Hi everybody,
Just testing. Preparing to post soon.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
TILL DEATH SHALL WE ALWAYS REMAIN APART - SERIOUS WARNING
Iraqi Mojo,
You asked me what do I think about the return of the Saddamist Baathists. Perhaps I did not answer you with sufficient clarity. The vast majority of the Iraqi people would rather die and go through hell, and would fight to the death even if that meant total destruction of everthing; rather than see the return of Ssddamists. The Americans and the whole world should not have any doubt about that. The support for the American operatin freedom was entirely for having deposed these Saddamists. If they try to undo their own achievemnt, all the goodwill towards them will disapear and they are not going to get any gratitude from the criminal Saddamists either.
Alaa
You asked me what do I think about the return of the Saddamist Baathists. Perhaps I did not answer you with sufficient clarity. The vast majority of the Iraqi people would rather die and go through hell, and would fight to the death even if that meant total destruction of everthing; rather than see the return of Ssddamists. The Americans and the whole world should not have any doubt about that. The support for the American operatin freedom was entirely for having deposed these Saddamists. If they try to undo their own achievemnt, all the goodwill towards them will disapear and they are not going to get any gratitude from the criminal Saddamists either.
Alaa
Monday, January 25, 2010
EL SID - PART II
Hi Everybody,
A recent encounter left a strong impression on me. It was an acquaintance of mine, a structural engineer like me. We met occasionally for some professional business in one of the Gulf Countries. One day I noticed that he was rather depressed and seemed quite angry. I asked him what the matter was. He told me that he had an argument with some non-Iraqi Arabs about the Iraqi situation and they all set on him like a pack of dogs chiding him that Iraq was an occupied country and all that kind of spiteful talk about the Iraqis that we have become accustomed to from our Arab “brothers”. Well, this guy was not the type who can take things coolly, and he gave them back what they deserve. We have all been in this situation and had to suffer the stupidity and prejudice of outsiders. One sentence that he uttered struck me though. First of all he said that they all had parts of their lands occupied, like the Golan in Syria, and then he said something in Iraqi slang that is difficult to translate. Roughly it may be translated like this: “how happy would they be, had their occupation been like the American occupation”. And then with emotion, he uttered a kind of bitter remark that remains reverberating in my mind – “if the Iraqi people have any friends it’s only America and nobody else”. For anyone outside Iraq, getting his information from the media, this may sound an incredible sentiment, but for many Iraqis it is perfectly understandable. Well, the Americans are not perfect, and they have committed tons of mistakes in Iraq. Some of the soldiers misbehaved and even committed crimes; there was Abu Graib and all that. Yet, yet, let’s face it, what’s a friend? It is someone who is pleased to hear you are doing well, and doesn’t like bad news about you; in short someone who cares about you. And let me ask just this one question – which people in this whole wide world likes to hear good news about Iraq and is dismayed when things go wrong? Need I answer this question? Do we forget that America has rid us of one the most brutal regimes in history? And in spite of all our detractors and envious hypocritical critics, a genuine democracy is coming into being, corruption or no corruption, squabbling between various factions, explosions and political assassinations etc. notwithstanding. At least the parliament is not the sham rubberstamp institution appointed by ruling dictatorships that abound all around us. The intensity and bitterness of the frequent political crises and disputes attest to the genuine nature of the pluralism that has come to characterise the political scene. This is something that is a complete novelty in this region of absolute dictatorships, medieval monarchies and sheikdoms.
And did they not say that America only came for the oil? The auctions for developing the oil fields have recently been held in Baghdad. Some amazing facts became public about the size of the oil reserves in Iraq. The international oil companies submitted their bids in a public televised show and in complete transparency. What was the share of American companies? – Not much as you can easily verify. So that gives the lie to that particular slander. However, even I who knew something about the oil reserves in Iraq was astounded to learn that only the contracts that have been awarded would raise oil production from about 2 m barrels at the present to about 12 millions in only six years if all went well. The contracts themselves were something unprecedented. They were service contracts that ranged from $1.5 to about $2.5 per barrel for the companies and almost half of that taxed. That was incredible, compare with the ancient product sharing contract of the old Iraq Petroleum company that gave the Iraqi side 50% of the production and much less than that initially. How could the companies accept such a low price for their services? It is because these were proven wells ready for production, all they have to do is to erect their drilling rigs and pump out the oil; and because also here was a completely independent and free government that feared no pressures from anyone. Beside these oil fields, there are others that the companies declined to bid for, for security reasons, not to mention some fifty locations that have not yet been explored but that are sure to be promising. In short it appears that after almost one century of production the oil reserves of Iraq have been barely touched. In fact the whole surface area of Iraq is floating on a lake of underground oil. The defunct Saddam once said that “the last barrel of oil produced in this world is going to be Iraqi”; in this he was not wrong. Of course this, too, inflames further the envy, consternation and greed of our kind neighbours. This time, though, I hope “the dirty dogs will get no dinner here”, in the words of an old British judge.
Long ago I painted a scenario that I imagined if there was a precipitate American withdrawal and abandonment. Despite all the gains and progress that have been achieved, nothing has changed fundamentally. Like I said then, an allegory can best describe the situation. As long as the king of the jungle, i.e. the lion is there, the vultures, hyenas, and other predators keep a safe distance and observe intently from the surrounds. They will do as much mischief as they can if the lion looses attention of this spot or that. But as long as El Sid is in the battle, and as long as king Solomon is standing and perceived to be alive, no afreet or Genie dare cross the limit.
