Greetings Friends,
Firmness must not be equated with intransigence. As our Book says, “ If they veer towards peace you do likewise” (Bad translation of the Qoranic verse). There is a very thin line that separates the two methodologies. Firmness must be exercised towards a political end, and must not be allowed to become counterproductive. Now the moderates from all parties who can exert real influence must be given support and attention.
Our previous posts should not tranquilize people to think that the situation is easy. I have advocated long ago the importance to control the neighborhoods, side streets and alleyways of the city. This was not achieved and consequently these are more or less under the control of armed bands at the moment. The new police force and ICDC have sadly become totally intimidated and largely ineffective, especially in Baghdad. This is the sad truth. In the last few days, things have become really bad, especially for the middle class inhabitants of Baghdad. In some areas they are knocking on doors to ask for “donations” in support of the “Mujahideen”. Some of my relatives have left their house and came to our house for refuge to escape them. We fear that the U.S. forces may become isolated in an urban sea of hostile gangs and a majority of powerless intimidated people.
A political solution must be quickly arrived at. The secular democratic forces have no power in this atmosphere since they are not armed and defenseless. The U.S. and Coalition cannot give protection to civilians since they are not a police force, and are engaged in combat. The situation should be defused but without a show of weakness. The most dangerous of the insurgents are those affiliated with the previous regime and their allies. But there are many moderates in the Sunni camp and these should now be given full support. Likewise, strenuous efforts are being undertaken to defuse the Sadr disturbance in Najaf and these should not be shunned.
This is an urgent message for the American people and the Coalition, on behalf of the Baghdadis. We are experiencing a difficult situation at the moment, surrounded by dangers from every side: Insurgents, thieves, kidnappers, you name it. We the civilian population are unarmed and quite helpless in the face of all these dangers, and we don’t have any protection whatsoever. A political settlement is urgently needed. The situation can’t even wait until the 30th of June. Any Iraqi Government without a real, reliable security apparatus that can counteract the armed gangs will be immediately toppled and God only knows what will happen. Therefore such a Government must be acceptable to all the main groups. The real terrorists and saboteurs should be isolated politically and not just combated militarily.
That is all for now.
Salaam
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Monday, April 12, 2004
Hi,
You are going to be amazed what a little bit of firmness can produce.
I have very little time today. Also I don’t like to talk too much, neither are you too fond of too many words I suspect. The opportunity should not be now lost to reach a comprehensive agreement especially with the fierce Dulaim tribe, populating the Anbar western province of which Fallujah is part. They have been the main source of trouble and a definitive pact must be made with them in particular, the agreement should be to cease all hostile actions everywhere, and to come on board the democratic process. There are cool heads. See what they really want. Once everybody understand that the U.S. is not going to be shaken, and they are watching the polls anxiously, and that she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and can be ruthless, you will start seeing results. The more the U.S. public rallies behind their president, the more the enemy is going to be disillusioned, conversely the best service you can give the terrorists is to give them the impression that they are succeeding in swaying the western public, this will encourage them to escalate their actions. And remember that most Iraqis out there do not have identical agendas with Al Qaeda and Qaeda like groups or any of the other foreign groups (c.f. Zarqawi letter), it is only a temporary alliance of convenience, and can be undone if the right incentives are given.
Decent Iraqis don’t really care how many Sunnis or Shiaa or Christians or even some damn Buddhists there will be in the new government, provided they are decent people and follow the rules of the New Iraq.
The present situation must be escalated politically, and even under duress if need be, towards a full engagement across the whole political spectrum towards the formation of the New effective government satisfying everybody, to receive the promised sovereignty on the famous date.
The most important thing is that this government adheres to the new rules of conduct, no matter what its composition may be. As far as the Mehdi Army and Al Sadr are concerned, you will soon see how this soap bubble explodes harmlessly into thin air.
Salaam
You are going to be amazed what a little bit of firmness can produce.
I have very little time today. Also I don’t like to talk too much, neither are you too fond of too many words I suspect. The opportunity should not be now lost to reach a comprehensive agreement especially with the fierce Dulaim tribe, populating the Anbar western province of which Fallujah is part. They have been the main source of trouble and a definitive pact must be made with them in particular, the agreement should be to cease all hostile actions everywhere, and to come on board the democratic process. There are cool heads. See what they really want. Once everybody understand that the U.S. is not going to be shaken, and they are watching the polls anxiously, and that she will stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and can be ruthless, you will start seeing results. The more the U.S. public rallies behind their president, the more the enemy is going to be disillusioned, conversely the best service you can give the terrorists is to give them the impression that they are succeeding in swaying the western public, this will encourage them to escalate their actions. And remember that most Iraqis out there do not have identical agendas with Al Qaeda and Qaeda like groups or any of the other foreign groups (c.f. Zarqawi letter), it is only a temporary alliance of convenience, and can be undone if the right incentives are given.
Decent Iraqis don’t really care how many Sunnis or Shiaa or Christians or even some damn Buddhists there will be in the new government, provided they are decent people and follow the rules of the New Iraq.
The present situation must be escalated politically, and even under duress if need be, towards a full engagement across the whole political spectrum towards the formation of the New effective government satisfying everybody, to receive the promised sovereignty on the famous date.
The most important thing is that this government adheres to the new rules of conduct, no matter what its composition may be. As far as the Mehdi Army and Al Sadr are concerned, you will soon see how this soap bubble explodes harmlessly into thin air.
Salaam
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Hi Friends,
You know, contrary to the generally prevalent mood, I think that the latest developments are rather encouraging. You may be surprised at this conclusion, but if you look at the situation more analytically you will come up with some unexpected conclusions. I can see a way, a method and a possible strategy to reach some more decisive objectives. The battle lines are better drawn and the adversaries have more or less been brought out in the open and their capabilities and true nature are better exposed. I see that it is a duty to speak up my mind. And this is no idle exercise on my part, but an attempt at contributing some thinking. I do hope that somebody close to the decision-making circles reads this blog. I am not presuming or being conceited, but honestly I believe I have something to contribute.
Therefore, during this week I shall try (Inshallah) to mobilize time and energy to talk about my own personal views regarding possible strategic methodology in this critical phase of this campaign, which for us is a matter of destiny and life and death. I shall try to give my perspective as a middle class Baghdadi and consider how actions and counteractions can interact with our society taking into account the structure, nature and customs of the various classes and groups that make up the Iraqi population of which I am a member, and therefore more intimately acquainted than any external observer.
Since I and many other people of my class, in Iraq, are profoundly interested in the eventual goals which we still think the U.S. and Allies are trying to achieve, and since we have a perception that the latest events were not some unforeseen chaotic and alarming developments but seem to have some underlying deliberate and premeditated planning and that the initiative did not come from the adversaries but rather from the Coalition, it is important that we make our views known. We are most anxious that there should be no more mistakes, especially as there seems to be so little time before that handover date, which, although we are looking forward to, but which is nevertheless fraught with so many dangers and uncertainties.
It is wise to listen to the advice of those who really wish you success, especially if that success is beneficial, nay crucial to them.
Salaam
You know, contrary to the generally prevalent mood, I think that the latest developments are rather encouraging. You may be surprised at this conclusion, but if you look at the situation more analytically you will come up with some unexpected conclusions. I can see a way, a method and a possible strategy to reach some more decisive objectives. The battle lines are better drawn and the adversaries have more or less been brought out in the open and their capabilities and true nature are better exposed. I see that it is a duty to speak up my mind. And this is no idle exercise on my part, but an attempt at contributing some thinking. I do hope that somebody close to the decision-making circles reads this blog. I am not presuming or being conceited, but honestly I believe I have something to contribute.
Therefore, during this week I shall try (Inshallah) to mobilize time and energy to talk about my own personal views regarding possible strategic methodology in this critical phase of this campaign, which for us is a matter of destiny and life and death. I shall try to give my perspective as a middle class Baghdadi and consider how actions and counteractions can interact with our society taking into account the structure, nature and customs of the various classes and groups that make up the Iraqi population of which I am a member, and therefore more intimately acquainted than any external observer.
Since I and many other people of my class, in Iraq, are profoundly interested in the eventual goals which we still think the U.S. and Allies are trying to achieve, and since we have a perception that the latest events were not some unforeseen chaotic and alarming developments but seem to have some underlying deliberate and premeditated planning and that the initiative did not come from the adversaries but rather from the Coalition, it is important that we make our views known. We are most anxious that there should be no more mistakes, especially as there seems to be so little time before that handover date, which, although we are looking forward to, but which is nevertheless fraught with so many dangers and uncertainties.
It is wise to listen to the advice of those who really wish you success, especially if that success is beneficial, nay crucial to them.
Salaam
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Hi Friends,
I hope you all realize that a major objective of the enemy is to produce defeatism in the U.S. and allied nations home front, counting on the democratic process to force the hand of policy makers. The War in fact never stopped from the first day of the fall of the Icon. All the events you have witnessed are part of a sustained and escalating campaign by all the forces opposed to the “Project”. I don’t presume to be able to give a knowledgeable critique about U.S. and Allied strategy, like everybody seems to be fond of doing nowadays (and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of Gurus of the subject). Firmness would have been much easier to apply at a much earlier stage. When I say “Firmness”, it must not be construed to mean brutality. Nevertheless, and undeniably, the use of force is part of the thing, but it must be precise, measured and proportionate. This, of course, is almost stating the obvious.
One thing is fundamental though: Once you start exercising firmness it will be disastrous if you falter and show weakness again. Diplomacy and politics are essential of course, but the arguments of the strong are always much more convincing.
In any case I ask all our friends not to be too emotional and weak stomached, and above all not to help the enemy in what he is desperate to achieve, i.e. defeatism and despair.
Salaam
I hope you all realize that a major objective of the enemy is to produce defeatism in the U.S. and allied nations home front, counting on the democratic process to force the hand of policy makers. The War in fact never stopped from the first day of the fall of the Icon. All the events you have witnessed are part of a sustained and escalating campaign by all the forces opposed to the “Project”. I don’t presume to be able to give a knowledgeable critique about U.S. and Allied strategy, like everybody seems to be fond of doing nowadays (and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of Gurus of the subject). Firmness would have been much easier to apply at a much earlier stage. When I say “Firmness”, it must not be construed to mean brutality. Nevertheless, and undeniably, the use of force is part of the thing, but it must be precise, measured and proportionate. This, of course, is almost stating the obvious.
One thing is fundamental though: Once you start exercising firmness it will be disastrous if you falter and show weakness again. Diplomacy and politics are essential of course, but the arguments of the strong are always much more convincing.
In any case I ask all our friends not to be too emotional and weak stomached, and above all not to help the enemy in what he is desperate to achieve, i.e. defeatism and despair.
Salaam
Friday, April 09, 2004
THE ECONOMIC WEAPON
Hi Friends,
When we speak of labor-intensive projects, this does not necessarily mean just low tech. work. I would like to tell you some of my thoughts about it.
As I said before, I think that an economic “campaign” aiming at solving the unemployment problem as well as pushing forward of the reconstruction effort can go a long way towards achieving the goals we all desire. Certainly the funds that were promised by the U.S. and others, in addition to Iraq’s own resources should be of help and must be handled with the greatest care and wisdom and should not be considered an opportunity for profiteering by anybody. Legitimate profit making is not wrong, and there will be plenty of opportunities later on “Inshallah”, but now the situation is critical and spending must be governed by political considerations aimed at bolstering the cause of stability and pacification, as well as hopefully allowing the Coalition to reduce its military presence and expenditure gradually, thereby allowing the gradual transformation from military to economic commitment. And we must never loose sight of the fact that in the end of the day it is economic success that will bring the desired results, c.f. Germany and Japan. Those who think that this comparison between Iraq and the aforementioned countries is not realistic or valid are quite wrong; the correct precedent for the present situation is precisely that and not any other. The reason I say this, is because I personally know that here we have all the requisites for an economic revival and on considerable scale.
In the eighties of the last century, there was a brief period when the relations between the U.S. and the Iraqi governments saw some improvement which led to the reopening of the U.S. embassy and some interesting investment ideas. For example there was a project called P.C.2, which consisted of building a very large Petrochemical complex near Baghdad, together with a refinery to supply the project. This project was a kind of joint venture between a consortium led by Bechtel and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. Years of work were spent in the preparations for this project and construction work was actually started just before the first Gulf War. This was said to be the second largest complex of its kind in the World and would have provided thousands of job opportunities for Iraqis at various levels of Skill as well as reviving a large area of almost uninhabited land. Now this kind of investment is very interesting. Converting crude oil to synthetic products greatly increases the value of the natural resource. Just selling crude oil is not going to bring in the amount of cash required to achieve the ambitions of the U.S. and the Iraqis and the kind of prosperity that would really make a difference. Also it would bring a kind of closer integration with the U.S. economy and clearly be of mutual interest to both sides. The Consortium was to be responsible for worldwide marketing as far as I know. So this was not a simple contract but rather an ambitious long-term engagement. Another project was started with General Motors to build an automobile factory near the town of Iskandariya, which is one of the main industrial centers for mechanical industry. This is another very interesting project and can give a great boost to a wide range of secondary and subsidiary economic activities. Mr. Bremmer was giving the influx of about half a million cars into the country as an example of progress. Now if that number paid for by hard cash by the Iraqi citizens to purchase old European and Japanese autos had been invested in bringing in new American models sold to the population at reasonable prices, this might have been a better idea. Somebody mentioned some ideas about manufacturing SUV’s locally sometime ago. Well the market is there, and the project is there, and this would be another example of bringing the two economies together and promoting the kind of the relationship that strengthen the ties between the two peoples. And I could go on and on about many such opportunities to revive some important industries all over the country.
What I am really driving at is my belief that the emphasis of the “reconstruction program” should transcend the mere rebuilding of the basic infrastructure to the kind of large-scale corporate engagement such as the kind of projects mentioned above. And you know, we have historical precedence to support the feasibility of this idea. For example the operations of the Iraq Petroleum Company (mainly British Owned), before the nationalization of 1972 relied mainly on local staff, and it was very successful and those were the happiest days ever known in Kirkuk. The company only provided higher management and the local staff was very happy, stable and well looked after people. Later on came the era of very large State run enterprises and the Iraqis became very accustomed to working in this kind of big organizations. Almost every province in the country has some large industrial enterprise of this kind, now almost all paralyzed. What about the Western and Mainly American corporations trying to revive some of these enterprises, injecting modern technology and management and making use of available resources and manpower (much cheaper than elsewhere) to turn them into viable industries at least to cover local demand if not the surrounding markets?
As for the security concerns, like someone said, if they are working for you they are not going to shoot at you. Imagine if some of these kinds of projects employ a couple of thousands of people even in Falujah or Tikrit, wouldn’t that be more effective than night raids and shooting matches, in appeasing and tranquilizing people? Moreover, “insurgents” will not be able to go shooting all these thousands of their own kin for “collaboration”. Indeed even the U.S. military personnel can be put in charge, where civilians fear to tread, so to speak.
Just some ideas for our American and Allied friends to think about, and maybe we shall have more to say about it.
Salaam
Alaa
When we speak of labor-intensive projects, this does not necessarily mean just low tech. work. I would like to tell you some of my thoughts about it.
As I said before, I think that an economic “campaign” aiming at solving the unemployment problem as well as pushing forward of the reconstruction effort can go a long way towards achieving the goals we all desire. Certainly the funds that were promised by the U.S. and others, in addition to Iraq’s own resources should be of help and must be handled with the greatest care and wisdom and should not be considered an opportunity for profiteering by anybody. Legitimate profit making is not wrong, and there will be plenty of opportunities later on “Inshallah”, but now the situation is critical and spending must be governed by political considerations aimed at bolstering the cause of stability and pacification, as well as hopefully allowing the Coalition to reduce its military presence and expenditure gradually, thereby allowing the gradual transformation from military to economic commitment. And we must never loose sight of the fact that in the end of the day it is economic success that will bring the desired results, c.f. Germany and Japan. Those who think that this comparison between Iraq and the aforementioned countries is not realistic or valid are quite wrong; the correct precedent for the present situation is precisely that and not any other. The reason I say this, is because I personally know that here we have all the requisites for an economic revival and on considerable scale.
In the eighties of the last century, there was a brief period when the relations between the U.S. and the Iraqi governments saw some improvement which led to the reopening of the U.S. embassy and some interesting investment ideas. For example there was a project called P.C.2, which consisted of building a very large Petrochemical complex near Baghdad, together with a refinery to supply the project. This project was a kind of joint venture between a consortium led by Bechtel and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. Years of work were spent in the preparations for this project and construction work was actually started just before the first Gulf War. This was said to be the second largest complex of its kind in the World and would have provided thousands of job opportunities for Iraqis at various levels of Skill as well as reviving a large area of almost uninhabited land. Now this kind of investment is very interesting. Converting crude oil to synthetic products greatly increases the value of the natural resource. Just selling crude oil is not going to bring in the amount of cash required to achieve the ambitions of the U.S. and the Iraqis and the kind of prosperity that would really make a difference. Also it would bring a kind of closer integration with the U.S. economy and clearly be of mutual interest to both sides. The Consortium was to be responsible for worldwide marketing as far as I know. So this was not a simple contract but rather an ambitious long-term engagement. Another project was started with General Motors to build an automobile factory near the town of Iskandariya, which is one of the main industrial centers for mechanical industry. This is another very interesting project and can give a great boost to a wide range of secondary and subsidiary economic activities. Mr. Bremmer was giving the influx of about half a million cars into the country as an example of progress. Now if that number paid for by hard cash by the Iraqi citizens to purchase old European and Japanese autos had been invested in bringing in new American models sold to the population at reasonable prices, this might have been a better idea. Somebody mentioned some ideas about manufacturing SUV’s locally sometime ago. Well the market is there, and the project is there, and this would be another example of bringing the two economies together and promoting the kind of the relationship that strengthen the ties between the two peoples. And I could go on and on about many such opportunities to revive some important industries all over the country.
