Hi everybody,

I am very touched by the fine sentiments expressed by many of my friends, but I must say that

it is the kind of response that I expected which reinforces my belief in the goodness of heart of

my friends.

Rick wrote:

"Alaa,

Any comment on the above survey? Would you say this is true?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/ 20051...iraq_britain_dc

The link

Rick"

My response to this survey is simply that it cannot be accurate. And why believe this kind of poll when you have the results of the referendum and elections to go by.

A simple fact: Regardless of what you think of the new constitution and regardless of what those voting in the referendum think concerning this document, it is a fact that each person voting is opting for the political process rather than any form of violent action. This is especially true for those voting yes. Now, out of 15 million registered voters approximately 10 million turned out to vote. This is despite the threats and intimidation. This turnout is very respectable by any standard and is more so owing to the security situation and the intimidation.

The enemy has done everthing in his power to discourage people, and you must have heard of the relentless violence and killings that preceded the referendum. Nevertheless, the Iraqi people have demonstrated again that they will not be intimidated and that they are prepared to risk their lives to go to the polling stations.

What the "insurgents" have always insisted is that everybody boycot any form of political and even civic participation, and in that they have been repeatedly rebuffed and repudiated by the people. How can you reconcile all these facts on the ground with contentions such as those which this poll is trying to suggest?

Regards

IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL

Hi,

Hearty greetings to all my friends – actually I have been away for a few days. Guess where? To the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia! That was to perform Al Umra, a religious tradition which is less demanding than Hajj, which I had been fortunate enough to perform a couple of years back, Wa Alhamdu lillah (Praise be to God). It is quite an interesting subject, as a ritual, which I might talk to you about sometime.

Now I know that some of my friends may not be particularly fond of Islamic rituals nor especially well inclined towards the Islamic religion itself. You must know that personally, I don't blame them at all and find their attitude perfectly understandable in view of the great damage done to the reputation of our religion by the Takfiris and the terrorists and the like. We ourselves are extremely dismayed by the actions and attitudes of many of our fellow Muslims, so how can we blame others for quite rightful indignation in the face of the atrocities and abominations of the so-called "islamist" extremists and "fundamentalists". Yet I have a very difficult request which I would like to submit to my friends; and that is for them to try to overcome their just anger and look at the thing from a broader perspective and understand that the present day phenomena are but ephemeral aberrations, and that years away from now they will only be remembered as historical curiosities. But the great religions will still be there, the Islamic faith, the Christian faith and the Jewish and other great religions of humanity. Each one of these great faiths is valid and is a particular way to communicate with the same eternal truth. That is my view and it is a big subject that requires much more explanation, perhaps in future posts.

But what I wanted to tell you today is that facing the holy Kaaba, which to us is being in the direct presence of God, I remembered my friends on this blog and prayed for them too. I prayed that you may be blessed with happiness and prosperity and spared from evil. Honest to God I did. I just wanted you to know.

Salaam

Hi,

It is about half an hour to Iftar time. This is the most difficult part of the day. I don't know about others but I tend to get very irritated and easily provoked about this time. So I have these difficult minutes to kill, so I thought I kill them with you.

So here is my nasty thought of the day (So much for Ramadan bringing you tranquility and peace of mind; and may God forgive me for saying this): Here we have the U.S.A. and Great Britain and their smaller friends, an alliance that has defeated Nazi Germany and the mighty Reich, and have had the stomach to obliterate Japanese cities with atomic bombs. Here we have the Americans, the descendants of those who wrested a whole continent by shear obstinacy and fought for every inch of land with blood and sweat. Here we have nations that have waded through rivers of blood and mud and marched through entire continents to become symbols of human perseverance and enterprise. Yes all this history and yet we have some who think that our miserable "Sunni Triangle" poses an insurmountable problem and that one should "cut and run" and "bring home troops immediately" etc. etc.

I salute President Bush who does not care much for this kind of defeatism and treats it with the contempt it deserves.

Salaam

RAMADAN GREETINGS

Hi,

The holy month of Ramadan is upon us again. The rhythm of daily life changes dramatically during this month and one is more prone to contemplation and a general slowing down of the daily materialistic side of life. And of course there is the gastronomic side of the thing, for households compete in preparing the best and showing off their culinary skills at the iftar table (i.e. the dinner feast that is prepared for breaking the fast at sunset time), and happy are those families who can sit in whole number at this table, but alas many in Iraq have lost loved ones, and many may not have the peace and means to do just that. Nevertheless life goes on and there is still happiness and thrill in these times despite the death and misery surrounding us.

So on this occasion I wish to extend best wishes and congratulations to all Moslem people and also strangely enough this year's Ramadan coincides with the Jewish "Rash Al Shanah" ( Ras Al Sannah, in Arabic), so congratulations are also due to the Jewish people and a prayer for peace and reconciliation for the whole of mankind.

Wa Al Salam Alaykum Wa Rahmatu'llahi Wa barakatuh

(Peace be upon you and the mercy of God and his blessings)

Hi,

Thanks Gilliam for finding the link to the english translation of the constitution:


"I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.iraqigovernment.org/constitution_en.htm

gilliam "

You will find the original comment in the comment sections

Regards

Hi,

Here is the link to the text of the draft constitution in Arabic. I don't suppose it will be of much use to my friends. If I can find an english version I shall post the link.

http://www.nahrain.com/d/news/05/09/17/nhr0917p.html

Regards

Hi,

Michael in Framingham wrote: " My question, have you read the constitution? Do you support it? Do you think the Sunni's will reject or support it en masse? Are you yourself Sunni? (You don't have to answer that last one if you don't want to) "

Michael: My name is not Salaam, this is a form of greeting which means peace.

Regarding the constitution, this is a difficult question. There are certainly many positive principles, and others that are rather questionable. For instance the one particular clause which states that no laws can be legislated that contradict the basic principles of Islam, is an extremely dangerous phrase and is open to all sorts of interpretations. There is a certain ambiguity in several other clauses which should not be there. Regarding the role of religion, although I consider myself a pious and practicing Moslem, I nevertheless share with the secularists the view that a strict separation between politics and civil law on the one hand and religion on the other is absolutely necessary. Meddling of the clergy in politics is probably one of the worst things that are happening and is certainly one of the causes of the mess we have today. Luckily on the Shiaa side we have Al-Sistani whose position basically is that religious authorities should maintain an aloof position and abstain from direct involvement, but only engage in general counsel and advice when things really get bad. Regarding Federalism, there are pros and cons., in the short term it might create a loose form of government which the country is not in need of at the moment; however, in the long term the system may have merits. In general in the referendum I suppose I am going to vote for it mainly from a desire for the political process to go forward and not be set back to square one. I am waiting for the final amended draft which I have not seen yet, and it seems that important amendments were made including those regarding religion.

