A Family in Baghdad

Good morning..
I`ll go to the Dead Sea ,to attend a conference about Iraqi women.
I`ll be back after one week inshalla
and will write about that...
wish you all nice days
faiza

Monday, March 28th. 2005
Good evening….
I am busy these days with my computer studies, and getting ready for the (TOEFL) course, in English, that will start next week, by GOD's will, for I shall need these topics if I decide to study for the Master's Degree.
Time is a precious thing, which flies away quickly! For those who need it, it seems this way, but for that who spends similar days, without change, time would seem lost, and without value.
As we move on in life, and grow older, visions and goals would become clearer, the importance of time would show, and its value.
This rule may be good for individuals sometimes, but it also fits states, generally. And we, to our pity, are one of the states that does not care much for time.
When you go to finish some business in a bank, or an institution, you shall see there how your nerves would be shattered, and nobody would respect your time, and fish your business quickly.
This is a way of thinking…not a coincidence. This is a way of thinking that needs to be changed, and developed.
How many things there are in our lives that need to be changed, and developed??
I think the required list would have a beginning, but no end, to the pity.
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Some days a go, there was a conference of the Arab league, and the heads of states, which ended with general recommendations.
Almost the whole of Arabic street looked on, smiling, and wondered: Who cares?? What new things shall the Arab leaders say? What is their ability to change and improve the miserable reality in which this nation lives??
Most Arabic states and their people are deteriorating, from bad to worst, year after year, decayed after decayed. The economic, cultural, social, and political conditions inside, and the state's position and value among world nations.
And the leaders, what are they doing? They meet, and discuss most cases secretly, in bilateral meetings, then we see them smiling to cameras, talking to newspapers and TV's in speeches whose sentences are so elastic that you can not understand what they mean, so old and repeated a thousand times, so there is nothing new in them. Then, we hear the final report of the meeting, and wonder: What's new about it? And why did they meet, in the first place?
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This time, it was obvious that their meeting was in consent to the American Administration's call, about the democratic process and its development, and the normalization of the relations with Israel. There were some un-written promises to implement democracy, merely promises, without programs or plans. As for the second item, the answer came like this: most Arabic states are ready to normalize the relations, if Israel would withdraw back to its boarders before the 1967 war.
Meaning- withdrawing from the West Bank and Gaza, moving beyond these areas, and guaranteeing the right to return to the Palestinians who were pushed out of their lands by force.
Of course, Israel doesn't like this manner of speech. She wants the Arabs to say: yes, we agree to an un-conditional peace. And it is my belief that, even if the Arabs would say so, Israel would stall some more, degrading them more, for this has been her policy with Arabs since it came on here. There is a "Deaf men's dialogue" between her, and her neighbors, there is some arrogance, hostility, and neighborly-disrespect, and the American Administration would always support her.
Where is the justice in this issue? Why should the western people always get the impression that Arabs hate Israel, and do not want peace?
Today on the news, there was an item saying that the Israeli parliament refused to vote on the decision to withdraw from Gaza. And this means the refusal of the Arabic suggestion to withdraw back to the1967 boarders.
And America shall come up with more pressures on the Arabs…
This whole matter seems like a boring, endless tale...................
and everyone lost the enjoyment of care, or the wish to hear more.
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The Arab league did not interfere to fix the hot files between Arab states; Iraq is occupied, its condition is painful, and in need of assistance and support. Now, there is someone who wages a hostility campaign against Jordan, then Syria, stirring up the Iraqis to kick out the Arabs from Iraq. There is a raging fire between Syria and Lebanon, which faces a new wave of explosions, as if someone wants to start up a second civil war. Saudi Arabia is mad at Libya, accusing her with an attempt to assassinate the heir to the throne.
The Arabic situation in general is frustrating…threatening the whole history, culture, and civilization of the entire nation. Nevertheless, the leaders meet, and smile in front of the cameras, as if all is moving very well, or, as if they are living in another world…without connection to what the people are feeling, and suffering from.
Whenever our leaders meet, I remember a verse from the Holy Quran: (…and you would think them united, but their hearts are diverse…).
This is the reality of the situation. Suddenly, conflicts and hatreds would erupt among them, and only yesterday they were sitting together, laughing?
Then, you would discover that the reality of it is; everyone thinks about himself, not caring about others, or about the value of such relations between brothers.
There is no more brotherhood. Life has become an interest… How much will you give me? How much shall I gain from you?
This is the language of dialogue in the world. The vocabulary of days long ago, words like neighbors, brotherhood, and kinship… are worthless now. As for words like religion, history, or joint culture… these became an old-fashioned mode, and rustic vocabulary, worthless in today's world. And the balancing account in the trust bank, between those leaders and their people, has reached the Zero level, a long time ago. There is a huge gap between what governments say, and what they do, inside the country, and abroad, and there is an obvious separation between people and governments; each now has their own vocabulary, with their convictions, that has nothing to with the other's vocabulary, or their convictions…
When governments talk, people would wait, and listen, then move on without care, for they no longer believe anything… due to lots of negative experiences, fake promises, injustice, and the lack of democracy, so, credibility, then trust, fell away.
