A Family in Baghdad

TUESDAY, JUNE 13TH, 2006
Good evening….
I want to talk about the situation in Iraq these days. There are two important news items in the front –
The first is- the killing of the accursed Al-Zarqawi, a person no Iraqi had seen, or testified he saw for more than three years. And even the Iraqis whom we saw in the hot spots, like Ramadi, Fallujah, or Hadeetha didn't recognize his existence.
And the second item is- the naming of the Interior, Defense, and National Security Ministers, so the full quorum of the new Iraqi government becomes full.
The Iraqis are waiting for the miracle to happen; the return of the government to Iraq, to be strong, controlling the security conditions in the country, with some stability inside to make the miserable Iraqis happy, and to make the other miserable people come back, those who fled the country in fear for their lives, after being threatened directly, or indirectly.
My family is one of these families, who wait, day after day, to go back home to Baghdad.
And I have a strong feeling of guilt; why should I drink cold water here, while the Iraqis are deprived of a drink of cool, clean water, in this killing summer heat?
And at night, when I put my head on the pillow, I remember the killing heat in the Baghdad night, without electricity, and people sleeping on the floor tiles, to touch up some coolness. Even generators are not operated all night, for where would they get the fuel from?
There is a shortage in generator fuels, there are numerous shootings, explosions, raids on houses, and endless arrests.
What is the meaning of life in Iraq?
All the beautiful meanings of life there are lost. for panic is the daily feeling, morning and night; militias for killings, free, incessant assassinations, sudden road blocks that kill people without a reason, bodies cast on the streets, which no one removes, on to a security chaos, the confusion of the government and the occupation forces, and- big statements.
But with nothing positive in reality, on the ground.
People are fed up, and began to despair from the improvement of things…
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Then, comes the happy declaration about killing AL-Zarqawi. Well then; if we assumed that the chaos and the destruction in Iraq for the past three years was caused by this hateful maniac, now he is announced dead, so, some real, positive change is supposed to happen in Iraq.
We shall see…
But we say: AL-Zarqawi is just an illusion they created to raid the Iraqi towns, kill the men, and imprison them. And now; the show is over- and as they created his existence, they created the story of his killing.
Very well, thank you, but we want a positive outcome, not a muscle show, and the manufacture of bogus military victories.
This story of killing AL-Zarqawi didn't effect the Iraqis much, for how much they saw of the daily calamities they live through; the shortages of water, electricity, and fuels, to the bombings, free killing, on to the criminal militias controlling the streets. But the American citizen doesn't know about the sufferings of the Iraqi citizen… and the story of AL-Zarqawi is one concerning the American people more than the Iraqi people. It is considered a powerful media hit, and a great military victory to the occupation troops in Iraq- there, in America.
But to the Iraqis, it is just a play, and empty talk, like the play of capturing Saddam Hussein and his trial, what did the Iraqis get out of it?
Did it bring on security and settlement, water, or electricity to the houses? Did it stop the bloodshed of the Iraqis?
Of course not…
So, these unfruitful plays, which the American administration brags about introducing, perhaps they laugh by them at the poor American people, but not at the Iraqi people.
For the Iraqi people uncovered the falsehood of that administration, its lies, and its drastic failure in handling the Iraqi file, for more than three years.
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A little while ago, I saw on one channel an interview with an American man in Washington, perhaps in the Congress, or something connected to the government and its address, saying: The Shia'ats were orderly at the beginning, but with time, and with the violence by the Sunnie militias against them, especially the Samara bombing, the Shia'at anger exploded, and the Shia'at militias moved out of control, even out of Al-Systani's control.
So,…
This is the viewpoint of the American sitting in Washington, in the government, this is how he sees things from there, and explains things as he likes.
As for my viewpoint, as an Iraqi, I see the picture like this: Historically, there has never been any sectarian violence in Iraq, except on the times when some foreign fingers interfered; like the Turkish attacks on Iraq, at the times of the Ottoman Empire, and its conflict with the Safawi state in Iran; for both had their greed in Iraq, wanting to occupy it, and turn it into a subject, and they fought inside Iraq in a fashion that seemed sectarian, the victims of which were the innocent Iraqis.
This was in the old, dark centuries…
But since 1900 and till now, in the modern Iraqi state, Iraqi never witnessed any sectarian conflict. And under the British occupation, the Sunnies and the Shia'ats united in the National movement, and threw the occupier out of Iraq.
So, the story of AL-Zarqawi was invented, and his extremist Sunnie address, malicious against the Shia'ats.