Am I a Sunni? Well, my father was a Shiite, mother Sunni and my wife is Sunni. Thus, according to the patriarchal system that we have that makes me a Shiite technically but with considerable Sunni connections. But this is an illustration of the kind of mixture we have, especially in the cities, and explains the difficulties facing the Takfirists and the Zarqawis in igniting sectarian war, but they are surely trying very hard and pushing things to the edge.

Will the Sunnis vote for or against the constitution? I think if the Sunnis in the "Triangle" are allowed to vote peacefully they are likely to turn it down and by the rule of two thirds majority in three provinces the National assembly will dissolve and elections for a new one must be held to write again the constitution. However, the terrorists are waging a vicious campaign of intimidation again and this time much more savage than the last time. They are even threatening the people with chemical weapons and God knows what dirty things are in store for us. So, ironically, it may be the terrorists themselves who are going to help the constitution to be voted in, by preventing the Sunnis from voting.

Regards

SOME HISTORY

Hi,

Al Qaeda, may be considered the generic name for all those movements that have in common what we call the Takfiri ideology. We have to explain this term to our friends. Kufr in the Arabic language means disbelief, atheism, or blasphemy. Kafir is the adjective which means somebody who is an infidel, atheist or heathen. Takfir is to attribute this adjective to someone, i.e. castigate people and excommunicate them as Kafirs. This ideology is not a new one, and neither is it exclusive to the Islamic religion. Unfortunately the idea seems to be implicit in the literalist understanding of all religions, especially those of Semitic origin. I do not intend to embark on a historical survey to illustrate this point; suffice it to say that Dante's Inferno and Purgatorio in his Divine Comedy had a place for everyone who was not of the strictest Catholic persuasion, according to the code and precepts of the era. Many scholars, particularly in the Arab world, believe that Dante's masterpiece must have had its original inspiration somehow from the much earlier Islamic story of "Israa and Miirage", i.e. the miraculous ascent by the prophet (PBU) to the seven heavens during his life time, and also the later "Risalat Al Ghufran" (Message of Forgiveness) by the great medieval Arab poet Abu Al- Alaa Al Maari, best remembered for his pessimism and bitterness against life and the human condition. It is established historically that Arabic language and culture were not unknown in the early days of the European Renaissance, especially in Italy. And I suppose this idea of exclusivity is to be found originally in the Jewish tradition of the chosen people; the favored nation, which by the way is acknowledged and celebrated in the Islamic tradition and the Koran as well, where numerous references to the children of Israel can be found. Well, all this is a digression from our subject which I could not resist.

What I wanted to say is that the present day Takfiri movement has historical roots that go very far back in time. Indeed the Khawarij movement which appeared in the first century of the Moslem calendar (i.e. the seventh century A.D.), bears a great resemblance to the modern Al-Qaeda and the other Takfiri groups. The Khawarij also went about committing the most terrible atrocities against foes and innocent folks alike, particularly Moslems, on the basis that these were apostates and Kafirs, citing certain verses and phrases from the Koran as justification. For instance, they would kill and disembowel pregnant Moslem women, based on a verse in the Koran, in which the prophet Noah (of the Arc), asks the Lord to exterminate all the Kafirs, because if they are left on earth they would only beget wicked Kafirs like them (Sura of Noah ). The Khawarij were also quite fanatical and suicidal and fought all their battles to the death. Many of these battles took place during the rule of Imam Ali (PBU), in whose camp, ironically, most of them belonged originally. The Imam (who is the most revered figure by the Shiaa, after the prophet), went to extreme lengths in trying to dissuade and pacify these groups, but to no avail. He was forced to wage very bloody wars against them, which usually ended in completely annihilating all their numbers in battle, since they never surrendered or laid down arms. Despite that, one of their number succeeded in assassinating the Imam while he was praying in the Kufa Mosque in present day Iraq.

Thus those who believe that the present day Takfiri movement is just the outcome of contemporary factors, such as poverty, the political struggle against western policies, nationalism etc. etc., will never arrive at a proper understanding if they do not appreciate the profound complexities of the historical background. Thus I would call these movements and groups the Neo-Khawarij. The renaissance of this Neo-Khawarij in the modern era can certainly be traced to the rise of Wahabism in the 18th century in the Arabian Peninsula, i.e. the present day Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. This movement started as an extreme stern puritanical doctrine directed mostly against Shirk, which means worshiping other deities besides Allah. But basically it was directed mainly against the Shiaa and Mystic sects who abounded everywhere in the Moslem world then. The Wahabis committed many atrocities particularly against the Iraqi Shiaa, when hordes used to raid Najaf and other Shiaa holy cities frequently and murder thousands of pilgrims and residents, and that was long before any western powers appeared in the region. The Al-Saud family had a very special relationship with this movement. They used them originally to gain power and ascendancy in the Arabian Peninsula, but when they were firmly in power, they often collided with them and suppressed them quite violently. Today Saudi Arabia and many of the Gulf States are officially of the Wahabi sect, but it must be said that it would be inaccurate to consider them as Takfirists and terrorists. It can only be said that the modern terrorist Takfiri movement is a fringe movement originating from this Wahabi background, and that most of its adherents originate from this milieu, or are converts to this way of thinking from other Moslem sects almost invariably Sunni. but note that Wahabism is not properly a Sunni Sect, but is certainly more tolerant of Sunnis than of other Moslem sects, although regarding the four established Sunni schools with some disdain and disapproval.

Well I just wanted to fill in some background information to help my western friends understand better the nature of the enemy we are facing.

Regards

Hi,

Very quick announcement “en passant”; while we are in the middle of incredible carnage – just how low can humans ( or subhumans!) sink, it is mind boggling. Can you imagine the criminality and beastliness of these killers? And it is mostly the poor people who are paying the price. Murdering day laborers and dragging people out of their beds at 4 a.m. to shoot them in cold blood, whose sole fault was that they happened to be of a certain sect, just shows what kind of beasts we are facing. Here is faschism, racism and bigotry par excellence for you. The scenes are horrific and heart rending and would break the most insensitive of hearts.

And how many times have I said and repeated, secure Baghdad, safeguard Baghdad, provide safe haven for the people and soldiers in Baghdad, lock up Baghdad, it is the Battle of Baghdad etc. etc.? In fact I started this blog mainly to emphasize this point. Still vehicles move about freely without serious attempts at identification and control. Still people move in and out of the capital and infiltrators can come and occupy houses and neighborhoods without any serious risk at being found out and apprehended. It does not come as surprise to me in the least that these bastards can perpetrate their abominable atrocities at will since they can come and hide in the capital quite easily.

