Saturday, March 21, 2009

 

Iraq; Six Years of Occupation

Monday, March 16, 2009
Peace be upon you…
I cannot believe it has been only six years that passed upon us since the 2003 war. Why does it seem like it happened twenty years before? Why did sorrow accumulate upon our hearts as if we have never lived in comfort and happiness before, as if the beautiful events of our lives were just dreams gone by, leaving nothing but memories…
We got used to comparing all events to what happened after the war; I mean- when I remember my mother and father, may god rest their souls, when I remember my childhood, my life at school and university, when I remember the days of my engagement and marriage, my children’s childhood, my successes at work, when I remember our travels around the world, or to other countries to live; all these I remember through a sadness-filled-filter; the filter of war, occupation, bombardment, and fear, then- displacement, poverty, hunger, and the darkness that engulfed Iraq. I remember everything mingled with the sad events that came afterwards, my memory is no longer clear, undisturbed, happy, and carefree as it used to be before…
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Even the present is mingled with the war filter; when I travel to any country, I suddenly remember Baghdad; a street, or a tree, a bridge or a river, would remind me of her, awakening the sadness in my heart for her… for the disasters and calamities that befell her… if I enter a public park in any city I go to to spend a holiday, I suddenly remember a public park where we used to go during the holidays in Baghdad; the Celebration Park, or Al-Zawra’a Park. When I see children playing with each other or with their parents, playing football or volleyball, having fun, enjoying themselves and laughing aloud, some of them riding bicycles, falling- getting up, then moving ahead in merriment and happiness, when I see the little children riding the small train that moves around the park, with their parents, the sound of their laughter echoes around the place, I think- that is exactly how we used to live in Iraq before the war…
Was there a dictator on the air there?
Yes, there was a dictator there.
And is there a dictator here?
Yes, there is here too, and everywhere. But at least these people live in security, despite the poverty, hunger, and the need that shakes the lives of most people, there is a priceless blessing- the blessing of peaceful living, even though under the shadow of poverty, or a pig-like dictator. It doesn’t matter, for life goes on, in sweetness and bitterness, the night must move away, things must improve somehow, for that is God’s way in the universe, and God’s way does not change….
The continuity of matters is an impossibility… everything changes and vanishes, and only God remains… *******************************
War is the ugliest thing that can be committed by a human against a human, and against the whole universe; cities, bridges, and buildings get destroyed, things that were built and depleted the budgets of countries, especially poor countries; bridges, schools, hospitals, civil and military buildings built in years, being blown up in moments. What cruelty, what recklessness?
I look at the video games played by my children or the neighbor’s; they’re exactly like what happened on the ground in Iraq; massing armies and allies, equipping war machinery- tanks, war planes, helicopters, machine guns, land-to-land missiles, land-to-air missiles, and other killing and destruction weapons, then- the battle starts on computer. The children find these games amusing, they encourage them to keep on, to challenge, until they break their enemy and laugh while enjoying victory. But reality doesn’t resemble the game on computer, soldiers and officers shouldn’t laugh in victory… the results in reality are painful, bloody, and disastrous; the results in reality are real corpses, real blood, real civilian and military buildings demolished, with real people inside; a destruction of these people’s lives for decades ahead. The air raids destroy bridges, buildings, streets, houses, schools and hospitals, no matter- the idea is to destroy the enemy. And who is the enemy? A rock, a tree, or a block of reinforced concrete in the desert? The enemy is a human, just like the attacker. How do you kill a human, destroy his city, kill his wife and children, or at least- destroy their future if you left them alive? How can you let yourself do this? If you were a soldier, a pilot, an officer in the army, an administrative person, or any member working in the war team against the other? War is a cursed game, and every one who let himself take part in it is cursed, and for what? Outwardly, it is big talk- like loving ones country and defending it, but covertly, in most cases; we receive salaries for this work, we live and our families on this salary, we cannot disobey orders, or- there are some material incitement that would make us agree to join the war team, and that’s a bigger disaster, it means- mercenaries; people who trade themselves and their conscience for petty worldly gains, profits they took for spilling people’s blood in other countries, people they do not know, or know anything about, but they are supposedly enemies that should be destroyed. That is the essence of the idea…
Are these humans? Animals do not wage destructive wars against each other. These people are below the animal level in comprehension, and uglier in actions…
And the environment? The whole environment is polluted by wars; the soil, the water, and the air. The numbers of deformed births rose up in Iraq after 2003, according to the statistics of Iraq doctors we met with many times, the pollution in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is caused by heavy elements is causing many difficult diseases, like kidney damages, the neurological system, arthritis and joint ailments, and more. These diseases are caused by elements remaining in the water after the war, and cannot be removed unless by using certain water treatment systems, which are usually high in prices, and most people cannot afford to buy them, and the state cannot use a central water treatment system to remove these toxic elements from the water. There is also the depleted uranium, used in the Iraq war, the environmental pollution it caused made the rate of cancer go high, especially among children, who cannot realize it is around them, in a damaged Iraqi war vehicle, destroyed by a missile carrying depleted uranium, perhaps the children would spend the whole day playing around that damaging radiation polluted piece, unknowing….
If those who waged wars thought- what would their hands reap after this foolish venture, perhaps they would have hesitated. If they had a grain of mind and perception, but- greed and avidity blinds their eyes and suspend their minds….