In January of this year 2010, the army day was celebrated by a military parade for the first time since 2003. It wasn’t too bad. There was some respectable armour, and the soldiers marched in good order and with pride. But I sighed with pity and sadness, when few single engine training aircraft and some helicopters flew overhead as representing the new air force. I remembered the 3000 Russian fighters, the ground to ground missiles, the thousands of tanks, and the countless other military hardware that Saddam had. I remembered the legions of presidential guards, Fedayeen Saddam, the numerous repressive organisations and party members etc, etc. True all that was of little use in the face of superior western technology, and the antipathy of the majority of the Iraqi people and even some of his own people; nevertheless it was a formidable arsenal in the region. I thought that this new army, though becoming more effective in dealing with terrorism inside Iraq, has no chance in any encounter with any regional power. Iraq is cursed by some very bad neighbours indeed. Absolutely every neighbour has some bone to pick and a special agenda and design against Iraq. I need not elaborate; it will be too much and too painful to talk about. Besides, monsters lurk within the borders of Iraq itself, and the danger of sectarian conflict and strife is hiding just below the surface. If you follow the political scene, you will clearly see that in every crisis, American involvement has been instrumental in resolving the most complicated of situations; the question of the election law is only one of the latest examples. American involvement and presence has become the cement that is keeping together the nascent democracy with its conflicting currents and precarious equilibrium. I don’t deny that Al-Maliki government has been the most effective so far, and I shall probably vote for him if I had the chance to vote; nevertheless I dislike his insistence on American complete withdrawal, although that seems to please many in the U.S. itself. This is pure political hypocrisy, and is shared by all participants in the present political process. But they are not all stupid, and all know the truth. Those who really would like to see the Americans out of the picture are only the ones who want to pounce on the new order and liquidate it completely, for their own selfish aims. The future of Iraq can only be safeguarded by a solid and real strategic pact with the United States. This is not only in the interests of Iraq but also of the American people, and very much so. Not only the present political order, but the very existence of Iraq as country will be doubtful without American protection, not even a Saddamist like dictatorship can survive again. The country will be pounced upon from without and within and torn to pieces before even the last American soldier has left. Take the word of this humble Alaa the Mesopotamian for it. The predators lying in waiting know that once America withdraws it cannot come back and they are trembling in expectation of that day. McCain knew this, President Bush knew this. And what a calamity for the U.S. it will be. Not Afghanistan, not Pakistan, not the Yemen nor any other region can be as disastrous as Iraq if it is dismembered and become a failed state where all manner of terrorist beast is allowed to roam freely. The oil lake underneath and the all the riches and resources of the region will be out of control and can destabilise the whole international, already very precarious, economic and social system. All the might of the U.S. and all the western powers will not then be able to control the situation.
I am not against President Obama. Indeed his election was a kind of moral victory for the American people. He is a charming man no doubt, and above all the first “black” president. Some people questioned his Nobel Prize. They didn’t see that the prize was not for any particular achievement for peace; it was clearly for his achievement of a black man becoming president – no mean achievement indeed in a country where barely fifty years ago blacks couldn’t enter some restaurants and could not go to white colleges, and where apartheid like discrimination was common in many places. His election impressed the whole world, precisely for this reason. It marked a turning point for the American people as a whole and a moral lesson to all nations. Yet the euphoria having subsided, the practical problems of the world impose themselves. Quite frankly, from our own selfish Iraqi point of view the republicans were preferable. They understood the situation and realised the dangers better. Be that as it may, I pray that the Obama administration does not commit the fatal mistake of abandoning the Iraqi front. I am convinced that any such action will bring the downfall not only of Iraq as a country but of the United States as a world power. The long-term consequences can be devastating for the American people themselves. Only people completely devoid of any imagination can fail to see that. Already other powers are rising and can’t wait to take over the role of predominance in the world. The entire present political and economic structure of the U.S. depends on its international status. Take that away and the continent will dwindle into poverty, misery and incalculable social consequences. No, the death of El Sid must not be announced, and King Solomon must remain erect even if in make belief.
A recent encounter left a strong impression on me. It was an acquaintance of mine, a structural engineer like me. We met occasionally for some professional business in one of the Gulf Countries. One day I noticed that he was rather depressed and seemed quite angry. I asked him what the matter was. He told me that he had an argument with some non-Iraqi Arabs about the Iraqi situation and they all set on him like a pack of dogs chiding him that Iraq was an occupied country and all that kind of spiteful talk about the Iraqis that we have become accustomed to from our Arab “brothers”. Well, this guy was not the type who can take things coolly, and he gave them back what they deserve. We have all been in this situation and had to suffer the stupidity and prejudice of outsiders. One sentence that he uttered struck me though. First of all he said that they all had parts of their lands occupied, like the Golan in Syria, and then he said something in Iraqi slang that is difficult to translate. Roughly it may be translated like this: “how happy would they be, had their occupation been like the American occupation”. And then with emotion, he uttered a kind of bitter remark that remains reverberating in my mind – “if the Iraqi people have any friends it’s only America and nobody else”. For anyone outside Iraq, getting his information from the media, this may sound an incredible sentiment, but for many Iraqis it is perfectly understandable. Well, the Americans are not perfect, and they have committed tons of mistakes in Iraq. Some of the soldiers misbehaved and even committed crimes; there was Abu Graib and all that. Yet, yet, let’s face it, what’s a friend? It is someone who is pleased to hear you are doing well, and doesn’t like bad news about you; in short someone who cares about you. And let me ask just this one question – which people in this whole wide world likes to hear good news about Iraq and is dismayed when things go wrong? Need I answer this question? Do we forget that America has rid us of one the most brutal regimes in history? And in spite of all our detractors and envious hypocritical critics, a genuine democracy is coming into being, corruption or no corruption, squabbling between various factions, explosions and political assassinations etc. notwithstanding. At least the parliament is not the sham rubberstamp institution appointed by ruling dictatorships that abound all around us. The intensity and bitterness of the frequent political crises and disputes attest to the genuine nature of the pluralism that has come to characterise the political scene. This is something that is a complete novelty in this region of absolute dictatorships, medieval monarchies and sheikdoms.