I am not belittling the importance and usefulness of the many campaigns in the provinces; they are both necessary and effective, but without securing the ground after these operations and without securing the rear and the center (which is the Baghdad area), one is just wasting the fruits of victories. Also the Iraqi and coalition forces have caught many and inflicted heavy damage on the terrorists. But that is simply not enough and very serious rethinking of the whole strategy is required.

I hope to be able to tell you more about my thinking later.

Salaam

CONDOLENCES, AGAIN !

We are shocked and very sad indeed to hear of the catastrophe that has struck the Southern United States. We extend our sincere condolences to the American people. These are terrible times indeed, that we have to witness catastrophe after catastrophe and disaster after disaster. We beg the Lord God his mercy and forgiveness and ask him to deliver us from this evil that is gripping the World these days.

Hi,

As the dialogue between the different political blocks intensify concerning the Constitution and the noticeable shift in the Sunni mood towards the political process; the real enemy: Hard core Saddamists, Foreign Al-Qaeda type terrorists and the criminal local Mafia; are getting really desperate. There are rumors in the air about an impending massive terrorist campaign – massive number of car bomb attacks, mortar attacks, and sabotage of the basic services, water, electricity etc.

This threat of possible escalation must be taken seriously; because in the present situation on the ground it is not difficult to carry out, if the enemy decides to concentrate all his forces for one massive short campaign. Although we don’t like to compare with Vietnam but it is Tet-Offensive style of thinking.

Therefore, urgent pre-emptive and exceptional defensive measures must be urgently considered. These measures must include some of the ideas that I suggested in earlier posts. For instance, controlling vehicles has proved its efficacy in the past, and still this matter is not given sufficient attention. It will not do just to sit and wait for the enemy to strike; therefore a pre-emptive campaign is called for right now to deny him initiative.

This is a warning to whom it may concern.

PAJAMA WAR GAMES

Hi,

Today is the beginning of another working weak in the year of 2005 of our Lord, as a chronicler of old might have said. I am a busy man, yet I cannot help stopping everything to write this, which means that I think it is more important than even the struggle for daily bread.

I do believe that the modern advanced nations, such as the U.S.A. employ people and resources to investigate scenarios on conflicts and wars as part of the effort of Defense and National Security work. So let us try this game in our own humble way and share it with others thanks to this wonderful democratizing invention of the Internet and blogging, the ordinary mans’ medium of expression.

The game that we are going to play is about our situation in Iraq, as you might have expected. But I would like to say that it seems to me that we don’t really need computers and strategy wizards to play this game as the predictions and permutations are really quite limited and mostly quite obvious. Needless to say that it is a game, so the starting positions are hypothetical and may or may not take place in reality.

So here we go:

Day 1: The American and other Multinational forces have almost completed withdrawing hastily, the decision having been taken by the U.S. administration to “cut and run” as it is said.

Day 2: The Anbar province - whole formations of Saddam’s previous organizations emerge from their holes and take control of the streets: Presidential Guards, Mukhabarat, Fedayeen Saddam, General Security, Private Security, Military intelligence, Party Units, etc. etc. ; in addition to Al -Qaida and various assortments of “Isalamists”. The whole of the province falls very quickly even before the last American soldier leaves Baghdad. The takeover takes place without any serious resistance apart from assassinations and murder of all those who are not entirely to the taste of the abovementioned. This takeover takes place over the entire western region right down to Abu Ghraib and Ghazaliya and other suburbs in Baghdad. Some fighting takes place in certain areas of Al-Anbar, but those tribes who were considered insufficiently hostile to the Americans and their friends, are quickly subdued with much bloodshed. In short the regime that is going to take over the country quickly takes shape in this region.

Other Parts of the Sunni Triangle: Similar situation develops in other areas such as Mosul, Tikrit, Sammara etc. in the North but with varying degrees of resistance and bloodshed, however the balance of force is in favor of the “insurgents”.

Diala Province: In the east considerable fighting and sectarian bloodshed, all civil services are disrupted and fighting continues.

South of Iraq: Badr Brigades, the Mahdi Army and various assortments of armed groups take to the streets and considerable fighting takes place near the southern approaches to Baghdad (the triangle of Death Latifya-Usufiya-Mahmodiya etc.) between Shiaa and Sunni groups, without any definite results initially.

Baghdad: All the middle class new neighborhoods start to be taken over by various armed groups with much looting and arson. This will be directly influenced by the speed of the U.S. army withdrawal; in particular the western part of Baghdad starting from Abu Ghraib right down to the up-scale Mansur Area.

The Mahdi Army and other Shiaa militias and tribal armed groups appear in the streets of Sadr City, Kadimiya and other neighborhoods with clear Shiaa majorities. In other mixed areas street fighting, looting ravaging and murder of families in their houses takes place on a large scale under various pretexes..Those who are weak and unarmed suffer most.

The little of electricity, water supply, sewerage and other municipal services, that there is comes to a complete halt. All shops, markets etc are closed and start to be looted.

Day 3:

The well defined main provincial areas, from the sectarian point of view, have quickly come under control of the various sectarian forces, Sunni ones in the Sunni areas and Shiaa in the Shiaa regions, and the most dangerous and destructive civil war in the history of Iraq has formally started, a war that will continue for many years and bring the country to a state worse than what followed the Mongol Invasion of Hollako in the 13th century. Ethnic and sectarian cleansing is going on within these areas with large scale movements of refugees from the various regions in all directions.

Days 4,5,6 etc.; and subsequent weeks, months and years.

It has become clear to everybody that the U.S. and other western powers are not going to come back, therefore the arena is free for all, so to speak. The Kurds withdraw into their mountainous region, and then decide to make a dash on Kirkuk. Fierce fighting erupts in and around Kirkuk, but the Kurds, being better organized and determined; initially succeed in controlling the town. Turkey cannot allow that so the Turkish army pours in from the North and the war starts between the Kurds and the Turks. The Turkish army advances quickly on Kirkuk through Mosul and after very bloody battles wrests control from the Kurds in the city. The Kurds retreat to the Mountains and start a classic guerilla war against the Turks. Turkey in effect occupies most of Northern Iraq.

Meanwhile vicious sectarian battles between Shiaa and Sunnis rage in and around Baghdad with tremendous bloodshed and huge numbers of civilians caught up in the fighting. Due to shut down of water supply the population of Baghdad starts to become desperate, and is under serious threat of thirst, so they leave their houses and flock to rivers, all that in the middle of raging battles in the streets. Organized gangs go around peoples’ homes checking identities and murdering whole families just because they happen to be Shiaa, Christian or Kurd (this is already actually happening, by the way, in a low key way in some areas).