What I am really driving at is my belief that the emphasis of the “reconstruction program” should transcend the mere rebuilding of the basic infrastructure to the kind of large-scale corporate engagement such as the kind of projects mentioned above. And you know, we have historical precedence to support the feasibility of this idea. For example the operations of the Iraq Petroleum Company (mainly British Owned), before the nationalization of 1972 relied mainly on local staff, and it was very successful and those were the happiest days ever known in Kirkuk. The company only provided higher management and the local staff was very happy, stable and well looked after people. Later on came the era of very large State run enterprises and the Iraqis became very accustomed to working in this kind of big organizations. Almost every province in the country has some large industrial enterprise of this kind, now almost all paralyzed. What about the Western and Mainly American corporations trying to revive some of these enterprises, injecting modern technology and management and making use of available resources and manpower (much cheaper than elsewhere) to turn them into viable industries at least to cover local demand if not the surrounding markets?
As for the security concerns, like someone said, if they are working for you they are not going to shoot at you. Imagine if some of these kinds of projects employ a couple of thousands of people even in Falujah or Tikrit, wouldn’t that be more effective than night raids and shooting matches, in appeasing and tranquilizing people? Moreover, “insurgents” will not be able to go shooting all these thousands of their own kin for “collaboration”. Indeed even the U.S. military personnel can be put in charge, where civilians fear to tread, so to speak.
Just some ideas for our American and Allied friends to think about, and maybe we shall have more to say about it.
Salaam
Alaa
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Friends,
What has been demonstrated now is the almost certain scenario to be expected if the U.S. decided to suddenly withdraw and leave the matter to local hands. The Country will be divided to three regions in no time. Those who will be in control in two of these regions will be precisely those against whom the Coalition is battling at the moment, the third will be under the control of the Kurds of course. Civil war between these groups will inevitably ensue very quickly. It is now clearly demonstrated that there are no viable local forces to stand against these elements. In addition, terrible pogroms and atrocities will be perpetrated against all the democratic movements and individuals and ordinary people.
However, you will be astonished that the solution is not as hard as you might imagine . Aggressive commitment and firmness by the Coalition coupled with a political approach to be simultaneously launched to form a government that is more convincing than the present set up, and one that can be capable of exercising real authority. The impetus of military action should be immediately and urgently used to press for the political end.
At the same time I believe that an economic offensive of labor-intensive projects should be initiated with the main objective of creating employment in economically feasible ways. This effort should be evenly spread in the provinces. The great response to recruitment in the police and security forces despite all the dangers demonstrates the dire need for employment. Less dangerous employment will surely attract even greater numbers. I have in mind a number of ways to do this and I have been trying to find time to tell you about it for some time now.
Salaam
What has been demonstrated now is the almost certain scenario to be expected if the U.S. decided to suddenly withdraw and leave the matter to local hands. The Country will be divided to three regions in no time. Those who will be in control in two of these regions will be precisely those against whom the Coalition is battling at the moment, the third will be under the control of the Kurds of course. Civil war between these groups will inevitably ensue very quickly. It is now clearly demonstrated that there are no viable local forces to stand against these elements. In addition, terrible pogroms and atrocities will be perpetrated against all the democratic movements and individuals and ordinary people.
However, you will be astonished that the solution is not as hard as you might imagine . Aggressive commitment and firmness by the Coalition coupled with a political approach to be simultaneously launched to form a government that is more convincing than the present set up, and one that can be capable of exercising real authority. The impetus of military action should be immediately and urgently used to press for the political end.
At the same time I believe that an economic offensive of labor-intensive projects should be initiated with the main objective of creating employment in economically feasible ways. This effort should be evenly spread in the provinces. The great response to recruitment in the police and security forces despite all the dangers demonstrates the dire need for employment. Less dangerous employment will surely attract even greater numbers. I have in mind a number of ways to do this and I have been trying to find time to tell you about it for some time now.
Salaam
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيالرحيم
Hi Friends,
Thanks to my dear friends for expressing concern about my fate. It has been a fearful week. So far, thanks God my family is still all right. Our neighborhood has up to now been out of the way, but I don’t know how long this will last though. Our life, however, is paralyzed at the moment.
If you check my fellow bloggers you will get more or less the feeling of the decent, helpless (or should I say hapless) majority. I can tell you without any hesitation that you get a much better insight by reading us than all the media reports. Please don’t believe what they are telling you about us. Some of the bloggers are Shiaa like myself, and some are Sunni like Ziad, and about this you will find our feelings are quite similar both regarding the zombies of Fallujah or the thieves of the Mehdi Army. My family is hiding in the house with doors locked and bracing for trouble.
I don’t know if it has been wise to open this front at this particular time. But sooner or later it just had to come. I hope that you all realize that this is the true battle for Iraq, and that the fight against Saddam was easy compared with this. Because now all the demons of peasant thievery and savagery have been let loose, and it will be a hell of a job trying to put them back in the bottle. But if you study history you will find that it is doable, with a bit of firmness. I refer you to my post sometime ago about the nature of the relation of cities and surrounding peasantry in Iraq. However, I cannot but feel alarm and consternation about the safety of families and innocents both in Fallujah and elsewhere in our afflicted country. And with all my soul I hope the Coalition forces take all care not to hurt these, although some have already been sadly affected.
Thieves and Thugs of the World Unite, and Converge on the long suffering people of Iraq - that seems to be the battle cry of the moment, and I suppose it had to come sooner or later. And the first victim of all this is religion itself. As you know, I am personally a believer in God and a “practicing” Moslem, as you might say; but I tell you quite bluntly that I am firmly convinced that “Clerics” should not interfere in politics and should be strictly kept out of it. And this applies to all sects and denominations.
These forces have been in the arena from the beginning and I am not quite sure that the Coalition forces have known how to deal with them right from the start, I mean a few curfews and preventing the looting and arson in the first few days, may have changed the whole sad course of events. And as I said before, this is a security and not a military matter. But what is important is to know what to do now. I have made my views and proposals known sometime ago and I am getting more and more convinced of the necessity for such measures.
It is extremely depressing to see some of the Arab media, and I think you know by now the ones we are referring to, playing an extremely subversive role and doing their best to pour oil on the fire, without any regard for the safety of our people or the stability in our country. They will not desist. And it seems remarkable that these media are operating in places that owe their safety, prosperity and very existence to the protection and patronage of the Western countries, primarily the U.S.; after the grace and will of God of course. It seems remarkable that the U.S. cannot bring pressure to bear on these subversive media to desist in their feverish efforts to encourage chaos and terror abusing the much-vaunted "freedom of the press". I tell you that they influence events on the ground, especially in these days when we spend so much time watching these media nervously trying to check what all are saying.
Finally, I would like to post more but the turmoil and worries of the situation have a paralyzing effect.
Salaam
Hi Friends,
Thanks to my dear friends for expressing concern about my fate. It has been a fearful week. So far, thanks God my family is still all right. Our neighborhood has up to now been out of the way, but I don’t know how long this will last though. Our life, however, is paralyzed at the moment.
If you check my fellow bloggers you will get more or less the feeling of the decent, helpless (or should I say hapless) majority. I can tell you without any hesitation that you get a much better insight by reading us than all the media reports. Please don’t believe what they are telling you about us. Some of the bloggers are Shiaa like myself, and some are Sunni like Ziad, and about this you will find our feelings are quite similar both regarding the zombies of Fallujah or the thieves of the Mehdi Army. My family is hiding in the house with doors locked and bracing for trouble.
I don’t know if it has been wise to open this front at this particular time. But sooner or later it just had to come. I hope that you all realize that this is the true battle for Iraq, and that the fight against Saddam was easy compared with this. Because now all the demons of peasant thievery and savagery have been let loose, and it will be a hell of a job trying to put them back in the bottle. But if you study history you will find that it is doable, with a bit of firmness. I refer you to my post sometime ago about the nature of the relation of cities and surrounding peasantry in Iraq. However, I cannot but feel alarm and consternation about the safety of families and innocents both in Fallujah and elsewhere in our afflicted country. And with all my soul I hope the Coalition forces take all care not to hurt these, although some have already been sadly affected.
Thieves and Thugs of the World Unite, and Converge on the long suffering people of Iraq - that seems to be the battle cry of the moment, and I suppose it had to come sooner or later. And the first victim of all this is religion itself. As you know, I am personally a believer in God and a “practicing” Moslem, as you might say; but I tell you quite bluntly that I am firmly convinced that “Clerics” should not interfere in politics and should be strictly kept out of it. And this applies to all sects and denominations.
These forces have been in the arena from the beginning and I am not quite sure that the Coalition forces have known how to deal with them right from the start, I mean a few curfews and preventing the looting and arson in the first few days, may have changed the whole sad course of events. And as I said before, this is a security and not a military matter. But what is important is to know what to do now. I have made my views and proposals known sometime ago and I am getting more and more convinced of the necessity for such measures.
It is extremely depressing to see some of the Arab media, and I think you know by now the ones we are referring to, playing an extremely subversive role and doing their best to pour oil on the fire, without any regard for the safety of our people or the stability in our country. They will not desist. And it seems remarkable that these media are operating in places that owe their safety, prosperity and very existence to the protection and patronage of the Western countries, primarily the U.S.; after the grace and will of God of course. It seems remarkable that the U.S. cannot bring pressure to bear on these subversive media to desist in their feverish efforts to encourage chaos and terror abusing the much-vaunted "freedom of the press". I tell you that they influence events on the ground, especially in these days when we spend so much time watching these media nervously trying to check what all are saying.
Finally, I would like to post more but the turmoil and worries of the situation have a paralyzing effect.
Salaam
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Friday, April 02, 2004
Beware that no one escapes the blockade. Beware. They will try to organise a diversionary terror campaign in Baghdad mainly and elsewhere. This may be the turning point battle. Mobilise everthing and all the professionalism and wisdom required. May be they have committed the fatal error, at last. Beware that you don't hurt the innocent though. It will be a campaign not to destroy Fallujah but to save it, even from its own folly and disease.
Salaam
Salaam
Well what can we say? Mohammed said it for me. My initial reaction was to wish that everyone in that crowd of zombies be strung up on that very same bridge. So you see what we are up against, and have been for the last forty years or so? I try to think coolly if possible. It is difficult though. But I really think it was planned. Yes this was no random act of barbarism. This was planned. Remember how many times I told you things that later on you saw to be true. This was no random event. This was done with Somalia in mind to frighten off and disgust the American people. And they are all in it, the whole bunch of zombies and monkeys, including the propaganda media of the Wahabis and their employees, because we know who finance these media and who run them. They have execused the savagery of Saddam before, nay loved it; so it is not surprising that they don't mind this in the least.
And we are sick and tired of the whole bunch of them: "Clerics" claiming to represent the people, politicians manoeuvering, thieves robbing etc. etc.; the same faces; the same worn out cliches and the same sickening noises.
May be we shall have to discuss this later after the shock has eased to give place to this constant pain that eats the heart. Meanwhile remember everyone, this was designed to shock and dismay and bring despair. We shall not give them that satisfaction.
Salaam
And we are sick and tired of the whole bunch of them: "Clerics" claiming to represent the people, politicians manoeuvering, thieves robbing etc. etc.; the same faces; the same worn out cliches and the same sickening noises.
May be we shall have to discuss this later after the shock has eased to give place to this constant pain that eats the heart. Meanwhile remember everyone, this was designed to shock and dismay and bring despair. We shall not give them that satisfaction.
Salaam
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Hi Friends,
This is another article of interest concerning the matter, which has aroused the greatest response and heated arguments amongst my friends. Also a kind of introduction to what I am going to say:
Iraq-Israel relations could 'be the best'
Baghdad-born Iraq maven David Sasson on Israel's mistakes in pre-Saddam Iraq and the opportunities that beckon now
By: Isabel Kershner
David Sasson has always believed in peace between Israel, Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. Now, asserts this retired, Iraqi-born Israeli businessman, who has maintained contacts over the years with influential Arabs and particularly Iraqi exiles, including leading mem-bers of the Iraqi opposition, it is up to Israel to open itself up to the possibility of peace and not to repeat past wrongs. "We've made a lot of mistakes, " Sasson states to The Report in the wake of the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. "No Israeli politicians understood anything about the Arabs. They could never read the map of the Middle East. "
For an Israeli, Sasson probably has more experience of the Middle East than most. Born in Baghdad in 1931, he studied not at the Jewish school, but at a government school with his Arab Muslim neighbors. "I spent my best time there", he reminisces. But in 1950, along with tens of thousands of other Iraqi Jews, he fled to Israel, in his case via Iran. He studied at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, was "taken" into the army, then worked for many years in the travel business.
After the 1973 war, however, he wanted to leave the country. "I said the Israelis know how to make war, not peace, " he recalls today. Sas-son headed for the shah's Iran, where he be-came a partner in an Arabic-speaking business until he was forced to escape again, this time from the Khomeini revolution of 1979. Next stop was Cairo, where he lived for three years and established a trading business, shipping various goods between Israel and the port of Alexandria. After the war in Lebanon in 1982, though, "everything stopped. I felt very bad as an Israeli Jew Living in Cairo while Israel was bombing Beirut. "
At that point Sasson says he got "tired of the Middle East." Together with an Egyptian colonel from Nasser's rev-olution, he formed a commodities investment company in London. Now retired, he splits his time between London and an apartment in Tel Aviv.
In 1997, he founded the Iraqi-Israeli Friendship Committee in Tel Aviv, in solidarity with the Iraqi people, along with other prominent Iraqi-born Israelis such as Tel Aviv University Prof. Sasson Somekh and author Sami Michael. And now he says he is the only Israeli and Jew involved in the recently formed Development Fund for the Re-building of Iraq, a London-based forum of Iraqi-born businesspeople dedicated to helping the free Iraq get back on its feet.
An Iraqi version of a macher, Sasson counts among his best friends an old Baghdad school buddy who rose to become vice-president of OPEC and an exceedingly wealthy Iraqi exile whose family owned all the land on which Saddam 's palaces were built. He says he now plans on bringing them to Israel to address a meeting of former Iraqis living in the Jewish State.
The Jerusalem Report: You speak about Israel having made mistakes, and its politicians not having read the Middle East-ern map correctly. Are you convinced Iraq and the Arab world wanted peace with Israel?
David Sasson: I can tell you one thing: Following the 1958 revolution in Iraq, the new ruler, Qassem, was against Nasser and Arab nationalism, and wanted to make peace with Israel. The Is-raelis said he was mad and foolish, because he went with the Soviets against the British ... Then there was a coup against him and the Ba'athists came, [ending with] Saddam.
How did your Iraqi Muslim friends in exile react to the solidarity committee you established in Israel?
They sent me faxes you couldn't imagine. One said that the Iraqi Jews have more rights in Iraq than anyone else in the world. In the days of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, Baghdad was over 70 percent Jewish! My good friend is the editor of Al-Mu'tamar (the Iraqi opposition paper published in London). Now he's gone to Kuwait to establish Somer, a new paper for Baghdad, and he asked me to find Iraqi Jewish writers from Israel, Can you imagine that?
What is the nature of your activity in the Iraq Development Fund project?
It is not for raising mon-ey, only for making connec-tions between big firms from all over the world and the people in Iraq. There will be another meeting in June, to which I will invite Israelis to speak, and I will bring some big Iraqi businesspeo-ple from London to Israel.
Have they expressed a willingness to come?
Yes. They said they are ready to come to a meeting in Israel and speak. This is my life. I'd like my people to live in peace. I'm an Israeli. In all the pages of Al-Mu'tamar, you won't find anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They don't like the Palestinians because they went with Saddam in 1991.
How do you see things developing politically in Baghdad?
The Americans must quickly establish a new Iraqi government with a Prime Minister for a period of six months to a year, until elections can be held. I hope they won't stay beyond that time.
Do you foresee relations with Israel at some point?
They will be the best. Better than Israel's relations with Egypt or anyone else. I know the opposition leaders. They like us.
Are you in contact with Israeli politicians and leaders?
No. If they want, they know all about me. Why should I contact them?
Will you go back to Baghdad?
I want to visit. I don't know about going to live there. I'd like to go back to see my school. I could go if I wanted, even with my Israeli passport. I have the contacts.
When do you think other Israelis will be able to go to Iraq?
Speak to me in another six months.
From: The Jerusalem Report May 5, 2003
Salaam
This is another article of interest concerning the matter, which has aroused the greatest response and heated arguments amongst my friends. Also a kind of introduction to what I am going to say:
Iraq-Israel relations could 'be the best'
Baghdad-born Iraq maven David Sasson on Israel's mistakes in pre-Saddam Iraq and the opportunities that beckon now
By: Isabel Kershner
David Sasson has always believed in peace between Israel, Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. Now, asserts this retired, Iraqi-born Israeli businessman, who has maintained contacts over the years with influential Arabs and particularly Iraqi exiles, including leading mem-bers of the Iraqi opposition, it is up to Israel to open itself up to the possibility of peace and not to repeat past wrongs. "We've made a lot of mistakes, " Sasson states to The Report in the wake of the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. "No Israeli politicians understood anything about the Arabs. They could never read the map of the Middle East. "
For an Israeli, Sasson probably has more experience of the Middle East than most. Born in Baghdad in 1931, he studied not at the Jewish school, but at a government school with his Arab Muslim neighbors. "I spent my best time there", he reminisces. But in 1950, along with tens of thousands of other Iraqi Jews, he fled to Israel, in his case via Iran. He studied at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, was "taken" into the army, then worked for many years in the travel business.