And did they not say that America only came for the oil? The auctions for developing the oil fields have recently been held in Baghdad. Some amazing facts became public about the size of the oil reserves in Iraq. The international oil companies submitted their bids in a public televised show and in complete transparency. What was the share of American companies? – Not much as you can easily verify. So that gives the lie to that particular slander. However, even I who knew something about the oil reserves in Iraq was astounded to learn that only the contracts that have been awarded would raise oil production from about 2 m barrels at the present to about 12 millions in only six years if all went well. The contracts themselves were something unprecedented. They were service contracts that ranged from $1.5 to about $2.5 per barrel for the companies and almost half of that taxed. That was incredible, compare with the ancient product sharing contract of the old Iraq Petroleum company that gave the Iraqi side 50% of the production and much less than that initially. How could the companies accept such a low price for their services? It is because these were proven wells ready for production, all they have to do is to erect their drilling rigs and pump out the oil; and because also here was a completely independent and free government that feared no pressures from anyone. Beside these oil fields, there are others that the companies declined to bid for, for security reasons, not to mention some fifty locations that have not yet been explored but that are sure to be promising. In short it appears that after almost one century of production the oil reserves of Iraq have been barely touched. In fact the whole surface area of Iraq is floating on a lake of underground oil. The defunct Saddam once said that “the last barrel of oil produced in this world is going to be Iraqi”; in this he was not wrong. Of course this, too, inflames further the envy, consternation and greed of our kind neighbours. This time, though, I hope “the dirty dogs will get no dinner here”, in the words of an old British judge.
Long ago I painted a scenario that I imagined if there was a precipitate American withdrawal and abandonment. Despite all the gains and progress that have been achieved, nothing has changed fundamentally. Like I said then, an allegory can best describe the situation. As long as the king of the jungle, i.e. the lion is there, the vultures, hyenas, and other predators keep a safe distance and observe intently from the surrounds. They will do as much mischief as they can if the lion looses attention of this spot or that. But as long as El Sid is in the battle, and as long as king Solomon is standing and perceived to be alive, no afreet or Genie dare cross the limit.
In January of this year 2010, the army day was celebrated by a military parade for the first time since 2003. It wasn’t too bad. There was some respectable armour, and the soldiers marched in good order and with pride. But I sighed with pity and sadness, when few single engine training aircraft and some helicopters flew overhead as representing the new air force. I remembered the 3000 Russian fighters, the ground to ground missiles, the thousands of tanks, and the countless other military hardware that Saddam had. I remembered the legions of presidential guards, Fedayeen Saddam, the numerous repressive organisations and party members etc, etc. True all that was of little use in the face of superior western technology, and the antipathy of the majority of the Iraqi people and even some of his own people; nevertheless it was a formidable arsenal in the region. I thought that this new army, though becoming more effective in dealing with terrorism inside Iraq, has no chance in any encounter with any regional power. Iraq is cursed by some very bad neighbours indeed. Absolutely every neighbour has some bone to pick and a special agenda and design against Iraq. I need not elaborate; it will be too much and too painful to talk about. Besides, monsters lurk within the borders of Iraq itself, and the danger of sectarian conflict and strife is hiding just below the surface. If you follow the political scene, you will clearly see that in every crisis, American involvement has been instrumental in resolving the most complicated of situations; the question of the election law is only one of the latest examples. American involvement and presence has become the cement that is keeping together the nascent democracy with its conflicting currents and precarious equilibrium. I don’t deny that Al-Maliki government has been the most effective so far, and I shall probably vote for him if I had the chance to vote; nevertheless I dislike his insistence on American complete withdrawal, although that seems to please many in the U.S. itself. This is pure political hypocrisy, and is shared by all participants in the present political process. But they are not all stupid, and all know the truth. Those who really would like to see the Americans out of the picture are only the ones who want to pounce on the new order and liquidate it completely, for their own selfish aims. The future of Iraq can only be safeguarded by a solid and real strategic pact with the United States. This is not only in the interests of Iraq but also of the American people, and very much so. Not only the present political order, but the very existence of Iraq as country will be doubtful without American protection, not even a Saddamist like dictatorship can survive again. The country will be pounced upon from without and within and torn to pieces before even the last American soldier has left. Take the word of this humble Alaa the Mesopotamian for it. The predators lying in waiting know that once America withdraws it cannot come back and they are trembling in expectation of that day. McCain knew this, President Bush knew this. And what a calamity for the U.S. it will be. Not Afghanistan, not Pakistan, not the Yemen nor any other region can be as disastrous as Iraq if it is dismembered and become a failed state where all manner of terrorist beast is allowed to roam freely. The oil lake underneath and the all the riches and resources of the region will be out of control and can destabilise the whole international, already very precarious, economic and social system. All the might of the U.S. and all the western powers will not then be able to control the situation.