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I go back to sad Iraq, looking at it after six years of war and occupation. In the newspapers and the news you read different and various reports, some are true, some exaggerate, and some lie, about what happened in Iraq and what was accomplished in Iraq. A mixture that causes headache, and confusion. Then you go back on the Internet to see websites for many international organizations who have programs in Iraq; some for studies, some for training personals, some projects for the refugees and the displaced, some follow up on health issues, asking for donations, some follow up on women’s issues and ask for donations, and some follow up on children’s issues and ask for donations, and so on,…and so on… we became an important issue for trading; each person who wants to promote his organization, would come forward to knock on doors and beg for the Iraqis. Oh, my God! You hear about projects with millions of dollars spent yearly in Iraq by the UN or other international organizations, you imagine that Iraq is living in comfort and bliss, that the Iraqis suffer from nothing; the dictator has fallen, hundreds of Parties were formed, hundreds of newspapers were issued, and hundreds of satellite TV channels, the people now have mobile phones, internet, and satellite receivers, an elected Iraqi government, an elected Iraqi parliament, and many amazing things…wow…Iraq lives in heaven, that’s how the story of Iraq being circulated through the international media, and especially the American media…. But there is another side of the story, and other facts that are being marginalized. Outside Iraq now there are, according to the statistics of reliable international organizations, around 5 million Iraqi refugees. Of those, I saw with my own eyes the lives of the poor classes of them while I was in Jordan and Syria, I worked with many organizations to achieve some projects for them, and I saw that the level of the services presented to them is merely drops of water to keep them alive, barely… as for the middle or rich class Iraqis; their families split and scattered, some live in Jordan, parts of the family live in U.A.E., Europe, America, or still in Baghdad. I seldom meet an Iraqi family of those who are still all living on one spot after the war. Take us, for example; we used to live in one house, with my three sons around me, now, only one of them is with me, the rest are in different countries, and so are my brothers and sisters; before the war we were all in Iraq, now- only one is in Iraq, and seven are scattered in different continents….
As for those who live in Iraq, or you call them directly and you can have a network of connections in different cities and towns, individuals or organizations, in the east, west, south or north, you hear nothing but calls for help from there; we want clean water, we want enough hours of electrical power, we want medicines, we want job opportunities, we want projects for widows and their orphans, we want long-term solutions for the displaced, we want projects for the young generations, we want the villages’ schools to be repaired, we want…, we want…, we want… so, where are the stories of reconstruction, the millions of dollars that the news and newspapers, especially the Americans, are talking about? Where are the accomplishments of the young Iraqi government and the parliament, in two or three years? We hear nothing but that (……….), a Minister, stole millions then fled outside the country, and no one sued him, that (……….), a parliament member, has also stolen, or joined in a plot, in explosions, in disasters, then went out of Iraq, fled to another country and no one pursued him. We also hear in the news about scandals and discoveries of criminals in the Police Force and the Army; of professionals who led sectarian killing squads against innocent civilians, then, hundreds of them would be discharged from their jobs.
Where is the questioning? Where is the punishment of the bad? Where is the reward for the good?
Is this a young democratic state, or a garden of chaos with its walls in ruins, so the thieves would steal and run away, without a guard on the gate to stop them, or a judge inside the garden to judge them? The poor are dying of hunger and need, crying, calling for aid and no one cares about them, the rich are getting richer but no one knows what is rightful of their wealth and what is ill-gotten. Some banks around the world are filled with money stolen from Iraq, but no one investigates, and no one cares.
Poor you, Iraq. Why is all this happening to you? Is it because you are the country of wealth and welfare, and all are greedy to get you, lurking to get you? Or because you defy your foes?
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I tell myself: I do not think we deserve that all these disasters would befall us… we are not angels, we are humans like all others, there are the good and the bad among us, there are the weak and the strong, there are the believers and the disbelievers. But what happened to Iraq is a great trial, and a big test for us all, Iraqis and non- Iraqis. We ask God that we should not be of those who are bewitched by this matter, thinking that God the Mighty does not hear or see what is happening in Iraq, thinking that God is not rightful, letting injustice spread, prevail, and be victorious. But God in his highness looks, sees, and is testing us; how we act while living in this mess? Whose side shall we take? The killers and thieves’ side? Or with those who help the people and save them? Or with a third side, living in a closed bubble, caring for nothing but fulfilling their petty, small daily whims?
This is the sum of the world’s philosophy; why do we live? Each one of us chooses his own way by his will…. And the team of killers and thieves plundered the country’s wealth and goods since 2003 till now, and the team of urgent human aid is poor, gathering crumbs of donations from here and there to give small aid here and there. The equation is not even, at all.
This is the reality of things on the ground, in my experience….
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How shall the future of Iraq be?
For me, in my opinion, Iraq will keep on moving in that direction as long as the occupation remains, the country will be weak, without a will, and I mean- the government and the executive systems, so that the justification will always be there for the occupation to remain. Even if they withdraw the armies after 18 months, that doesn’t mean total independence. There will remain some visible or invisible lines connecting Iraq with Washington, and Iraq will remain a follower as long as the lines remain.
When will things change?
When a new Iraqi leadership comes to rule; a nationalistic, brave, strong leadership that has a clear vision to solve Iraq’s problems, a leadership with the confidence to implement realistic programs and solutions to solve the country’s problems. Then, that leadership will ask the occupation to re-size itself, and diminish its powers. This is along battle, a long struggle against the occupation, its presence, and its power on the land of Iraq. And these aren’t naïve dreams; these are facts I see as if by eye, but will take long years to achieve. This is the way of the universe’s Creator, and you won’t find a change to God’s way….
The unjust goes away, the dictator falls, empires grow weak, abate, and vanish. The right remains… and justice prevails… these are the laws of God…
And I smile, at the sixth anniversary of occupying Iraq, in spite of the sadness weighting on my heart, but I will never give up hope, ever; that Iraq will come beck to its people, that a brave nationalistic leadership will come, a leadership that wants only Iraq’s interest, will negotiate the occupation out, and will withdraw all the occupation’s powers.
When will that day come?
Only God knows…. But it will come, no doubt… for these are God’s laws on earth…
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

