A Family in Baghdad

Monday, October 24th, 2005
Good morning…
The news of Baghdad reach us through many ways, all speaking of hot topics about which the debate goes on, and the reactions towards them vary; some agree, and some reject…
The story of the amazing Iraqi constitution, whose bases were laid down by Bremier, the American governor after the fall of Baghdad, and now comes the time to vote about it…
President Bush says in the Media that the Iraqis are free, they shall go to vote about the constitution, but he didn't mention the other half of the story; that the Iraqis weren't free when that constitution was forced upon them, meaning that they didn't write or form its major principals, like Federalism, which is the most conflict and debate- arising point….then there is the removed identity of Iraq, taken away with a resolution by Premier; no clear declaration of Iraq's Arabic nature, as if he wanted to open a new page for Iraq's history, separating it away from its long history, its Arabic neighbors, and their combined struggle against one enemy.
Two days ago, a small news item attracted my attention in the newspapers; a bomb laid at night destroyed the statue of Abu Jaffer Al- Mansoor, in Al- Mansoor area in Baghdad. I felt very sad about that, like I felt sad about the ruining and looting of the Iraqi Museum in the days of the war upon us. I am not sad about the material of the statue, but it symbolized the Abbasid Caliph who built Baghdad, and those who blasted it were as if addressing a letter of hate against Baghdad, the capital of the Arabic-Islamic Empire, as if joining forces with the writer of the new Iraqi Constitution in denying the Arabic-Islamic identity of Iraq, and denying its ancient history.
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What very much attracted my attention these days, is the absence of the random bombings that targeted the civilians, that used to be attributed to Al-Zarqawi, and which aimed at stirring up turmoil, pushing towards a civil Sunni-Shia'ats war, a fight between Muslim brothers.
I have a question: Was Al-Zarqawi by those acts working for the benefit of Bremier's policy, and for the American administration in Washington, and thus pushing the Iraqi people to agree to the ideas of Federalism and separation?
I see he has been "silent" since the referendum about the constitution, and the beginning of imposing it as an actuality of which there is no running away…As if this is a "surrender" to the will of those who composed the constitution, or else he was working for them….
Anyway, I wish him to go to hell, that is-if he was really alive, or let that who invented his presence and made it up to destroy the Iraqi's life for two years now, go to hell instead…
Well, after the disappearance of Al-Zarqawi from the scene, the daily bombings are targeting either the occupation forces, or the Iraqi National Guards, whose reputation has worsened very much, for joining the occupation forces in the hateful, unjust acts of raiding the houses of the Iraqis, or besieging Iraqi towns, bombing them, destroying house, and displacing the residents under the excuse of chasing insurgents…
We have learned to understand the official expressions, and what they mean for us….
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There are some Iraqi Opposition Parties who say that the voting in the referendum was marred by a lot of transgressions; like threatening the voters by pro-government Party militia, or seizing the vote boxes by the government's security forces in areas where the vote was likely to be (NO) rather than (YES)… and there were stories about attempts to forge the voting results in many Provinces, so it would come out with a (YES)…. But the arrival of the Arab League delegation relieved the tense situation, and eased a lot of the tensions in the political street, where bloody clashes were expected because of the result: Yes, or No…
We do not know whether the Arabic initiative was really a pure, Arabic initiative? Or were there some pressures from Mama America, to get the American administration out of its deadlock in Iraq; the second swamp after Vietnam….
We wished that the Arabic Will was truly free, they would have interfered from the beginning to prevent the war on Iraq, they would have stopped missiles from falling over our heads, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi victims, the ruin, the distraction, and the bleeding that will take tens of years to stop, and to rebuild the country so as to stand on its feet…
Then, came the catastrophe that is not easy to get rid of, as if it is a strong glue that couldn't be easily removed, and be done with: the hateful occupation forces….
The Iraqi's dream will remain, that they shall strive to achieve as a first step to build a new, free, democratic Iraq; to get these forces, like an alien existence in the Iraqi homeland body, out of Iraq…
Iraq shall regain its wellbeing when he will push that alien existence out of its land one day….
The Arab League delegation is arranging for a national Iraqi reconciliation meeting, between Iraqi Parties from different factions, that would perhaps be held in Cairo by the middle of next month…
We really wish that meeting would be the beginning of a new Iraqi political era, as the elections are nearby, and everybody is preparing to run and win most seats in the new Parliament and the coming government…
When the ghost of the occupation forces looms in the picture, it is capable of thwarting our hopes, and planting doubts about the possibility of achieving our national dreams…….
Meaning; as long as there is an occupation, as long as legitimacy is deficient, deformed, and amputated…
But I believe that the Iraqis should knock on all doors, and use all means; peaceful, or not peaceful, political, and non political, to throw the occupation away, and achieve liberating Iraq, land and people….
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Then, came the story of the former president, Saddam Hussein's trial, along with his aids in ruling, and the trial's broadcasting on TV…. of course there is a lot of hubbub; some sees this trial illegal, illegitimate, and a comedy, because of the occupation's existence, and the lack of free, Iraqi will…
And that is a valid viewpoint… but it doesn't eliminate the fact that he was an unjust leader, a dictator who went too far in hurting his people…
And we always say: if Saddam Hussein was more democratic, perhaps GOD would have aided him, and all Iraqis would have stood with him, and defended him…
But he hurt us all, spearing no one…even his relatives, the people of his village, and his kin weren't safe from his wrath, and the storms of his anger… and his lawyer wants to defend him on the Al- Dijael case, arguing that the documentary film that was shown about Saddam's visit to that town may have been false, and therefore cannot be trusted…
We saw the film, and no one doubted its credibility; Saddam greeted people in his special way, waving his hand from the balcony of some building… people were a crowd, cheering, and clapping. It was clear that all the families have been driven out of their houses, men and women, to pay respects and greet the president, for that who wouldn't cheer loudly shall be charged of not loving the president, and shall face a calamity…
How very boring, humiliating people, and degrading their humanity?