I am not against President Obama. Indeed his election was a kind of moral victory for the American people. He is a charming man no doubt, and above all the first “black” president. Some people questioned his Nobel Prize. They didn’t see that the prize was not for any particular achievement for peace; it was clearly for his achievement of a black man becoming president – no mean achievement indeed in a country where barely fifty years ago blacks couldn’t enter some restaurants and could not go to white colleges, and where apartheid like discrimination was common in many places. His election impressed the whole world, precisely for this reason. It marked a turning point for the American people as a whole and a moral lesson to all nations. Yet the euphoria having subsided, the practical problems of the world impose themselves. Quite frankly, from our own selfish Iraqi point of view the republicans were preferable. They understood the situation and realised the dangers better. Be that as it may, I pray that the Obama administration does not commit the fatal mistake of abandoning the Iraqi front. I am convinced that any such action will bring the downfall not only of Iraq as a country but of the United States as a world power. The long-term consequences can be devastating for the American people themselves. Only people completely devoid of any imagination can fail to see that. Already other powers are rising and can’t wait to take over the role of predominance in the world. The entire present political and economic structure of the U.S. depends on its international status. Take that away and the continent will dwindle into poverty, misery and incalculable social consequences. No, the death of El Sid must not be announced, and King Solomon must remain erect even if in make belief.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
EL SID
Hi Everybody,
I remember an old Hollywood movie called "El Sid". It was based on a legend from the days when the Christians were fighting to expel the Moslems from Spain in the middle ages. You have all probably heard of the splendid era in Spain that lasted for several centuries, when an Islamic Umayyad western empire founded by Abd-ar-Rahman I (later titled Al-Dakhel) ;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus.
The legend goes like this: One of the leaders of the Christian armies was a great worrier. The Muslims or “moors “or “Saracens” as they are often referred to by ancient writers had a great respect and fear of this man. And as a mark of their awe towards this personage they nicknamed him El Sid, which means in Arabic: the master or the chief. Anyway this fighter was one day injured and died later without the Moslems knowing about it. In order not to lose the psychological advantage of his presence in battle and the fear he inspired in the enemy camp, the Christians hid the fact of his death, dressed the corpse in battle garb, mounted it on its horse and propped it up and had it accompany them in battle producing the desired effect and winning the battle. A similar tale is told in our religious lore about King Solomon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon , who is considered a prophet by the Muslims. He was according to Muslim tradition, master of all creatures, jinn’s and all manner of land, sea and air afreets, not to mention all animals. All feared and obeyed him and he could speak to them all and order them to do whatever he desired. So the legend goes that when he died he remained standing leaning on his walking stick for more than a whole year. All that time all the creatures at his command went about fearing him and behaving themselves, believing that he was alive. Well, you may wonder why on earth I am telling you all these tales! You will see what I am driving at shortly, if you can bear with me a little longer.
Well, the continuing drama of the Iraqi situation beats any soap opera or Hollywood fiction thriller with hands down, provided of course, that one keeps a safe distance; which luckily is the case for me right now. Being inside there, I doubt that entertainment would be the predominant sentiment for anyone. Hardly a day goes by without some exciting new development. Now we have entered the eighth year A.L. (After Liberation; one day Iraqi history may be dated thus); so how does the scene look like and what are the prospects for the near and distant futures? I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about it.
When considering the situation in Iraq, one must always keep in mind the developments of the past seven years and even the years preceding the fall of Saddam. After the 1st real election of 2005, the insurrection really escalated and we are all guilty of understating and under- reporting the true gravity of the situation. A terrible civil war was raging but nobody wanted to admit that openly. The horrors of that war are too painful to recall. I was personally witness of incidents that will continue to haunt me to the end of my days. The insurgency was essentially a sectarian uprising of the Sunnis against what they saw as Shiite takeover of power as a result of the American operation. Several militias were formed in the Sunni camp including Baathists and other groups. Al-Qaeda and its affiliates found an ideal and fertile ground to establish themselves with some support from the population of the Sunni provinces, or at least tolerance and indifference initially, largely due to sectarian passion and distaste for the new order that was coming into being. Thousands of foreigners were recruited and sent to Iraq through extremely porous borders, not to mention those already imported by Saddam just before his downfall, and Al-Zarqawi and other Al-Qaeda leaders rightly considered Iraq as the main front in the fight against their western and local enemies; and it was indeed the most sizable battle that they ever waged. The testament of Zarqawi remains to this day the best document summing up the position of these groups and their analysis of the Iraqi scene and their strategy at that epoch. On the other hand the anarchist poor Shiites were suddenly liberated from all fetters and free to indulge in an orgy of violence and vandalism under the banner of the so called Sadrist Current. The serious battles of Falluja, followed by the Sadrist rebellion and the siege of Najaf, are still fresh in memory during the 1st post-Bremer government of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. These were considerable battles in which the American forces played the primary role. After the elections of 2005, there were signs that the populations in Sunni areas primarily in the main stronghold of Al-Anbar were experiencing the harsh rule of Al-Qaeda, who established an intolerable rule of terror, murder and ridiculous oppression on the people. This situation prevailed in all Sunni controlled areas, in the provinces as well as in the Capital, Baghdad. Most importantly the Jihadists started to wage war against the traditional tribal sheiks and dignitaries, seeing in the traditional structures and loyalties a threat to their hegemony and control. Then the confrontation between the tribes of Al-Anbar started and developed into full scale war that ended in the expulsion of Al-Qaeda from their main stronghold in Al-Anbar. I was one of the first to realise the importance of this development and those who followed my blog at that time will remember my enthusiasm for this “Sahwa (awakening)” movement, and my urgent recommendation to support and take advantage of it; an advice which seems to have been heeded with far reaching results.