 

Vacation in Cairo...

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Peace be upon you…
I am now in Egypt, on vacation with my son, who is studying here. I do not know how long I will stay; perhaps a month, perhaps less, but I need a rest after I have finished my work in the project where I used to work as a general coordinator between a Jordanian women’s organization and the High Commissary of Refugees in Jordan, (UNHCR).
I worked at the project for a year; this exhausted and depleted me, but I gained a big experience in working with non-governmental organizations; implementing programs, and writing monthly or annual reports- narrative or statistical reports.

Work is seldom free of disturbing or negative issues, but I think a person can come out with the best results, and move on his way challenging and smashing those issues, to carry out the project with the best required results, both on paper and on the ground.
Work demanded administrational, financial, and field tasks, and any project cannot succeed without an integration of these three items.
I used to follow up the receipts and expenditures closely, I used to check with our field coordinators in nine branches; raise the phone receiver to ask about an unsatisfactory bill, perhaps with a petty value, but I find it essential with employees to consolidate the notion that there is a supervision for them, so they wouldn’t allow themselves any transgression or deception, and that is something that can easily happen with the lack of monitoring.
Also there were the field visits to the branches to be carried out almost monthly, the periodical meeting for branch coordinators, almost monthly too. I mean after the monthly meeting of the coordinators, I used to carry out the visiting schedule to the branches, to see how much of the instructions was carried out, only to discover that a lot of them didn’t understand anything of the agenda discussed in the previous meeting; either for a lack of concentration from their side, negligence, or carelessness. There was only one coordinator out of the nine who was smart and active, and could comprehend the instructions quickly.
I don’t like the idea of dismissing any employee unless she committed a serious transgression; like a clear theft or a transgression against her colleagues so they would complain against her, or maybe a transgression against the Iraqis who are beneficiaries of the program. I usually prefer the method of giving notices, warnings, and a time limit to change the conduct, and usually, the results come out positive…
In general, I think my relations were good with most program employees, who were about 100, and especially with the serious, active ones, while my relations were tense with some of the inactive workers; I used to annoy them, and they thought I was a tyrant. They used to issue complaints against me to the organization’s manager, who was either a friend or a relative of theirs in most cases, and that was the reason they were so pampered. But I wouldn’t agree to change my mind, not because I was stubborn, but justice demands that I would be fair in evaluating the team of workers; regardless , they are Iraqis or non-Iraqis, relatives of the manager or not. I wanted everything to be done in a highly transparent, professional way- and that was the main issue that kept me anxious until the last day of work.
And I believe that I left my office with a high degree of satisfaction about the performance level, and about amending transgressions or corruption during the program’s implementation period… and this was a grace from God, and a blessing from Him alone….
Thank God…
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Here in Cairo I don’t plan to go out in picnics or visit a museum, like I used to do in my previous visits. I don’t know why, but I feel the need to be alone, withdrawing from mingling with people… I decided to spend the days in organizing the house, cooking, and reading some books, until my son, Majed, returns from University in the evening.
I also will peruse completing some small projects by e-mails, through the Net, like sending water purifying sets to hospitals, clinics, or schools in Iraq, or collecting donations for a project to buy sewing machines for displaced women in various locations in Iraq, like Baquba, Al-Anbar, Karkook, the southern Marshlands,….
These projects remain with me even if I go on holiday, because I see them as a moral obligation I cannot give up, or throw behind my back. I cannot let down those poor people who need a helping hand to save them from the ordeal they face, to ease some of life’s burdens they are carrying, while they are away from their towns and homes, until things will settle down in all Iraqi areas, and every displaced family will go back to its original house to live a peaceful, safe life. This is a big dream that no Iraq-loving Iraqi will abandon, as much as I think…and believe.
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I go back to talking about the year I spent, devoted in body and soul, to accomplish the Iraqi’s project in Jordan. At the beginning, I felt weak and like a stranger in the job’s atmosphere. The organization I worked for had a group of permanent employees, while I was appointed as a temporary worker to run the project. The clashes between me and them started after the first month, which we spend to submit courtesies towards each other.
I was learning the vocabulary of the project, little by little; I was evaluating the personalities of the employees around me, one by one. Then I discovered that the rules for them do not correspond with my own views, for several reasons I cannot describe, to keep the privacy of the work. And because I like the proverb that says- Do not throw stones into the well from which you drink. I do not like throwing stones at people, for this is a foolish, fruitless thing, and my experiences taught me to be very practical. The important thing is- what is the positive achievement we can accomplish in the middle of this chaos, and this corruption? This is always the question that keeps going in my mind.
I faced difficulties in finding compromises between my convictions and theirs, I gave them my resignation twice or three times, but each time I went back to work after a meeting with the manager, that usually ended in a sentence like: You are the head of the project, you stay in your position and do what you see fit, Do not quit!
And after each resignation I went back to work with new authorities, and with the will to be more powerful and determinate to complete the project according to my view; in a highly transparent, truthful, and professional way…
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And now, after the work was finished, I sit alone to re-read the last year, and evaluate the experience, and I would like my evaluation to be far from stabbing at people or adulating them… for I did sit at the heart of meetings, and listened, debated, and saw how these organizations work, I came out with a perspective that can be general, or a mere personal opinion, but I would like to write it here so I wouldn’t forget it:
· The International Organizations employ new workers from foreign nationalities, but in truth they do not form any positive addition to improve performance in projects, except that their salaries deplete the donors budget. They attend the meetings so we would meet them and welcome them. Projects are devised according to the vision and conviction of those workers, who form the team of Senior workers. The local employees are usually under their leadership, and that’s an obvious mistake; the local employee should lead those, to give them an idea about what is going on in that country, and what the locals or refugee guests would need in projects and programs.