After the 1973 war, however, he wanted to leave the country. "I said the Israelis know how to make war, not peace, " he recalls today. Sas-son headed for the shah's Iran, where he be-came a partner in an Arabic-speaking business until he was forced to escape again, this time from the Khomeini revolution of 1979. Next stop was Cairo, where he lived for three years and established a trading business, shipping various goods between Israel and the port of Alexandria. After the war in Lebanon in 1982, though, "everything stopped. I felt very bad as an Israeli Jew Living in Cairo while Israel was bombing Beirut. "
At that point Sasson says he got "tired of the Middle East." Together with an Egyptian colonel from Nasser's rev-olution, he formed a commodities investment company in London. Now retired, he splits his time between London and an apartment in Tel Aviv.
In 1997, he founded the Iraqi-Israeli Friendship Committee in Tel Aviv, in solidarity with the Iraqi people, along with other prominent Iraqi-born Israelis such as Tel Aviv University Prof. Sasson Somekh and author Sami Michael. And now he says he is the only Israeli and Jew involved in the recently formed Development Fund for the Re-building of Iraq, a London-based forum of Iraqi-born businesspeople dedicated to helping the free Iraq get back on its feet.
An Iraqi version of a macher, Sasson counts among his best friends an old Baghdad school buddy who rose to become vice-president of OPEC and an exceedingly wealthy Iraqi exile whose family owned all the land on which Saddam 's palaces were built. He says he now plans on bringing them to Israel to address a meeting of former Iraqis living in the Jewish State.
The Jerusalem Report: You speak about Israel having made mistakes, and its politicians not having read the Middle East-ern map correctly. Are you convinced Iraq and the Arab world wanted peace with Israel?
David Sasson: I can tell you one thing: Following the 1958 revolution in Iraq, the new ruler, Qassem, was against Nasser and Arab nationalism, and wanted to make peace with Israel. The Is-raelis said he was mad and foolish, because he went with the Soviets against the British ... Then there was a coup against him and the Ba'athists came, [ending with] Saddam.
How did your Iraqi Muslim friends in exile react to the solidarity committee you established in Israel?
They sent me faxes you couldn't imagine. One said that the Iraqi Jews have more rights in Iraq than anyone else in the world. In the days of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, Baghdad was over 70 percent Jewish! My good friend is the editor of Al-Mu'tamar (the Iraqi opposition paper published in London). Now he's gone to Kuwait to establish Somer, a new paper for Baghdad, and he asked me to find Iraqi Jewish writers from Israel, Can you imagine that?
What is the nature of your activity in the Iraq Development Fund project?
It is not for raising mon-ey, only for making connec-tions between big firms from all over the world and the people in Iraq. There will be another meeting in June, to which I will invite Israelis to speak, and I will bring some big Iraqi businesspeo-ple from London to Israel.
Have they expressed a willingness to come?
Yes. They said they are ready to come to a meeting in Israel and speak. This is my life. I'd like my people to live in peace. I'm an Israeli. In all the pages of Al-Mu'tamar, you won't find anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They don't like the Palestinians because they went with Saddam in 1991.
How do you see things developing politically in Baghdad?
The Americans must quickly establish a new Iraqi government with a Prime Minister for a period of six months to a year, until elections can be held. I hope they won't stay beyond that time.
Do you foresee relations with Israel at some point?
They will be the best. Better than Israel's relations with Egypt or anyone else. I know the opposition leaders. They like us.
Are you in contact with Israeli politicians and leaders?
No. If they want, they know all about me. Why should I contact them?
Will you go back to Baghdad?
I want to visit. I don't know about going to live there. I'd like to go back to see my school. I could go if I wanted, even with my Israeli passport. I have the contacts.
When do you think other Israelis will be able to go to Iraq?
Speak to me in another six months.
From: The Jerusalem Report May 5, 2003
Salaam
Friday, March 26, 2004
As a kind of introduction to the relation of the "Jewish Question" and modern day Iraq, I thought this article might be of interest as a kind of historical background together with a recent experience.
Where Judaism Began
From the Jewish Report
By Yigal Schleifer
Babylon looms large in Jewish history. It represents the land from which the patriarch Abraham emerged, and it is a name that nearly a millennium later became almost synonymous with the term "Diaspora" - the place where "we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." Ezekiel died here in exile, and Ezra returned from here to help re-establish the Jewish presence in Jerusalem. Babylon, too, was the capital of the country, where in many ways, the Jewish practice of today was developed and codified, in the form of the Babylonian Talmud. Indeed though Iraq's modern-day Jews left almost entirely en masse a half-century ago, the unbroken presence of a Jewish community over a period of nearly two and a half millennia has left Iraq with many physical reminders of their time here.
History in Iraq is measured in cycles of thousands of years. Travelling through the land, one get the sense that Iraq's almost overwhelmingly rich past continuously in-forms its often-violent present. Past and present live side by side, sometimes jarringly.
For many of us. a place like Babylon is something of an abstraction, a fairy-tale place shaped in our consciousness by Bib-lical stories. In Iraq, it is a national treasure, but also, at one time, a place for collecting building supplies and, more recently, a place to-pick up an air conditioner and some office furniture.
If anyone was aware of the power of the country's history, it was Saddam Hussein. "He used Mesopotamian history for nation-building in Iraq," says Amatzia Baram, a professor of Middle East politics at Haifa University, who has written extensively about Saddam. "He created, you can say, a new myth that today's Iraqis are the bi-ological offspring of the Sumerians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the cul-tural heirs of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.
"Saddam would appear in pictures with depictions of Nebuchadnezzar, with Ham-murabi," who founded the original Baby-lonian dynasty in 1792 BCE. "There was an attempt to create an Iraqi national myth that goes back 5,000 years," adds Baram. "This would also give Saddam an ideolog-ical basis for hegemony in the Arab world."
Saddam was trying to cast himself as a link in a long chain of Mesopotamian rulers. At Babylon, the bricks inscribed with his name are copies of the originals that are engraved with Nebuchadnezzar's name, a crude attempt at making himself eternal. Presenting himself as a latter-day Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered the Jew-ish kingdom of Judea in 586 BCE, fit in nicely with Saddam's efforts to portray himself as the leading Arab figure fighting Israel.
A major part of that long history is the area's Jewish past, which stretches back to the very beginnings of Judaism. The ruins of Ur, described in the Torah as the birth-place of Abraham, are in southern Iraq. In the north of the country, the remains of Nineveh, to which the Lord sent a reluctant prophet named Jonah to warn the residents of the Assyrian capital of their city's im-minent destruction, can be found in the middle of the contemporary city of Mosul. And then there's the actual Jewish pres-ence, beginning with the conquest of Judah in the 6th century BCE. "It's an area where there was continuous Jewish settlement longer than in Eretz Yisrael — 2,500 years." says Jacob Neusner, professor of religion and theology at Bard College, in New York. "There's no equal to that anywhere. It's quite an incredible record." "The [Diaspora] produced the Torah and the Talmud in Babylonia. What else mat-ters?" Neusner says. "The rabbis [of the Tal-mudic period] were ruling about the life of a regular, ethnic community that's not so dif-ferent from the Sunnis and Shi'ites of today," Neusner continues. "It's a polyglot, polycul-tural region. It's what it was and it's what it is today. You had Jews living side by side with Persians, Arabs and people speaking Arama-ic who were not Jewish. It was a mosaic. It was a meeting ground of peoples."
Almost all of Iraq's modern Jews, more than 100,000 people, left the country in air-lifts after the establishment of Israel in 1948. Today, fewer than 40 Jews remain in Baghdad
One of the prophets who warned against the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, Ezekiel was carried off to Babylon along with other members of the Jerusalem aristocracy 11 years before the destruction of the Temple, in 597 BCE. In exile, Ezekiel became the comforter of his people, a prophet who both helped explain to his people the reason for the their exile and provide them with a vision for a return to Zion.
I headed out of Baghdad in search of Ezekiel's Tomb. We headed south in the direction of Hilla, looking for a smaller town called Ki-fl. Avishur had told me Kifl might have been the site of Sura, one of the two academies of the Talmudic period, the oth-er being Pumbedita. It is an area that most Jews probably know little about and surely have rarely visited, but it was in this place that the Babylonian Talmud was compiled, an undertaking that, to a large extent, set the course of Jewish life from that time onward.
Kifl itself is a dusty, forlorn-feeling town of one-story mud-brick homes. Finding the site of Ezekiel's grave was surprisingly easy — the ziggurat-like, mud-colored top of the shrine built around it was visible as soon as we entered the town.
A small, covered bazaar led to a doorway into a large, open courtyard surrounded by very ancient-looking mud-brick buildings, some of them partially collapsed, revealing interiors with vaulted ceilings. A man in a white robe who was passing by told us the col-lapse was the result of a rocket that hit during the recent fight-ing. Another rocket fell on a house adjacent to another side of the tomb, but the shrine it-self was spared any damage, the man told us. A rocket or an artillery shell also hit his own house, the man said, killing his two-year-old son, flung across a room from the explosion, his head split open. He pulled up his robe to show a deep gash running across a meaty leg.
Soon somebody came to tell us the shrine was open and as we approached it, we stepped around the gray-colored sewage that was running down the mid-dle of the narrow alleyways.
According to former Baghdady Jews, large numbers of them would make a pil-grimage to the shrine for the holiday of Shavuot, sleeping in the small rooms of the building that encloses the peaceful court-yard, where olive, palm and fig trees grow.
Little is known about the death of Ezekiel, but his tomb is mentioned by the 12th-century Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela, who describes it as revered by both Jews and Muslims, though in the care of Jews, with a large library of Jewish books inside, including some dating from the time of the First Temple.
We took off our shoes and entered the shrine through a green wooden door into what was clearly once a synagogue, with Hebrew writing running across one wall. Under one arched doorway, a Hebrew in-scription reads, "And this gravestone is the gravestone of our prophet Ezekiel." Two elderly Muslim men were in one corner, prostrating themselves in prayer. In another room also filled with Hebrew inscriptions, under a spectacular roof cre-ated out of right angles, sits a large wood-panelled vault. The walls, which are painted with a floral design that is faded but still exquisite, also have glass inlaid in them, giving the room a jewel-like quality. The caretaker, a 50-year-old named Abu Khadum, opened a small door near the front of the crypt and told me to look inside. The wood was covering a much older stone tomb that had two tablets engraved with Hebrew at the front. I couldn't make out the writing on them except for one word, which was the name "Yehezkel."
Abu Khadum said his family had been watching over the place since Ottoman times, appointed by the sultan. He told us the build-ing was 750 years old, and that "this is the burial place of a prophet of God, and it is mentioned in the Koran." He left Kifl for a few days during the recent fighting and came back to find the door open and a marble tablet and a seven-arm silver candelabrum missing. No Jews had come to visit in decades, but before the 1991 Gulf War, European tourists would visit occasionally.
"I think more tourists will come now," Abu Khadum, a quiet man with a stubbly beard and a tan, wizened face, said. "I think Jews will start coming also.
A few days later, we headed farther south to look for the tomb of Ezra the Scribe. Ezra, with official permission from the king of Persia, which by his time-ruled Babylonia, led a return to Judah of Jewish exiles in 458 BCE.
Ezra, the son of a priest, set about to restore Jewish life in the land and was re-sponsible, to a large extent, for codifying various aspects of Jewish practice, helping create the weekly division of Torah por-tions, for example. He died in Persia, ac-cording to historical sources, which could explain his being buried in southern Iraq, near the border with Iran.
The tomb, is located on the bank of the muddy and fast-flowing Tigris River in a town called Al-Uzair, some 250 miles south of Baghdad. Al-Uzair, like Kifl, is a run-down place filled with mud brick homes, its main street lined with peddlers selling vegetables and live chickens. The shrine of Ezra sticks out among the drabness, topped with a blue-tiled dome and enclosed with a high cement wall that has what seems like a small minaret rising from one corner.
Leaving our shoes outside, we entered the shrine and met Zayir Zahlan, an 80-year-old man in a grayish robe and white keffiya, who has been watching the tomb since the last Jewish family left town in 1950. Zahlan, who has a white beard and cloudy eyes, said he had guarded the shrine during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when most people had fled Al-Uzair, which was close to the front. He stayed here as well during the 1991 Gulf War and during the most recent fighting, he said. "I saw the prophet [Ezra] in a dream, arid he told me, 'Don't leave me, and I won't leave you,'" Zahlan said.
The 250-year-old building was renovat-ed two years ago with help from the Sad-dam government. Less ornate than Ezekiel's tomb, it also has a front room that leads into a domed chamber holding a large tomb covered in green cloth. The dome, painted white with blue outlines, has the name of God, YHWH, written in large He-brew letters on one side. Next door to the shrine stands what used to be a synagogue. White plastic lawn chairs were lined up against the walls of the room, which is used as an Islamic study center now. The caretaker and his grand-son, a 25-year-old Shi'ite imam with a wispy black beard, pointed to a large patched segment of the brick ceiling. An Iranian rocket came through that spot dur-ing the 1980s, tearing a hole in the ceiling but not exploding, they said. I asked if any old books remained from the time when the building was a syna-gogue. No, said the young imam, but we do have another book.
Walking over to a table lined with books in Arabic, the young man pulled out a brown hardback volume that turned out to be a Hebrew-Arabic dictionary, donated by a member of the local community. I asked Zahlan if any of the old Jewish residents of the town had come back to visit since they left. He said many years ago some Jews had arrived, disguised in robes and keffiyas, but no Jew has come since. "They are afraid of the government," he said.
Back in baghdad, I visited a shrine, also topped with a blue-tile dome, that Iraqi Jews consider to be the burial place of Jeshua the High Priest, who helped lead the return from the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BCE and was instrumental in restoring the Temple in Jerusalem. In the years since the Jews stopped com-ing to visit the domed Baghdad shrine, some confusion seems to have developed over whose remains it accommodates. A fairly new-looking tile inscription in Ara-bic declares it to be the grave site of Joshua, (Yehoshua Bin Nun), the disciple of Moses who led the children of Israel into the Holy Land. An old woman, who gave us direc-tions told us "the son of Moses" was buried there. Hassan Abu Nur, the 61-year-old caretaker of the shrine, wasn't sure, but said he knew it was a prophet and that he was dedicated to maintaining the place. "I'm a Muslim, but I don't distinguish between Muslims, Jews and Christians," said Abu Nur, who has a wild look in his eyes and a prominent nose. "We should honour every religion." Abu Nur showed us a spot where the old graves of two Jewish teachers were once located un-til the government had them destroyed in 1986. What look like the remains of a marble tombstone could be seen stick-ing out of the ground. "They wanted to destroy this shrine, so that the Jews wouldn't come back." Abu Nur said.
The condition of the Jewish shrines is actually much better than most of Iraq's other cul-tural-heritage sites. Like Baby-lon, Iraq's museums and ar-chaeological sites were picked over by looters during the final days of the war, the cost of the damage they inflicted so far unknown.
Salaam
Where Judaism Began
From the Jewish Report
By Yigal Schleifer
Babylon looms large in Jewish history. It represents the land from which the patriarch Abraham emerged, and it is a name that nearly a millennium later became almost synonymous with the term "Diaspora" - the place where "we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." Ezekiel died here in exile, and Ezra returned from here to help re-establish the Jewish presence in Jerusalem. Babylon, too, was the capital of the country, where in many ways, the Jewish practice of today was developed and codified, in the form of the Babylonian Talmud. Indeed though Iraq's modern-day Jews left almost entirely en masse a half-century ago, the unbroken presence of a Jewish community over a period of nearly two and a half millennia has left Iraq with many physical reminders of their time here.
History in Iraq is measured in cycles of thousands of years. Travelling through the land, one get the sense that Iraq's almost overwhelmingly rich past continuously in-forms its often-violent present. Past and present live side by side, sometimes jarringly.
For many of us. a place like Babylon is something of an abstraction, a fairy-tale place shaped in our consciousness by Bib-lical stories. In Iraq, it is a national treasure, but also, at one time, a place for collecting building supplies and, more recently, a place to-pick up an air conditioner and some office furniture.
If anyone was aware of the power of the country's history, it was Saddam Hussein. "He used Mesopotamian history for nation-building in Iraq," says Amatzia Baram, a professor of Middle East politics at Haifa University, who has written extensively about Saddam. "He created, you can say, a new myth that today's Iraqis are the bi-ological offspring of the Sumerians, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the cul-tural heirs of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.
"Saddam would appear in pictures with depictions of Nebuchadnezzar, with Ham-murabi," who founded the original Baby-lonian dynasty in 1792 BCE. "There was an attempt to create an Iraqi national myth that goes back 5,000 years," adds Baram. "This would also give Saddam an ideolog-ical basis for hegemony in the Arab world."
Saddam was trying to cast himself as a link in a long chain of Mesopotamian rulers. At Babylon, the bricks inscribed with his name are copies of the originals that are engraved with Nebuchadnezzar's name, a crude attempt at making himself eternal. Presenting himself as a latter-day Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered the Jew-ish kingdom of Judea in 586 BCE, fit in nicely with Saddam's efforts to portray himself as the leading Arab figure fighting Israel.
A major part of that long history is the area's Jewish past, which stretches back to the very beginnings of Judaism. The ruins of Ur, described in the Torah as the birth-place of Abraham, are in southern Iraq. In the north of the country, the remains of Nineveh, to which the Lord sent a reluctant prophet named Jonah to warn the residents of the Assyrian capital of their city's im-minent destruction, can be found in the middle of the contemporary city of Mosul. And then there's the actual Jewish pres-ence, beginning with the conquest of Judah in the 6th century BCE. "It's an area where there was continuous Jewish settlement longer than in Eretz Yisrael — 2,500 years." says Jacob Neusner, professor of religion and theology at Bard College, in New York. "There's no equal to that anywhere. It's quite an incredible record." "The [Diaspora] produced the Torah and the Talmud in Babylonia. What else mat-ters?" Neusner says. "The rabbis [of the Tal-mudic period] were ruling about the life of a regular, ethnic community that's not so dif-ferent from the Sunnis and Shi'ites of today," Neusner continues. "It's a polyglot, polycul-tural region. It's what it was and it's what it is today. You had Jews living side by side with Persians, Arabs and people speaking Arama-ic who were not Jewish. It was a mosaic. It was a meeting ground of peoples."