Initially, the Sunni forces score some successes against the less organized and less experienced Shiaa forces in the Baghdad zone and south of it, despite the fierceness and carelessness about death of the latter. Hard pressed and threatened with extinction and having been abandoned by the West, the Shiaa’s have no other alternative but to turn towards the Iranians for protection. Iranian Revolutionary Guards start to pour in tens of thousands across the border to join the fighting. Soon the Iranians will be in virtual control of the entire south of Iraq and many parts of eastern Iraq. Likewise, the Kurds have no option but to turn to the Iranians in the face of the Turkish onslaught. On the other hand the previous trickle of arab terrorists and religious fanatics across the western and southern borders from Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia turns into a veritable torrent with tens and hundreds of southands pouring across to join their Sunni brothers. Turks, Iranians, Arabs, Sunni Iraqis, Shiaa Iraqis and Kurds all join in an infernal orgy of fighting destruction and death the like of which has seldom been seen.

All activities connected with oil exports from Iraq come to a complete standstill resulting in a world crisis and the rocketing of oil prices to above $ 100 a barrel at the least. Some oil fields burn and black smoke starts to spread all over the country reaching neighboring countries. The oil supplies in the entire region are jeopardized as fanaticism sweeps the region.

Al Qaeda and its affiliates and sympathizers throughout the world are jubilant, elated and drunk with the euphoria of a resounding victory against the U.S., Crusaders, Zionists, the Kafirs, the Shiaa and all other apstates. They transfer their entire cadres to the Sunni controlled areas of Iraq and establish themselves not as fugitives and underground movement but as an established force on the ground. Ripples are spread throughout the world and cells are preparing themselves to bring the battle to the very heartland of the Crusader Kafirs in The U.S. and Europe.

The U.S.A and her allies are completely discredited, and no one will ever think of putting any trust in them anywhere in the world in the future. In particular all factions involved in the fighting in Iraq will be vehemently anti-American and anti-western, especially erstwhile allies and friends who feel particularly betrayed and treacherously abandoned.

The U.S. and allied nations look on this general conflagration and explosion in the M.E. region with helpless dismay. It would take not 130 000 troops, nor one division or two or three to control such situation. All the resources of U.S., despite their tremendousness, will not suffice. It is then, that the American and Western people realize with shock and belated remorse, that if some considered the War on Iraq to be a mistake; the precipitate withdrawal and retreat is an infinitely worse error.

Well, that was a War game, don’t forget; and heaven forbids that it may come to pass. We would all rather die and be gone long before witnessing any such tale of woe.

Hi,

Greetings to all.

I have been trying to find time to discuss the many very interesting points raised by the contributors to the comments section. Particularly, I find the contributions of Richard very interesting and full of intriguing technical suggestions. Regarding the "Green Belt" idea you raised, Richard, it might interest you to know that this is quite an old project that has been contemplated for a very long time; perhaps not quite in the specific way that you have raised. Unfortunately, Baghdad of some fifty years ago used to be much greener than now. Veritable jungles of palm groves sheltering smaller trees of all sorts of citreous fruits and other cultivation, used to cover most of the present-day built up areas. Even the weather was cooler because of the lush vegetation, and this is something which is within my childhood memories. Indeed the idea of a canal has been implemented partly during the reign of General Kassem by the name of the Army Canal. This indeed resulted in urban development of considerable proportion, but today this area is well within the boundary of the city. So, the idea you raise is very feasible indeed and should be considered quite seriously. Of-course the security aspect of the thing was not of particular interest in the old happy days; it is now, evidently.

Regarding my idea of securing Baghdad, I should really explain more fully this vital subject, which I firmly believe to be pivotal for any strategy to end this war quickly. Also through dialogue with my friends the plan can take more definite and convincing shape. But you know, there seems to be quite noticeably increased efforts by the authorities towards controlling the capital these last few days.

Regards to all.

EXPANDING THE GREEN ZONE

Hi,

I am reminded of the famous story of the little boy and the naked king. You must have heard of that tale. An ingenious swindler made the king believe that he had made for him the most marvelous attire ever styled and went through all the motions of elaborately dressing him, when in fact there was no dress at all. The vain king was thrilled and wanted to show off this marvelous dress to his subjects. The royal procession was making its way through the streets of the capital with the king standing up and waiving majestically to his people. No one dared to say that they did not see any clothes on the monarch; everyone doubting their own senses rather than disbelieving the high and mighty. It happened though, that one innocent and simple child looked up and then shouted in astonishment that the king was naked, and this blew up the whole scheme.

And so it may be with our business. Perhaps someday one poor simple pajama blogger observing events from his humble station, might cry out: Gentlemen most high and distinguished, aren’t you perhaps going about this completely in the wrong way. Don’t the most unsophisticated and simple soccer fans know, for certain, that it is not enough to have the most brilliant attackers on your team if your defense line is in shatters and your goalkeeper useless?

Yes, you have attacked brilliantly. Yes, you have coerced the enemy in many a place and inflicted heavy casualties on him. Yet the present situation is such that it seems rather more urgent to provide some "safe havens" to the people rather than just denying them to the enemy.

I am not a military man nor very experienced in security matters, yet like that child I see simple facts and am not afraid to state them. If your resources are not sufficient to cover the entire territory, then it is evident that you should employ them in the most cost effective way, to use a business term. With all the tremendous expense in blood and treasure that is being spent, is it really so difficult to establish the few score or so of real security gates that are needed at the entrances to the capital? The New Iraqi Army may be deployed in a line of emplacements surrounding the capital, and even a "security fence" of sorts may be contemplated. All vehicles in the capital are registered and accounted for. Anyone needing to enter or leave the capital must get security clearance. Controlling vehicular traffic has proved its efficacy during the elections. If the perimeter of the capital is effectively guarded, perhaps the police and the interior ministry forces will have an easier task of cleaning up and guarding the interior of the capital, without being harassed and targeted like lame ducks. All it takes is to closely monitor and control certain well-known neighborhoods of Baghdad. Imagine the situation if the capital is made safer both for the inhabitants, the MNF forces, the diplomats etc. etc. Imagine the situation if power and essential services are restored more satisfactorily, and if assassinations, kidnappings and the daily genocide of completely innocent people is stopped. Would that not allow the political process to proceed more smoothly and the reconstruction effort resumed meaningfully?