Was there away left, after all this, for dialogue?
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And I look at the leaders of Europe when they meet. Whenever they meet, they come out with resolutions and avenues to make their governments and people closer… a united Visa, a united currency, laws of investment and trade to make thinks easier and push together the viewpoints, and to bring benefits to everyone. As for us, well, we have agreed long ago not to agree.
This is the true disaster of the Arab Nation.
And we always say: Look at Israel, there are always some conflicts in the leadership, but they are always in agreement when it comes to the benefits of the people and state, they do not give it up, and that is the reason of their strength.
And look at the Arabic governments…each is singing to a different tune… and each of their minds is in a different ally, so diverse from his neighbor.
How could such a nation have the success of life one day??
It seems like a very far off dream.....................
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And the hot issues of the nation are: religion and its connection with the state, the democracy in ruling, women's rights, the relations with Israel, and terrorism, and its connection with Islam….
Those issues are thought over by the American Administration, who devices their policies, then ask the Arab leaders to implement them…
Ha,ha,ha…
Which means that neither our present nor future are our concern, nor our picture in the minds of other nations, or our viewpoint about what is being fabricated against us… let others think and plan, and we shall obey, and carry out…
Shall we laugh or cry, on what we have reached?
There is a suspicious official silence about most of these issues, for they are not displayed in public, or discussed frankly.
Since the events of September 2001, and the fall of the New York towers, we have been stunned… the disaster was stuck upon Muslims, as terrorists, and enemies of humanity… and nobody is defending us…
People talk between them, and wonder: What is the role of our leaders here?
Shouldn't one of their priorities be giving enough interest, and providing clear answers about such matters, instead of mumbling, stalling, and running away from facing the truth?
I do not know why…but I think that they are afraid…
The whole world fears America, isn't this the reality of things?
Who would dare to say his opinion? Or challenge her?
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I look at the media we have, newspapers, magazines, and satellite channels, planting stupidness and ignorance in the minds of people… songs and dancing in countless satellite channels, and nobody knows who finances them…
Do they come from the money of Muslims? To make the Muslim youth lost?
Well… GOD bless you…
And some other channels talk about Islam as if we are still in the dark ages…
Talking about the Muslim woman's nails: Does she polish them, or not? And her eyebrows: does she remove the extra hair, or not? And the skin: does she peel it off, or not?
Oh, my GOD, is this what's left of Islamic matters? Is this the mission of Islam in our societies?
Who owns these channels, and who finances them? They raise silly, ignorant people, who are worthless among the people on earth.
When shall we wake up, and repair these degrading conditions??
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I go back to reading the history of Arabs, and Islam…
Arabs before Islam were separate, conflicting tribes, invading each other without respect to the neighborly rights. Interests and selfishness was what controlled them, fun and pointlessness moved their missionless, and meaningless life .........
Long term years were waged between tribes for silly reasons, going on for tens of years, like Al-Bassos war, and Dahis & Al-Gabra'a wars…
In Al-Bassos war, for example, there was a conflict because of a camel, a man killed another, from another tribe, so, war started between the two tribes, going on for 40 years…
And this is what we call: the mentality of the pre- Islamic epoch, the mentality of ignorance…
Then, Islam came along, forbidding such disgraceful acts, respecting humans, stating the rights and duties of people towards everything in life; towards their Creator, families neighbors, relatives, and all of society, giving Man a reason for his existence, his mission, and why he was created.
Islam encouraged the good deeds, because GOD sees them, and rewards them, in this life, and the afterlife. Encouraged saying the truth, doing charity, and moving against bad deeds when you see them, so these things wouldn't spread in society, and that we shouldn't live under the slogans; "why should I care?? This is none of my business"…
The prophet Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), described the one society as being like a ship, with people sailing on it, and there are always the fools who want to make some hole into the bottom floor, but these shouldn't be left alone to sink the ship, with everyone on board, but a limit should be put to their follies, because they would be destroying everybody.
GOD in his Holy book forbids injustice among people, forbids the arrogance of the rich upon the poor, eating each others rights, lies, bribery, thefts, adultery, tattling, and every foul deed. HE organized the relations between man and his wife and children, mentioning the rights of parents and relatives, the inheritance, the ways of dealings between people, like buying and selling, contracts, witnesses, debts, marriage and divorce, and other aspects of life, declaring that monopolization and cheating are forbidden in trade. GOD made almsgiving a must, for those who have a surplus of money, to help the poor in society, so that the society wouldn't end up with a rich, pampered faction, and another poor, crushed faction.
Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), spread Islam by the peaceful call, and fought the tribe of Quraish when they decided to kill him, (Quraish was the rich, arrogant, unjust super power in Arabia), and Mohammad was the peaceful, poor Man, who doesn't read or write, a Shepard. How did he turn into the leader of a nation? How did he lead her from victory to victory, from glory to glory?? He had no technology, nor advanced weapons, but he had enough faith in GOD, and he relied on GOD the GREAT.
That was his strongest, and by far the most accurate, weapon.
Who has it today, among the Muslim leaders??
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Islam is not only praying, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and a set of rules…
Islam is liberating the soul from fear and slavery, handing the soul to THAT WHO CREATED HER, so the soul would become civilized, strong and solid, fearing none but the Creator, and capable of facing difficulties.
The greatest struggle, or Jihad, in Islam is: a word of truth in the face of an unjust ruler. So, where is Islam today?? How much was it disfigured?
Islam was deformed by men who commit violence, killing people, and claim this to be Islam.
Who is our high example? Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), or Al-Zarqawi, and Bin Laden?
In the holy Quran there is a verse that describes him, (Peace be upon him): (…it is by the mercy of GOD that you are gentle to them, and were you rough and thick hearted, they would have moved away from you…).
Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), prevailed among people with mercy, and GOD the MERCIFUL, is the ONE WHO FORGIVES, and Loves those who offer mercy.
Mohammad ruled among people by counsel, according to the rules of the Holy Quran: (… and their decisions are by their council, so, take their council, and if you decide, depend on GOD to go on…), meaning; ask your trusted companions for council, and I you reach a decision, say: OH GOD, I am depending on You, so, be with me, and do not make me the victim of my ignorance, fancies, or my ill thoughts, so I wouldn't commit something to displease you.
Would GOD ever let down that who depends upon him, in a clean intent?
This is the democracy of Islam; asking the collective lot, taking council, then, depending upon GOD to carry out the decision.
And when the religion was established in Arabia, some Quranic verses said: (… there is no compulsion in religion, for the right path is clear against the wrong one…). And other verses said, addressing the infidels :(… oh infidels, I do not worship what you worship, you do not worship what I worship…you have your religion, and I have mine.)
Is there a democracy more than this??
And the Prophet Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), recited his Will, in his last speech on the day of Al-Wadd'a Pilgrimage, (the farewell Pilgrimage- the last one he made) that: a Muslim's blood, money, and honor are forbidden to another Muslim),….(do not return as infidels after my death, each cutting the other's neck….).
What is happening now to Islam, and the Muslims?? Who are those who declare it is “o.k” to kill Muslims, and non-Muslims?
Are they the enemies of Islam? Or a bunch of ignorants, who think they are doing well to Islam?
These are the mentalities of the pre- Islamic epoch… these aren’t the manners of Muslims.
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But when I get back to history, I see that the rulers have taken a different path from the teachings of Islam, since the Umayyad rule in Damascus, and the Abbasid in Baghdad, for tyranny and injustice prevailed during the Umayyad period, who seized the rule by force. Then the Abbasids threw their state, and became the masters of people, also by force, killing all their opponents.
And there appeared a faction of religious men, away from the ruling class, whom people sought for guidance, and because they trusted them in solving the matters of religion. The caliph had the political power, but the religious power remained far away, hidden, and many of its symbols were subjected to killing and torture, to force them to support the ruler’s existence, and give legality to his authority.
I see that people, in spite of all calamities, injustice, and darkness, never stopped giving…
I see that, since those times, we became a nation who lives in a world different in its language and vocabulary from that of our governments…
We read the poems of Jareer, Al-Akhtal, and Al-Farasdak in the Umayyad period, and it hails the caliph, and speaks love words to dancers, and wine … while there was the other hidden face…
There were some burning, political revolutions, like that of Hussein, (Peace be upon him), and his martyrdom with his companions defending the truth, in confrontation with the injustice of the Umayyads.
We learned all this when we grew up, while at school we only read the silly, playful poetry.
That was in Iraq…
And in Arabia, we read the love poems of Omer Bin Aby Rabee’a, and others like Jameel Buthaynah, and Qayse Bin Al Mulawah. But when we grew up, we understood that the wide spread of such silly, exposed poetry was because the youth of the nation there were forbidden from political participation, so, they spent their days in trifles… we learned about the revolution of Bin Al-Zubair in Hejaz, how the Umayyads killed him, and he was an honest patriot against injustice. And in the Abbasid period, the poems of Abu Nuwas filled our books of literature… while he sang in praise of wine, pretty women, and young men. While the men of religion, the descendants of the Prophet, were subjected to death, torture, and imprisonment, because of their political views, and their stand against the injustice of rulers. Even the clergymen, those of the sects, like Al-Shafi’i, Al-Hanbali, Bin malik, and Abu Haneefa, were subjected to harassments; injustice, and force, genius poets like Al-Mutanabii, Abu Alla’a Al-Ma’ari, and Abu Firas Al-Hamadani were all chaised and harmed, because of their rulers-opposing opinions.