They invent programs that they like, programs that can drain the donor’s budget, while in truth they do not lead to improving either the refugees or the local beneficiaries’ conditions.
The true needs requested by the beneficiaries are usually overlooked, marginalized, or scorned, while priority is given to programs that the foreign worker fancies, like domestic violence or violence against children.
It was always my belief that domestic violence or violence against children is a result of the psychological frustration that the father or mother live through, these bad financial conditions the family faces; give them grant for small projects; give them the skills to find better jobs, and that will reduce the domestic violence and all the crap you are running after. But as usual- no one listens.
Implementing programs like distributing petty cash sums and simple free material aid, like heaters, blankets and detergents. The distribution of such items is carried out sometimes in a sudden, random and unjust procedure. This thing encourages people to be humiliated, to be greedy, and like to stand for long hours to receive a trivial aid; this is crushing the personalities of people going through an ordeal, not programs to empower their personalities and retrieve their self-confidence. On the contrary- it enhances the humiliated beggar inside their personality, and with the passing of time, their dignity will fall away and they will enjoy playing that silly role.
The monitoring is weak and insignificant on organizations playing the implementing partner role, because of the infrequent field visits, and being content by merely inspecting the records, while bills and activities can be forged, and no one can verify if the records contain a lot of false services that were never carried out. But who knows, and who can prove the opposite?
I discovered that even the international organizations that carry out implementing the programs in Jordan are not incorrupt, and that they also have corrupt workers, perhaps some of the locals. But as the manager is a foreigner, this proves to be a weakness point, because he has no thorough contact with the local society that would enable him to pursue the credibility of implementing the program, or the credibility of the filing system contents, ( the language can be a fundamental barrier sometimes).
I have seen projects being implemented, with tens of thousands of dollars being spent on them while they weren’t of real benefit to people, but rather it enhances in them the inclination to join in order to gain some profit, like giving high sums of cash money for transportation, or a free meal for every family member who attends that event. So, the women and children go, not because of the value of the activity or to gain skills but rather to receive materialistic benefits
On the other hand, the organization can present a false or incorrect documentation about the attendance number and deduct large amounts of money from the donor for every petty activity carried out, so, the whole thing became a pure commercial process; draw the beneficiaries by paying cash money and a meal, and give the financer the impression that the program is successful and the beneficiaries are in high numbers. That, alas, is a silly game in which the refugees foolishly participate without realizing that they are encouraging these organizations to steal and go on presenting false, meaningless services. But the statistic reports give a positive indication that this organization has large numbers of beneficiaries, and the financing goes on…
The same game is played by the local organizations; they employ local workers with high salaries, nearing- $ 1000; the employees are young, without experience or a high degree; they are usually relatives or friends of the organization’s manager. The refugees are treated cruelly and arrogantly by these workers- that’s according to the complaints I hear daily from the Iraqis who refer to those organizations. And when they need volunteers to work in the organizations, they hired Iraqi women with high university degrees and long experience, paying them token salaries ranging from $150-200, which would include, of course, the poor volunteer’s transportation expenses, when she will knock on doors to get information from Iraqi families to arrange a file for each family. This service is called (outreach service), then, the collected information schedules are presented to the High Commissary. sometimes I have noticed that the expenses of some of these organization’s activities, like the International Refugees Day, are presented like this:
- Showing a film to the women; movie theater & monitor charge: …. The cost is a few hundred dollars.
- A lecture; the stationery & lecture hall charge: …. A few hundred dollars.
- Toys & face painting for children; paint charges & other items: …. A few hundred dollars.
- Serving sandwiches for the women and children:…. A few hundred dollars.
And the result after that celebration for one day was: $5000! By God I saw this last year by my own eyes. The question is: what did this activity add to the refugees?
Give me now $5000 to buy medicines for refugees or displaced families… to buy sewing machines for refugee or displaced women to sew clothes for their children… to buy water purifying systems for refugee or displaced people to drink clean water… to repair the windows, walls, doors, classrooms, chairs and desks of a school in a remote Iraqi village that has hundreds of poor students… but the problem is- there is a defect in the financers, and in the program’s implementers. I do not know if it was stupidity, corruption, good intentions, or bad intentions… I don’t know…these questions puzzle me, and I cannot find an answer to them….
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After the work is finished, I used to think a lot, and wonder about the reasons for the ruin in which Iraq is living after the occupation; what is the meaning of the weakness of control, and what is the meaning of administrational corruption?
If I had been a manager of the project and couldn’t visit the branches in the field to see the work with my own eyes, to meet the staff employees, listen to their views about improving the work, or it’s problems and difficulties, to see the beneficiaries of that project, to hear their complaints or reactions, to check for myself that everything is being done the right way- all these things develop the work and push it forward. If I had been deprived of this, I would have seen a clear failure ahead…
But- if I were a a minister in the present Iraqi government, or a parliament member, with all my experience and ambitions, how can I implement the reconstruction of the country while I cannot visit the locations, because of the bad security conditions? How can I trust that the projects were carried out in a correct way? How can I believe that the money was spent in the right place? Will I have s set of trustworthy assistants who will relate to me the true information from the field? Or will I be surrounded by corrupt employees, who will take advantage of the fact that there is no communication between me and the people to relate false information to me? How can the process of the country’s reconstruction be accomplished while the team of decision makers cannot go down to the field to see the implementation of the projects with their eyes.
Now I understood more the true nature of the present Iraqi government’s predicament, and why is corruption and theft going rife without a real achievement to reconstruct the country….. and how big and deep the gap is between the poor, needy, displaced people, and the decision makers.
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Iraq needs long years to recover…
first, Iraq needs the occupation forces to go out, it needs to strengthen the build of the state, the army, and the police force, so it is in the hands of honest, sincere, and strong Iraqi people …