The present situation is untenable gentlemen; and cannot continue like this. I have said it before and say it again; controlling Baghdad is controlling the country. The enemy understands this perfectly and is concentrating his efforts accordingly. Perhaps I am not able to elucidate my ideas properly; perhaps some of my friends can grasp it better and elaborate more convincingly. I don’t know, but it is another of those gut feelings that I used to talk about long ago.

Regards

OPERATION GREEN ZONE BAGHDAD

Hi,

I have been trying to get down to tell you about this for some time now, but the pressure of trying to survive makes it difficult just to find the time.

You see, “Operation Lightening” was a good start, but it was only a beginning and needed to be developed in the right way. Now it has rebounded. By leaving the doors poorly guarded and failing to hold the ground after the initial offensive, the enemy was allowed to regroup and launch his treacherous counter offensive of car bombings and murders. Experience in other places has shown that the fight against urban terrorism is essentially defensive. Some certain countries in the region have experience that merits study.

As I have said long time ago. Secure Baghdad and you have done most of the work of securing the whole country. Baghdad as whole should be turned into a “Green Zone”, just like the area in Baghdad housing the M.N.F command and the main governmental organs. The entrances to the capital should be treated in exactly the same way as the entrances to this area. The inhabitants and visitors to the city should be checked and vetted in exactly the same way also. The routes of supply to the city should also be protected. The essential services should be assured. There is much to talk about this idea. But for now, I am simply introducing it, without much explanation for lack of time on my part.

Regards to all.

Hi,

Long time ago I was acquainted with the work of a Jewish writer called Isaac Deutscher. That is a man who may not be very popular with some of my friends being a socialist and all that, nevertheless he was quite a great man. What reminded me of him is my anger against the Arabs which was expressed in my previous post. I mean for his “Un-Jewish Jew” am I not the “Un-Arab Arab”?

I wish, however, to apologize beforehand to any Jewish reader of mine for what I am going to say; assuring him that far from harboring any prejudice, I have the greatest respect and reverence for a people who have given human civilization so much and who were the original monotheists and the first Abrahamites; and that the recent troubles and tragedies of the twentieth century should not obscure and overshadow the thousands of years of glorious history. And you know, the real ethnic Jew and the real ethnic Arab definitely have a common ancestry; this so-called Semitic race, though this does not seem to have resulted in any particular love between the twain. And more; we know for certain from our own knowledge of ourselves, that there are certain traits of character that are quite common to both. You see, the true Semitic character is very passionate and intense and tends to be very, very obstinate. The Jews are a particular race of Semites steeled and distilled by many centuries of struggle for survival in hostile environments, who have managed by shear obstinacy to preserve their religious and cultural identity despite tremendous odds and extreme persecution, for thousands of years.

What has reminded me of this right now in the present situation is a sentence of Isaac Deutscher which I can never forget. It goes something like this: “God help those whom the Jews take it into their head to be their enemies!! “ What is so striking about this sentence is that it applies precisely to the Arabs as well. You may draw your own inferences from this which may throw some light on the madness that is going on in these days.

It has struck me suddenly, that perhaps one of the main mystic keys to defusing the whole thing is to bring about a real historic reconciliation between these two surviving branches of the Semitic race, and I don’t mean just solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem, but something far more profound than that. Is this not the real challenge for the non-Semitic western broker, for his own peace and safety, if not for anything else?

Salaam, Shalom

والاعراب أشد كفرا ونفاقا

Friends,

Translation of the above words from the holy Koran, may come as a surprise to you : “And the A’arab are the worst in Kufr [ faithlessness ] and hypocrisy”. The A’arab are the nomadic Arabs. This is the judgment of the Koran of the Muslims itself concerning the Bedouin nomadic mentality. Let us use the name Al-Qaeda to symbolize this murderous frame of mind which is plaguing the world right now. It is the living embodiment of the worst of all that is evil in the Arab Bedouin genetic subconscious. As I survey the reaction in the Arab media and those of some of my non-Iraqi Arab acquaintances, and alas, some of their Sunni Iraqi kin, to the latest outrage in London and also to the murder of the Egyptian ambassador in Baghdad, I am strongly reminded of these particular words in the holy Koran. Just now as I was driving to work, I was listening to an interview on BBC Arabic with an Egyptian expert. And who do you think the Arab staff of the BBC selects to talk to regarding the murder of the Egyptian ambassador? It is a character well known as a fanatic and sectarian and an arch enemy of the new Iraq. Is this a coincidence? Is it an innocent random choice by the Egyptian member of the staff of the B.B.C.? Why is it that, always, and at critical moments like these, the choice of “experts” and spokesmen is done in this way? Well, this individual laid the blame squarely on the Egyptian government for having relations with a Government lacking legitimacy, and installed by the occupation, etc. etc. This is by the way the position of many Arabs outside Iraq, who obstinate at calling the Multi National Forces as Occupation, and who deny the legitimacy of the Iraqi Government, which was elected by 8 million Iraqis, representing 60% of the electorate, defying death and intimidation in the only fair elections in our history; a government which is the only fairly elected one in the Arab world, and thus the only truly legitimate one in the region. This individual brushes aside all this and gives mouth to his hatred and prejudice regardless of the facts and regardless of the truth. This is the typical trait of the A’arab: This mentality steeped in contempt for the truth and the culture of hatred and hypocrisy.

Yesterday, the Arab T.V. network “Al Arabiya”, made a poll in one of its regular programs asking the question: “If you know of a terrorist, would you inform the authorities about him?”, and you know, the final results were about half and half. Nearly half of the voters said they would not. That means they sympathized with the terrorists. The votes were quite different depending on country. For instance, most voters from Iraq and Saudi Arabia said they would, whereas those from Syria (and Canada!!) overwhelmingly voted in the negative. A very frequent argument that was made by many callers, suggests that they would in their own country, but the Iraq situation was different and that it is somewhat O.K. to kill Iraqis, and commit all the other well known atrocities, in the name of resistance: Resistance against what? - A fairly elected government and International Forces that are requested by this government to assist it in resisting terrorism aiming at restoring despotism and genocide. Frequently when these Arabs are confronted with a particularly heinous and indefensible atrocity of the resistance, claim that it is the Americans or the Zionists etc. who are behind it for some far fetched reasons which they themselves cannot state with any coherence or conviction; despite the fact that these atrocities are often proudly proclaimed by the perpetrators without the slightest hint of denial.

Well, all the above has made us forget to extend our condolences to the victims of the atrocity in dear old London, a city which I have known so well. It is something that we have expected, though, and a terrible rebuke to all those who think that they can cut and run in the War against Terror. I was most impressed by the comments of President Bush. The way to combat this is to spread “and ideology of hope and compassion in the face of this ideology of hatred and murder”, or words to this effect.

