A Family in Baghdad

Saturday, May 7th, 2005
Good morning….
I am still studying the (TOEFL), and what is good about it is that you do not only know the secrets of the new language, but also understand the mentality of the people of that language.
When we got to a subject like how to write the required Essay for the final exam, you have four possibilities to the kind of Essay we want: (a) agree or disagree, or (b) discuss one, precise position that you support; (explain), (c) an argument about a specific issue, or, (d) a comparison to favor and choose between two; (preference).
The issue is to write what you like, but you only score a high mark at the exam when you convince the reader, bringing forth at least three points to prove the validity of your view point…
Of course, the idea brings on a smile, and a head shake, in wondering.
The lady who teaches us says: I do not care what you say, with whom, or against whom, the important thing is; convince me!
Of course, this is a method followed in the west, expressing a (Mentality), which is different from our way of life, and how we think about the issues of life.
This method makes a person more loving to thinking and debating, its positivety lies in making people simpler, clearer, more honest, and more self-confident, there being no reason to lie or hide. But its danger is that it might permit a person to go too far, having no more limits in logic and brain, so he would become a non-believer in anything, even GOD, considering that his mind is free from everything.
And in our land, the predominant in our way of life is the manner of imitation and patterning after others, we do have thinkers and intelligent people, but they are special cases in the nation, because the majority believes in undisputable maters that can't be discussed, and as a result, lying shows up as a common social trait, to get away from doing things that might be criticized by people and society, or it might lead to the emergence of a class of angry, indignant people, (mostly the young), showing contempt and scorn against the whole nation and its heritage, becoming infidels in everything in which people believe, even GOD.
I can almost feel their pain, suffering, and their wish to change this stupid reality… but they chose the shortest route, (the route usually taken by the foolish and the lazy), spitting upon everything, and they either lived here, indignant and angry at everything, or emigrated, leaving everything back…
Are they right? By GOD I don't know…
Should they have been stronger, having more resolve, and self confidence? I do not suppose everybody is capable of being aware, patient, with faith, stability, resolve, and an undying wish to change… most would try here or there, for a month or two, a year or two, then would cut off hope, becoming a non-believer in everything, hating everything….
I see these models present everywhere in our Arabic World.
In Iraq, they supported the occupation, because they do not believe that the change towards the better could arise from the people of the land… they lost hope, love, and respect, for themselves and their people… finding that they should raise their hats to greet the occupier, because he is better than us, technologically, economically, and politically… we being the loser scum, who wouldn't create a bright future unless we followed their instructions…
These models are present in Iraq, and all the Arab World countries. …
I do not say they are the majority, or a minority… but they are there….
And I know there are other factions, who believe in the powers of this nation, that change shall undoubtedly take place one day, from inside us, by our hands, not by those of strangers…
*****************************************
Why did some of us lose confidence in himself, and his nation?
Perhaps because most of our modern history is thwarting. After 400 years of the Ottoman occupation, the World War 1, and the entry of the British and French occupation forces to occupy most of the Arabic countries…under the famous Siexs-Beacoue Treaty… and when I was a child in primary school, we learned the history of Iraq, and read the famous sentence: "…and Britain occupied Iraq, then implemented the policy of (Divide, and rule) in it…".
We were young, and fools, so we didn't understand, but the teacher stood up to explain what (Divide, and rule) means… she said: they divide the people into sects and groups, discriminating in dealing with each, to make them fight among themselves, thus forgetting about the occupation….
Hummm… when I grew up, I saw with my own eyes how the American occupation entered Iraq, and deployed the same idea again, trying to make us believe we are sects and groups, (Sunni Arabs, Shia'at Arabs, then Kurds), so we would fight every day…forgetting about them, forgetting the calamity of having a foreign occupation that should get out of our country.
And since they entered, the occupation forces are spreading the idea of: How can we get out, while you are fighting among your selves?
Hummm… so, "they' are innocent, they want the best for us… but we are monsters, who do not understand, fighting senselessly among ourselves, telling the whole world: please, keep the occupation forces so we could live a happy life, and have a happy future, for without them our lives and futures are merely an inferno….
Who would have thought that we shall grow up to see an occupying force enter Iraq, like it happened in 1916, or soon before, or after?
I used to think that the memories of imperialism shall remain in mind, from what we heard from grand parents, fathers and mothers… but fate was keeping this surprise in store for us, to witness the occupation, see with our eyes and hear with our ears, and realize with our minds the theory of (Divide, and rule) on the ground of reality again, in Iraq…
****************************************************
After a long struggle, the British occupation moved out of Iraq, and a national government, full of mistakes and stupidity, came along…
Life changed…and the pattern of thinking and living in the world around us, changed… but we remained in a small, restricted, suffocating circle… under the shadows of governments, most of which were backwards, on the daily life level, in the state offices, their rules, and their treatment of citizens; in a dumb, bureaucratic way, or with terrible administrative corruption. The economy is retard, sleeping, the educational systems and programs were stupid, old, and backwards, t5he media and cultural mediums encouraged obedience, stupidity, not to think or discuss…. The political life was backwards, suffocating, without development, the same faces, the same parties, the same old mentalities, as if they were the cave clan.