After the troubles in Al-Anbar, Al-Qaeda cadres were forced to relocate elsewhere in the Sunni areas, such as Diala province where Al-Zarqawi was discovered and killed by American bombing, as I am sure you all remember. However the killing of Al-Zarqawi did not end the rebellion and open sectarian war was declared the day the Al-Askaria shrine was exploded in 2006. I don’t think that the world really realised the full extent and the horror of that sectarian war. The country was divided into strictly segregated cantons where on both sides all those of the wrong sect were expelled from their homes and some murdered. People were murdered for no other crime than having the wrong name in the wrong place. Baghdad itself was divided into sectarian zones where anybody risked execution and torture if he ventured into the wrong neighbourhood. A childhood friend of my boys who lived few houses away from ours had been just married; he was a Sunni with a kind of neutral name. He was caught by a Sunni militia few hundred meters from my own house. The militia could not ascertain whether he was Shiite or Sunni, so they took his cell phone and phoned his wife asking her about it. The poor girl thought that he was caught by a Shiite Militia, and she told them that he was Shiite; he was promptly executed. To this day she cannot forgive herself and has become a psychiatric case. In January 2007, my own oldest cousin was shot by American soldiers mistaking him for a terrorist. He was buried ceremoniously by an Al-Qaeda crowd as a martyr. His son, a Sunni, however, was a police officer; he made the fatal mistake of showing his identity card in the cemetery. A month later he was pulled from his car in front of his wife and children, taken away and dumped two days later near his house with his body terribly mutilated by torture. He was murdered by the very same people who attended his fathers’ funeral. These were just couple of incidents that I personally witnessed amongst hundreds if not thousands of others. The years 2006, 2007 were the worst. Baghdad was a city of death and many parts of the city were like ghost towns where people feared to venture out of their front doors even for the most basic needs. Scores of corpses were found every morning littering the pavements and side streets and were collected and taken away by pickup trucks. These trucks laden with corpses piled on top of each other were a familiar sight in Baghdad. It was horror beyond imagination. The tragedies that took place are too painful to recall, some of which I witnessed personally. Baghdad had nearly fallen under the very nose of the American forces and the highly inefficient Iraqi security forces that they were trying to form.
Then came the counterattack. The credit must be shared between the troop surge decided by President Bush under the wise leadership of General Petraeus, the establishment of a unified Baghdad command by Al-Maliki’s government and the valiant efforts of the Anbar tribes and the Sahwa movement. The Iraqi security forces began to be developed in good earnest. The Maliki Government deserve to be credited for its determined and largely successful campaigns against Militias in the South primarily and the rather less successful ones in Mosul and Diyala. Towards the end of 2008 and in 2009 the insurgent tide had been more or less reversed. The war is not over and there is still much to be done, to be sure; but at least overt Militia control of entire provinces and neighbourhoods has ended and they were forced underground again. People can go about their business and shops are open; and even some neighbourhoods are becoming mixed again. In the shiaa areas calm has more or less been restored. Sectarian killings have almost stopped. However the scars of battle and the debris of destruction can still be seen all over the place, and underneath the surface animosities and sectarian hatred are still smouldering which is not surprising considering the atrocities inflicted by parties against each other. But the Iraqis are not a stupid people and everybody has realised that the violence did not serve anybody and that all sides stand to lose if it continues.
To be continued.
I remember an old Hollywood movie called "El Sid". It was based on a legend from the days when the Christians were fighting to expel the Moslems from Spain in the middle ages. You have all probably heard of the splendid era in Spain that lasted for several centuries, when an Islamic Umayyad western empire founded by Abd-ar-Rahman I (later titled Al-Dakhel) ;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus.
The legend goes like this: One of the leaders of the Christian armies was a great worrier. The Muslims or “moors “or “Saracens” as they are often referred to by ancient writers had a great respect and fear of this man. And as a mark of their awe towards this personage they nicknamed him El Sid, which means in Arabic: the master or the chief. Anyway this fighter was one day injured and died later without the Moslems knowing about it. In order not to lose the psychological advantage of his presence in battle and the fear he inspired in the enemy camp, the Christians hid the fact of his death, dressed the corpse in battle garb, mounted it on its horse and propped it up and had it accompany them in battle producing the desired effect and winning the battle. A similar tale is told in our religious lore about King Solomon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon , who is considered a prophet by the Muslims. He was according to Muslim tradition, master of all creatures, jinn’s and all manner of land, sea and air afreets, not to mention all animals. All feared and obeyed him and he could speak to them all and order them to do whatever he desired. So the legend goes that when he died he remained standing leaning on his walking stick for more than a whole year. All that time all the creatures at his command went about fearing him and behaving themselves, believing that he was alive. Well, you may wonder why on earth I am telling you all these tales! You will see what I am driving at shortly, if you can bear with me a little longer.
Well, the continuing drama of the Iraqi situation beats any soap opera or Hollywood fiction thriller with hands down, provided of course, that one keeps a safe distance; which luckily is the case for me right now. Being inside there, I doubt that entertainment would be the predominant sentiment for anyone. Hardly a day goes by without some exciting new development. Now we have entered the eighth year A.L. (After Liberation; one day Iraqi history may be dated thus); so how does the scene look like and what are the prospects for the near and distant futures? I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about it.