Regards

INDEPENDENCE DAY

BELATED CONGRADULATIONS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THE OCCASION OF INDEPENDENCE DAY. MAY THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES LAST AND BECOME STRONGER AND STRONGER TO BRING THE FINAL DEFEAT AND EXTERMINATION OF ALL THE VERMIN AND TERRORIST SCUM IN THE WORLD.

Hi Friends,

I shall try to translate some excerpts of the Arabic piece that I posted. It is difficult to translate, though, due to the flamboyant and florid style so typical of traditional Arabic prose. So, I must admit that the translation is going to try to convey meaning rather than literal equivalents of the Arabic words. The importance of this article is that it offers a glimpse into the frame of mind of many, especially amongst the religious Shiaa people.

Note that my comments as translator are enclosed in square bracket []. Dots (….. ) denote parts that I omitted to translate.

Under the title “Thank you Mr. President; at last Al Jaafari said it”, Mr. Mussawi wrote:

“ In the Hadith Al Qudsi [ reported Sacred Words of Gods, but not contained in the Quraan]: ‘ He who thanks the Created has thanked the Creator’. And thus Allah has addressed men [ in the Quraan ]: ‘ Give your thanks to me and to your parents’; although He (sublime be his status ), is not in need of thanks, as He is neither harmed by the insubordination of the insubordinate nor benefitted from the obedience of the obedient ……………..

And it is one of the most elementary rules of good taste to thank the creature when is kind to us, in acknowledgement of the goodness of his deed the beauty of his behavior. Apropos to this the Lord says: ‘What is the reward of charity but charity?” [the holy Quraan ] ……………….

The occasion for this discourse is the “theological problem” raised by some of the 21st century pious against Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, the Head of the Government, The gist of this problem is this: ‘ It is not permissible for the believer to humiliate himself to the Kafir [the unbeliever in Isalm]; and the thanks that Jaafari has given to President bush is demeaning oneself to the Kafirs, as they believe ‘ ….”

The writer then goes on to refute this position:

“I don’t think that we need to refute this viewpoint, because very simply, it is a naïve opinion and does not deserve reply ……… What has drawn my attention is not so much the “problem” raised by these, but the way of thinking of these people and their mentality that deserve studying, sounding the depths of, and understanding it. The least that can be said about it is that it is a closed mentality, a toraboratian [coining a new word] mentality that comes from the caves of Tora Bora where the extremist Taliban hide, and where the leader of the terrorists Bin Laden spends his last days waiting for the “Martyrdom” that the land of Afgansistan seems to be too weary to give him that he has to export it to us in the person of his disciple Al Zarqawi, the Jordanian of Palestinian origin …..”

The writer then goes on to classify religious people to three types, using a highly untranslatable style and punning on words in Arabic as Shakespeare used to do. The first type are the genuinely pious whose religiousness is rational, realistic and reasonable. The second are hypocrites who cover themselves with T’een [i.e. mud, punning on the word Deen which means religion in Arabic], in order to deceive others and for ulterior motives. The third type are the Mutti-Deen [punning again, since the word Mutti, in the Iraqi slang means Ass or Donkey, the compound word sounds very similar to Muta-dayinin which means religious in Arabic ] – “ …… We may imagine, God spare you, what will be the state of a donkey when he becomes pious? “

“ ……. It is these religious donkeys, that object to the pious Jaafari thanking Bush the Kafir …….. It has not occurred to these, owing to their chronic stupidity, that Al Jaafari, thanked Bush as Head of the Government of Iraq that has the duty of procuring benefit and gain to the country and keeping away harm from it; and not as a guide for one of the pilgrimage parties, as he used to do before the liberation of Baghdad….. “

Then: “ It seems to me that this kind of thinking …….. has made many of the genuinely pious ( of the first kind) afraid of making public their thanks and gratitude, for fear of the tongues of the ignoramuses of the third kind. “

“ ….. Thus I was rejoiced and my sad heart filled with happiness when the head of our government pronounced the words of thanks and gratitude towards the noble American people and the magnificent president Bush. I do not reaveal a secret when I say that I was mesmerized in front of the TV screen during the press conference of President Bush and Dr. Jaafari, despite the fact that I knew beforehand the prepared words that Mr. Al Jaafari was to say …… that he has shown to some members of his cabinet before the trip, …….. I was afraid that our man might hesitate to pronounce what has been agreed ….. and that he might improvise something else in the last moment as he has been known to do often …….. Doubt began to creep on me and I feared that he was not going to do it. And I began to ask myself: what if Al Jaafari behaved as a pious islamist, and not as Head of Government, and did not thank those who saved our people and liberated us from the Baathists? What if he deliberately, omitted the mentions of the “Bush Plan” which was meant to emphasize the idea of the strategic partnership between the new Iraq and America?”

“But it was only a few moments before I heard him say it: ‘Thank you Mr. President, thanks to you and to the American people’. It was only then that I breathed in relief and was filled with great happiness. But why all this happiness for a mere few words? It is because they spelt the end of the Iraq of ideological Antarism [ referring to the Legend of Antar, the ancient Arab folk hero with incredible exploits – meaning vain and jingoist posturing ], and abstract ideas, and the beginning of the Iraq of political realism. ]

The writer then promises a sequel which I am looking forward too.

What is significant about this article and the Jaafari visit, is that this man represents the leadership of one of the main stream conservative religious parties in Iraq, the Da’awa party. To pronounce the words of thanks is a formal declaration of alliance and negation of the notion of Occupation and affirmation of the Liberation by one of the recognized leaders of the main current of the Shiaa movement in Iraq. You don’t thank an occupier, but you can thank a liberator. Also the donkeys that he is talking about are not in the extremist enemy camp, but some in the Shiaa camp. The hypocrites are the likes of the followers of Muqtada Al Sadr. The enemy is boiling with spite which explains the murder of one of Sistani's agents and the attack on a house of the Prime Minister today.

Politically, the U.S. has made an important conquest so far: That of the hearts and strategic alliance of both the majority of the Shiaa and certainly the Kurds; that accounts for at least 75% of the Iraqi people. And I am sure a sizable part of the Iraqi Sunnis can be won over eventually. The undercurrent of largely unspoken popular support and gratitude remains despite all the hardships, mistakes and even harshness in the relationship between the troops and the population due to the mistrust created by the terrorists. This is something that no amount of Media bias and enemy propaganda can shake off. This is the decisive factor, and this is what is going to prevail in the end of the day.

Hi Friends,

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

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

محمد حسن الموسوي
almossawy@hotmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Regards

Dear Friends,

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

Yes, this is no time to lose heart friends.