Almost all of Iraq's modern Jews, more than 100,000 people, left the country in air-lifts after the establishment of Israel in 1948. Today, fewer than 40 Jews remain in Baghdad
One of the prophets who warned against the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, Ezekiel was carried off to Babylon along with other members of the Jerusalem aristocracy 11 years before the destruction of the Temple, in 597 BCE. In exile, Ezekiel became the comforter of his people, a prophet who both helped explain to his people the reason for the their exile and provide them with a vision for a return to Zion.
I headed out of Baghdad in search of Ezekiel's Tomb. We headed south in the direction of Hilla, looking for a smaller town called Ki-fl. Avishur had told me Kifl might have been the site of Sura, one of the two academies of the Talmudic period, the oth-er being Pumbedita. It is an area that most Jews probably know little about and surely have rarely visited, but it was in this place that the Babylonian Talmud was compiled, an undertaking that, to a large extent, set the course of Jewish life from that time onward.
Kifl itself is a dusty, forlorn-feeling town of one-story mud-brick homes. Finding the site of Ezekiel's grave was surprisingly easy — the ziggurat-like, mud-colored top of the shrine built around it was visible as soon as we entered the town.
A small, covered bazaar led to a doorway into a large, open courtyard surrounded by very ancient-looking mud-brick buildings, some of them partially collapsed, revealing interiors with vaulted ceilings. A man in a white robe who was passing by told us the col-lapse was the result of a rocket that hit during the recent fight-ing. Another rocket fell on a house adjacent to another side of the tomb, but the shrine it-self was spared any damage, the man told us. A rocket or an artillery shell also hit his own house, the man said, killing his two-year-old son, flung across a room from the explosion, his head split open. He pulled up his robe to show a deep gash running across a meaty leg.
Soon somebody came to tell us the shrine was open and as we approached it, we stepped around the gray-colored sewage that was running down the mid-dle of the narrow alleyways.
According to former Baghdady Jews, large numbers of them would make a pil-grimage to the shrine for the holiday of Shavuot, sleeping in the small rooms of the building that encloses the peaceful court-yard, where olive, palm and fig trees grow.
Little is known about the death of Ezekiel, but his tomb is mentioned by the 12th-century Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela, who describes it as revered by both Jews and Muslims, though in the care of Jews, with a large library of Jewish books inside, including some dating from the time of the First Temple.
We took off our shoes and entered the shrine through a green wooden door into what was clearly once a synagogue, with Hebrew writing running across one wall. Under one arched doorway, a Hebrew in-scription reads, "And this gravestone is the gravestone of our prophet Ezekiel." Two elderly Muslim men were in one corner, prostrating themselves in prayer. In another room also filled with Hebrew inscriptions, under a spectacular roof cre-ated out of right angles, sits a large wood-panelled vault. The walls, which are painted with a floral design that is faded but still exquisite, also have glass inlaid in them, giving the room a jewel-like quality. The caretaker, a 50-year-old named Abu Khadum, opened a small door near the front of the crypt and told me to look inside. The wood was covering a much older stone tomb that had two tablets engraved with Hebrew at the front. I couldn't make out the writing on them except for one word, which was the name "Yehezkel."
Abu Khadum said his family had been watching over the place since Ottoman times, appointed by the sultan. He told us the build-ing was 750 years old, and that "this is the burial place of a prophet of God, and it is mentioned in the Koran." He left Kifl for a few days during the recent fighting and came back to find the door open and a marble tablet and a seven-arm silver candelabrum missing. No Jews had come to visit in decades, but before the 1991 Gulf War, European tourists would visit occasionally.
"I think more tourists will come now," Abu Khadum, a quiet man with a stubbly beard and a tan, wizened face, said. "I think Jews will start coming also.
A few days later, we headed farther south to look for the tomb of Ezra the Scribe. Ezra, with official permission from the king of Persia, which by his time-ruled Babylonia, led a return to Judah of Jewish exiles in 458 BCE.
Ezra, the son of a priest, set about to restore Jewish life in the land and was re-sponsible, to a large extent, for codifying various aspects of Jewish practice, helping create the weekly division of Torah por-tions, for example. He died in Persia, ac-cording to historical sources, which could explain his being buried in southern Iraq, near the border with Iran.
The tomb, is located on the bank of the muddy and fast-flowing Tigris River in a town called Al-Uzair, some 250 miles south of Baghdad. Al-Uzair, like Kifl, is a run-down place filled with mud brick homes, its main street lined with peddlers selling vegetables and live chickens. The shrine of Ezra sticks out among the drabness, topped with a blue-tiled dome and enclosed with a high cement wall that has what seems like a small minaret rising from one corner.
Leaving our shoes outside, we entered the shrine and met Zayir Zahlan, an 80-year-old man in a grayish robe and white keffiya, who has been watching the tomb since the last Jewish family left town in 1950. Zahlan, who has a white beard and cloudy eyes, said he had guarded the shrine during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when most people had fled Al-Uzair, which was close to the front. He stayed here as well during the 1991 Gulf War and during the most recent fighting, he said. "I saw the prophet [Ezra] in a dream, arid he told me, 'Don't leave me, and I won't leave you,'" Zahlan said.
The 250-year-old building was renovat-ed two years ago with help from the Sad-dam government. Less ornate than Ezekiel's tomb, it also has a front room that leads into a domed chamber holding a large tomb covered in green cloth. The dome, painted white with blue outlines, has the name of God, YHWH, written in large He-brew letters on one side. Next door to the shrine stands what used to be a synagogue. White plastic lawn chairs were lined up against the walls of the room, which is used as an Islamic study center now. The caretaker and his grand-son, a 25-year-old Shi'ite imam with a wispy black beard, pointed to a large patched segment of the brick ceiling. An Iranian rocket came through that spot dur-ing the 1980s, tearing a hole in the ceiling but not exploding, they said. I asked if any old books remained from the time when the building was a syna-gogue. No, said the young imam, but we do have another book.
Walking over to a table lined with books in Arabic, the young man pulled out a brown hardback volume that turned out to be a Hebrew-Arabic dictionary, donated by a member of the local community. I asked Zahlan if any of the old Jewish residents of the town had come back to visit since they left. He said many years ago some Jews had arrived, disguised in robes and keffiyas, but no Jew has come since. "They are afraid of the government," he said.
Back in baghdad, I visited a shrine, also topped with a blue-tile dome, that Iraqi Jews consider to be the burial place of Jeshua the High Priest, who helped lead the return from the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BCE and was instrumental in restoring the Temple in Jerusalem. In the years since the Jews stopped com-ing to visit the domed Baghdad shrine, some confusion seems to have developed over whose remains it accommodates. A fairly new-looking tile inscription in Ara-bic declares it to be the grave site of Joshua, (Yehoshua Bin Nun), the disciple of Moses who led the children of Israel into the Holy Land. An old woman, who gave us direc-tions told us "the son of Moses" was buried there. Hassan Abu Nur, the 61-year-old caretaker of the shrine, wasn't sure, but said he knew it was a prophet and that he was dedicated to maintaining the place. "I'm a Muslim, but I don't distinguish between Muslims, Jews and Christians," said Abu Nur, who has a wild look in his eyes and a prominent nose. "We should honour every religion." Abu Nur showed us a spot where the old graves of two Jewish teachers were once located un-til the government had them destroyed in 1986. What look like the remains of a marble tombstone could be seen stick-ing out of the ground. "They wanted to destroy this shrine, so that the Jews wouldn't come back." Abu Nur said.
The condition of the Jewish shrines is actually much better than most of Iraq's other cul-tural-heritage sites. Like Baby-lon, Iraq's museums and ar-chaeological sites were picked over by looters during the final days of the war, the cost of the damage they inflicted so far unknown.
Salaam
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Hi Friends,
Well, well, well!! I can’t say that I did not expect this avalanche of comments or their nature. I have tried to avoid this subject before exactly because it will completely distract us from our subject about Iraq. But can you really avoid it; especially if we are concerned about terrorism, and the root causes of it, at least in this part of the world? And does not the situation out there have a direct bearing and impact on the events down here? It seems unfortunately that we just cannot ignore that excruciating and horrible problem. We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that the problem out there does not concern us. But do we have to open that wound? Do we have to rub that chronic sore? I hesitate truly. It is not that I am afraid to speak out my mind, given this wonderful Internet that lets you say what you want in comparative safety and have people read it too.
To be sure, I have definite views, and you probably won’t like them, not that I care much about that, but it would completely change the subject for this blog site. But let me at least say this:
What we have here is a completely different situation to that in Palestine.
Here there has been an act of liberation and an effort at reconstruction. Here, there is no danger of settlements or colonization of our country. Here, there is a sincere effort at building a democracy and a modern political system. Here, at least 85% of the population opposes the departure of Coalition troops, despite all vociferous manifestations colorfully amplified by modern media, suggesting otherwise. Here the “resistance” and terrorism are directed at delaying and sabotaging the emergence of a new “shining example” in the region. Here, the terrorism is more directed against the indigenous people rather than against the foreign troops. Here, then almost in every respect the situation is diametrically opposite to that existing out there.
And what concerns us most of all is that nothing should jeopardize this “experiment”, whose success may be the very key to solving all the apparently irresolvable problems in the region.
As for the Jewish question, I have absolutely no problem to tell all what I think about it; when I have enough leisure; another vain promise …
Salaam
Well, well, well!! I can’t say that I did not expect this avalanche of comments or their nature. I have tried to avoid this subject before exactly because it will completely distract us from our subject about Iraq. But can you really avoid it; especially if we are concerned about terrorism, and the root causes of it, at least in this part of the world? And does not the situation out there have a direct bearing and impact on the events down here? It seems unfortunately that we just cannot ignore that excruciating and horrible problem. We cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that the problem out there does not concern us. But do we have to open that wound? Do we have to rub that chronic sore? I hesitate truly. It is not that I am afraid to speak out my mind, given this wonderful Internet that lets you say what you want in comparative safety and have people read it too.
To be sure, I have definite views, and you probably won’t like them, not that I care much about that, but it would completely change the subject for this blog site. But let me at least say this:
What we have here is a completely different situation to that in Palestine.
Here there has been an act of liberation and an effort at reconstruction. Here, there is no danger of settlements or colonization of our country. Here, there is a sincere effort at building a democracy and a modern political system. Here, at least 85% of the population opposes the departure of Coalition troops, despite all vociferous manifestations colorfully amplified by modern media, suggesting otherwise. Here the “resistance” and terrorism are directed at delaying and sabotaging the emergence of a new “shining example” in the region. Here, the terrorism is more directed against the indigenous people rather than against the foreign troops. Here, then almost in every respect the situation is diametrically opposite to that existing out there.
And what concerns us most of all is that nothing should jeopardize this “experiment”, whose success may be the very key to solving all the apparently irresolvable problems in the region.
As for the Jewish question, I have absolutely no problem to tell all what I think about it; when I have enough leisure; another vain promise …
Salaam
Monday, March 22, 2004
J'ACCUSE
Hi,
I am beside myself with rage. Perhaps I should not post today and wait a bit until I can think in a more dispassionate way. But I cannot wait really. Mr. Sharon: Usama Bin Laden and his friends are delighted and send you their best regards. This stupid and senseless killing of an old invalid is a Godsend to all the terrorists in the region and has been timed at exactly the right moment. It is a stab in the back aimed at the U.S. and allied efforts and a direct attack on all their friends in the region.
America beware, and watch your step very carefully, your risks are enormous. This does not serve anybody, least of all the Jewish communities in the world, and most certainly does not help in the fight against terrorism, but quite the opposite.
Perhaps then, what they say is true. Perhaps it does not suit some people for the U.S. to make friends in this region. But enough of all this; I am too disgusted to continue.
Salaam
I am beside myself with rage. Perhaps I should not post today and wait a bit until I can think in a more dispassionate way. But I cannot wait really. Mr. Sharon: Usama Bin Laden and his friends are delighted and send you their best regards. This stupid and senseless killing of an old invalid is a Godsend to all the terrorists in the region and has been timed at exactly the right moment. It is a stab in the back aimed at the U.S. and allied efforts and a direct attack on all their friends in the region.
America beware, and watch your step very carefully, your risks are enormous. This does not serve anybody, least of all the Jewish communities in the world, and most certainly does not help in the fight against terrorism, but quite the opposite.
Perhaps then, what they say is true. Perhaps it does not suit some people for the U.S. to make friends in this region. But enough of all this; I am too disgusted to continue.
Salaam
Friday, March 19, 2004
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Hi,
I have just listened to President Bush’s speech on CNN. I just couldn’t leave the keyboard without saying something. Because the warmth of the Presidents’ words of friendship and commitment to our people really did make my eyes moisten. Not even the openly hostile report by the CNN reporter could spoil the feeling.
God will be on the side of good men, and it is clear for this middle-aged man who the good men are.
Hail dear El Bush. Thanks to you and all the Coalition men and women. Long may live our alliance and friendship. Victory by the Grace and Help of Allah is assured.
Alaa
Hi,
I have just listened to President Bush’s speech on CNN. I just couldn’t leave the keyboard without saying something. Because the warmth of the Presidents’ words of friendship and commitment to our people really did make my eyes moisten. Not even the openly hostile report by the CNN reporter could spoil the feeling.
God will be on the side of good men, and it is clear for this middle-aged man who the good men are.
Hail dear El Bush. Thanks to you and all the Coalition men and women. Long may live our alliance and friendship. Victory by the Grace and Help of Allah is assured.
Alaa
Greetings Friends,
The results of the poll with I have posted are interesting, indeed. A careful reading of Al Zarqawi letter, which I think is one on the most important documents that has ever come to light, together with the results of this poll show quite remarkable agreement. Consider, for example the last line posted:
On "Coalition should leave now"
Sunni: yes=29%, Shia: yes=12%, Kurds: yes=2%
Compare with these results:
On question of "Are attacks on Coalition forces acceptable?"
Sunni: acceptable=36% unacceptable=57%
Shia: acceptable=12% unacceptable=85%
Kurds: acceptable=2% unacceptable=96%
The percentages for the Shia and Kurds are exactly the same for both questions, which is consistent. However it is the position of the Sunnis that is interesting: 36% think that attacks on Coalition forces are acceptable (still a minority, but a sizable one), only 29% however think that the Coalition should leave immediately. A friend has noticed this difference and speculates that perhaps this 7% like the target practice!
But seriously, although we are loath to this sectarian classification of our people, we have to be realistic and admit that this problem of sectarianism (i.e. the religious division of the people) is real and is an important factor in the present situation. The policies of the defunct regime have much to do with this. For the Saddamist regime, having no solid foundation, had increasingly turned to sectarianism and tribalism in its attempt to find a solid base of support, and had encouraged these tendencies quite openly, and actually practiced blatant discrimination on all fronts down to the pettiest details of daily life. I am not going to explain this in more detail, because I think the practices of the Baathist regime have been quite extensively exposed, although I still think that many of these practices are still not really known, and for western people would be quite difficult to believe or even imagine.
If you consider the actual numerical weight of each community and multiply by the percentages above you will come up with an astonishing figure supporting the Coalition and the continuation of its mission. Lets do this simple arithmetic:
Should the Coalition leave now: 29% x 23% + 12% x 55% + 2% x 15% (quite conservative estimates in favor of the proposition) = 13.57% of 93% of the population. This assumes 7% for other minorities, which is an underestimate. Whatever error margin there is, say the overall percentage is about 15% of the population. This means that 85% percent of the population supports the continued mission of the Coalition. Personally I believe the actual percentage is even greater.
Now, I did not make up this poll. And I don’t think many can cast doubt on the integrity of the organization, which has produced it.
So we would request all those who comment and lecture and appoint themselves as spokesmen for our people to take note. Also American and allied people, take note. Despite of all our sacrifices, and life of terror and discomfiture, this is the true sentiment of the people in mathematical form.
Just read Al Zarqawi letter carefully and how I wish you could read the original eloquent magnificent classical Arabic of this diabolical and absolutely authentic document, and you will feel the hatred against the Iraqi people in all their sects and ethnicities not least the Sunnies jumping up at you from the lines of this text of hatred and lunacy. The greatest task is to rescue our brothers, compatriots and fellow countrymen in Ramadi, Fallujah, Tikrit, Mosul, Diala etc. from the murderous influence of such foreigners who do not wish them any good.
This is what he has to say of the majority of Sunnis:
As regards the Sunnis ……
1. The Masses
These masses are the silent majority, absent even though present. “Barbarians and Scum; following every screamer ( actually the noise an owl makes - Alaa). They did not seek enlightenment from the light of science and did not take refuge in a safe corner.( i.e the Wahabi and Salafi creed – Alaa)” These, even if in general they hate the Americans,wish them to vanish and to have their black cloud dissolve ( Indeed ?! : consult the poll figures- Alaa). But, despite that, they look forward to a sunny tomorrow, a prosperous future, a carefree life, comfort, and favor (which is an illegitimate aspiration according to this misfit – Alaa). They look ahead to that day and are thus easy prey for cunning information [media] and political enticement whose hiss rings out…. In any event, they are people of Iraq (a telling admission of hate : after all they are Iraqis too ! - Alaa ).
Fellow Iraqis, this is what they think of you.
American and Allied friends of the Iraqi people, take note and don’t be deceived by the hysterical propaganda of our common enemies.
Salaam
Alaa
The results of the poll with I have posted are interesting, indeed. A careful reading of Al Zarqawi letter, which I think is one on the most important documents that has ever come to light, together with the results of this poll show quite remarkable agreement. Consider, for example the last line posted:
On "Coalition should leave now"
Sunni: yes=29%, Shia: yes=12%, Kurds: yes=2%
Compare with these results:
On question of "Are attacks on Coalition forces acceptable?"