then, the country must be rebuilt step by step, so the civil life can return; the water supply, the electricity, the transportations, schools, and hospitals, so that Iraq would go back as we love Iraq to be; green, radiant, with the Iraqis living under one sky, gathering them like one family, and each member loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
The beautiful dream will remain on the horizon…and we ask God that it would be fulfilled one day, sooner or later.
But that day will come, by the will of God…
and we are all awaiting it…
How narrow can life be, without hope…



Monday, March 16, 2009

 

العراق بعد ست سنوات من الاحتلال ...









الأثنين 16 آذار 2009

السلام عليكم ...
لا اصدق انها ست سنوات فقط مرت علينا منذ حرب 2003
لماذا تبدو وكأنها حدثت منذ عشرين سنه ؟
ولماذا تراكمت الاحزان على قلوبنا كأننا ما عشنا في سعادة وراحة وكأن الاحداث الجميله في حياتنا كانت مجرد حلم انقضى ولم يتبق منه سوى الذكريات ...
صارت كل الاحداث تتم مقارنتها بما حصل بعد الحرب,
يعني حين اتذكر أمي وأبي رحمهما الله , حين اتذكر طفولتي و حياتي في المدرسه والجامعه , حين اتذكر ايام خطوبتي وزواجي , حين أتذكر طفولة اولادي , حين اتذكر نجاحاتي في العمل , حين اتذكر سفرنا حول العالم , او الى بلدان اخرى لنعيش فيها , كل هذه اتذكرها من خلال فلتر مليء بالاحزان , فلتر الحرب والاحتلال والقصف والخوف ثم التهجير والفقر والجوع والظلام الذي حل بالعراق, أتذكر كل شيء , وهو مخلوط بما جاء بعده من أحداث حزينه , ما عادت ذاكرتي صافيه رائقه سعيده خاليه من الهموم كما كانت من قبل...
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حتى الحاضر, مخلوط بفلتر الحرب ,
عندما اسافر الى اي دوله , اتذكر فجأة بغداد , شارع او شجرة أو جسر او نهر , يذكرني بها ,
ويوقظ الحزن في قلبي عليها ... وعلى ما حدث لها من مصائب واحزان ...