Meaning, in truth; there isn't any Party or Sunnie Iraqi militia that ever declared it was against the Shia'ats or had a grudge against them. So, AL-Zarqawi, not an Iraqi person, was invented, and inserted into the equation to rip the unity of the Iraqis, and destroy the fabric of the one society.
That who carried out the bombing in Samara, is the one who had the interest in a sectarian war in Iraq.
The Samara bombing was a true turning point in Iraq. It was exactly like the September 2001 events in America. Commotion was ignited; the cards were mixed, and gave a perfectly suitable opportunity to wage a war against the Sunnies in Iraq, to burn their mosques, kill their men, target their families, and dislodge them. It gave the opportunity to the emergence of the role of the criminal sectarian armed militias, as their hands were let loose at killing, kidnapping, and torturing Sunnie individuals.
The occupation and the former government were in complete collaboration to feed that violence, and didn't stop it in any way.
So, the story of AL-Zarqawi was utilized to justify killing the innocent Sunnie Iraqis, at the hands of death bands, and militias that only God knows who finances them, and who trained them in killing and crime.
This is the happy Iraq, after three years of applying the policy of the wise, genius American administration.
What did we get out of this wise policy?
Killings and bloodshed, the ripping of society, dislodging the families out of their homes, and a country that has turned into a piece of hell, or rather; hell itself.
And there in America, there are still a lot of fools in the Congress, who trick themselves and their people, and babble with empty talk about the victories of their government in Iraq.
Oh yes, the had victories…..
They shredded Iraq, destroyed it, turned it into a ruin, turned its people into refugees, immigrating into countries, awaiting their return to their homes, to no avail- they just wait, with nothing on the ground to promise any good….
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It is clear that those who planned to occupy Iraq has read its history well, and found out where its strong points lie, then destroyed them, one by one.
First: the strength of the Army, and its major role in the history of forming the Iraqi governments, by way of coups. So, it was disband, canceled, so it wouldn't have a structure again, so Iraq would remain weak, controlled by individuals, civil groups, and Parties, fighting over the rule and the financial resources, raking havoc in Iraq, without the existence of any military power to threaten them.
Second: the history of Iraq is known by the adherence and the unity of its people through out ages, its common culture among Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmans, among the Muslims and non-Muslims, and among the sects of the Muslims themselves; the Sunnies and the Shia'ats. So, AL-Zarqawi was invented, to issue an extremist, aggressive Sunnie address, with operations (which God knows who stands behind them) targeting civilians, then, ignite the fire of turmoil between the Sunnies and the Shia'ats, until they actually were ignited by militias against the innocent civilians.
Third: bringing leaderships from abroad; how extraordinary! People who do not think about the Iraqi's interests as much as they think of their own. They treat the poor Iraqis who were oppressed and remained in Iraq as their enemies, as if they are Saddamists. We are independent, one of them might say, might ask: why are you doing this? Why did you destroy the country?
They would say: Aha, so you do object about liberating Iraq? Aha, you are lowly, murderous Saddamists!
Oh my God, for three years now, all the innocent Iraqis cannot talk, because they are accused of being Saddamists, and traitors. And I am one of them; whenever I met a mean opportunist, sick in personality, one who got a benefit out of the war against Iraq, he would say to me: you are a Saddamists!
Worthless people, whom you do not know how to answer back.
But the answer will come in the near future, by the will of God. The answer is pushing the occupier out, as soon as possible. And at once, immediately, all the dirty faces that came on with it will go out of Iraq, those who supported the occupation, and reaped benefits out of it, those who killed, destroyed, and spoiled with it.
But they will go out.
They are busy now fighting to rob the wealth of Iraq, they do not care for security or settlement.
Very well; this open's the Iraqi's eyes, to see what kind of leaderships came on to receive the rule under the shadow of the occupier.
There is an honest minority in the present government, who are doing their best for the welfare of the Iraqis. But there are some dark, criminal forces, who are trying to hinder any good thing for the Iraqis, trying to plant turmoil, so that the occupier would remain stepping over our necks.
These forces exist, and they are powerful in the present government. We hope we shall push them aside, by the end of the four-year term. Then we can have a government of National majority, one that is keen to keep the unity of Iraq, in land, and people.
Where are the honest people of Iraq now; men and women? They were either killed and buried under the soil, put in dark prisons, or they were forced to immigrate outside Iraq.
And if you were a mean sectarian psycho, one with a Party, and a criminal militia, then you will dominate the street, rule over people's necks, and no one will stop you.
This is what the occupation did to Iraq.
But the hope in change will remain there
And the work to achieve it will continue
And God will aid his truthful followers into victory
Amen ...........
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