Sunni: acceptable=36% unacceptable=57%
Shia: acceptable=12% unacceptable=85%
Kurds: acceptable=2% unacceptable=96%
The percentages for the Shia and Kurds are exactly the same for both questions, which is consistent. However it is the position of the Sunnis that is interesting: 36% think that attacks on Coalition forces are acceptable (still a minority, but a sizable one), only 29% however think that the Coalition should leave immediately. A friend has noticed this difference and speculates that perhaps this 7% like the target practice!
But seriously, although we are loath to this sectarian classification of our people, we have to be realistic and admit that this problem of sectarianism (i.e. the religious division of the people) is real and is an important factor in the present situation. The policies of the defunct regime have much to do with this. For the Saddamist regime, having no solid foundation, had increasingly turned to sectarianism and tribalism in its attempt to find a solid base of support, and had encouraged these tendencies quite openly, and actually practiced blatant discrimination on all fronts down to the pettiest details of daily life. I am not going to explain this in more detail, because I think the practices of the Baathist regime have been quite extensively exposed, although I still think that many of these practices are still not really known, and for western people would be quite difficult to believe or even imagine.
If you consider the actual numerical weight of each community and multiply by the percentages above you will come up with an astonishing figure supporting the Coalition and the continuation of its mission. Lets do this simple arithmetic:
Should the Coalition leave now: 29% x 23% + 12% x 55% + 2% x 15% (quite conservative estimates in favor of the proposition) = 13.57% of 93% of the population. This assumes 7% for other minorities, which is an underestimate. Whatever error margin there is, say the overall percentage is about 15% of the population. This means that 85% percent of the population supports the continued mission of the Coalition. Personally I believe the actual percentage is even greater.
Now, I did not make up this poll. And I don’t think many can cast doubt on the integrity of the organization, which has produced it.
So we would request all those who comment and lecture and appoint themselves as spokesmen for our people to take note. Also American and allied people, take note. Despite of all our sacrifices, and life of terror and discomfiture, this is the true sentiment of the people in mathematical form.
Just read Al Zarqawi letter carefully and how I wish you could read the original eloquent magnificent classical Arabic of this diabolical and absolutely authentic document, and you will feel the hatred against the Iraqi people in all their sects and ethnicities not least the Sunnies jumping up at you from the lines of this text of hatred and lunacy. The greatest task is to rescue our brothers, compatriots and fellow countrymen in Ramadi, Fallujah, Tikrit, Mosul, Diala etc. from the murderous influence of such foreigners who do not wish them any good.
This is what he has to say of the majority of Sunnis:
As regards the Sunnis ……
1. The Masses
These masses are the silent majority, absent even though present. “Barbarians and Scum; following every screamer ( actually the noise an owl makes - Alaa). They did not seek enlightenment from the light of science and did not take refuge in a safe corner.( i.e the Wahabi and Salafi creed – Alaa)” These, even if in general they hate the Americans,wish them to vanish and to have their black cloud dissolve ( Indeed ?! : consult the poll figures- Alaa). But, despite that, they look forward to a sunny tomorrow, a prosperous future, a carefree life, comfort, and favor (which is an illegitimate aspiration according to this misfit – Alaa). They look ahead to that day and are thus easy prey for cunning information [media] and political enticement whose hiss rings out…. In any event, they are people of Iraq (a telling admission of hate : after all they are Iraqis too ! - Alaa ).
Fellow Iraqis, this is what they think of you.
American and Allied friends of the Iraqi people, take note and don’t be deceived by the hysterical propaganda of our common enemies.
Salaam
Alaa
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Nadia:
Are your questions supposed to insinuate that I am not Iraqi? Unlike you probably comfortable in the States or Europe, I live in Baghdad, and long for peace and security for myself, my children and all our people. As far as the South is concerned, despite all the trouble, they have never been happier, rest assured.
Are your questions supposed to insinuate that I am not Iraqi? Unlike you probably comfortable in the States or Europe, I live in Baghdad, and long for peace and security for myself, my children and all our people. As far as the South is concerned, despite all the trouble, they have never been happier, rest assured.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Hi,
Jason- yes I think it was Fawaz. I have said it before, every non-Iraqi Arab commenting about Iraq should be regarded with great suspicion, for many reasons. Even the Arab staff working for some of the western media. As we say " there is much dust under the carpet"
Nadia - What is this interest in Al Amara - "Shlown Dag Al Amara, Heich w Heich"
This is very interesting and rings true to me.
ABC News has released more details from its poll of over 2,500 Iraqis. This time they break the statistics down by ethno-religious groups: Sunni Arab, Shia Arab, or Kurd.
http://abcnews.go.com/images/pdf/949a2SunniShia.pdf
On the question of "Was the US-led invasion right or wrong?",
Sunni: right=24% wrong=63%
Shia: right=51% wrong=35%
Kurds: right=87% wrong=9%
On question of "Are attacks on Coalition forces acceptable?"
Sunni: acceptable=36% unacceptable=57%
Shia: acceptable=12% unacceptable=85%
Kurds: acceptable=2% unacceptable=96%
On "Coalition should leave now"
Sunni: yes=29%, Shia: yes=12%, Kurds: yes=2%
I think George Bush could more easily get elected in Kurdistan than in the USA!
Results & Methodoloy:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/PollVault/PollVault.html
Jeff | Email | Homepage | 03.17.04 - 11:08 pm | # --
Salaam
Jason- yes I think it was Fawaz. I have said it before, every non-Iraqi Arab commenting about Iraq should be regarded with great suspicion, for many reasons. Even the Arab staff working for some of the western media. As we say " there is much dust under the carpet"
Nadia - What is this interest in Al Amara - "Shlown Dag Al Amara, Heich w Heich"
This is very interesting and rings true to me.
ABC News has released more details from its poll of over 2,500 Iraqis. This time they break the statistics down by ethno-religious groups: Sunni Arab, Shia Arab, or Kurd.
http://abcnews.go.com/images/pdf/949a2SunniShia.pdf
On the question of "Was the US-led invasion right or wrong?",
Sunni: right=24% wrong=63%
Shia: right=51% wrong=35%
Kurds: right=87% wrong=9%
On question of "Are attacks on Coalition forces acceptable?"
Sunni: acceptable=36% unacceptable=57%
Shia: acceptable=12% unacceptable=85%
Kurds: acceptable=2% unacceptable=96%
On "Coalition should leave now"
Sunni: yes=29%, Shia: yes=12%, Kurds: yes=2%
I think George Bush could more easily get elected in Kurdistan than in the USA!
Results & Methodoloy:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/PollVault/PollVault.html
Jeff | Email | Homepage | 03.17.04 - 11:08 pm | # --
Salaam
Hi,
I have wanted to say this since long time now. There is need for an imaginative economic policy. The main objective should not be just to restore the infrastructure, but more importantly provide sizable employment to the people. There is need for a kind of economic offensive, and especially in the troubled regions. This I believe will probably be more productive than military and security measures in the final analysis. Economically feasible Labor-intensive projects may be conceived. Again I have to promise to do it later, if something awful doesn’t happen meanwhile “Inshallah”.
Salaam
I have wanted to say this since long time now. There is need for an imaginative economic policy. The main objective should not be just to restore the infrastructure, but more importantly provide sizable employment to the people. There is need for a kind of economic offensive, and especially in the troubled regions. This I believe will probably be more productive than military and security measures in the final analysis. Economically feasible Labor-intensive projects may be conceived. Again I have to promise to do it later, if something awful doesn’t happen meanwhile “Inshallah”.
Salaam
Hi,
It is time to counterattack, the b…. s must be given a firm message. It is World War against terrorism isn’t it? Impose curfews, surround neighborhoods and areas, search every blasted house (courteously please! since this may include my own house, and don’t smash the furniture either!), and check vehicles. The reaction must be firm and punishing. We demand to find the perpetrators, to make their identities known to the public. Stop pretending it is a normal situation and that all the refinements of western democracy and normalcy should be fully observed. It is an emergency and a grave emergency. Neither the Iraqi, nor the American peoples can afford to loose this battle. Firmness works, check the last post by Kevin. Time to act and act quickly. It is a question of taking the initiative, It is not right for the Greatest Power on Earth, supported by the majority of the people of the country to be harassed in this way by gangs of thugs and murderers.
It is time to act.
Salaam to friends only
It is time to counterattack, the b…. s must be given a firm message. It is World War against terrorism isn’t it? Impose curfews, surround neighborhoods and areas, search every blasted house (courteously please! since this may include my own house, and don’t smash the furniture either!), and check vehicles. The reaction must be firm and punishing. We demand to find the perpetrators, to make their identities known to the public. Stop pretending it is a normal situation and that all the refinements of western democracy and normalcy should be fully observed. It is an emergency and a grave emergency. Neither the Iraqi, nor the American peoples can afford to loose this battle. Firmness works, check the last post by Kevin. Time to act and act quickly. It is a question of taking the initiative, It is not right for the Greatest Power on Earth, supported by the majority of the people of the country to be harassed in this way by gangs of thugs and murderers.
It is time to act.
Salaam to friends only
Friends,
The last two posts were written this morning but it seems that they did not go through. Just now another outrage; pure dastardly terrorism.
We are resigned to fate, but as with the prophet (PBU) at the death of his son, "the heart is hurting and the eyes are tearful". We are sad at the losses. So many good people are falling.
The last two posts were written this morning but it seems that they did not go through. Just now another outrage; pure dastardly terrorism.
We are resigned to fate, but as with the prophet (PBU) at the death of his son, "the heart is hurting and the eyes are tearful". We are sad at the losses. So many good people are falling.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
WARNING
The comming anniversary of the fall of the regime at the hand of Allied armies will see an intensified campaign of terror from the enemy to show that they are here. They have ambitions, very wild ambitions. Expect trouble.
Hi,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
Hi,
Each time that I intend to indulge myself to some relaxation and contemplation, which is good for the soul and the mind; I find that urgent events on the ground do not permit this kind of respite. It was my intention to start a kind of series of notes trying to analyze the phenomenon of terrorism from various angles, and to sound the views of my friends about it, but it seems that the thick of the battle does not allow such leisure, and the project has to be put off for now.
I wrote the above paragraph yesterday, but did not post it. I am trying to find time for some important things that I want to tell you. Meanwhile the ex-Saddam security agents together with their wahabi friends and with foreigners who sneaked into the country from “brotherly” neighboring states perpetrate the most heinous crimes daily against soldiers, welfare workers, women, completely innocent individuals, simply because of their kinship to some G.C. members, etc. etc. One of their latest victims was a fellow blogger Bob Zangas, a wonderful youth so full of good. These gangs are roaming the country with no serious attempt to stop them. They are getting away with their atrocities. The allied Forces and the Iraqi security forces might as well go home and cut the expense and trouble.
No, these losses are not acceptable and I blame those in charge of failure to put an end to this situation. Difficult you say? I say not. The thugs are known, those who shelter them are known, the areas from which they launch their attacks are known, and this is a World War against terrorism. For each innocent soul they have to pay tenfold. The blood of good Iraqis and their friends such as Bob Zangas must cost them dearly.
We shall have more to say about this “Inshallah”.
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
Hi,
Each time that I intend to indulge myself to some relaxation and contemplation, which is good for the soul and the mind; I find that urgent events on the ground do not permit this kind of respite. It was my intention to start a kind of series of notes trying to analyze the phenomenon of terrorism from various angles, and to sound the views of my friends about it, but it seems that the thick of the battle does not allow such leisure, and the project has to be put off for now.
I wrote the above paragraph yesterday, but did not post it. I am trying to find time for some important things that I want to tell you. Meanwhile the ex-Saddam security agents together with their wahabi friends and with foreigners who sneaked into the country from “brotherly” neighboring states perpetrate the most heinous crimes daily against soldiers, welfare workers, women, completely innocent individuals, simply because of their kinship to some G.C. members, etc. etc. One of their latest victims was a fellow blogger Bob Zangas, a wonderful youth so full of good. These gangs are roaming the country with no serious attempt to stop them. They are getting away with their atrocities. The allied Forces and the Iraqi security forces might as well go home and cut the expense and trouble.
No, these losses are not acceptable and I blame those in charge of failure to put an end to this situation. Difficult you say? I say not. The thugs are known, those who shelter them are known, the areas from which they launch their attacks are known, and this is a World War against terrorism. For each innocent soul they have to pay tenfold. The blood of good Iraqis and their friends such as Bob Zangas must cost them dearly.
We shall have more to say about this “Inshallah”.
Hi,
The murder of Bob Zangas has made me very sad indeed. A real friend of our people. I feel it as almost a personal loss. I tried to leave my condolence message to his family, but I don't think it worked. He is a martyr of the Iraqi people. He joins the long list with Al Hakim and the others. After all these sacrifices, can we retreat? No we shall not, in honour of our martyrs, we shall not. As for the vile murderers, revenge will come, by God it will come.
The murder of Bob Zangas has made me very sad indeed. A real friend of our people. I feel it as almost a personal loss. I tried to leave my condolence message to his family, but I don't think it worked. He is a martyr of the Iraqi people. He joins the long list with Al Hakim and the others. After all these sacrifices, can we retreat? No we shall not, in honour of our martyrs, we shall not. As for the vile murderers, revenge will come, by God it will come.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Dear Friends
I must admit this kind of debate is more to my liking; especially the comments by “thinker”, not to belittle the remarks by the other friends. I don’t claim to be some kind of guru or know it all but I hope to look at the matter in as detached a way as possible which is like watching a dissection of your own body, as might happen in some kind of a nightmare, since I and my family are right in the middle of the quagmire at this particular time, not to mention the lost decades of misery.
The task is difficult but necessary. Correct remedies cannot be conceived without proper understanding. This might sound obvious and therefore unnecessary to say. But after all I am not a professional writer, merely a poor blogger. But to share some sincere and honest effort at understanding with my cyber friends may not be an unworthy effort. Perhaps I can do it in brief installments, as time permits. But it will be a kind of groping for an understanding, with the help of some earnest dialogue something might emerge. It might be interesting this interaction of ideas from both sides of the fence, as it were.
What is important is to put all one’s cards on the table and that there should be no taboos, because we are not politicians, and we don’t really care what effect our words might produce. We have no hidden agendas apart from our love of Life, Peace and Happiness and consequently abhorrence of the opposite i.e., Death, Violence and Misery. If that is considered subjective and prejudicial, then I should admit it beforehand.
What I would like to request from my friends is to use the Comments section mainly and not E mail; it is proving impossible for me to service my mail.
Salaam
I must admit this kind of debate is more to my liking; especially the comments by “thinker”, not to belittle the remarks by the other friends. I don’t claim to be some kind of guru or know it all but I hope to look at the matter in as detached a way as possible which is like watching a dissection of your own body, as might happen in some kind of a nightmare, since I and my family are right in the middle of the quagmire at this particular time, not to mention the lost decades of misery.
The task is difficult but necessary. Correct remedies cannot be conceived without proper understanding. This might sound obvious and therefore unnecessary to say. But after all I am not a professional writer, merely a poor blogger. But to share some sincere and honest effort at understanding with my cyber friends may not be an unworthy effort. Perhaps I can do it in brief installments, as time permits. But it will be a kind of groping for an understanding, with the help of some earnest dialogue something might emerge. It might be interesting this interaction of ideas from both sides of the fence, as it were.
What is important is to put all one’s cards on the table and that there should be no taboos, because we are not politicians, and we don’t really care what effect our words might produce. We have no hidden agendas apart from our love of Life, Peace and Happiness and consequently abhorrence of the opposite i.e., Death, Violence and Misery. If that is considered subjective and prejudicial, then I should admit it beforehand.
What I would like to request from my friends is to use the Comments section mainly and not E mail; it is proving impossible for me to service my mail.
Salaam
Friday, March 12, 2004
Hi Friends,
I see from the latest comments that many still feel bewildered and can't understand what is it all about. I mean some nice people cannot comprehend the motives and the passion that drive some to the extremes of terrorism. It seems that we have to do much to explain this phenomenon. The unfortunate infestation of the Islamic religion of fanatics of a particular minority sect who despite their relatively small number nevertheless have caused big damage needs to be investigated. The general western public is still quite uninformed and tends to view the matter in simplistic and naive terms.
The subject is complex and requires profound study. I hope I can find time to contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon. Meanwhile I consider the Zarqawi letter an important document and a rare glimpse into the inner mind of an Al Qaeda terrorist, I suggest that this document be read carefully as a kind of preparatory work to a more careful consideration of the subject.
I see from the latest comments that many still feel bewildered and can't understand what is it all about. I mean some nice people cannot comprehend the motives and the passion that drive some to the extremes of terrorism. It seems that we have to do much to explain this phenomenon. The unfortunate infestation of the Islamic religion of fanatics of a particular minority sect who despite their relatively small number nevertheless have caused big damage needs to be investigated. The general western public is still quite uninformed and tends to view the matter in simplistic and naive terms.
The subject is complex and requires profound study. I hope I can find time to contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon. Meanwhile I consider the Zarqawi letter an important document and a rare glimpse into the inner mind of an Al Qaeda terrorist, I suggest that this document be read carefully as a kind of preparatory work to a more careful consideration of the subject.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Scott,
Defeating them in Iraq, not just simply in military terms, but also by succeeding in creating the model we all hope for, and cleaning up the place of their infestation, will deal a mortal blow to their whole ideology and raison d’etre, so to speak, and will be the beginning of the end of this obnoxious phenomenon worldwide. This is what I am trying to say.
Defeating them in Iraq, not just simply in military terms, but also by succeeding in creating the model we all hope for, and cleaning up the place of their infestation, will deal a mortal blow to their whole ideology and raison d’etre, so to speak, and will be the beginning of the end of this obnoxious phenomenon worldwide. This is what I am trying to say.
