and operating rooms. All this is better than were available after 35 years under Saddam."
As one who lives there, would you say this is true?
Another popular letter that seems to be copied a lot is this list:
"- Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
- Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
- Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons that were stored there so education can occur.
- The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be offloaded from ships faster.
- School attendance is up 80 percent from levels before the war.
- The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
- The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
- 100 percent of the hospitals are open and fully staffed compared to 35 percent before the war.
- Elections are taking place in every major city and city councils are in place.
- Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
- Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
- Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
- Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
- Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
- Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
- An interim constitution has been signed.
- Girls are allowed to attend school for the first time ever in Iraq.
- Text books that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years."
I think it's amazing that you became an engineer without ever being allowed to attend school! Ha!
I'm sorry this letter is so long. I hope you have time to read it.
Please keep writing; we need to hear your unique voice.
Mary Lutz, from Fort Ann (small town in the mountains in New York State)
I have received many strange emails recently that made me feel confused..
I`ll paste one of them below...so, please read it with me...
and please send me an explanation about it...
does the western media tell you these lies about our life?
do you actually believe that Bush's coming to Iraq will bring civilization?
did your media tell you that Iraqis were living in tents and were riding camels?
and do you really think that girls did not go to schools, until the occupation forces entered Iraq, and gave us the freedom to read and learn?
that`s really funny...and really stupid.
I really have to write a long blog about Iraq history, and lives of Iraqis before the war.
thousands of years ago, when nations were new born, Iraq was the leader of the civilization on earth... Iraqis invented the writing, the first wheel, the stamps, and a list of an endless inventions and achievements.
and in beginning of the 20th century, there was not much difference... my engineering college was established at 1936
and even in that time, girls and boys attended schools, and women and men attended universities to study.
is there any updated information about Iraq's culture and life in public libraries or in universities?? does the western media gives any information about life and culture of Iraq in the past 50 years?
who is telling all those lies about Iraqis, Arabs, and Muslims?
who is disfiguring our reputation? and why?
send me an answer if you have...or let the question go around the universe.
faiza
******************************
Dear Faiza,
I want to thank you for your blog. It's good to hear your "voice" as a mother, a business owner and a woman in Iraq.
I have been reading Iraqi blogs since a few months into the war.
(I even bought Raed's book!)
At first, some of my co-workers insisted they were all fakes or
propaganda. These are the same people who thing George Bush is a good speaker ... sure, if you don't listen to him, but only read the cleaned-up version of what he supposedly meant to say!
Every time I hear of another explosion in Baghdad I have to check on you and the others to be sure you're OK. Even though you don't know me, I feel it's almost like I have distant relatives there. I worry about you, your family, Riverbend, etc.
I work for a newspaper, and the letters to the editor are almost funny if they weren't arguing about something so sad.
One writer criticized the U.S. for destroying schools, hospitals, power stations, water systems, etc. Another wrote back that the first writer must apologize to the troops "trying to free the people."
He also says these are the improvements the U.S. has made in Iraq:
"Electricity at a higher level and more reliable, clean fresh water more abundant, more schools open with more and better supplies, more hospitals open and supplied with medications and operating rooms. All this is better than were available after 35 years under Saddam."
As one who lives there, would you say this is true?
Another popular letter that seems to be copied a lot is this list:
"- Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
- Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
- Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons that were stored there so education can occur.
- The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be offloaded from ships faster.
- School attendance is up 80 percent from levels before the war.
- The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
- The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
- 100 percent of the hospitals are open and fully staffed compared to 35 percent before the war.
- Elections are taking place in every major city and city councils are in place.
- Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
- Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
- Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
- Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
- Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
- Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
- An interim constitution has been signed.
- Girls are allowed to attend school for the first time ever in Iraq.
- Text books that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years."
I think it's amazing that you became an engineer without ever being allowed to attend school! Ha!
I'm sorry this letter is so long. I hope you have time to read it.
Please keep writing; we need to hear your unique voice.
Mary Lutz, from Fort Ann (small town in the mountains in New York State)
# posted by Faiza Al-Araji @ 11:34 am 