Then, in a shot of the film, there was a soldier held by the security (men of the president may GOD save him), they dragged him by the collar of his khaki shirt because he was accused of being involved in an incident of shooting at the president's convoy.
The accused man said while shaking: Sire, may I be a sacrifice to your shoe, I am not involved, I am the son of a well-known family, just ask about me… but Sire the president just looked at him, smiling mockingly…
And another one before that said: Sire, I am fasting…
And the president said mockingly: Oh, yes, and Khomeini is also fasting…meaning; at that time Khomeini was the No. 1 enemy of Iraq, waging an aggressive war on Saddam Hussein.
After that, the shots showed the president visiting the citizen's houses, listing to their stories, putting the children on his lap, and joking with them like any loving father….
I remembered that the Iraqi TV then used to broadcast the president's pictures and films about his visits to various Iraqi towns, day and night, as if he was the Only Unique, who, alone, deserves to be worshiped by people…..
Those days were the beginning of the emergence of his tyranny and dictatorship upon the Iraqis….
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The prosecuting lawyer attacked the former president during the trial, I mean; he was harsh upon him, opening the files of wars against the neighbors, killing the Iraqi Kurds in the North, and the Arabs in the South, and arresting and torturing thousands of Iraqis…
Of course, the defense attorney objected against the prosecution, accusing him of bringing up irrelevant subjects, and slandering the accused…
I personally didn't think the man went outside the subject, but he took the opportunity to bring out what was in his heart, like any Iraqi, angry after the injustice and tyranny of tens of years… which included all the people.
I wish he would have said to him: GOD gave you a rich country, people who obeyed and submitted to you, you could have held this nation's head high, and be a second Sallahideen, only if you would have used sense and wisdom well, and made justice your mean, and purpose…. But you fell victim to arrogance and the feeling of superiority, chose the path of injustice and tyranny, and thus were unjust to yourself and your people, and destroyed all of Iraq….
It is because of your stupidity and ill judgment that you entangled us in unnecessary wars, in which you achieved the interests of the west, and destroyed the interests of this nation, so this was the wrath of GOD….and you were hit from the west, that which you adulated, collaborated with, and thought of as a help, and a support…..
But the west and its capitalist governments believe only in interests; and when their interests with you are finished, they renounce you as if they have never known you at all…. This is their history with a lot of the tyrant leaders, like the Shah of Iran, and Marcus of the Philippines…when their people decided to revolt against them, America renounced them as if they were never her agents one day….
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The trial of the former Iraqi president makes everyone with a living mind and conscience sad….
Because it is an indication of GOD'S rule, and HIS justice on earth, and like the Quran says, that "… GOD strikes people by one another…", meaning; as we usually say: GOD sends a very unjust man to strike an unjust man, so GOD would punish him through that…
But this doesn't mean that we believe the Bush administration came to achieve the justice of heaven, but we believe that every tyrant shall meet his day, and there will come the day to punish that administration for the crimes it committed in Iraq; killings, injustice, and bloodshed…
GOD is one, HIS standards are one, and HE wouldn't forbid some people from committing something, then allows others to commit it…
But the wise comprehend, and beware of GOD'S anger, and the fools go too far, thinking that GOD is with them, supporting them for the follies they commit……
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Then I was amazed at the comments made by one of Saddam Hussein's daughters about the court, when she said her father is a lion, and a hero…
If it was my father who stood in that position, I would have cried, asking GOD to forgive him, and have mercy upon him, alive or dead, and I would have apologized about the sins committed by my ruling family against the weak, miserable Iraqis, hoping that people would forgive and sympathize, forgetting their hate, pain, and sad memories….
What kind of a hero was he?
Is he a hero, that who kills people, putting them in prisons, torturing them, detaining their wives, daughters, and relatives, and doing them injustice when he gets angry?
I remember an honorable Prophetic saying, (one of the holy sayings) that says- A man was sitting beside a tree, and an ant bit his leg, so he burned fire into the whole ant house, and GOD reproached him: You should have punished only the one ant!
Meaning; that our GOD forbids the mass revenge……
Where was mercy, and the fear of GOD so far away from the heart of Saddam Hussein?
And his daughter says he is a brave hero…
I think the brave hero is that who shows mercy to people, not punish them cruelly and shed their blood to get revenge for himself….
I see those as a family who deserve pity and compassion, for with all that happened to them, they are still thinking with arrogance and insolence….
I ask GOD to guide them, and open their eyes to see the sins they committed, maybe they would repent, ask GOD'S forgiveness, and pray for mercy………
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As for the Bush administration, who thinks they are the heroes these days, having achieved justice on earth, especially on the land of Iraq…
But we see them no less criminals than Saddam Hussein….
And their day shall come, as his appointed day came…..
(…and those who were unjust shall know how their end will turn…)
Meaning; they shall see with their own eyes the end that awaits them….
And we too, shall wait, and see…
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Translated by May/Baghdad.