Hi,
Scot from Oregon writes:
Alaa, I ain't nothing but a white guy who can't be mistaken for anything else. I am told to wake up because terror is loose in the world. So now I am supposed to look hard at every Man and woman of middle Eastern 'look', and suspect something evil. You probably have that 'look', yes? The sick reality about all of these bombings is I am being asked to not trust you first... then go from there. Aside from the loss of life, this is the most heinous aspect of these people. And I hate them for it....
Scott from Oregon | Email | 03.11.04 - 5:14 pm.
No Scott, the way to fight terrorism is not to suspect every person of Middle Eastern look. They have flocked to our land, and the main battleground is right here. If they are beaten and annihilated here, this will deal them a mortal blow. Just give us sufficient support and we shall rid the world of them.
Scot from Oregon writes:
Alaa, I ain't nothing but a white guy who can't be mistaken for anything else. I am told to wake up because terror is loose in the world. So now I am supposed to look hard at every Man and woman of middle Eastern 'look', and suspect something evil. You probably have that 'look', yes? The sick reality about all of these bombings is I am being asked to not trust you first... then go from there. Aside from the loss of life, this is the most heinous aspect of these people. And I hate them for it....
Scott from Oregon | Email | 03.11.04 - 5:14 pm.
No Scott, the way to fight terrorism is not to suspect every person of Middle Eastern look. They have flocked to our land, and the main battleground is right here. If they are beaten and annihilated here, this will deal them a mortal blow. Just give us sufficient support and we shall rid the world of them.
WAKE UP PEOPLE OF EUROPE
THIS IS THE TIME TO START THE REAL GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM. WE ARE IN THE FRONT LINE. WAKE UP PEOPLE OF THE WORLD.
Hi Friends,
1- The Salafis have issued frequent threats against the allies of the US in Iraq.
2- It is their hallmark to attack unsuspecting soft targets. And Spain is one of the easiest targets.
3- Massive simultaneous and multiple bombings designed to cause maximum civilian casualties are their usual technique.
4- ETA has never attacked in this way and they usually target individuals such as politicians and policemen.
I say it is they. Remember my words.
Alaa
1- The Salafis have issued frequent threats against the allies of the US in Iraq.
2- It is their hallmark to attack unsuspecting soft targets. And Spain is one of the easiest targets.
3- Massive simultaneous and multiple bombings designed to cause maximum civilian casualties are their usual technique.
4- ETA has never attacked in this way and they usually target individuals such as politicians and policemen.
I say it is they. Remember my words.
Alaa
Hi,
I a Moslem and an Iraqi would be very surprised if the criminal attack in Spain was the work of ETA. I say this is the work of the same animals who are at work in our country. Mark my words friends at this early stage.
To express condolences to the Spanish people is too empty and not enough. We pledge to them that we, the Iraqi people shall be in the forefront and will be the first line fighters to exterminate these monsters.
Alaa
I a Moslem and an Iraqi would be very surprised if the criminal attack in Spain was the work of ETA. I say this is the work of the same animals who are at work in our country. Mark my words friends at this early stage.
To express condolences to the Spanish people is too empty and not enough. We pledge to them that we, the Iraqi people shall be in the forefront and will be the first line fighters to exterminate these monsters.
Alaa
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Hi,
Some time ago one friend commented something about my being anti-Bush!! And It has been in the back of mind ever since to say something about this. Me, anti-Bush!!!
Regardless of any election campaign, this man has already established himself in our hearts and minds, and forever. And it is one of my cherished dreams that one day his statue will stand in the middle of Baghdad and that all the people realize finally and unequivocally the friendship that this president of America had for them and the great favor that he has done them.
We sure wish that he be re-elected to complete the great work that he started. The job does not need any new experimenting and trial and error. But of course this is not for us to decide and we have to wait for the decision of the American people.
Nevertheless, and for my self I wish to send my heartfelt best wishes to my favorite American, El Bush, the Liberator, the Avenger.
Salaam
Some time ago one friend commented something about my being anti-Bush!! And It has been in the back of mind ever since to say something about this. Me, anti-Bush!!!
Regardless of any election campaign, this man has already established himself in our hearts and minds, and forever. And it is one of my cherished dreams that one day his statue will stand in the middle of Baghdad and that all the people realize finally and unequivocally the friendship that this president of America had for them and the great favor that he has done them.
We sure wish that he be re-elected to complete the great work that he started. The job does not need any new experimenting and trial and error. But of course this is not for us to decide and we have to wait for the decision of the American people.
Nevertheless, and for my self I wish to send my heartfelt best wishes to my favorite American, El Bush, the Liberator, the Avenger.
Salaam
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Hi Friends,
A frieds comments:
Alaa,
I read on Fox News website today that Iraqi mourners are blaming the US for the deaths in the suicide bombings the other day. Just wondered what your take on this is.
Leathan Lund | Email | Homepage | 03.03.04 - 6:53 pm | #
I have been studying the Zarqawi letter very carefully and I think this is a most interesting and important document. Cynically speaking, it may be one of the most accurate and faithful appraisals of the situation in Iraq, notwithstanding the blind hatred and vituperation. Of course the chorus of monkeys have been jumping up and down and squeaking and screaming ever since its publication- It is a CIA forgery, American propaganda etc. etc.!! What I say is this: If the Americans are so clever as to produce this masterpiece of counterfeit, it might have been more worthwhile for them to do something about the missing WMD’s and the like. I mean if the CIA has such fine understanding of the mind of these people and such historical and theological depth a lot of this trouble might have been avoided. Forgive me for saying this folks; the “Americans” are just too dumb to produce something like this.
As for blaming the U.S. for the deaths and terrorism, well what do you expect Leathan? You should learn not to pay attention to this sort of thing. In addition to the terrorists themselves, there is the Monkey chorus and the anti U.S. motley crowd of all kinds and shape and description, Iraqis and non-Iraqis. Well, you may accuse the U.S. of ineptitude and carelessness, but nobody really believes the other ridiculous accusations. In any case all slanders have obvious ideological agendas and everybody knows that. They try to exploit anything and particularly to get it through the Media. Unfortunately they are being assisted even by the Western media, sometimes for some hidden agendas that have nothing to do with Iraq and the Iraqi people. But remember: if the U.S. has enemies, it also has friends here in Iraq, and these are by no means the minority.
Anyway we should examine very carefully the Zarqawi letter, for it gives a very important insight that could be most useful in understanding the whole situation. This I hope to do in a post soon.
Salaam
A frieds comments:
Alaa,
I read on Fox News website today that Iraqi mourners are blaming the US for the deaths in the suicide bombings the other day. Just wondered what your take on this is.
Leathan Lund | Email | Homepage | 03.03.04 - 6:53 pm | #
I have been studying the Zarqawi letter very carefully and I think this is a most interesting and important document. Cynically speaking, it may be one of the most accurate and faithful appraisals of the situation in Iraq, notwithstanding the blind hatred and vituperation. Of course the chorus of monkeys have been jumping up and down and squeaking and screaming ever since its publication- It is a CIA forgery, American propaganda etc. etc.!! What I say is this: If the Americans are so clever as to produce this masterpiece of counterfeit, it might have been more worthwhile for them to do something about the missing WMD’s and the like. I mean if the CIA has such fine understanding of the mind of these people and such historical and theological depth a lot of this trouble might have been avoided. Forgive me for saying this folks; the “Americans” are just too dumb to produce something like this.
As for blaming the U.S. for the deaths and terrorism, well what do you expect Leathan? You should learn not to pay attention to this sort of thing. In addition to the terrorists themselves, there is the Monkey chorus and the anti U.S. motley crowd of all kinds and shape and description, Iraqis and non-Iraqis. Well, you may accuse the U.S. of ineptitude and carelessness, but nobody really believes the other ridiculous accusations. In any case all slanders have obvious ideological agendas and everybody knows that. They try to exploit anything and particularly to get it through the Media. Unfortunately they are being assisted even by the Western media, sometimes for some hidden agendas that have nothing to do with Iraq and the Iraqi people. But remember: if the U.S. has enemies, it also has friends here in Iraq, and these are by no means the minority.
Anyway we should examine very carefully the Zarqawi letter, for it gives a very important insight that could be most useful in understanding the whole situation. This I hope to do in a post soon.
Salaam
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Hi Friends,
It is not my habit to pay attention to “trolls” but this is interesting:
“Read Alaa's rant carefully. Do you want a violent savage like that living next door?
Anonymous | 03.02.04 - 10:03 am | #”
This is more sinister than mere “trolling”. It is our turn to say: read this kind of ranting more carefully. Read between the lines. Why is it that he gets so incensed precisely when we are calling for more drastic measures against the terrorists? Of course the enemy is extremely interested in driving a wedge between the American public and the people in Iraq. Of course the images of discontent against the Coalition forces are extremely useful for this purpose. The fact that there are tens of thousands of Iraqi security forces “collaborating” and suffering and dying but never deserting or wavering is not mentioned at all. The many other positive things are never touched upon. But what is really interesting is this venom and hatred exactly when our anger against the terrorists is expressed in more emphatic ways? Is it that the enemy is honoring us with his presence disguised with false anti-Islamic and sort of white supremacist mask? Well, he is cunning and lives in our midst.
I wonder.
Salaam
Alaa
It is not my habit to pay attention to “trolls” but this is interesting:
“Read Alaa's rant carefully. Do you want a violent savage like that living next door?
Anonymous | 03.02.04 - 10:03 am | #”
This is more sinister than mere “trolling”. It is our turn to say: read this kind of ranting more carefully. Read between the lines. Why is it that he gets so incensed precisely when we are calling for more drastic measures against the terrorists? Of course the enemy is extremely interested in driving a wedge between the American public and the people in Iraq. Of course the images of discontent against the Coalition forces are extremely useful for this purpose. The fact that there are tens of thousands of Iraqi security forces “collaborating” and suffering and dying but never deserting or wavering is not mentioned at all. The many other positive things are never touched upon. But what is really interesting is this venom and hatred exactly when our anger against the terrorists is expressed in more emphatic ways? Is it that the enemy is honoring us with his presence disguised with false anti-Islamic and sort of white supremacist mask? Well, he is cunning and lives in our midst.
I wonder.
Salaam
Alaa
MASS MURDERS
Greetings friends,
Before, the Saddamist racist sectarian criminals used their security, police, army and all the other instruments of their camel-shit fascism to intimidate the poor people and suppress these Shiaa religious rites. Whether you like these rituals or not, and I am pesonally not very enthusiastic about them, it is the right of the people to practice them if they are peaceful.
Today the same elements, loose and free to perpetrate their atrocities have committed a most outrageous crime. The very same mass murderers who perpetrated the mass graves and all the other things so well known, have struck to demonstrate to the people that they are still around to intimidate and murder them and that they have not really become free to practice their religious customs. Is it not time to put an end to these insects and wipe them off of the face of this earth; If not for the sake of the Iraqi people, at least for the sake of the honour of the U.S. forces and allies, against whom they are spreading rumours and slanderous accusations? Those very Americans who made it possible to practice these rites for the first time in decades. Is it not time for the sacred revenge against the enemies of mankind, those very same who perpetrated 9/11 ? Is it not time ?
Alaa
Before, the Saddamist racist sectarian criminals used their security, police, army and all the other instruments of their camel-shit fascism to intimidate the poor people and suppress these Shiaa religious rites. Whether you like these rituals or not, and I am pesonally not very enthusiastic about them, it is the right of the people to practice them if they are peaceful.
Today the same elements, loose and free to perpetrate their atrocities have committed a most outrageous crime. The very same mass murderers who perpetrated the mass graves and all the other things so well known, have struck to demonstrate to the people that they are still around to intimidate and murder them and that they have not really become free to practice their religious customs. Is it not time to put an end to these insects and wipe them off of the face of this earth; If not for the sake of the Iraqi people, at least for the sake of the honour of the U.S. forces and allies, against whom they are spreading rumours and slanderous accusations? Those very Americans who made it possible to practice these rites for the first time in decades. Is it not time for the sacred revenge against the enemies of mankind, those very same who perpetrated 9/11 ? Is it not time ?
Alaa
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Alaa
Hi Friends,
My latest post should not be misunderstood. But I am trying to sound the alarm bell. If you want to know, we can tell you exactly who are the terrorists and how they operate, and where they are based. The Baath party should not be underestimated. They were stunned by the American “Blitz” and collapsed as a government, but now they are reorganized and operating as a terrorist organization, after getting emboldened by the lax security situation and the lukewarm response to their outrages. This kind of role is more congenial to the nature of this party than running the state and responsible government. The party was basically evicted and expelled from most of the southern area and of course they have no presence in the Kurdish region. So they are concentrated in the “triangle” and certain neighborhoods of the capital. As for the foreigners, they had before the war several thousands of these and they were going to be used as the suicide weapon. The ex- information minister Al-Sahaf frequently boasted this. Well, if only one thousand of these remain they are sufficient for a couple of years at the present rate of suicide operations. These people are hosted and financed by the Party and by the Elders of sectarianism. An alliance has now been formed between the Sectarians and the Party and outside moral and financial aid is available to both.
The Sectarian system in Iraq has always relied on one main method to control the population, and that is the intimidation and murder weapon. In Saddam times this was pushed to infernal extremes, and we hardly need to explain this as many details have come to light to the whole world. And now they resort to the same old practice. They are issuing all kinds of threats and following words with action. The targets: All those cooperating with the CPA; all those working for Western companies with exceptions (their own people), and of course all their natural enemies from the Majority of Iraqis. The intimidation campaign against those who work for western concerns has been quite effective and is extremely harmful to the effort of reconstruction.
The balance of forces is quite worrying. If the Coalition forces were not there, I would say that the forces of the New Iraq would be in trouble, especially in the Center. The important point though, is to think of the necessary course of action, especially in the next few months before the hand over of authority.
Personally, I think there is no alternative but to serious beefing up and strengthening of the Civil Defense Corps in particular, which should be done on an urgent basis. Then this force should go on the offensive, particularly in the areas where subversives are known to be concentrated. The objective should be to turn the balance of intimidation the other way. This may have a chance of success while the Coalition forces are still there for support and backup. At the same time, political moves should be considered to isolate the die hard subversives within the Baath party whose use of intimidation is not confined to their enemies only but extends to others previously affiliated to the Party but who may not be now very enthusiastic about the old regime if given the chance and not harassed by the new order. Thus, for instance, a general amnesty may be considered provided that those willing to benefit come forward within a time limit.
In any case, all these thoughts and suggestions should not be taken advantage of by those who just have their own agenda and vendetta against the U.S. and allies and just want to pick on the negative things for their endless polemics. No, what we say is motivated by zeal and concern that the mission should succeed, because our life, future and the good of the whole of humanity depend on that.
Salaam
Alaa
Hi Friends,
My latest post should not be misunderstood. But I am trying to sound the alarm bell. If you want to know, we can tell you exactly who are the terrorists and how they operate, and where they are based. The Baath party should not be underestimated. They were stunned by the American “Blitz” and collapsed as a government, but now they are reorganized and operating as a terrorist organization, after getting emboldened by the lax security situation and the lukewarm response to their outrages. This kind of role is more congenial to the nature of this party than running the state and responsible government. The party was basically evicted and expelled from most of the southern area and of course they have no presence in the Kurdish region. So they are concentrated in the “triangle” and certain neighborhoods of the capital. As for the foreigners, they had before the war several thousands of these and they were going to be used as the suicide weapon. The ex- information minister Al-Sahaf frequently boasted this. Well, if only one thousand of these remain they are sufficient for a couple of years at the present rate of suicide operations. These people are hosted and financed by the Party and by the Elders of sectarianism. An alliance has now been formed between the Sectarians and the Party and outside moral and financial aid is available to both.
The Sectarian system in Iraq has always relied on one main method to control the population, and that is the intimidation and murder weapon. In Saddam times this was pushed to infernal extremes, and we hardly need to explain this as many details have come to light to the whole world. And now they resort to the same old practice. They are issuing all kinds of threats and following words with action. The targets: All those cooperating with the CPA; all those working for Western companies with exceptions (their own people), and of course all their natural enemies from the Majority of Iraqis. The intimidation campaign against those who work for western concerns has been quite effective and is extremely harmful to the effort of reconstruction.
The balance of forces is quite worrying. If the Coalition forces were not there, I would say that the forces of the New Iraq would be in trouble, especially in the Center. The important point though, is to think of the necessary course of action, especially in the next few months before the hand over of authority.
Personally, I think there is no alternative but to serious beefing up and strengthening of the Civil Defense Corps in particular, which should be done on an urgent basis. Then this force should go on the offensive, particularly in the areas where subversives are known to be concentrated. The objective should be to turn the balance of intimidation the other way. This may have a chance of success while the Coalition forces are still there for support and backup. At the same time, political moves should be considered to isolate the die hard subversives within the Baath party whose use of intimidation is not confined to their enemies only but extends to others previously affiliated to the Party but who may not be now very enthusiastic about the old regime if given the chance and not harassed by the new order. Thus, for instance, a general amnesty may be considered provided that those willing to benefit come forward within a time limit.
In any case, all these thoughts and suggestions should not be taken advantage of by those who just have their own agenda and vendetta against the U.S. and allies and just want to pick on the negative things for their endless polemics. No, what we say is motivated by zeal and concern that the mission should succeed, because our life, future and the good of the whole of humanity depend on that.
Salaam
Alaa
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Hi Friends,
A quick word,
I am amazed at some of my friends. They consider simple measures, such as identity cards and car registration as a call for a Saddam like despotic system; well in this case, most of the World, especially in the civilized regions must be living under terrible dictatorship. But some other friends have correctly answered for me.