Those who rule were either from ruling families (Sheiks, princes, or kings), sitting on the thrones since tens of years without change, (I do not think that the Monarchial system is the reason of retardness, for example, because in England, there is an old, reigning family, but this didn't stop them from changing governments, parties, and policies, from then, till now), or, we were ruled by military men, who came to the power seat straight from the tank, ( like Saddam Hussein, and others more), and they all came with a long life sticking glue, (wish we could find out what brand, for it seems to be excellent, apparently), and they would remain on the power seats until they die, then, their sons would follow them, (so, without prior planning, we changed from republics, to kingdoms).
But the reality was frozen, without change… the same mentality, the same old, boring system; lifeless, without renovation. The pictures of the presidents always filled the Arabic streets, (and not just the miserable Saddam Hussein, whom they scandalized, portraying him as the twentieth century criminal).
The question now is: who brought these to rule us? Why do they remain sticking for those long years, and would not budge? Why don't we change them? Do we really love and want them? Or are the miserable, Arab people dreaming that America would come and throw off all seats, like they did to Saddam's regime, bringing in new faces, (but that dream turned into a black nightmare in Iraq).
Yes, we do need to change these frozen faces and mentalities, but how?
That is the question….
Our rulers permit, from time to time, to have elections in some of the Arabic countries, to have the appearance of the democratic, but they would stand watch at the heads of the miserable citizens, to choose "them" again, (as the Iraqis used to do). Well, then, what is the solution?
Would it come from abroad, or from us?
Look at Egypt, for example… a month ago, there were demonstrations demanding more political reforms, some days later, there was a wave of explosions, and terrorism, so, the state apprehended people, and threw them into prisons.
The question is: for years now, Egypt was safe and secure, so, why did the explosions start a week after the people's demands of democracy, and reforms?
What is happening? Who wants to impede the march of change towards democracy?
Are those the conducts of the foolish people? Or are they the conducts of the smart government?
The same questions go fro Iraq… are the explosions carried out by the stupid resistance, not knowing where her good advantage lies, killing Iraqi civilians to deform her appearance in front of the world, or, some intelligent planners stand behind these explosions, wanting the occupation forces to remain, giving her the reason…
I don't know… let us not talk by the conspiracy mentality… but debate, by logic….
***********************************
The Arab world is ruled by men who do not like change…nor for light to enter the people's minds, or to open the doors of life in front of them….
Perhaps, by having an ignorant, backwards, dumb people, lies my only guarantee to remain on the ruling chair…
I think that this is how their mentalities are…and their rule of the backwards, miserable states they rule. If the people were smart, free minded, full-bellied, they shall form a danger, because they will think, argue, and interfere…throwing down the chairs, and then, the privileges of power, money, and authority will be gone.
So, the ignorance of these people is the only safety factor to remain in power.
Is this the way our rulers think? I wish I am mistaken….
The United Arab Emirates forms a unique, advanced case, and doesn't belong to our world…because it is a financial center from which the west benefits, so they extended a helping hand, (positively, not like in Iraq), and they produced consultants to the investors and government. The whole system there is western… since you walk into the Airport, to the streets, restaurants, hotels, the various commercial shops, and the companies of services and investments….they all work by a western vision, and orientation…
As for the rest of the Arabic states…most have either regimes who support the American policies, their budgets being poor, they take financial aid, and loans to remain alive, (democracy and human rights are not important here, the important thing is that the rulers support American policy), and let those governments sit heavily on their citizen's hearts, who do not love them.
Or, there are the oil-rich governments, pro-American, putting millions of dollars of the oil money yearly in the American and European banks. That money wouldn't be used in investments in the Arab world, to improve the financial situation, and reduce unemployment, no matter, let those people go to hell, the important thing is; America is pleased with the government, and the government's money is in the American banks…
A comedy, by GOD…this poor Arab world, a miserable, retard finance, states without development, and has nothing to do with it, for it isn't a priority of life, the life's priorities here being how to sit upon the chair, and stick with it forever… those with the money, or without money, have the same mentality…the least they care about is the welfare, interest, and happiness of these oppressed people……
*********************************
A long history, full of frustration, failure, and inaction, or moving backwards, as in Iraq…that is the history of most of the Arab people.
And a lot of people are grumbling, wanting change.
But, is there any hope in the horizon? I don't know….
But I became convinced that we have two important steps in front of us, towards life, and the shiny future of this nation's people…
First: Changing those governments and leaderships, and changing the mentality of the every day's life way, and heading to the future…
And Second: Forbidding the west from interfering "Negatively" in our lives….
These are the important points that I think are the key to change towards a better life… as for the rest of the details…. they will all change to the better; the financial, health, education, media systems, etc.., etc …..
But, it is the first steps that are always the most difficult…
************************************
Translated by May/Baghdad.