UPDATE

Hi everybody,

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

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

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

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

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

LIGHTENING

Hi,

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

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

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

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

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

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

ELOI AND MORLOCK

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hi,

The great thing about blogging and the Internet is that you do not have to worry about what you say; that it may create a problem here or there, or annoy some Tom, Dick or Harry as you say, or some Zayd or Amr as we say. Of course, this is a double-edged sword, a kind of fight to the death where all is permitted, and where there is no referee to intervene.

A friend has drawn my attention to a very interesting site, this, indeed a very sensitive appreciation of what is going on the ground here; particularly, quite an intelligent and perceptive understanding of the nature of the “insurgents”.

Regarding my last post and the peasant question, I am reminded of one of the great English writers: H.G. Wells and his famous “Time Machine”. You all should know that great pioneer “science fiction” work. Do you remember the Eloi & the Morlocks: a society where two distinct races have developed: the one, effeminate, gentle and beautiful, the Eloi; the other, subterranean, cannibalistic and ugly. The Morlocks hide in their underground tunnels only to emerge to prey on the gentle Eloi dragging whomever they can find into their subterranean holes.

I have analyzed the nature of Mesopotamian civilization long ago as being a struggle between the oasis and the surrounding desert; between city and countryside; nomadism and city culture; a struggle that has been going on for thousands of years. This is not only a social process, but also an actual physical phenomenon, where desertification ebbs and flows on the borderlines between cultivation and the surrounding desert, depending on the cycles of rise and decline of the many civilizations that have flourished in this most ancient of lands. This is not my own theory, however, but one that has been most eloquently expounded by one of our greatest modern sociologists, the late "Ali Al Wardi", a great man who has not received the attention he deserves internationally.

Iraq, like all other lands, I suppose, is made of cities and countryside. The countryside is mostly situated at the banks of the rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates (Dijlah and Furat as we call them in Arabic, quite similar words if you look carefully). The name Mesopotamia in Greek means of-course: “the Land between Waters – meaning two rivers”. If you inspect the map of Iraq, you will observe that the two rivers come quite close near Baghdad from a wide divergence; the Euphrates from the west, the Tigris from the North. South of Baghdad, the two rivers form a kind of flood plain, which used to be extremely fertile and covered with very lush palm groves of exuberant cultivation, the soil being continually rejuvenated by annual floods. Further, down to the South a veritable marshland delta is formed, with many fresh water lakes some of which used to cover huge expanses. These are the famous Marshes, which Saddam tried to dry up, upsetting the age-old ecology of the region.

Why do I mention all these geographical details? It is because I believe there is definite and close relationship between the nature of a people and the geography and climate of the land they inhabit. It almost seems that the same attributes applies to both; i.e., the adjectives that may describe the weather and terrain almost invariably are the same that can be used to characterize the mood and nature of a people. Thus, this can be considered an appropriate introduction and preamble to an attempt at understanding a people.

This is the introduction to the analysis that I promised you, which is going to come in comfortable installments, and I promise you to persevere in this effort this time, no matter what happens around me, even as car bombs explode, bullets fly all over the place, and good men fall everyday; that if God’s Wills it of-course (Inshallah).

Good night, for now.

Hi Friends,

There has been so much happening lately, but I was so busy that It was quite impossible to find the time to sit in front of the keyboard.

We had another quite close encounter with calamity, as my brother in Law was caught in another of these car bombings. His car was burnt out but miraculously God again saved us and he escaped with injuries, which, though serious, were operated upon successfully and he is recovering now.

The enemy is now launching an all out assault and using every dirty trick he can, in a desperate effort to derail the political process. Again he is showing the world his true face, a calllous, murderous, gonocidal face.

I have so much to tell you; but I am frustrated for not finding the time. It is hard enough just to keep on living and looking after the family. However, nothing of what is happening comes as a surprise. The situation is very complex, and I pray to God to give the forces of Good the wisdom and will to withstand the onslaught and come on top.

Regards

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Greetings to all my friends,

Today, I am writing to you with a heavy heart. Not to alarm my faithful friends, it has nothing to do with anything personal, although one of these car bombs, resulted in breaking everything made of glass in my own house, and the horror of finding a human brain on our roof. Luckily, and I thank the merciful God, no one was hurt, quite miraculously.

The sadness comes from watching on TV the confessions of the “Jihadists”. By the way, some people have expressed some skepticism about these. Now for all those of my friends who know me well, and have confidence in what I tell them; I put all my credibility on the line and assure them that these confessions are absolutely authentic, and mostly obtained without much compulsion. Strangely, most of these criminals seem to be relieved at getting all these awful doings off their chest. This is a phenomenon well worth investigating by psychologists. Some of the characters seem quite ordinary plebeians, or rather peasants. Seldom did we see somebody from decent middle class background involved with these atrocities, at least not amongst those who appeared on T.V.; and quite a lot have already been exhibited, since almost everyday a new batch is shown in the now regular 9.00 pm show. I hope this will not be understood as some kind of class prejudice, however facts are facts and must be looked at objectively and things called by their real names. Also, 99 % of those men belong to particular clans, tribes and a certain sect, that I am sure you will not have much difficulty at guessing which. This is quite painful, because, we in the cities are very mixed and many of our families are a mélange of Shiaa, Sunnis, and even Christians. However, most of these men actually are seen to be of provincial origin. This reinforces my conviction, which I have expounded long ago in some of my earlier posts, and which can be simply expressed as follows:

The problem in Iraq is not so much a sectarian issue, but rather more to do with the nature of our peasant problem.

The whole thing can be traced back to our history, and particularly the Revolution of 1958 that deposed the Monarchy that essentially consisted of a social system based on the hegemony of the cities allied with feudal Lords or Shiekhs ( as they were called here). I believe that all what has happened ever since is a sequel and natural consequence of that particular event, which is of paramount importance in our recent history. This matter requires much research and analysis, and is difficult to deal with in the scope of a brief blog post.

For those of my friends, who are interested in understanding social phenomena, in a scientific way, through sociological and historical analysis, perhaps I shall find time to expound my theories more elaborately in future posts.

Suffice it to say, now, that Iraq is the land of contradiction and dichotomy. You will find the highest and most sublime and you will find the basest and most horrific. Our hope is that the former will predominate over the latter, now that the lid has been forcibly removed, which covered this seething cauldron of explosive social contradictions. For this to happen, external help and the use of suitable catalysts seem indispensable.

But for the time being, I have to bid you goodnight, my dear fellow pajama bloggists.

Hi,

Just to correct the impression that I might have created in the last post.

