Hi Friends,

Actually the visit to the U.S. by our prime minister is of very special significance. I don't know if many amongst the American public really understand this significance. To start with this is an elected civil servant. Secondly this is the leader of one of the most important grass root Shiaa movement in Iraq, the Da'awa party, which has mass support amongst a very wide segment of society from poor to rich. And these are the movements regarding which fears were expressed by some considering that they may take an anti-american and anti-western direction once they are in power. I am not going to expand more on the subject but I would like to refer you to an interesting article which I am pasting now in Arabic in the hope of translating it later to english when I have time.

Mohammad Hassan Al-Mussawy, writes in Al-Nahrain Arabic site the Following:

محمد حسن الموسوي
almossawy@hotmail.com

في الحديث القدسي ما مضمونه ( من شكر المخلوق فقد شكر الخالق) فالشكر سمة اخلاقية فضلا عن انها دينية يتحتم على (المتدين) ان يمارسها في حياته اليومية كعبادة وبذلك خاطب الله الانسان بقوله ( ان اشكر لي ولوالديك) مع انه تعالى شأنه غنيٌ حميدٌ وغيرُ محتاج ٍ للشكر, اذ لا تضره معصية من عصاه ولا طاعة من اطاعه, وهو المنعم بالعطيات على عباده الشاكرُ منهم و الكافرُ الجاحد لنعمه على حد سواء ٍ والى ذلك اشار بقوله (كُلاًّ نُّمِدُّ هَـؤُلاء وَهَـؤُلاء مِنْ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاء رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا( .

ومن بديهيات الذوق شكر المخلوق اذا احسن الينا عرفانا ً منا بجميل صنعه وبديع فعله وفي ذلك يقول الباري جلّ وعلا ( وهل جزاء الاحسان الا الاحسان) فالشكر تصرف حضاري واخلاقي ودليل تحضر ووعي وردٍ للتحية باحسن منها (واذا حُييتم بتحية فحيوا باحسن منها او ردوها). ومناسبة هذا الحديث هو الاشكال (الفقهي) الذي اثاره نفر من متديني القرن الواحد والعشرين على الدكتور ابراهيم الجعفري رئيس الحكومة ومفاد هذا الاشكال هو عدم جواز اذلال المؤمن نفسه (للكافر) على حد تعبيرهم, وشكر الجعفري للرئيس بوش هو تذلل للكافرين باعتقادهم.

لا اعتقد اننا بحاجة الى تفنيد هذا الرأي, لانه وبكل بساطة رأي ساذج ولا يستحق الرد, اذ ليس كل رأي او قول يستحق ان يكلف المرء نفسه عناء الرد عليه وتفنيده وبيان خطأه. والواقع مالفت انتباهي هنا ليس الاشكال المذكور بل الطريقة التي يفكر بها اصحاب هذا الرأي وعقليتهم التي تستحق حقيقة ً التوقف عندها وسبر اغوارها والتعرف اليها, لأنها عقلية اقل ما يمكن وصفها بها انها عقلية منغلقة ,عقلية توروبوراتية قادمة من كهوف توروبورا حيث يقبع الطالبان المتشددين وحيث يقضي زعيم الارهابيين اسامة بن لادن ايامه الاخيرة هناك بانتظار ( الشهادة) والتي يبدو ان ارض الافغان ضاقت بها فصدرها الينا بشخص خليفته الارهابي الاردني من اصل فلسطيني الزرقاوي.

هنالك ثلاث اصناف من المتظاهرين بالتدين. فهنالك متدين وهنالك متطين وهنالك (مطي دين) والاخير هو بيت القصيد واليه ينتمي اصحاب العقلية السالفة الذكر.
اما الاول فهو المتدين الحقيقي اي الذي يتعامل مع الدين بواقعية وعقلانية ويتعبد الله بشكل سليم وبما اراده الله فهو صاحب دين وليس متظاهرأ نفاقا. واما الصنف الثاني اي المتطين فهو الدجال الذي يتظاهر بالدين كمن يصبغ نفسه بالطين ليخدع الناس بانه من المجدين بالعمل والعبادة فهو صاحب طين وليس دين. واما الصنف الاخير فأسمه مأخوذ من كلمة (المطي) والتي تعني باللهجة العراقية الحمار و(المطي دين) تعني بالنهاية حمار متدين اجلكم الله ولنا ان نتصور ما سيكون عليه حال الحمار حينما يتدين والحر تكفيه الاشارة. وهذا الصنف هو الاكثر شيوعا وللاسف الشديد في زماننا هذا ومع شديد الاعتذار للمتدينين الحقيقيين. فهؤلاء (المطي دينيين) هم من يُشكِلونَّ على الجعفري المتدين شكره لبوش (الكافر), وهم من يطالب بأنسحاب قوات (الاحتلال) عاجلا ً غير آجل وقد غاب عن هؤلاء لغبائهم المُزمن ان الجعفري شكر بوش بصفته رئيسا لحكومة العراق التي تسعى لجلب المصلحة والمنفعة للبلد ودرء المفسدة عنه وليس بوصفه مرشدا ً لأحدى حملات الحج كما كان يفعل قبل تحرير بغداد.