و لو دخلت الى حديقة عامه في اي مدينة اذهب لزيارتها حيث اقضي اجازه , فجأة اتذكر حديقة عامة كنا نذهب اليها في العطلات في بغداد , ساحة الاحتفالات , او حديقة الزوراء ,
وحين أرى الاطفال يلعبون من بعضهم أو مع ذويهم , كرة القدم او الكرة الطائرة , ويلهون ويمرحون ويضحكون بصوت عال , وبعضهم يركب الدراجه , يسقط ويقوم , ثم يمضي فرحا مرحا, ورأيت الاطفال يركبون القطار الصغير الذي يدور في الحديقه , مع اهاليهم , وصوت ضحكاتهم يتردد في ارجاء المكان ,
تماما هكذا كنا نعيش في العراق قبل الحرب...
هل كان ثمة دكتاتور في الهواء هناك ؟
نعم كان هنالك دكتاتور,
وهل هنا ثمة دكتاتور ؟
طبعا هنا ايضا وفي كل مكان,
لكن هؤلاء يعيشون في أمان على الاقل , رغم الفقر والجوع والحاجه التي تعصف بحياة معظم الناس , ثمة نعمة لا تقدر بثمن ,
نعمة العيش بأمان , حتى لو تحت ظل الفقر او دكتاتور يشبه الخنزير , لا يهم , فالحياة تمضي بحلوها ومرها , ولا بد لليل أن ينجلي , ولا بد للامور ان تتحسن بطريقة ما , فهذه سنة الله في الكون , ولن تجد لسنة الله تبديلا ....
دوام الحال من المحال ...
كل شيء الى تغيير وزوال , ويبقى الله وحده الذي لا يفنى ...
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الحرب هي ابشع شيء ممكن ان يقترفه الانسان ضد الانسان وضد الكون أجمع ,
يتم تهديم المدن والجسور والمنشآت التي بنيت واستنزفت موازنة الدول الفقيرة خاصة ,حتى تم انجازها, جسور ومدارس ومستشفيات ومباني مدنيه وعسكريه , يتم نسفها بدقائق معدودة ,
وقد استغرق بناؤها عشرات السنين ,
أي قسوة هذه وأي استهتار؟
انظر الى العاب الفديو الحربيه التي يلعبها اولادي او اولاد الجيران , تماما يحدث فيها ما حدث على الارض في العراق, تجهيز الجيوش والحلفاء, تجهيز المعدات الحربيه من دبابات وطائرات مقاتله وهليكوبتر وبنادق يدويه وصواريخ ارض ارض او ارض جو , وغيرها من اسلحة القتل والدمار , وتبدأ المعركه على الكومبيوتر ,
الاطفال يرونها لعبة مسليه تحفزهم على الاستمرار والتحدي حتى يكسروا عدوهم ويضحكوا وهم يتمتعون بالنصر,
لكن الواقع لا يمكن ان يشبه اللعبه على الكومبيوتر,
ولا ينبغي للجنود والضباط ان يضحكوا ضحكة النصر ...
الواقع نتيجته مؤلمه وداميه وكارثيه ,
الواقع نتيجته قتلى حقيقيين ودماء حقيقيه وتهدم مباني مدنيه وعسكريه حقيقة, فيها بشر حقيقيون , وفيها تدمير لحياة هؤلاء البشر لعقود من السنوات الى الامام ,
القصف الجوي يهدم الجسور والمباني والشوارع والبيوت والمدارس والمستشفيات , لا يهم , الفكرة هي تحطيم العدو , ومن هو العدو ؟
صخرة ام شجرة ام قطعة كونكريت مسلح في الصحراء؟
العدو هو انسان مثل الذي يهاجمه , كيف تقتل انسانا وتدمر مدينته وتقتل زوجته واطفاله, او على الاقل, تدمر مستقبلهم ان ابقيتهم على قيد الحياة؟
كيف تقبل على نفسك هذا الدور ؟
ان كنت جنديا او طيارا او ضابطا في الجيش او اداريا او أي فرد يعمل في فريق الحرب ضد الاخر؟
الحرب لعبة قذرة وملعون كل من سمح لنفسه ان يشارك فيها ,
ومن اجل ماذا ؟
عادة الظاهر من القول هو كلام كبير مثل حب الوطن والدفاع عنه , لكن الباطن من القول في معظم الاحيان , اننا ناخذ رواتب من هذا العمل ونعيش مع عوائلنا على هذا الراتب, ولا يمكننا ان نعصي الاوامر, او ان ثمة اغراءات ماديه تجعلنا نقبل الانضمام للعمل في فريق الحرب , وهذه مصيبة اكبر, يعني مرتزقة, يتاجرون بانفسهم وضميرهم من اجل مكاسب دنيويه تافهه , اخذوها في سبيل سفك دماء الناس في اوطان اخرى , لا يعرفونهم ولا يعرفون شيئا عنهم ابدا,
لكن المفترض انهم اعداء, وينبغي تدميرهم , هذه هي خلاصة الفكره...
هل هؤلاء بشر؟
الحيوانات لا تشن حروبا مدمرة ضد بعضها, هؤلاء دون مستوى الحيوانات في الادراك , وأبشع منها في الافعال ...
والبيئه ؟
تتلوث البيئه كلها من تراب وماء وهواء بسبب الحروب ,
ارتفعت ارقام الولادات المشوهه في العراق بعد 2003 حسب احصائيات الاطباء العراقيين الذين قابلناهم مرات عديده , تلوثت مياه دجله والفرات من عناصر ثقيلة تسبب مختلف الامراض الصعبه مثل تلف الكلى والجهاز العصبي والمفاصل وغيرها , هذه الامراض تحدثها عناصر تبقى بالماء من جراء الحروب , ولا يمكن ان تزول الا باستعمال اجهزة معينه لمعالجة المياه , وهي عادة مرتفعة التكاليف ولا يمكن ان يشتريها كل الناس , ولا يمكن ان تتبع الدوله نظام معالجه مركزي للمياه لازالة هذه العناصر السامه من الماء, وايضا اليورانيوم المنضب الذي استعمل بحرب العراق , وتلوث الاجواء به حيث سبب ارتفاع نسبة الاصابه بالسرطان وخصوصا بين الاطفال الذين لا يدركون انه موجود حولهم في الية جيش عراقي معطوبه ومدمرة بسبب قصفها بقذيفه تحمل يورانيوم منضب , ربما يقضي الاطفال النهار وهم يلعبون حول هذه القطعه الملوثه بالاشعاع الضار وهم لا يدركون ....
لو فكر الذين يشنون الحروب ماذا ستجني ايديهم بعد هذه المغامرة الحمقاء , ربما كانوا ترددوا, لو كان فيهم ذرة من عقل وادراك ,
لكن الطمع والجشع يعمي عيونهم ويعطل عقولهم ....
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اعود للعراق الحزين وانظر اليه بعد ست سنوات من الحرب والاحتلال ,
في الصحف والاخبار تقرأ تقارير مختلفه متنوعه بعضها صحيح وبعضها يبالغ وبعضها كاذب, عما حدث للعراق وعما انجز في العراق , خليط يسبب الصداع والحيرة,