When considering the situation in Iraq, one must always keep in mind the developments of the past seven years and even the years preceding the fall of Saddam. After the 1st real election of 2005, the insurrection really escalated and we are all guilty of understating and under- reporting the true gravity of the situation. A terrible civil war was raging but nobody wanted to admit that openly. The horrors of that war are too painful to recall. I was personally witness of incidents that will continue to haunt me to the end of my days. The insurgency was essentially a sectarian uprising of the Sunnis against what they saw as Shiite takeover of power as a result of the American operation. Several militias were formed in the Sunni camp including Baathists and other groups. Al-Qaeda and its affiliates found an ideal and fertile ground to establish themselves with some support from the population of the Sunni provinces, or at least tolerance and indifference initially, largely due to sectarian passion and distaste for the new order that was coming into being. Thousands of foreigners were recruited and sent to Iraq through extremely porous borders, not to mention those already imported by Saddam just before his downfall, and Al-Zarqawi and other Al-Qaeda leaders rightly considered Iraq as the main front in the fight against their western and local enemies; and it was indeed the most sizable battle that they ever waged. The testament of Zarqawi remains to this day the best document summing up the position of these groups and their analysis of the Iraqi scene and their strategy at that epoch. On the other hand the anarchist poor Shiites were suddenly liberated from all fetters and free to indulge in an orgy of violence and vandalism under the banner of the so called Sadrist Current. The serious battles of Falluja, followed by the Sadrist rebellion and the siege of Najaf, are still fresh in memory during the 1st post-Bremer government of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. These were considerable battles in which the American forces played the primary role. After the elections of 2005, there were signs that the populations in Sunni areas primarily in the main stronghold of Al-Anbar were experiencing the harsh rule of Al-Qaeda, who established an intolerable rule of terror, murder and ridiculous oppression on the people. This situation prevailed in all Sunni controlled areas, in the provinces as well as in the Capital, Baghdad. Most importantly the Jihadists started to wage war against the traditional tribal sheiks and dignitaries, seeing in the traditional structures and loyalties a threat to their hegemony and control. Then the confrontation between the tribes of Al-Anbar started and developed into full scale war that ended in the expulsion of Al-Qaeda from their main stronghold in Al-Anbar. I was one of the first to realise the importance of this development and those who followed my blog at that time will remember my enthusiasm for this “Sahwa (awakening)” movement, and my urgent recommendation to support and take advantage of it; an advice which seems to have been heeded with far reaching results.
After the troubles in Al-Anbar, Al-Qaeda cadres were forced to relocate elsewhere in the Sunni areas, such as Diala province where Al-Zarqawi was discovered and killed by American bombing, as I am sure you all remember. However the killing of Al-Zarqawi did not end the rebellion and open sectarian war was declared the day the Al-Askaria shrine was exploded in 2006. I don’t think that the world really realised the full extent and the horror of that sectarian war. The country was divided into strictly segregated cantons where on both sides all those of the wrong sect were expelled from their homes and some murdered. People were murdered for no other crime than having the wrong name in the wrong place. Baghdad itself was divided into sectarian zones where anybody risked execution and torture if he ventured into the wrong neighbourhood. A childhood friend of my boys who lived few houses away from ours had been just married; he was a Sunni with a kind of neutral name. He was caught by a Sunni militia few hundred meters from my own house. The militia could not ascertain whether he was Shiite or Sunni, so they took his cell phone and phoned his wife asking her about it. The poor girl thought that he was caught by a Shiite Militia, and she told them that he was Shiite; he was promptly executed. To this day she cannot forgive herself and has become a psychiatric case. In January 2007, my own oldest cousin was shot by American soldiers mistaking him for a terrorist. He was buried ceremoniously by an Al-Qaeda crowd as a martyr. His son, a Sunni, however, was a police officer; he made the fatal mistake of showing his identity card in the cemetery. A month later he was pulled from his car in front of his wife and children, taken away and dumped two days later near his house with his body terribly mutilated by torture. He was murdered by the very same people who attended his fathers’ funeral. These were just couple of incidents that I personally witnessed amongst hundreds if not thousands of others. The years 2006, 2007 were the worst. Baghdad was a city of death and many parts of the city were like ghost towns where people feared to venture out of their front doors even for the most basic needs. Scores of corpses were found every morning littering the pavements and side streets and were collected and taken away by pickup trucks. These trucks laden with corpses piled on top of each other were a familiar sight in Baghdad. It was horror beyond imagination. The tragedies that took place are too painful to recall, some of which I witnessed personally. Baghdad had nearly fallen under the very nose of the American forces and the highly inefficient Iraqi security forces that they were trying to form.
Then came the counterattack. The credit must be shared between the troop surge decided by President Bush under the wise leadership of General Petraeus, the establishment of a unified Baghdad command by Al-Maliki’s government and the valiant efforts of the Anbar tribes and the Sahwa movement. The Iraqi security forces began to be developed in good earnest. The Maliki Government deserve to be credited for its determined and largely successful campaigns against Militias in the South primarily and the rather less successful ones in Mosul and Diyala. Towards the end of 2008 and in 2009 the insurgent tide had been more or less reversed. The war is not over and there is still much to be done, to be sure; but at least overt Militia control of entire provinces and neighbourhoods has ended and they were forced underground again. People can go about their business and shops are open; and even some neighbourhoods are becoming mixed again. In the shiaa areas calm has more or less been restored. Sectarian killings have almost stopped. However the scars of battle and the debris of destruction can still be seen all over the place, and underneath the surface animosities and sectarian hatred are still smouldering which is not surprising considering the atrocities inflicted by parties against each other. But the Iraqis are not a stupid people and everybody has realised that the violence did not serve anybody and that all sides stand to lose if it continues.