ويبدو لي ان هذا النمط من التفكير الذي شاع في الاوساط هو الذي جعل الكثير من المتدينين الحقيقيين يخافون الجهر بشكرهم وعرفانهم للآخرين حتى لا تلوكهم ألسنُ الجاهلين من الصنف الثالث. والجعفري على ما يبدو واحد من هؤلاء المتدينين الحقيقيين الذين تحلوا اخيراً بالشجاعة والجرأة وافصحوا عن عقيدتهم تجاه من احسن اليهم وهذا ما كان ينتظره منه كلُّ ذي لب ٍ وقلب ٍ سليم منذ حين .

ومن هنا فقد غبطتني الفرحة وملأ قلبي الحزين البهجة حينما نطق رئيس حكومتنا كلمة الشكر والعرفان بحق الشعب الامريكي النبيل وبحق الرئيس الرائع بوش. ولا ابوح سرا ً انني تسمرت امام شاشة التلفاز أتابع مجريات المؤتمر الصحفي للرئيسين بوش والجعفري ومع علمي المسبق وبشكل عام بمضمون الكلمة التي سيلقيها رئيس حكومتنا المحترم وما فيها من كلمات الشكر وعبارات اخرى أ ُختيرت له بدقة فائقة وعناية رائعة من قبل عليم بدهاليز البيت الابيض ضليع بكواليس الكونغرس خبير بعقلية الساسة الامريكان ومحيط بذوق الشارع الامريكي وبالمفردات الديبلوماسية المؤثرة فيه . رجلُ عاش بين ظهرانيهم دهرا ً طويلا ً فخبرهم وعرفهم واستطاع بما أتاه الله من دهاءٍ سياسي وذكاءٍ وقاد اقناع عتاة الجمهوريين والديموقراطيين بدخول الحرب ضد صدام بعد ان استحصل منهم قانون تحرير العراق . اقول مع معرفتي المسبقة بمضمون كلمة الجعفري التي عرضها على بعض اعضاء حكومته قبيل سفره الا انني كنت خائفاً من ان يتردد صاحبنا في ان يتلفظ ما ُكتب له او ان يجتهد في اللحظة الاخيرة فيغيير ما خُط له وهو المعروف بكثرة الاجتهادات .

بدء الشك يتسلل اليّ وخشيت من ان لايفعلها .ورحت اتساءل ونفسي ماذا لو تصرف الجعفري كأسلامي متدين وليس كرئيس حكومة ولم يتشكر ممن انقذ شعبنا وحررنا من البعثيين؟ ماذا لو اجتهد وحذف عبارة الشكر التي صيغت له بشكل يُدغدغ عواطف الرئيس الامريكي وشعبه؟ ماذا لو تجاهل عن قصد طرح فكرة (مشروع بوش) التي اريد منها تأكيد فكرة الشراكة الاستراتيجية بين العراق الجديد وامريكا؟


وما هي الا لحظات حتى سمعته ينطقها ( شكرا ً سيادة الرئيس شكرا ً لك وللشعب الامريكي) عندها تنفست الصعداء وشعرت بسرور عظيم . اما لماذا كُلُّ هذا السرور لعدة كلمات؟ فلانها تختزل الكثير ولأنها النهاية لعراق العنتريات الايديولوجية والافكار المجردة والبداية لعراق الواقعية السياسية وللحديث تتمة.

I hope to translate the above to you later, Inshallah.

Regards

Dear Friends,

Just a quick note, to the American public: this is no time to lose heart, the fight is just now changing gear. We the Iraqis are confident of winning this battle. This so-called “insurrection” may be characterized as the “Unpopular Revolt” rather than the opposite. It is doomed to failure. We have never pretended that this can be achieved overnight. It takes time and struggle, but to those who think that the insurgency is growing I would like to say this: It is the power of the people that is growing, it is the strength and effectiveness of the new patriotic security forces that is growing, such forces that are for the first time in our history representative of the majority of the people. Time is on the side of the people and not their enemies.

Yes, this is no time to lose heart friends.

UPDATE

Hi everybody,

Despite the continuing incidents of car bombings and other terrorist tactics by the enemy, there is little doubt that Operation Lightening has seriously crippled his capability in the capital. This is highlighted by the event that led to the rescue of the Australian hostage. To find somebody hidden in a house in the sprawling jungle of residential areas of Baghdad is like finding a needle in a hay stack. It shows the degree of concentration of security forces in Baghdad has reached a point where it has become difficult for the enemy to hide or move. That is certainly positive. However, we still have to see the kind of intelligence and scanning of the inhabitants of these areas that is necessary in the light of the serious battle that is going on.