وتعود لترى على الانترنت مواقع لمنظمات عالميه كثيرة, لها برامج للعراق , بعضها دراسات وبعضها تدريب كوادر, وبعضها مشاريع للاجئين واخرى للمهجرين وبعضها تتابع امور صحيه وتطلب تبرعات وبعضها تتابع قضايا المراة وتطلب تبرعات وبعضها للطفل وتطلب تبرعات وهكذا وهكذا , صرنا موضوعا مهما للمتاجره ,
كل واحد يريد ان يروج لمنظمته , جاء وطرق الباب يشحد للعراقيين ,
سبحان الله !
تسمع عن مشاريع بملايين الدولارت تنفق سنويا للعراق من قبل منظمات الامم المتحدة او غيرها من منظمات عالميه , وتظن ان العراق يعيش برغد ونعيم , وان العراقيين لا يعانون من أي شيء , فقد سقط الدكتاتور, وتشكلت مئات الاحزاب, وصدرت مئات الصحف , وعشرات المحطات الفضائيه , وصار عند الناس موبايلات وانترنت وستلايت , وحكومه عراقيه منتخبه ,وبرلمان عراقي منتخب , واشياء كثيرة مدهشه , واو , العراق يعيش في الجنه , هكذا يتم تسويق قصة العراق عبر وسائل الاعلام العالميه عامة والامريكيه خاصة ....
ولكن ثمة وجه أخر للقصة , وحقائق اخرى يتم تهميشها ,
يوجد خارج العراق الان حسب احصائيات منظمات دوليه معتمدة , حوالي 5 ملايين لاجيء عراقي , هؤلاء رأيت بعيوني كيف هي حياة الطبقة الفقيرة منهم وانا في الاردن وسوريا , وعملت مع منظمات كثيرة من اجل انجاز مشاريع لهم , وأرى ان مستوى الخدمات المقدمه لهم هي عبارة عن قطرات من ماء لتبقيهم على قيد الحياة فقط ...

اما الذين من الطبقة المتوسطة او الغنيه من العراقيين , فقد انشقت العوائل وتفرقت , البعض يسكن في الاردن وجزء من العائله في الامارات او اوروبا او اميركا او باق في بغداد ,
نادرا ما اقابل عائله عراقية من هؤلاء تعيش كلها في بقعة واحدة بعد الحرب ,
نحن مثلا ,كنا نعيش في بيت واحد واولادي الثلاثه من حولي , الان واحد منهم معي , والباقون في دول مختلفه , كذلك اخوتي واخواتي , كنا قبل الحرب كلنا في العراق , الان واحد فقط في بغداد, وسبعة متفرقون في مختلف القارات ....

