Saturday, July 03, 2004
Friday, 2nd., July, 2004
Good morning…
We are still on our summer vacation in Amman, but I miss Baghdad, and can't stop thinking about her. I wonder how people could live out side of their countries…how much sorrows and memories they carry in their hearts and minds…one's country is a precious thing, that couldn't be replaced by another. The homeland is like the father and mother, a blessed value which couldn't be taken lightly….nor be bought and sold…
************
Amman is a small city; positioned upon seven hills… the weather is nice and moderate in the summer, very cold in winter. The summer months are short, the winters long. When I lived there in the late 1970's, it looked like a small village, compared to Baghdad that was living her golden days…I longed very much to hear an Iraqi speaking the Iraqi distinctive accent in the streets of Amman, I felt a deep forbidding, a strong feeling of homelessness, despite the fact that Baghdad was merely a thousand kilometers away…
But Amman today has grown, with a lot of new buildings, especially after the Kuwait war, when thousands of Palestinians and Jordanians returned there who used to live in Kuwait, investing their savings, building multi-storied buildings, and hotels.
Today Amman is filled with Iraqis, especially the rich ones, who bought houses here, settling temporarily until things would calm down in Iraq…
The old Amman is the city of the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, crowded with buildings, the houses are small and clinging to each other. But the new Amman is the city of the 1980's forwards, districts filled with residential multi-storey buildings, some times separate, privet villas, with a lot of supermarkets and western-style malls. Also there are western restaurants, night clubs, and coffee shops. Because the nature of the land is mountainous, therefore the streets are narrow and jagged, very difficult to drive through, especially during winter in the rain, with the slippery grounds. The traffic system here is very strict, in order to cut down the dangers of accidents, and lower their numbers…
**********
The news of Baghdad is far away…as if it is in another part of the earth…we have no way but to listen to the news through the media. As for the people here, each is busy with his own life matters.
When I was in Baghdad, I used to listen to news and events directly from the people, or see them with my own eyes, but here, I feel that only a small margin reaches us…and many details are skipped, then I imagine the people in the west and how would they get the news… they being very far away from all this reality, from the true picture of matters…and I do not blame them when they think about us in a way very different from the truth.
They would get the news and its interpretations through the world-wide news networks, and these are institutions that has proved, time and again, their lack of integrity … the items are re-phrased according to the mentality and moods of the director responsible for the media there…
In Baghdad, when we sit down to talk and discuss what is happening in Iraq, we do not differ very much, for the evidence are clear and occurring daily, but here in Amman, for example, no one has heard or seen, so view points are different according to the assessments of the speaker…
As to the situation in America, I laugh and wonder, how would they hear the news? In what light? I can appraise the situation in which the citizen lives there, but I wouldn't want any of them to stick to their viewpoint as if they were 100% sure… I want them to take in consideration that they are thousands of kilometers away from the real site of events, and news get to them through un-completely reliable news networks.
***********
The news of Baghdad last week was…the handing over of sovereignty to the Iraqis was carried-out in a hasty, sad way…as if speaking for it self… so, this is the new sovereignty, something to be handed over from far away, and Iraqis would see it as people from other countries in the world would on TV screen, as if the whole matter doesn't concern them at all…
The Iraqis are hiding in their homes, in fear of explosions and daily death, and sovereignty was delivered, and they were laughing at their tearful situation…who went away, and who came along???
Premmer went away, and the American Ambassador came in the same day…and two days later, the American flag was raised on the new Embassy in Baghdad, as if saying: Here I come back at last…how much casualties, American and Iraqi dead, it cost me to come here, rising in pride…, and how much billions of dollars in budget, … and who is the dumb fool who thinks I would get out of here??? The Iraqis watch, and smile bitterly…
*************
The news of explosions continues from Baghdad, then the bombing of Falluja yesterday, and new victims fall…and the Iraqis wonder: Where is the new Iraqi authority? Where is the independence? Why are the American war planes still roaming the skies of Iraq, bombing civilians, and no body defends them???
A new comedy… but the question is: who are they laughing at??? Themselves, the world, or the Iraqis?
I have written about the history of the Iraqis, I wanted whoever reads it to realize that the Iraqis are no fools, but the fool is that who involves himself with them…thinking himself smart, and could fool them. All kinds of tricks and ruses have passed them, and they memorized them. And as I always say: it is only a matter of time…everything clarifies with time…
************
And then yesterday, a new comedy…the Trial of Saddam Hussein.
These are merely plays to attract people's attentions away from what is going on… the priorities now are how the Iraqis will live, how will they build their life all over again…and the beginning would be to build a state, institutions, police, and an army, to keep the law and order.
But Bush continues the game; he seems to enjoy it, wanting to have his personal revenge upon Saddam, distracting the world by this story.
As for us, the Iraqis, what would change in our lives or future if we see Saddam in trial or not? If he dies, or go to prison? Would that bring back our dead??? Would it repair the damage and destruction that has befallen our lives, our country???
We truly believe that Bush, by his malicious, clumsy, inconsiderate policy, has joined Saddam Hussein in destroying our lives. And for a correct justice, he should be placed with Saddam Hussein in the same accusation cage, he should be asked for the foolishness he committed when he started this war, asked about the lives that were reaped, innocents and non- innocents, in this dumb war…which we gained nothing from, except destruction and devastation, and going back tens of years…
As for him and those who supported him to rage this war, the American flag returned to wave on a new colony, a colony that those who harbored the dreams of expansion and imperialism inside America always dreamed of…and here she is, finally, in their arms…to rake havoc and destruction with…as any imperialist would…
*************
Translated by May. Baghdad.