Scientists like Bin Sina, Al-Khawarizmy, Al-Razzi, Al-Farabi, Al-Kindy, Bin-Rushed, and Bin Khaldoon, all lived some cruel, dark years of political turnings and unrest, but they never stopped giving… many religious renewal Scientists, like Al-Gazzali, Al-Hassan Al-Basri, and others … left a bright, shiny heritage nobody can deny.
Perhaps Islam went so deep into people’s hearts, giving them strength, and the patience to face harm… and nothing stopped them from giving, because they believe that good deeds are never lost from the accounts of GOD.
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Religion moved deep into the hearts and minds of the people of Arabia, and the neighboring countries (Iran, Turkey, and the other eastern countries who received the message of Islam). Thinking, logic, giving opinions, writing books about the rules of language, religion, Islamic teachings, and other sciences like Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Medicine, the Science of Speech, the science of mysticism, and Sociology, all these became features of the people here, Arabs or non-Arabs, since hundreds of years. Why?
Perhaps it is because they live in the land that is the cradle of the three religions. The heritage of the Islamic religion has many living monuments; the graves of Prophets and their companions, the places where they lived or worshiped, books talking about their lives and words, all these make them live with us daily, making us aware of their presence….
Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace), said, in meaning, that we do not need more prophets, for the Book of GOD, and the teachings of Mohammad are the light by which we walk, even in times of darkness….
Even if religion was separated from state, it cannot be separated from people’s hearts and minds, and their daily life.
Even the Christian who lives here has perhaps more faith than that who lives in the west, because he lives in the same towns where Christ (Peace be upon him) lived, understanding his message completely in this context, and not like the Christian who got the story from a far, while in an other world, and environment.
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For that who lives in the west, where material, industry, and technology controls everything, being the master who talks, and is obeyed… the feelings of religion shrink little by little, because man turns into a practical person, so, his way of measuring things and looking at them, change.
Like what is happening now, in the case of Mrs. Schiavo, who is in a state of illness, being mentally dead for long years, and whose husband decided to ask the doctors to lift off the nourishment tubes, so she would die of hunger. Her parents were protesting, and filing a complaint in court, while the husband sees this as a personal matter, concerning him alone, and nobody has the right to interfere.
Here I remembered the talk about the ship, told by The prophet Mohammad, (the prayers of GOD be upon him, and His Peace); we either let the fools make a hole into the ship’s bottom, thus we sink with them, or we stop them, so we, and everyone else would come out safely.
Who builds the morals and manners of society? The mass, or the individual??
That who drinks alcohol, or takes drugs, do we stop him, or is it a personal freedom?
An adulteress woman, do we stop her, or is it a personal freedom?
The homosexuals, do we stop them, or is it a personal freedom?
If we let them, it will be a repeated case, and so many will imitate…
So, do we stop them, and protect the whole society from sinking in??
Or are these personal freedoms?
These are difficult, important questions, but a believer won’t be labored in finding the answer…
The picture is clear…as long as the principals are clear. And I think the principals are the bases on which we step, to stand upon solid ground.
If those were personal freedoms, then I have a question to ask:
What have those personal freedoms given to society, but decay, loss, and degradation??
Where are the creative samples? The standards of our boys and girls became dancing men and women, singing and shouting shamelessly, without modesty; neither in clothes nor in movements, and their personal lives are shameful stories and scandals.
Is this civilization?
Ha...ha...ha.
What a miserable, failing civilization.
And I do not want to forget to tell you, that these channels in our televisions cut off the dancing, exposed broadcast suddenly, and show the sounds of ADA’AN, (the call for prayer from Mecca).
Ha...ha...ha. a comedy, by GOD.
Do they want to remind us that it is an Islamic channel, or what?
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And I always wonder: the west surrounds us, interfering in every small or big matter in our countries, but never interfered in a positive way…for the good of these governments or people.
The west never helped our governments to develop its work, nor to modernize the administration methods, the educational systems, the economy, or any other modern sciences. They never taught the governments how to be more open towards the world, but rather pushed her to keep moving in tight circles, which suits the west, and wouldn’t compete with it.
When America chose some friends in the region, she chose the Bin Laden model to support, push up, and put in the light circle. Which is the extremist model among Muslims, the Taliban government being the most backwards among the Muslim governments. Why?
To say to the world: look, those are the Muslims!
We always wondered why America prefers the company of these strange people, even to us, for their way of thinking, and their handling of the matters of life?
But after the September events, we understood that they were the suitable tools to disfigure Islam.
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Translated by May/ Baghdad.