اما الذين يعيشون داخل العراق, او تتصل مباشرة بهم وعندك شبكة علاقات في مدن مختلفة , افراد او منظمات , في الشرق والغرب والشمال والجنوب, فلا تسمع سوى صرخات الاستغاثة من هناك , نريد ماءا نظيفا, نريد كهرباء بساعات كافيه , نريد ادويه , نريد فرص عمل, نريد مشاريع للنساء الارامل ولايتامهن , نريد حلول طويلة المدى للمهجرين, نريد مشاريع للشباب , نريد تصليح مدارس لاطفال القرى , , نريد نريد نريد ...
إذن , اين هي قصص اعادة الاعمار وملايين الدولارت التي يتكلم عنها في الصحف والاخبار وخاصة الامريكيه ؟
اين هي منجزات الحكومه العراقيه الفتيه والبرلمان منذ سنتين او ثلاثه ؟
لا نسمع سوى ان الوزير الفلاني سرق ملايين ثم هرب خارج البلاد ولم يحاسبه احد , والبرلماني الفلاني نهب ايضا او شارك في مؤامرة وتفجير ومصائب ثم خرج من العراق , هرب الى دوله اخرى ولم يتعقبه احد , الشرطه والجيش ايضا نسمع في الاخبار عن فضائح واكتشافات عن مجرمين فيهم ومحترفين قادوا فرق القتل الطائفيه ضد المدنيين الابرياء, ثم يتم تسريح المئات منهم من وظائفهم ,
أين المحاسبة ؟
أين العقاب للمسيء؟
اين الثواب للمحسن ؟
هل هذه دوله ديمقراطيه فتيه أم هذا بستان من الفوضى وجدرانه مهدمه , اللصوص تسرق وتهرب ولا حارس على الباب يوقفهم ولا قاضي داخل البستان يحكم عليهم ؟
والفقراء يموتون من الجوع والحاجه, ويصرخون ويستغيثون ولا احد يبالي بهم , والاغنياء يزدادون غنى ولا احد يعرف من حلال هو أم من حرام , بعض البنوك في مختلف دول العالم مليئه باموال سرقت من العراق ولا احد يحقق ولا احد يهتم ,

مسكين يا عراق , لماذا يحصل لك كل هذا ؟
هل لانك بلد الثروات والخيرات والكل يطمع فيك ويتربص بك ؟

ام لأنك عصي على اعدائك ؟
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واقول لنفسي : لا اظن أننا نستحق ان تحدث لنا كل هذه الكوارث ...
لسنا ملائكه, نحن بشر مثلنا مثل غيرنا, فينا الكريم وفينا اللئيم , فينا الضعيف وفينا القوي, فينا المؤمن وفينا الكافر , لكن الذي حصل للعراق هو ابتلاء عظيم , وامتحان كبير لنا جميعا , عراقيين وغير عراقيين , نسأل الله أن لا نكون من الذين يفتنون بهذا الحال , ويظنون ان الله سبحانه لا يسمع ولا يرى لما يحدث في العراق , ولا انه سبحانه غير عادل, ويسمح للظلم أن ينتشر ويطغي وينتصر , لكنه في عليائه ينظر ويرى ويختبرنا , ماذا نفعل ونحن نعيش هذه الفوضى ؟
مع أي فريق سنكون ؟
مع فريق اللصوص والقتله ؟
أم مع فريق مساعدة الناس وانقاذهم ؟
أم مع فريق ثالث يعيش في فقاعه مغلقه , غير مبال سوى لتحقيق نزواته الصغيرة اليوميه التافهه؟
هذه هي خلاصة فكرة الدنيا , لماذا نعيش فيها؟
كل واحد يختار طريقه بمليء إرادته ....

وفريق اللصوص والقتله نهب خيرات البلاد واموالها منذ 2003 ولحد الان ,
وفريق تقديم المساعدات الانسانيه الطارئه فقير ويلملم من هنا وهناك الفتات من التبرعات ليقدم مساعدات صغيرة هنا وهناك ,
المعادله غير متكافئه ابدا ,
هذا هو واقع الحال على الارض من تجربتي ....
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ما هو مستقبل العراق؟
بالنسبة لي وحسب وجهة نظري , العراق سيبقى يسير في هذا الاتجاه , مادام الاحتلال موجودا هناك , فالبلد سيظل ضعيفا مسلوب الاراده , اقصد الحكومه واجهزتها التنفيذيه , حتى يظل هنالك دائما المبرر لبقاء الاحتلال , حتى لو سحبوا الجيوش بعد 18 شهرا , فليس معنى هذا الاستقلال التام , ستبقى خيوط واضحه او خفيه , تربط العراق بواشنطن , ويظل تابعا لها مادام الخيط موجودا ,

متى سيتغير الحال ؟
عندما تأتي قيادة عراقيه جديدة للحكم , قيادة وطنية قويه شجاعه تملك رؤيا واضحه لحل مشاكل العراق, تملك ثقة بتنفيذ برامج وحلول واقعيه لحل مشاكل البلاد , عند ذاك ستطلب هذه القيادة من الاحتلال ان يحجم نفسه , وان يحجم صلاحياته ,
هذه معركه طويله ونضال طويل ضد الاحتلال ووجوده وسلطته على الارض في العراق,
وهذه ليست احلام ساذجه , هذه حقائق أراها رؤية العين للاشياء , لكنها ستأخذ سنوات طويله حتى تتحقق , هذه سنة خالق الكون , ولن تجد لسنة الله تبديلا ....
الظالم يذهب , الدكتاتور يسقط , الامبراطوريات تضعف وتزول وتفنى ,
والحق باق ... والعدل يسود ...
هذه قوانين الله...
وأنا ابتسم في الذكرى السادسه لاحتلال العراق , رغم الاحزان التي تثقل على قلبي,
لكنني لن اتخلى عن الامل ابدا,
أن العراق سيعود لاهله , وستأتي قيادة شجاعه وطنيه تريد مصلحة العراق فقط , وستفاوض الاحتلال ليخرج , وستسحب منه صلاحياته كلها ,
متى هذا اليوم ؟
علمه عند ربي ....
لكنه يوم آت لا محالة ...
فهذه قوانين الله في الارض...














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