Now, still the terrorists are operating at will and quite happily striking wherever they like and at their own timing. Up to this very moment there has not been a single trial or public concrete disclosure of any information regarding the saboteurs and criminals who have murdered so many Iraqis and non-Iraqis. It is maddening to keep hearing the same phrases again and again: unknown assailants, unknown gunmen, may be this, may be that etc. etc. Is it conceivable that of all the arrests that were made not a single solid case could be made? That must be very encouraging for the terrorists. One of the golden rules of deterrence is to make sure that culprits are caught and punished. Justice must been done and seen to be done, isn’t that one the very well known basic laws. What about trials? Since this is an emergency situation and a state of war, there is every justification for special courts. We can’t keep hiding our heads in the sand and pretending that the situation is normal and that if we ignore the enemy he will just feel ashamed of himself and go away. If the risk for the saboteurs and terrorists who are committing the most heinous crimes and murders, is at most, arrests and indefinite detention, with guaranteed three meals a day and correct treatment supervised by the red cross and all the “human rights” groups (which is of course the right way, no argument), with no foreseen possibility of trial and punishment, why for the hardened callous types we have around here, this is a picnic.
So; Ease of movement, No serious risks, Easy targets, Good financing and backing, Solid hatred and jealousy, Nothing else to do; add all these together, and you will wonder that there is so little going on compared with what could be. Right at the beginning, the CPA announced the dissolution of the Army and Police, and the Eradication of the Baath Party. Now, these entities were thoroughly rotten and absolutely corrupt, and the last one certainly deserved to be liquidated. The problem however, was that the people belonging to these institutions, numbering hundreds of thousands were expected to go home and be good boys and wait patiently until one gets round to “eradicating” them. Worst; they were left without any means of subsistence, fully armed and quite free to move about. The party structures and organization remained practically intact; and they were allowed to destroy most incriminating evidence under cover of looting and chaos, which they exploited and in many cases actually organized.
I was previously very reluctant to mention the above facts, in order not to be negative and discouraging. I do appreciate that much honest effort and many sacrifices were made, not least by the Coalition and their forces; however it is my firm conviction that the strategy needs to be fundamentally reviewed. Above all, the position concerning the Baathists must be profoundly reconsidered. The hopeless cases must be really and physically eradicated, and as for the majority who are salvageable, rehabilitation and return to normality. And what about the foreign terrorists? If we know that there are so many of them, as has been repeatedly asserted by the highest officials, what measures were taken to check out the foreigners in the country? Before; every foreigner had to have a visa or a special identity card (for the Arabs), and those who wished to reside had to have residence permits etc. All these normal and customary measures used by almost all countries have completely disappeared now together with many other services normally provided by the state.
We could go on and on about the dismal security situation or rather lack of it, but we should not, because we can end up by getting thoroughly discouraged. All we can do is pray that things get better, Inshallah.
Salaam
Alaa
A quick word,
I am amazed at some of my friends. They consider simple measures, such as identity cards and car registration as a call for a Saddam like despotic system; well in this case, most of the World, especially in the civilized regions must be living under terrible dictatorship. But some other friends have correctly answered for me.
Now, still the terrorists are operating at will and quite happily striking wherever they like and at their own timing. Up to this very moment there has not been a single trial or public concrete disclosure of any information regarding the saboteurs and criminals who have murdered so many Iraqis and non-Iraqis. It is maddening to keep hearing the same phrases again and again: unknown assailants, unknown gunmen, may be this, may be that etc. etc. Is it conceivable that of all the arrests that were made not a single solid case could be made? That must be very encouraging for the terrorists. One of the golden rules of deterrence is to make sure that culprits are caught and punished. Justice must been done and seen to be done, isn’t that one the very well known basic laws. What about trials? Since this is an emergency situation and a state of war, there is every justification for special courts. We can’t keep hiding our heads in the sand and pretending that the situation is normal and that if we ignore the enemy he will just feel ashamed of himself and go away. If the risk for the saboteurs and terrorists who are committing the most heinous crimes and murders, is at most, arrests and indefinite detention, with guaranteed three meals a day and correct treatment supervised by the red cross and all the “human rights” groups (which is of course the right way, no argument), with no foreseen possibility of trial and punishment, why for the hardened callous types we have around here, this is a picnic.
So; Ease of movement, No serious risks, Easy targets, Good financing and backing, Solid hatred and jealousy, Nothing else to do; add all these together, and you will wonder that there is so little going on compared with what could be. Right at the beginning, the CPA announced the dissolution of the Army and Police, and the Eradication of the Baath Party. Now, these entities were thoroughly rotten and absolutely corrupt, and the last one certainly deserved to be liquidated. The problem however, was that the people belonging to these institutions, numbering hundreds of thousands were expected to go home and be good boys and wait patiently until one gets round to “eradicating” them. Worst; they were left without any means of subsistence, fully armed and quite free to move about. The party structures and organization remained practically intact; and they were allowed to destroy most incriminating evidence under cover of looting and chaos, which they exploited and in many cases actually organized.
I was previously very reluctant to mention the above facts, in order not to be negative and discouraging. I do appreciate that much honest effort and many sacrifices were made, not least by the Coalition and their forces; however it is my firm conviction that the strategy needs to be fundamentally reviewed. Above all, the position concerning the Baathists must be profoundly reconsidered. The hopeless cases must be really and physically eradicated, and as for the majority who are salvageable, rehabilitation and return to normality. And what about the foreign terrorists? If we know that there are so many of them, as has been repeatedly asserted by the highest officials, what measures were taken to check out the foreigners in the country? Before; every foreigner had to have a visa or a special identity card (for the Arabs), and those who wished to reside had to have residence permits etc. All these normal and customary measures used by almost all countries have completely disappeared now together with many other services normally provided by the state.
We could go on and on about the dismal security situation or rather lack of it, but we should not, because we can end up by getting thoroughly discouraged. All we can do is pray that things get better, Inshallah.
Salaam
Alaa
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Hi Friends,
I am trying to find time to share with you my thoughts about the economic situation in Iraq. It is a very important part of the solution and I do have some definite views about the matter. So I hope to post soon about the subject.
It is really very frustrating for me to have so little time for this blogging which I enjoy most and think to be important. Immagine that I could'nt find time yet to look at the Email since my return from abroad.
I have to tell you that it is very likely that my work will take me abroad for a prolonged period of time, so it is likely that I shall be blogging from another country soon.
Salaam
Alaa
I am trying to find time to share with you my thoughts about the economic situation in Iraq. It is a very important part of the solution and I do have some definite views about the matter. So I hope to post soon about the subject.
It is really very frustrating for me to have so little time for this blogging which I enjoy most and think to be important. Immagine that I could'nt find time yet to look at the Email since my return from abroad.
I have to tell you that it is very likely that my work will take me abroad for a prolonged period of time, so it is likely that I shall be blogging from another country soon.
Salaam
Alaa
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Hi Friends,
Again my daily drudgery keeps me away from the keyboard and you. So just a quick message but dealing with a thorny subject.
You know, I don’t think any country has ever faced such a massive terrorist campaign. Almost daily a major suicide bombing; not to mentions scores of incidents. Is this acceptable? It is not: Neither the losses of our people, nor those of the Coalition soldiers. Is it not time to admit that we are facing an emergency situation and that emergency measures are required? Imagine this happening in the U.S. or any other country for that matter. There have been wars and terrible disorders in history, to be sure, but a deliberate and sustained terrorist action of this order has never been known. Well what is to be done? I am still firmly convinced that there is no alternative to the painstaking security approach. Terrorism cannot be completely stopped but it can sure be reduced and made too risky and dangerous for the perpetrators.
So I repeat:
- Building a comprehensive database of information about the population. And with the current popular demand for elections, there is every justification for conducting a thorough check up of everybody. This will not bother the vast majority, but on the contrary will reassure them.
- Identity papers for people and registration of vehicles. At least you can check people on the roads and not merely gaze at them dreamily wondering who they may be, and at least there may be a way to check on a vehicle that is used for terrorist acts. And how about some technology, cameras and the like. That surely is no too difficult.
- Neighborhood security control and presence.
- Tight and real control of entries and exits from cities, especially Baghdad.
- Trying to catch the criminals through intelligence and tips is of course right and important and is being done, but it is not sufficient when faced with such massive campaign.
- When we talk about security measures, we mean that they should be carried out by Iraqis, may be with help and backup from the Coalition.
In the old days I remember we used to study what was termed “behavioral psychology” and “motivational theory”. I remember that they used to talk about a ladder of motivational needs. Basic needs have to be satisfied before higher ones come into play as important requirements of people. That is simple enough and common sense. So it is clear what are our needs at the moment: Security first, material improvement next, and then if these are satisfied, the higher needs of political freedom etc. etc., is that really so difficult to understand?
The U.S. and her allies, have done a great job in ridding us of Saddam and his regime, there is no doubt that the majority will never forget this; nor will the orphans and friends of that regime. And it is for this reason that the “insurrection” is still quite limited and localized. It is for this reason that the terrorists are attacking the Iraqi people mainly now. They are attacking the hopes of the people, their acceptance of the U.S. and allies, their aspirations for a future of friendship and cooperation with the U.S., in short the very desire of the people to go on with life.
So we are waiting, waiting for the great Counter Offensive.
Salaam
Alaa
P.S. the new satelite station "Al Hurrah" is O.K. congradulations.
Again my daily drudgery keeps me away from the keyboard and you. So just a quick message but dealing with a thorny subject.
You know, I don’t think any country has ever faced such a massive terrorist campaign. Almost daily a major suicide bombing; not to mentions scores of incidents. Is this acceptable? It is not: Neither the losses of our people, nor those of the Coalition soldiers. Is it not time to admit that we are facing an emergency situation and that emergency measures are required? Imagine this happening in the U.S. or any other country for that matter. There have been wars and terrible disorders in history, to be sure, but a deliberate and sustained terrorist action of this order has never been known. Well what is to be done? I am still firmly convinced that there is no alternative to the painstaking security approach. Terrorism cannot be completely stopped but it can sure be reduced and made too risky and dangerous for the perpetrators.
So I repeat:
- Building a comprehensive database of information about the population. And with the current popular demand for elections, there is every justification for conducting a thorough check up of everybody. This will not bother the vast majority, but on the contrary will reassure them.
- Identity papers for people and registration of vehicles. At least you can check people on the roads and not merely gaze at them dreamily wondering who they may be, and at least there may be a way to check on a vehicle that is used for terrorist acts. And how about some technology, cameras and the like. That surely is no too difficult.
- Neighborhood security control and presence.
- Tight and real control of entries and exits from cities, especially Baghdad.
- Trying to catch the criminals through intelligence and tips is of course right and important and is being done, but it is not sufficient when faced with such massive campaign.
- When we talk about security measures, we mean that they should be carried out by Iraqis, may be with help and backup from the Coalition.
In the old days I remember we used to study what was termed “behavioral psychology” and “motivational theory”. I remember that they used to talk about a ladder of motivational needs. Basic needs have to be satisfied before higher ones come into play as important requirements of people. That is simple enough and common sense. So it is clear what are our needs at the moment: Security first, material improvement next, and then if these are satisfied, the higher needs of political freedom etc. etc., is that really so difficult to understand?
The U.S. and her allies, have done a great job in ridding us of Saddam and his regime, there is no doubt that the majority will never forget this; nor will the orphans and friends of that regime. And it is for this reason that the “insurrection” is still quite limited and localized. It is for this reason that the terrorists are attacking the Iraqi people mainly now. They are attacking the hopes of the people, their acceptance of the U.S. and allies, their aspirations for a future of friendship and cooperation with the U.S., in short the very desire of the people to go on with life.
So we are waiting, waiting for the great Counter Offensive.
Salaam
Alaa
P.S. the new satelite station "Al Hurrah" is O.K. congradulations.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN - URGENT
Greetings:
This morning attack in Falujah is serious and is very disturbing. Also it is new of its kind and shows that saboteurs are getting emboldened. Especially after the test attack on the convoy with General Abizaid, which was largely publicized, and which did not seem to bring any reaction from the IP or the Coalition forces. Prisoners were freed and the attackers actually entered the buildings and shot police officers in their rooms. It shows that the town has gone out of control. Unless energetic countermeasures are immediately taken this could escalate into something bad. However the situation is still localized and I believe can be countered with the correct kind of strategy.
First of all, it may well be that most of the attackers are non-Iraqis as we are hearing, but collusion by locals is certain especially amongst the tribesmen of certain tribes. Some local religious mosque preachers of the Wahabi and Salafi persuasion are almost certainly involved if only through agitation, instigation and aiding and abetting. It is also noteworthy that an anti-American demonstration near Abu Ghraib was almost timed to coincide with the event, many religious characters were noticeable in this demonstration; the timing could not have been coincidental. I say that there is clear indications here of a deliberate and premeditated plan to escalate the situation. I doubt that most the town dwellers in Faluja are actively involved but everybody is intimidated by these groups and are probably trying to keep out of the way. Firm and swift counteraction is essential: strike first, negotiate later when you have the upper hand. This action should be of sufficient magnitude appropriate to the threat. The worst thing would be inaction.
Here are some of the measures, which to my mind may be considered:
1- Surround the area including the town and adjoining countryside.
2- Impose a curfew for the appropriate length of time.
3- Deploy a meaningful force of Iraqi Defense Force and I.P., even bringing them from other areas if necessary, and back them up with powerful Coalition support.
4- Conduct “Courteous” (as much as possible) house to house searches and enquiries, mainly by the Iraqis with backup, aimed at finding the culprits or information about them. Some people in the town are bound to know something. Most important is to try to find the foreign “volunteers” hiding here and there.
5- Convene a meeting with all tribal leaders and Sheiks especially of the quite well known rebellious tribal groups and by using pressure, persuasion or whatever methods they must be brought to the realization that this kind of thing is not going to be tolerated and that it will cost them a heavy price.
6- Be careful not to engage in indiscriminate reprisals.
7- Remember that the enemy is testing, inaction will cause him to be emboldened and he will escalate to the next phase of his plan. He must be contained and isolated.
8- From a wider political viewpoint, it was a mistake to lump all the ex-baathists with these fanatical Al-Qaeda like groups, many of them were secular opportunists or forced to join the party. The time has come for some kind of official General Amnesty and to try to bring them back to side of the people.
Well these are some of the ideas and I hope they reach those concerned.
Salaam
Alaa
This morning attack in Falujah is serious and is very disturbing. Also it is new of its kind and shows that saboteurs are getting emboldened. Especially after the test attack on the convoy with General Abizaid, which was largely publicized, and which did not seem to bring any reaction from the IP or the Coalition forces. Prisoners were freed and the attackers actually entered the buildings and shot police officers in their rooms. It shows that the town has gone out of control. Unless energetic countermeasures are immediately taken this could escalate into something bad. However the situation is still localized and I believe can be countered with the correct kind of strategy.
First of all, it may well be that most of the attackers are non-Iraqis as we are hearing, but collusion by locals is certain especially amongst the tribesmen of certain tribes. Some local religious mosque preachers of the Wahabi and Salafi persuasion are almost certainly involved if only through agitation, instigation and aiding and abetting. It is also noteworthy that an anti-American demonstration near Abu Ghraib was almost timed to coincide with the event, many religious characters were noticeable in this demonstration; the timing could not have been coincidental. I say that there is clear indications here of a deliberate and premeditated plan to escalate the situation. I doubt that most the town dwellers in Faluja are actively involved but everybody is intimidated by these groups and are probably trying to keep out of the way. Firm and swift counteraction is essential: strike first, negotiate later when you have the upper hand. This action should be of sufficient magnitude appropriate to the threat. The worst thing would be inaction.
Here are some of the measures, which to my mind may be considered:
1- Surround the area including the town and adjoining countryside.
2- Impose a curfew for the appropriate length of time.
3- Deploy a meaningful force of Iraqi Defense Force and I.P., even bringing them from other areas if necessary, and back them up with powerful Coalition support.
4- Conduct “Courteous” (as much as possible) house to house searches and enquiries, mainly by the Iraqis with backup, aimed at finding the culprits or information about them. Some people in the town are bound to know something. Most important is to try to find the foreign “volunteers” hiding here and there.
5- Convene a meeting with all tribal leaders and Sheiks especially of the quite well known rebellious tribal groups and by using pressure, persuasion or whatever methods they must be brought to the realization that this kind of thing is not going to be tolerated and that it will cost them a heavy price.
6- Be careful not to engage in indiscriminate reprisals.
7- Remember that the enemy is testing, inaction will cause him to be emboldened and he will escalate to the next phase of his plan. He must be contained and isolated.
8- From a wider political viewpoint, it was a mistake to lump all the ex-baathists with these fanatical Al-Qaeda like groups, many of them were secular opportunists or forced to join the party. The time has come for some kind of official General Amnesty and to try to bring them back to side of the people.
Well these are some of the ideas and I hope they reach those concerned.
Salaam
Alaa
Thursday, February 12, 2004
Hi Friends
I received this Email from a Kurdish Iraqi who now lives in exile. I post this without any editing on my part. This has moved me :
For the love of our nation.
I am a big fan of Iraq
I love it inch by inch from Zakho to al-Fao.
I love Iraq's mountains,
I love Iraq's desert,
I love Iraq's big cities and small villages,
I love Iraq's old and new music,
I love Iraq's poetry,
I love Iraqis' sarcastic sense of humor,
I love Iraq's teashops,
In short, without Iraq, there is no me!
Born a Kurd in the breathtakingly beautiful North, I was taught as a child to speak, read and write both of Iraq's main languages, Kurdish and Arabic. Oh what a feeling it would be when one day I learn how to speak Assyrian and Turkish so that I could communicate with my Assyrian,Chaldean and Turkman brothers and sisters in their native language!
I love the sound of the speakers at dawn when Iraqis are called to Prayer not because of my religious passion but because it is the practice of my people.