To be continued.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
WAKE UP CALL
Hi,
Every time I sit to write about the Iraqi situation, something grave comes up that requires attention. It is now this abortive attempt to explode an American airplane by this Nigerian young man who apparently claims that he was doing it on the orders of Al-Qaida in Yemen. Now this is serious and therefore I would like to address this post directly to all Moslems in North America, i.e. both the United States and Canada.
Fellow Moslems, as I see it, your original nationality and even religion are accidents of birth. You had no choice in that. But a country that you choose of your own free will, and that accepts you and welcomes you without any obligation to do that; that seems to me more precious and worthy of allegiance. Either you have already sworn allegiance or you hope to do that sometime in the future. You are therefore bound by your oath.
This is your country and your father land now. It is your duty to defend it and protect your fellow countrymen. Your livelihood and interests are inextricably linked to those of your new country and its inhabitants. When Al-Qaeda and its likes launch this kind of aggression, they don’t really care about your position and reputation in your chosen land. In fact, this kind of attack is far mare damaging to you than it is to the American people in general, no matter how tragic the consequences may be if these crimes succeed, heavens forbid. These lunatics care even less about you than the thousands of victims that fall all the time in Islamic countries, with their bombs and their attacks. In fact they resent and hate you, for having chosen these lands to settle. I came very hard on OutlawMike in my previous post, but to tell you the truth, deep down in my heart, I could understand his rage; it’s just that his solution angered me. In fact if any of you has the slightest ambiguity about his feeling towards these criminals, you are indeed not worthy to stay here It is time that you rise to defend you honor and your real “country”, which is the one in which you are living and raising your families now. It is not sufficient to sit in your homes and just deprecate these crimes, you have to make your voices heard, and loudly. I know that the vast majority of you are outraged as much as everybody else, but your fellow countrymen must hear you loud and clear. It is a blemish on your reputation and you must do everything in your power to dissociate yourselves from these enemies, your enemies primarily.
The question is how to do that. Of-course the answer lies in organized action. I am thinking of an Islamic Antiterrorist Alliance of North Americans. I am now pondering the founding manifesto of such an alliance, and I hope some of you might think with me to come up with a comprehensive set of principles. This alliance would be open for all patriotic North Americans of any other faith and conviction. Its objectives would be specifically to protect the homeland of North America, and would not be concerned with any issues outside of this land. It would strive to achieve that by peaceful means, including education, public campaigns, the internet etc. It would not hesitate to cooperate with anti-terrorist governmental agencies in any way that is lawful and not prejudicial to the principles of democracy and civil liberties that the U.S and Canada stand for. I shall not elaborate further now and consider this an initial wake up call, and I hope others more capable and articulate than me might take up the cause.
Alaa
Every time I sit to write about the Iraqi situation, something grave comes up that requires attention. It is now this abortive attempt to explode an American airplane by this Nigerian young man who apparently claims that he was doing it on the orders of Al-Qaida in Yemen. Now this is serious and therefore I would like to address this post directly to all Moslems in North America, i.e. both the United States and Canada.
Fellow Moslems, as I see it, your original nationality and even religion are accidents of birth. You had no choice in that. But a country that you choose of your own free will, and that accepts you and welcomes you without any obligation to do that; that seems to me more precious and worthy of allegiance. Either you have already sworn allegiance or you hope to do that sometime in the future. You are therefore bound by your oath.
This is your country and your father land now. It is your duty to defend it and protect your fellow countrymen. Your livelihood and interests are inextricably linked to those of your new country and its inhabitants. When Al-Qaeda and its likes launch this kind of aggression, they don’t really care about your position and reputation in your chosen land. In fact, this kind of attack is far mare damaging to you than it is to the American people in general, no matter how tragic the consequences may be if these crimes succeed, heavens forbid. These lunatics care even less about you than the thousands of victims that fall all the time in Islamic countries, with their bombs and their attacks. In fact they resent and hate you, for having chosen these lands to settle. I came very hard on OutlawMike in my previous post, but to tell you the truth, deep down in my heart, I could understand his rage; it’s just that his solution angered me. In fact if any of you has the slightest ambiguity about his feeling towards these criminals, you are indeed not worthy to stay here It is time that you rise to defend you honor and your real “country”, which is the one in which you are living and raising your families now. It is not sufficient to sit in your homes and just deprecate these crimes, you have to make your voices heard, and loudly. I know that the vast majority of you are outraged as much as everybody else, but your fellow countrymen must hear you loud and clear. It is a blemish on your reputation and you must do everything in your power to dissociate yourselves from these enemies, your enemies primarily.
The question is how to do that. Of-course the answer lies in organized action. I am thinking of an Islamic Antiterrorist Alliance of North Americans. I am now pondering the founding manifesto of such an alliance, and I hope some of you might think with me to come up with a comprehensive set of principles. This alliance would be open for all patriotic North Americans of any other faith and conviction. Its objectives would be specifically to protect the homeland of North America, and would not be concerned with any issues outside of this land. It would strive to achieve that by peaceful means, including education, public campaigns, the internet etc. It would not hesitate to cooperate with anti-terrorist governmental agencies in any way that is lawful and not prejudicial to the principles of democracy and civil liberties that the U.S and Canada stand for. I shall not elaborate further now and consider this an initial wake up call, and I hope others more capable and articulate than me might take up the cause.
Alaa
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
THE PLAN
OutlawMike,
You are forcing me to digress again form the main subject of this blog. Never mind, though, I can persevere for one more post especially for you, see how much I care for you.
