A Family in Baghdad

Saturday, June 25th, 2005
Good morning…
I am still in New York… it is a very crowded city…and looks old and filled with emigrants from all countries of the world.
Washington looked like an elegant, over proud Aristocratic lady…
New York looks public, noisy, inelegant, and not clean…
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Yesterday walked on the Brookline Bridge, which is an old one, with big piers of old, huge stones, and connected to them were the metal cables that carry the body of the Bridge. The Bridge has a central lane for pedestrians, with fences on the right and left, separating the car's lanes…
On the left of the Bridge, as we head towards the Municipality building, and the city center, looms ahead the Liberty Statue; a woman carrying a torch. The statue seems like it is drowning in far away fog….belonging to a far away world…
There were some boats making their way thought the water…with buildings lining on the left, which seem to be shopping centers, and not residential buildings…
I asked my friend, Tara: what are these? And where is the World Trade Center that was destroyed, and thus generated the war on poor Iraq?
She said: these buildings gather the big commercial companies, usually called (corporation) by the people here, as they express their anger and hate towards these companies; Mobiles, Computers, various products controlling the price in the market, merging with each other to protect their commercial interests, and the poor citizen is always the crushed one, and the won't-be-satisfied-companies are the beneficiaries….
I stood and looked on…..and understood that the buildings that were destroyed on that accursed September, (a black hour may it be), were here, standing among those…
Hummm…
I remembered the poster of the burning towers, the steel skeleton the only remaining part, and on it were stuck the photos of people who died here, and a great sentence: Our brothers will never be forgotten…
I remembered that poster, hung in the office of Senator Hilary Clinton, when we went to meet the staff in her office, to talk about Iraq, (she is the New York State representative, and that is why the poster hung in her office).
I asked him: before I talk about Iraq, can I know the Senator's position from the war on Iraq? Is she with, or against?
I think he was surprised from my question, but he was smart, and diplomatic… he said: after the September events, Senator Hilary joined a march to give President Bush the authority to react upon those events…
Hummm…
And what is her position now?
He said: she is following up the news about Iraq with concern, and interest, and she does not approve of the Abu Gahreb and Guantanamo prison's events, she is worried about the human rights…
Hummm…
I looked at the picture, the burning towers, and the photos of the dead…
I asked him: do you think there is a connection between us in Iraq, and this ugly criminal act? Do you think we did this to you?
Is there any evidence that an Iraqi hand was here?
Why do we have to pay for the mistakes of others?
He talked a lot…defended, and gave justifications, as usual… I do not want to hear the same boring words; I don't even want to remember….
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We walked on the Bridge…the weather was nice, the air fresh… I remembered the Generous Tigris, as it crosses Baghdad, beautiful, and calm….after the war its sight became silent, and sad, as if it carried the sorrows of all the Iraqis…
Whenever I saw old, tall trees, in Washington, Vermont, Boston, and New York, I remembered the Baghdad airport Road, with the trees growing for some 30 years; tall, green, bright…then, the ugly occupation forces came on, and cut off all the trees on that road, burning their roots, for security reasons, of course…
How much did we lose in Iraq; the souls of people we love, trees, roads, bridges, and destroyed houses…for the sake of "Liberating Iraq", which isn't liberated yet, but rather entered a dark prison, darker, and more cruel than those of Saddam Hussein's.
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After I met the staff of a number of Senators with my friend Mary, who works with the American groups demanding ending the war, and troops withdrawal, I became convinced that they know nothing about Iraq, and that the scope of their information, or their vision of what happened, and what is happening until now is: nothing…
And what about the future? What are the suggested solutions to bring peace to Iraq: nothing.
I discovered that their knowledge of Iraq is as much as my mother's, May GOD rest her soul, knowledge about the Nuclear Science.
I used to come back tired, by the end of everyday, tired by much talk and explaining so they could understand what is happening in Iraq, from an independent view point, by some eyes that have seen the injustice of Saddam Hussein and his mistakes, and the injustice of the occupation forces, and their mistakes….
I said to them: the thinking of the future should be free, and its vision should also be free; it shouldn't take sides, lie, or change the facts, as some in the Parties or the government usually do…those have lost their freedom, because they look at matters with one eye, so they look at half the truth, and cover the other half….
I used to tell Mary: by GOD I want to go home soon, I am not convinced by a dialogue with people who work for the government, it’s a waste of time….but I am doing it only for you, because you arranged that program.
The dialogue with non-governmental organizations is usually more comforting, and more positive, because they listen carefully, asking questions to know what happened, and what would the Iraqis suggest?
And asking how to extend help? They want to open direct links with Iraqi groups working inside Iraq, to coordinate the efforts of getting the occupation out…
I felt they were honest, seeking any possible way to help the Iraqis…
While the groups that work with the Senators; some of them used to listen carefully, with interest, and take notes, while others stared in my face, and I knew nothing of what's on their minds; with me? Against me?
I see them staring at me, bewildered….
Some promise that they will make all possible efforts and convey the information, and I think they are truthful to their word.