Good morning…
We are still on our summer vacation in Amman, but I miss Baghdad, and can't stop thinking about her. I wonder how people could live out side of their countries…how much sorrows and memories they carry in their hearts and minds…one's country is a precious thing, that couldn't be replaced by another. The homeland is like the father and mother, a blessed value which couldn't be taken lightly….nor be bought and sold…
************
Amman is a small city; positioned upon seven hills… the weather is nice and moderate in the summer, very cold in winter. The summer months are short, the winters long. When I lived there in the late 1970's, it looked like a small village, compared to Baghdad that was living her golden days…I longed very much to hear an Iraqi speaking the Iraqi distinctive accent in the streets of Amman, I felt a deep forbidding, a strong feeling of homelessness, despite the fact that Baghdad was merely a thousand kilometers away…
But Amman today has grown, with a lot of new buildings, especially after the Kuwait war, when thousands of Palestinians and Jordanians returned there who used to live in Kuwait, investing their savings, building multi-storied buildings, and hotels.
Today Amman is filled with Iraqis, especially the rich ones, who bought houses here, settling temporarily until things would calm down in Iraq…
The old Amman is the city of the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's, crowded with buildings, the houses are small and clinging to each other. But the new Amman is the city of the 1980's forwards, districts filled with residential multi-storey buildings, some times separate, privet villas, with a lot of supermarkets and western-style malls. Also there are western restaurants, night clubs, and coffee shops. Because the nature of the land is mountainous, therefore the streets are narrow and jagged, very difficult to drive through, especially during winter in the rain, with the slippery grounds. The traffic system here is very strict, in order to cut down the dangers of accidents, and lower their numbers…
**********
The news of Baghdad is far away…as if it is in another part of the earth…we have no way but to listen to the news through the media. As for the people here, each is busy with his own life matters.
When I was in Baghdad, I used to listen to news and events directly from the people, or see them with my own eyes, but here, I feel that only a small margin reaches us…and many details are skipped, then I imagine the people in the west and how would they get the news… they being very far away from all this reality, from the true picture of matters…and I do not blame them when they think about us in a way very different from the truth.
They would get the news and its interpretations through the world-wide news networks, and these are institutions that has proved, time and again, their lack of integrity … the items are re-phrased according to the mentality and moods of the director responsible for the media there…
In Baghdad, when we sit down to talk and discuss what is happening in Iraq, we do not differ very much, for the evidence are clear and occurring daily, but here in Amman, for example, no one has heard or seen, so view points are different according to the assessments of the speaker…
As to the situation in America, I laugh and wonder, how would they hear the news? In what light? I can appraise the situation in which the citizen lives there, but I wouldn't want any of them to stick to their viewpoint as if they were 100% sure… I want them to take in consideration that they are thousands of kilometers away from the real site of events, and news get to them through un-completely reliable news networks.
***********
The news of Baghdad last week was…the handing over of sovereignty to the Iraqis was carried-out in a hasty, sad way…as if speaking for it self… so, this is the new sovereignty, something to be handed over from far away, and Iraqis would see it as people from other countries in the world would on TV screen, as if the whole matter doesn't concern them at all…
The Iraqis are hiding in their homes, in fear of explosions and daily death, and sovereignty was delivered, and they were laughing at their tearful situation…who went away, and who came along???
Premmer went away, and the American Ambassador came in the same day…and two days later, the American flag was raised on the new Embassy in Baghdad, as if saying: Here I come back at last…how much casualties, American and Iraqi dead, it cost me to come here, rising in pride…, and how much billions of dollars in budget, … and who is the dumb fool who thinks I would get out of here??? The Iraqis watch, and smile bitterly…
*************
The news of explosions continues from Baghdad, then the bombing of Falluja yesterday, and new victims fall…and the Iraqis wonder: Where is the new Iraqi authority? Where is the independence? Why are the American war planes still roaming the skies of Iraq, bombing civilians, and no body defends them???
A new comedy… but the question is: who are they laughing at??? Themselves, the world, or the Iraqis?
I have written about the history of the Iraqis, I wanted whoever reads it to realize that the Iraqis are no fools, but the fool is that who involves himself with them…thinking himself smart, and could fool them. All kinds of tricks and ruses have passed them, and they memorized them. And as I always say: it is only a matter of time…everything clarifies with time…
************
And then yesterday, a new comedy…the Trial of Saddam Hussein.
These are merely plays to attract people's attentions away from what is going on… the priorities now are how the Iraqis will live, how will they build their life all over again…and the beginning would be to build a state, institutions, police, and an army, to keep the law and order.
But Bush continues the game; he seems to enjoy it, wanting to have his personal revenge upon Saddam, distracting the world by this story.
As for us, the Iraqis, what would change in our lives or future if we see Saddam in trial or not? If he dies, or go to prison? Would that bring back our dead??? Would it repair the damage and destruction that has befallen our lives, our country???
We truly believe that Bush, by his malicious, clumsy, inconsiderate policy, has joined Saddam Hussein in destroying our lives. And for a correct justice, he should be placed with Saddam Hussein in the same accusation cage, he should be asked for the foolishness he committed when he started this war, asked about the lives that were reaped, innocents and non- innocents, in this dumb war…which we gained nothing from, except destruction and devastation, and going back tens of years…
As for him and those who supported him to rage this war, the American flag returned to wave on a new colony, a colony that those who harbored the dreams of expansion and imperialism inside America always dreamed of…and here she is, finally, in their arms…to rake havoc and destruction with…as any imperialist would…
*************
Translated by May. Baghdad.
# posted by Faiza Al-Araji @ 2:51 pm 