What you say is indeed quite alarming, I mean Moslems overrunning Molenbeek, Kuregem, Anderlecht and many other funny names like that is something truly affreux; more scandalous still, some of them actually going so far as wanting to perform prayers !! What horror!! And how about this phallic symbol of a minaret, my god, the thought of one going up your ----, if you will pardon the simile! Church spires are at least conical in shape and they can’t go all the way, so to speak. No wonder the Swiss banned them, though mind you, that does show a little lack of erotic imagination on their part. But then, Swiss peasants were never known for being particularly sexy. It’s probably too much cheese, you know.
Besides, all this pent up emotion and suppressed hatred is not good for your health, especially if you are getting on in years, are you still young? You can try drinking a lot of green tea and there are other recipes quite good to calm ones’ nerves, but I hardly think that will solve your problem entirely
No No No, something more drastic must be done; especially since I dont think stupid governments will accept you plans of mass deportation. So I have been thinking hard of a plan of action on your behalf; something that only a diabolical Moslem mind like mine can hatch. If you are man enough to match action to words, you may consider it; you don’t want Bin Laden types to put you to shame for being prepared to follow words with deeds. And here is the plan in brief:
You start by growing a thick beard. Next find some shabby clothes and try them on. Try to venture into one of these Moslem enclaves, perhaps Molenbeek (the 78% one). Make some acquaintances who look particularly the practicing Moslem types. Pretend that you are interested in Islam and ask them to take you to mosques to learn more about the religion. Little by little you will gain their trust and start frequenting their places. This plan needs patience and perseverance my friend, remember how Al Qaeda operatives plan and work for years for their exploits. Be inspired by that. Someday you will get to know some real hardcore Jihadi-Salafists and pretend to be influenced by them. You will convert and utter the Shahada, and become one of them. But be careful not to be really converted, I suspect you have the temperament for it. Finally confide to them that you have decided to become a suicide martyr and they might send you to Afghanistan or Somalia or some other hell for training. Once you have had your training and got your suicide belt packed with freshly made C4 in Syria, Iran or God knows where, tell them that you have a desire to meet their leaders before going to paradise. Who knows, luck might smile to you and you get to meet the great one himself. They will be thrilled to have such a convert, I am sure. The final act will be for you to try to smuggle your suicide belt during this audience, and boom, good riddance to a lot of terrorists, not to mention your good self too. It would be wonderful if you could recruit some like minded friends of yours and all do the thing simultaneously in true Al-Qaeda style. Don’t you think it is a wonderful plan?
Don’t forget to post a martyrdom video tape message on the internet, or better still send it to me. We shall be famous, man. It’s all about publicity and the television.
Salam
Alaa
You are forcing me to digress again form the main subject of this blog. Never mind, though, I can persevere for one more post especially for you, see how much I care for you.
What you say is indeed quite alarming, I mean Moslems overrunning Molenbeek, Kuregem, Anderlecht and many other funny names like that is something truly affreux; more scandalous still, some of them actually going so far as wanting to perform prayers !! What horror!! And how about this phallic symbol of a minaret, my god, the thought of one going up your ----, if you will pardon the simile! Church spires are at least conical in shape and they can’t go all the way, so to speak. No wonder the Swiss banned them, though mind you, that does show a little lack of erotic imagination on their part. But then, Swiss peasants were never known for being particularly sexy. It’s probably too much cheese, you know.
Besides, all this pent up emotion and suppressed hatred is not good for your health, especially if you are getting on in years, are you still young? You can try drinking a lot of green tea and there are other recipes quite good to calm ones’ nerves, but I hardly think that will solve your problem entirely
No No No, something more drastic must be done; especially since I dont think stupid governments will accept you plans of mass deportation. So I have been thinking hard of a plan of action on your behalf; something that only a diabolical Moslem mind like mine can hatch. If you are man enough to match action to words, you may consider it; you don’t want Bin Laden types to put you to shame for being prepared to follow words with deeds. And here is the plan in brief:
You start by growing a thick beard. Next find some shabby clothes and try them on. Try to venture into one of these Moslem enclaves, perhaps Molenbeek (the 78% one). Make some acquaintances who look particularly the practicing Moslem types. Pretend that you are interested in Islam and ask them to take you to mosques to learn more about the religion. Little by little you will gain their trust and start frequenting their places. This plan needs patience and perseverance my friend, remember how Al Qaeda operatives plan and work for years for their exploits. Be inspired by that. Someday you will get to know some real hardcore Jihadi-Salafists and pretend to be influenced by them. You will convert and utter the Shahada, and become one of them. But be careful not to be really converted, I suspect you have the temperament for it. Finally confide to them that you have decided to become a suicide martyr and they might send you to Afghanistan or Somalia or some other hell for training. Once you have had your training and got your suicide belt packed with freshly made C4 in Syria, Iran or God knows where, tell them that you have a desire to meet their leaders before going to paradise. Who knows, luck might smile to you and you get to meet the great one himself. They will be thrilled to have such a convert, I am sure. The final act will be for you to try to smuggle your suicide belt during this audience, and boom, good riddance to a lot of terrorists, not to mention your good self too. It would be wonderful if you could recruit some like minded friends of yours and all do the thing simultaneously in true Al-Qaeda style. Don’t you think it is a wonderful plan?
Don’t forget to post a martyrdom video tape message on the internet, or better still send it to me. We shall be famous, man. It’s all about publicity and the television.
Salam
Alaa
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