You have all seen how the terrorist incidents have now shifted to other areas outside the capital such as Baaqouba and Kirkuk. It was the stated and clear objective of the terrorists to concentrate on the capital and the fact that they are now forced to launch their attacks elsewhere is simply caused by the difficulties they are facing in Baghdad. Sure they can sneak in one or two car bombs and suicide individuals, but the ability to launch massive attacks, like the ones we saw in the first few days of the new government, is no longer there. The next stage of the campaign is obvious. The thin Sunni belt south and south east of the capital, the so-called triangle of death, i.e. The area stretching from near Falluja in the west, through Yousifiya, Mahmoudiya, Eskandariya, Salman Pak & etc.; an area well delineated and well known by the security forces, this area must be cleaned up and brought under control. In this way the siege on the capital can be broken from the southern side and the roads and communications between the South and the capital restored and protected; something vital that can allow for some serious reconstruction work to be started in the calmer part of the country.

Meanwhile the political process has to be pursued with doubled efforts. It is absolutely essential at this point to try to isolate the hopeless extremists amongst the Sunnis and encourage the reasonable elements. That there exist such elements I can assure you from my own personal knowledge of the fact, and that they are more numerous than what might be thought. In the Anbar province itself, there are people who are absolutely fed up with the violence, and these are not just few individuals but whole tribal formations. I think, though, that this fact is well known to the commanders on the ground. For instance, take the troubles in Al Qaim, on the Syrian border. The main tribe that is making trouble there is called Al Karabla (hence the village of the same name that was attacked recently by the U.S. forces.), some other quite powerful and fierce tribes in the location such as the Mahallat are of quite different bent of mind and are not enthusiastic about the insurgency. In other parts of the Anbar, there are tribes who are even friendly and cooperative such as the Ubaid near the town of Al Baghdadi (the location of one of the main bases of the U.S. army in the country at the site of a former Iraqi Air force base). However, it must be admitted that these groups are over numbered and overpowered by the rebellious elements that are well financed and supported from inside and abroad and instigated and inflamed by hate-filled lunatic religious fanatics of Al Qaida type, not to mention Syrian agents and the like. The good people there are suffering the most from intimidation and liquidation and have very little help from either the American forces who are mainly holding the area, or from the Iraqi government, which does not really exist in these parts.

The article referred to below in the Washington post has caught my attention. If it is the intention of the writer to say that more attention should be paid to those in this Sunni camp who are not happy about the violence, and may even help in the fight, I think he hit a correct note.

To summarize, we can say that basically Operation Lightening has been a good start but must be developed and expanded as quickly as possible, together with political and other measures to strengthen the right minded elements in the Sunni camp.

LIGHTENING

Hi,

Despite the fact that I vowed to continue my research on the peasant problem and not allow myself to be distracted by events, things are moving so fast that I cannot help a short digression from the subject.

Regarding the present campaign by the government against the terrorists and the “insurgents” in Baghdad codenamed “Operation Lightening”, some of you might remember my proposals more than a year ago. Well, this plan is a belated realization of the points that I have explained then. However, there are matters that are essential that seem to be missing in this plan. As I said then, any counter-terrorist campaign must start with securing the Capital Baghdad and controlling the entrances and exits. In addition, it is essential to build a comprehensive database of all the inhabitants of the city as well as finding a viable and forgery proof means of identification of both persons and vehicles. It is in these technical details that the MNF can be most helpful. Also, I am wondering whether a technical solution to the remote detection of explosives in a car or a person cannot be found.

You see, each side of the struggle must try to use his strong points. The terrorist can hide and work like ghosts and melt away amongst sympathetic or intimidated population. He will strike like a snake and run away. His main weapon is this ability to hit, run and hide. His main strength is this invisibility, and of course, his utter unscrupulousness and cruelty, and willingness to destroy. Destruction is always much easier than construction; what is built in a year can be destroyed in a second. What are then the strengths of the anti-terrorist side? We must try to think hard and try to discover that and use it. Well, in this case, we have the world’s most advanced nations technologically coupled with the will and determination of the majority of a population. These are no small advantages. The guts and sacrifices will be gladly provided by our people and our security forces who are getting stronger and more determined everyday, and have proved to the whole world their resolution and acceptance of the sacrifices. The Great Friend’s most valuable contribution will eventually be this technical support aspect that is his strongest point, if he has the mind to it and the realization that it is in this way that he can be most effective and supportive.

The security presence and watchfulness must be sustained and permanent; otherwise, the terrorists will simply lie low and await the end of the blitz to get back to business. Also I have expounded before the concept of the courteous house to house searches and enquiry, which should be used when dealing with people who may well be innocent of any wrong doing. Meticulous “inventorying” of a troubled residential area or quarters will have to use a carefully planned mix of all kind of intrusions. Rudeness and intimidation tactics must only be used when necessary and not be the general rule.

Nevertheless, the “Lightening Operation” is already beginning to show results, and the terrorists are under real pressure in Baghdad. It remains to be seen if this operation can expand to include the other trouble spots.

I am personally convinced that the “insurgency” is not strong at all and that its continuation is mainly due to vacuum, ineptitude, errors and lack of serious effort. Any determined and sustained campaign based on correct strategies can produce astonishing results quite quickly.