I love the bells of the Iraqi churches on Sundays not because of my Christian views or lack thereof but simply because of my Iraqiness.
You see comrades, I would like to ask of you a small favor, I want you to please look at the word IRAQ, look at it, now picture it on Ahmad Radhi's jersey, picture at on the Atlas, picture it in the index of every book where civilization is mentioned, picture it at the United Nations, picture it on your passport. The secret is very simple; to love Iraq and Iraqis without exception is to not think of Iraq as Saddam Hussein, as those in favor of the occupation and those opposed to it, it is not to think of it as to whom Kerkuk belongs. But what's really beautiful about Iraq is the fact that it predates all of these things not as a piece of land through which two rivers flow, but as a civilization where the setting of the stage for all that human beings have accomplished began. That is Iraq and we are blessed to be members of this land that has fascinated the world in its entirety.
Why am I writing this? I am writing this because I see among us a bigger sense of division than unity, I see among us more feelings of resentment than those of joy, I see among us more anger than soberness, I see among us people like fanatic Kurds and people who instead of trying to understand them or convince them otherwise, they attack their people as if they have a mandate from the Kurds of Iraq.
In Kerkuk, Kurdish flags (the Muhabad Republic flag, red, green and the sun in the middle) virtually crisscross city.
In response to the Kurdish obsession with their flag, the Turkmans
have done the same with their flag (the party flag of the Turkman Front).
The Arabs of Kerkuk are virtually trapped in the middle of too much ethnic tensions.
They have every right to Kerkuk just as the people of Dohuk have every right to Najaf AS LONG AS their desire for residency is on the basis of their Iraqiness rather than their Kurdishness or Arabness or Shiaism or Turkomanism (yes, I am inventing these terms because they should not exist).
Am I boring you? Well read on, there are one million Kurds living in Baghdad, that number is larger than the Kurds of Kerkuk, Sulaimania, Arbil and Dohuk, not combined but individually.What does that mean? Well in a democratic Iraq, that means one
million votes.
We are often deceived of hearing "the Sunni center" without considering the number of Kurds and Shi'a, not to mention Christian and Yezidi Iraqis that live in Baghdad and around Baghdad. We hear the "Kurdish North" without looking at Musil, the second
largest Arab city in Iraq after Baghdad. We hear of the "Shi'a South" without considering the Sunni (Kurds and Arabs) that live all around the South from Basra to Hilla to Najaf to Karbala.
The bottom line is, Iraq is the land of the Iraqis, the groups that constitute our beautiful mosaic should be Iraqis before they are Kurdish, Arabic, Assyrian etc... Once an Iraqi government is established and the various Iraqi groups are given something to lose, they will naturally feel more Iraqi.
Once we are sober and awakened, things will be different, have faith in Iraq because there is no land on earth that is more beautiful than Iraq.
Behold, one little beautiful flower of new Mesopotamian Nationalism blossoms, more will follow.
Salaam
I received this Email from a Kurdish Iraqi who now lives in exile. I post this without any editing on my part. This has moved me :
For the love of our nation.
I am a big fan of Iraq
I love it inch by inch from Zakho to al-Fao.
I love Iraq's mountains,
I love Iraq's desert,
I love Iraq's big cities and small villages,
I love Iraq's old and new music,
I love Iraq's poetry,
I love Iraqis' sarcastic sense of humor,
I love Iraq's teashops,
In short, without Iraq, there is no me!
Born a Kurd in the breathtakingly beautiful North, I was taught as a child to speak, read and write both of Iraq's main languages, Kurdish and Arabic. Oh what a feeling it would be when one day I learn how to speak Assyrian and Turkish so that I could communicate with my Assyrian,Chaldean and Turkman brothers and sisters in their native language!
I love the sound of the speakers at dawn when Iraqis are called to Prayer not because of my religious passion but because it is the practice of my people.
I love the bells of the Iraqi churches on Sundays not because of my Christian views or lack thereof but simply because of my Iraqiness.
You see comrades, I would like to ask of you a small favor, I want you to please look at the word IRAQ, look at it, now picture it on Ahmad Radhi's jersey, picture at on the Atlas, picture it in the index of every book where civilization is mentioned, picture it at the United Nations, picture it on your passport. The secret is very simple; to love Iraq and Iraqis without exception is to not think of Iraq as Saddam Hussein, as those in favor of the occupation and those opposed to it, it is not to think of it as to whom Kerkuk belongs. But what's really beautiful about Iraq is the fact that it predates all of these things not as a piece of land through which two rivers flow, but as a civilization where the setting of the stage for all that human beings have accomplished began. That is Iraq and we are blessed to be members of this land that has fascinated the world in its entirety.
Why am I writing this? I am writing this because I see among us a bigger sense of division than unity, I see among us more feelings of resentment than those of joy, I see among us more anger than soberness, I see among us people like fanatic Kurds and people who instead of trying to understand them or convince them otherwise, they attack their people as if they have a mandate from the Kurds of Iraq.
In Kerkuk, Kurdish flags (the Muhabad Republic flag, red, green and the sun in the middle) virtually crisscross city.
In response to the Kurdish obsession with their flag, the Turkmans
have done the same with their flag (the party flag of the Turkman Front).
The Arabs of Kerkuk are virtually trapped in the middle of too much ethnic tensions.
They have every right to Kerkuk just as the people of Dohuk have every right to Najaf AS LONG AS their desire for residency is on the basis of their Iraqiness rather than their Kurdishness or Arabness or Shiaism or Turkomanism (yes, I am inventing these terms because they should not exist).
Am I boring you? Well read on, there are one million Kurds living in Baghdad, that number is larger than the Kurds of Kerkuk, Sulaimania, Arbil and Dohuk, not combined but individually.What does that mean? Well in a democratic Iraq, that means one
million votes.
We are often deceived of hearing "the Sunni center" without considering the number of Kurds and Shi'a, not to mention Christian and Yezidi Iraqis that live in Baghdad and around Baghdad. We hear the "Kurdish North" without looking at Musil, the second
largest Arab city in Iraq after Baghdad. We hear of the "Shi'a South" without considering the Sunni (Kurds and Arabs) that live all around the South from Basra to Hilla to Najaf to Karbala.
The bottom line is, Iraq is the land of the Iraqis, the groups that constitute our beautiful mosaic should be Iraqis before they are Kurdish, Arabic, Assyrian etc... Once an Iraqi government is established and the various Iraqi groups are given something to lose, they will naturally feel more Iraqi.
Once we are sober and awakened, things will be different, have faith in Iraq because there is no land on earth that is more beautiful than Iraq.
Behold, one little beautiful flower of new Mesopotamian Nationalism blossoms, more will follow.
Salaam
Hi Friends
You know, the fact that I am doing this blog site does not mean I am not doing anything else. My regular friends should know better. In fact I have a problem to find the time to settle down my poor old “ass” in front of the keyboard for the purpose of addressing you. So the friends who accuse me of pontificating rather than doing something practical have no way to know what I am actually engaged in most of the time. But seriously, my ideas and thoughts are not always directed towards the western public who are sitting at home. I have cause to believe that this blog site may have been noticed and is being read by some responsible people much closer home. The practical suggestions and analyses are meant for these. I believe that this is as good a way as any to get these ideas across to people who may benefit from them, knowing that there are no ulterior or profit motives behind them, which I fear may be quite prevalent in the circles surrounding them. If they think that I can be of more help I shall consider it a privilege, they know my Email.
On the other hand the importance of public opinion in America and the West cannot be underestimated. I made it clear from the start that one of the main objectives of this blog site is to inform and interact with ordinary English speaking men and women. As for writing in papers and the like I am not sure these can be more effective than this medium for an ordinary person like myself. At least I can say here what I like with no editorial censorship and you can comment what you think. In any case I am happy to have quite a number of regular friends who are interested to know what I think and whose comments and thoughts are equally interesting to me.
Salaam
Alaa
You know, the fact that I am doing this blog site does not mean I am not doing anything else. My regular friends should know better. In fact I have a problem to find the time to settle down my poor old “ass” in front of the keyboard for the purpose of addressing you. So the friends who accuse me of pontificating rather than doing something practical have no way to know what I am actually engaged in most of the time. But seriously, my ideas and thoughts are not always directed towards the western public who are sitting at home. I have cause to believe that this blog site may have been noticed and is being read by some responsible people much closer home. The practical suggestions and analyses are meant for these. I believe that this is as good a way as any to get these ideas across to people who may benefit from them, knowing that there are no ulterior or profit motives behind them, which I fear may be quite prevalent in the circles surrounding them. If they think that I can be of more help I shall consider it a privilege, they know my Email.
On the other hand the importance of public opinion in America and the West cannot be underestimated. I made it clear from the start that one of the main objectives of this blog site is to inform and interact with ordinary English speaking men and women. As for writing in papers and the like I am not sure these can be more effective than this medium for an ordinary person like myself. At least I can say here what I like with no editorial censorship and you can comment what you think. In any case I am happy to have quite a number of regular friends who are interested to know what I think and whose comments and thoughts are equally interesting to me.
Salaam
Alaa
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL
Greetings Friends,
I have read your latest comments attentively. The matter is too important and requires a comprehensive restatement of my views and suggestions, which were previously stated in one form or another. I am reserving time today and tomorrow for this. We are at a cross road, and the vile enemy is attacking ferociously. Counteroffensive is called for. There must be no complacency, and above all no underestimation of the evil we are facing. God’s willing, The Good will be triumphant, and I am firmly convinced with every fiber of my being, and as a devout Muslim that we are on the side of the Good and the Virtuous and that the enemy is Evil. The fundamental strength of the U.S. position is that, this time, she is on the side of the majority of the downtrodden people, and as long as that remains she will be invincible and unstoppable. Retreat is unthinkable, both for us and for the U.S. and allied peoples. The enemy must be brought to the realization of this absolute resolve at total, final and complete victory in this epic fight of Love and the Will of Life against the dark forces of Death, Hate, Bloody Mindedness, Obscurantism, Prejudice and Selfishness. How many people do really understand the true importance of this fight?
Yes, they have become hysterical and above all because of the expansion and consolidation of the new Iraqi Security Forces. To their mentality political power is based on the armed forces, consequently they think that success in establishing such forces will spell their end. That is why they are attacking with such ferocity.
I shall post soon trying to consider a practical plan of action and also making use of some of your suggestions, which I found appropriate.
Salaam
Alaa
Greetings Friends,
I have read your latest comments attentively. The matter is too important and requires a comprehensive restatement of my views and suggestions, which were previously stated in one form or another. I am reserving time today and tomorrow for this. We are at a cross road, and the vile enemy is attacking ferociously. Counteroffensive is called for. There must be no complacency, and above all no underestimation of the evil we are facing. God’s willing, The Good will be triumphant, and I am firmly convinced with every fiber of my being, and as a devout Muslim that we are on the side of the Good and the Virtuous and that the enemy is Evil. The fundamental strength of the U.S. position is that, this time, she is on the side of the majority of the downtrodden people, and as long as that remains she will be invincible and unstoppable. Retreat is unthinkable, both for us and for the U.S. and allied peoples. The enemy must be brought to the realization of this absolute resolve at total, final and complete victory in this epic fight of Love and the Will of Life against the dark forces of Death, Hate, Bloody Mindedness, Obscurantism, Prejudice and Selfishness. How many people do really understand the true importance of this fight?
Yes, they have become hysterical and above all because of the expansion and consolidation of the new Iraqi Security Forces. To their mentality political power is based on the armed forces, consequently they think that success in establishing such forces will spell their end. That is why they are attacking with such ferocity.
I shall post soon trying to consider a practical plan of action and also making use of some of your suggestions, which I found appropriate.
Salaam
Alaa
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Hi,
Before anything else we must reconsider the problem of security for obvious reasons and the urgency of the matter. Unfortunately, what is happening only confirms my previously expressed views about what I consider inadequate security precautions. This I would like to investigate in more detail in the next post (Inshallah). The way to combat this kind of terrorism is prevention rather than cure. It is a security and not a military threat. There is need to cast a finely meshed net to catch the venomous reptiles. The sad situation is that they are still quite free to move around, pack their vehicles with explosives and drive around at will. They have their spies roving in the cities and they pick and choose their targets at their leisure. This anonymity of the street is one of the main factors facilitating the work of the terrorists, not to mention the quite well known safe havens and the locales where they may be found. I have stressed before the necessity for identification of people and vehicles. Such necessary steps are yet to be enforced and I don’t know what is the reason for that. Security measures have prevented any incident in the US since 9/11, so the U.S. authorities know very well how to deal with this kind of problem. The safety and security of our people are no less important than the security of anybody else.
I am sorry but I am not going to say nice things. I mean how can you explain the negligence of allowing poor young people queuing innocently in their hundreds in a highly vulnerable and exposed way without any kind of protection whatsoever to apply for army jobs when the very day before a similar crowd was torn to pieces in the way everybody knows? Was there nobody with a little bit of sense to prevent this situation and take the elementary precaution of at least protecting the place? Are there no other slightly less primitive methods of recruitment that allowing people to queue in the early morning in hundreds exposed to the attack of the criminals? And there is more and more. This is no time for niceties so I plan to speak out my mind. But since I am too upset at the moment it is better to wait until I cool down a bit, for words uttered in anger are often cause for regret.
Salaam
Alaa
Before anything else we must reconsider the problem of security for obvious reasons and the urgency of the matter. Unfortunately, what is happening only confirms my previously expressed views about what I consider inadequate security precautions. This I would like to investigate in more detail in the next post (Inshallah). The way to combat this kind of terrorism is prevention rather than cure. It is a security and not a military threat. There is need to cast a finely meshed net to catch the venomous reptiles. The sad situation is that they are still quite free to move around, pack their vehicles with explosives and drive around at will. They have their spies roving in the cities and they pick and choose their targets at their leisure. This anonymity of the street is one of the main factors facilitating the work of the terrorists, not to mention the quite well known safe havens and the locales where they may be found. I have stressed before the necessity for identification of people and vehicles. Such necessary steps are yet to be enforced and I don’t know what is the reason for that. Security measures have prevented any incident in the US since 9/11, so the U.S. authorities know very well how to deal with this kind of problem. The safety and security of our people are no less important than the security of anybody else.
I am sorry but I am not going to say nice things. I mean how can you explain the negligence of allowing poor young people queuing innocently in their hundreds in a highly vulnerable and exposed way without any kind of protection whatsoever to apply for army jobs when the very day before a similar crowd was torn to pieces in the way everybody knows? Was there nobody with a little bit of sense to prevent this situation and take the elementary precaution of at least protecting the place? Are there no other slightly less primitive methods of recruitment that allowing people to queue in the early morning in hundreds exposed to the attack of the criminals? And there is more and more. This is no time for niceties so I plan to speak out my mind. But since I am too upset at the moment it is better to wait until I cool down a bit, for words uttered in anger are often cause for regret.
Salaam
Alaa
Hi Friends,
I have been frequently urged by friends to address our people in our own language. Well I have decided to try to do that in this blog site with the objective of making it increasingly bilingual. I am always hampered by my technical ignorance in using the Internet, basically for lack of time to learn properly. However I must make do with the little that I know. Please let me know if the previous message has been received correctly. If you have some advice how to improve processing Arabic text, I should be grateful to listen.
Salaam
Alaa
I have been frequently urged by friends to address our people in our own language. Well I have decided to try to do that in this blog site with the objective of making it increasingly bilingual. I am always hampered by my technical ignorance in using the Internet, basically for lack of time to learn properly. However I must make do with the little that I know. Please let me know if the previous message has been received correctly. If you have some advice how to improve processing Arabic text, I should be grateful to listen.
Salaam
Alaa
السلام عليكم
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
منذ بدات هذا الموقع استعملت اللغه الانكليزيه حيث كان الهدف الاساسي هو مخاطبة المجتمع الغربي عموما والمتكلمين بهذه اللغه من العراقيين والعرب . وانا لا أعلم كم من قرائي هم من العراقيين او العرب . الا ان هنالك حاجة ماسه بالنسبة لي كانسان عادي عراقي لايصال صوتي الى اخواني العراقيين بالدرجه الاساسيه وحيث ان مهارتي باستخدام الانترنت ضعيفة جدا فان هنالك مشاكل فنيه لاستخدام العربيه في هذه الواسطة. وانا احاول الان تجربة الارسال بالعربيه لارى ان كان ذلك ممكنا وعسى الله يوفقني لايصال صوتي الى ابناء بلدي
والسلام عليكم
علاء
منذ بدات هذا الموقع استعملت اللغه الانكليزيه حيث كان الهدف الاساسي هو مخاطبة المجتمع الغربي عموما والمتكلمين بهذه اللغه من العراقيين والعرب . وانا لا أعلم كم من قرائي هم من العراقيين او العرب . الا ان هنالك حاجة ماسه بالنسبة لي كانسان عادي عراقي لايصال صوتي الى اخواني العراقيين بالدرجه الاساسيه وحيث ان مهارتي باستخدام الانترنت ضعيفة جدا فان هنالك مشاكل فنيه لاستخدام العربيه في هذه الواسطة. وانا احاول الان تجربة الارسال بالعربيه لارى ان كان ذلك ممكنا وعسى الله يوفقني لايصال صوتي الى ابناء بلدي
والسلام عليكم
علاء
Hellow again
Hi Friends,
I am back again, I have missed you and thought about you. There is so much to talk about. I am greeted by tragic massacres of many poor people. The enemy is baring his true intention, a genocidal hatred of our people. I would have liked to greet you again with something pleasant, but it is not to be.
Hope to be able to post later today.
All the best
Alaa
I am back again, I have missed you and thought about you. There is so much to talk about. I am greeted by tragic massacres of many poor people. The enemy is baring his true intention, a genocidal hatred of our people. I would have liked to greet you again with something pleasant, but it is not to be.
Hope to be able to post later today.
All the best
Alaa
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