Others took no notes, leaving the room as if they were in a heavy, boring mission… and I do not suppose he will mention Iraq to the Senator he is working with…
But in my various meetings, I said to most of them: this is the actual state of things in Iraq now; the country is destroyed, the people are angry against the occupation, having lost all faith in it, they suspect it has any good intentions, that it is planning to remain in Iraq forever, that the Iraqi government is sending secret messages to extend the existence of the occupation forces in Iraq without consulting the people, and these are dangerous conducts, this government, who is supposed to represent the people, asking the people about their opinion. People discovered that the elections were an unclean, non-transparent game, the leaders of the parties, religious and non-religious parties, convinced the people to risk their lives to participate in the elections, promising to improve their conditions; the water supply, electricity, jobs, improve the security conditions, and drive away the occupation forces….so, the people went on and participated…your TV. Channels and your newspapers showed the photos of the Iraqis, with the purple imprint on their forefingers, and you said this is the victory in Iraq.
What victory is this?
The people elected lists that they only saw on the same day of the elections, and those had no working program.
Why should I elect while I do not know who is this and who is that, and what are their programs?
Do you usually do this here, in America?
What was changed for the Iraqis?
The new government spent three months, with its members in conflict around the positions…
Is this the democracy you wanted for Iraq?
When I used to see a convoy of a government member in Baghdad, there were two Humvee vehicles in front of his car, and two more behind it, with two helicopter planes hovering above…
Is this the government I should trust? A government living under the protection of the occupation forces?
We, the civilians, walk the streets, and are subjected to killings, robberies, and kidnappings, with only GOD, the lord of all creatures to defend us….
Where is the stability in Iraq? And what is the future that awaits us?
Do you think the Iraqis are like the miserable Afghanis?

Taliban used to forbid them from going to school…
While Iraq had a free educational system, you finish the university, and you can continue with the Masters and Doctorate degrees almost for free…
There are thousands and thousands of well-educated people, bearing high degrees, in Iraq, men and women, and from those the new Iraqi leaderships shall emerge….
Some of the assistants said to me: Why aren't you in the Iraqi government? You deserve to be a prime minister…
I answered, laughing: I am a clear person, and I do not like lies. I do not want the occupation forces in Iraq. Your government won't like me, and they will prevent any Iraqi like me from getting to rule in the present time…
And there is an assassination campaign going on in Iraq, since the end of the war, till now, a campaign to eliminate the beautiful, intelligent, Iraqi minds, so the main stream would remain populated only by the weak and poor, those who wouldn't argue….or wouldn't understand what is going on…
But after more than two years, and all the deadly attempts to evoke a civil war, the attempts didn't succeed; the Iraqis endured, because we have learned from our fathers the story of the British occupiers, and their well-known slogan: Divide, then rule….
And thank GOD, the Iraqis still reject the idea of a civil war…
When I studied about "Peace Building", I found it a clear and easy subject. I didn't go to the moon to study about peace, there are institutes in every American state teaching the Building of Peace, and this the Alphabets of whoever wants to work in politics.
Why wouldn't your leaders go to study peace?
I am just an engineer, but I found myself after the war working with Iraqi organizations, there were problems and chaos, so I decided to study something to lean on; it is a science, to be implemented in the post-war societies…
The occupation forces, and Premier, created conflict, and a division among Iraqis, not peace…
Do you want us to believe that the American leaders do not know how to make peace in Iraq?
Or to believe that what happened; the dividing of people, the provocation of hatred and violence were just mistakes, and mismanagements?
Very well, let me assume we are naïve, fools, and shall believe, what is the solution you have now, on the ground of reality?
What is the alternative?
They said: the government is talking now of a troop withdrawal, and a comprehensive national Iraqi dialogue initiative.
Hummm.
I said to them: this is your chance to prove your good intentions to the Iraqis.
There should be an official announcement of the opening of a national Iraqi dialogue, for Parties, and the national coalitions inside the government, and outside of it… they should sit around one table, put down a schedule of topics, and discuss every thing, the most important of which being the schedule of the occupation forces evacuation from Iraq…. And how to deal with the enemies who are hurting the Iraqis everyday, sending trapped cars to kill the civilians.
They must sit down together, and have a frank talk, face to face….
They asked me about the insurgents, and I said, as always: I do not like that word… we divide them into two groups; the national resistance, and those are against the occupation, and even the Iraqi government wouldn't dare to say that they are the enemies of the Iraqis…
But there are some faceless enemies, and those we want to throw out of Iraq… with the occupation forces, for they are connected together; if the occupation goes, so would the reason of their existence…
Iraq needs a strong government, springing from the people, an army, a police force to serve the people, not to arrest people, detain them, and torture them…
Leave Iraq to the Iraqis……
That would be the only solution................
If you want to help us, well, thank you. But if you don't want to, that would be your problem…
We know our way now..........
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When I got back from Washington to New York, by train… I saw thousands of cars parked in vast parking lots, in various cities. Trains ran in different directions, inside and outside of the cities…planes raced through the sky, towards far and near airports… huge trucks carried goods through the high ways…
And I realized that this country would die if it should lose the fuel…
It is the life's blood for it… without it, they would die…..
And I fully understand what is happening….
America is in a dilemma… a serious dilemma…
They cannot say the truth: we want your land; we want your oil…
So, they spend the time making up stories, and stories, and stories… to the American people, the Iraqis, and the whole world… to justify their remaining in Iraq…
I know it is a big challenge to the future of Iraq, and to the Iraqis…
But we do not have many choices… either we surrender to them, fear them, and hide in our houses…
Or we can stand up to them, stand in front of their faces, stop them in their tracks, and get them out of Iraq.
Because we endured a lot…and lost a lot…
We want a nicer future to our children…
And enough of what we saw; of injustice, and agony…
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Translated by May/Baghdad.