When we say the terrorists are Sunnis, it must not be overlooked that the Sunni areas themselves are the worst hit by these terrorists. The murders and atrocities going on in such places as the Anbar province, Mosul, Takrit, Sammara etc. are not against Shiaa or Kurdish or any such similar groups, but against Sunni Arabs of the purest stock. In fact most of these areas are held hostage by these groups, and good people there are living in the worst possible state of terror and intimidation.

This is a real fact, and I have definite inside information regarding the situation. I can affirm, definitely that most people there are longing for the day when they can get out of this nightmare. This was so evident, for instance in the Mosul area when the “Wolf Battalion” belonging to the Ministry of Interior more or less liberated the region, and the population, basically Sunni, were extremely relieved, and fully cooperated with that great security formation which included elements from all Iraqi sects.

Until the central government is strong enough to send forces to fully control areas such as the Western Anbar, and even parts of Baghdad and elsewhere, there will be no real peace. Let us hope that the soon to be formed government will have sufficient backbone to accomplish what is required.

Regards

Hi,

Here is the translation I promised you of the Arabic post before last:

“How can we thank the Americans?

By Hashim Al-Sudani, anassudani@yahoo.com

Time may be passing and we may forget the calamity in which we were living. And this is what happened to us, we Iraqis. After two years since our delivery from the regime of Saddam the criminal, who was slaughtering us, torturing us and driving us like a herd of cattle to the arenas of his loosing battles, with execution squads behind us; we have forgotten how we used to live in constant terror and how we were afraid to say any word that might lead us to dark torture chambers in the “Department of General Security” or the “Governorate”, or the “Fifth Branch”. And how we have forgotten those who delivered us from the hell in which we were living and from which we did not even dare dream of getting out. Nay, but more than that; we see today Muqtada Al-Sadr and his followers coming out in demonstrations to demand the exit of what they call “occupation”, and burning images of President Bush; when they were meek and humiliated during Saddam time, not daring to utter a single word. And when Muqtada himself received a sum of money from Mohammed Hamza Al Zubaidi during the funeral reception of his father who was murdered by Saddam and his followers; and there was Muqtada receiving money from the killers of his father !!!!

What prompted me to write about this subject today is watching the film that was shown on the “Iraqiya” on the anniversary of the fall of Saddam, that showed the cutting of tongues and heads, the breaking of arms and other fearful tortures in the prisons of Saddam the “Haddam” [the wrecker-translator]. These things would have continued to our present day had the Americans not intervened to depose this savage animal and his criminal Baathist regime.

I asked myself there and then: How can I thank the American liberators who have avenged us and avenged all the victims of Saddam’s regime? How can I avoid being ungrateful like Muqtada and his followers, who are enjoying now the freedom that America brought while at the same time shouting insults at this same America ? I could find nothing in my possession to thank these liberating soldiers except these words:

Thank you, soldiers of the United States of America and soldiers of her allies. Thank you our true friends. Thanks to all your sacrifices that delivered us from the darkness of Saddam to the light of freedom, elections and democracy.

We shall never ever, forget what you have given us, liberators “

That was as literal a translation of the piece as possible. Truly, gratitude is one of the greatest marks of noble souls. And remeber that the piece was written entirely for Iraqi and arab audiences. The writer's name and Email are for all to see.

Regards

Hi Everybody,

This is a hurried post to update you on the latest developments.

The enemy is escalating his attacks. He is trying very hard to spark the sectarian war that he desperately needs. Rwandan Style genocidal atrocities seem to be the order of the day. Bodies are floating down the river. There are mutilated bodies of women and children to be found, not to mention the daily car bombs and assassinations and killings that have increased markedly. What is needed is firm response. Self defense of the majority of the Iraqi people justify preemptive measures. Diplomatic and soft talk and measures are not going to get us anywhere. The elected political entities are doing their utmost to form a “national unity government”. I fear this is only taken advantage of by the personalities who in fact represent the overt political face of the terrorists. Of course, not all Sunni people are terrorists, but all terrorists at the moment happen to be Sunnis. The Zarqawis of this world are feverishly attempting to implement their diabolical plans. They are exposing their incredible callousness and cruelty and suicidal frame of mind to the whole world. The question that all sane people everywhere must ask themselves: What if these people really do get hold of some terrible WMD and find the means to deliver it to some American or any other target, and it seems that the entire humanity is their enemy and target?

Vetting and thorough security screening of all the areas infected, and those locations are quite well known, is absolutely necessary. This should be done in the manner that I have recommended more than a year ago. Some of the criticisms leveled by the people against the existing Iraqi security forces are not without some foundation and validity. Although these forces are fighting heroically and braving death all the time, yet there are definitely bad apples and infiltrators, and especially in the police force. The U.S. should not oppose too strongly attempts to clean up and purge these forces which are expected when the new government is finally in place.

In any case the situation is quite tense and the enemy is getting desperate and let us hope that an effective counter attack is initiated soon.

Regards

9TH OF APRIL DEMONSTRATIONS

Hi,

Followers of Muqtada Al-Sadr organized some demonstrations on the occasion of the liberation of Baghdad by the Allied Forces. Anti-American slogans were raised in these demonstrations. I am not going to comment on that except by quoting from a well know arabic site the following in Arabic ( may be I shall translate it later when I have time) :

"كيف نستطيع أن نشكر الأمريكان
هاشم السوداني
anassudani@yahoo.com
قد يمر الزمان علينا وننسى المصيبة التي كنا نعيش فيها، وهذا ماحدث لنا نحن العراقيين, فبعد سنتين من خلاصنا من نظام صدام المجرم الذي كان يذبحنا ويعذبنا ويسوقنا الى ساحات معاركه الخائبة ومن خلفنا فرق الأعدامات, نسينا كيف كنا نعيش في خوف مستمر, نسينا كيف كنا نخاف من قول اي كلمة قد تؤدي بنا الى غرف التعذيب المظلمة في الأمن العامة او الحاكمية أو الشعبة الخامسة ونسينا من خلصنا من ذلك الجحيم الذي كنا نعيش فيه ولانحلم بالخلاص منه لا بل الأكثر من هذا نرى اليوم مقتدى الصدر وأتباعه يخرجون في مضاهرات للمطالبة بخروج مايسمونه بالأحتلال ويحرقون صور الرئيس بوش بعد أن كانوا أذلاء في زمن صدام لايجرؤون على النطق بأي كلمة وبعد أن استلم مقتدى الصدر نفسه مبلغ من المال من محمد حمزة الزبيدي اثناء مجلس فاتحة ابيه محمد صادق الصدر الذي قتله صدام واتباعه ومقتدى يستلم الأموال من قتلة ابيه!!!!!!!!!!!! .
إن الذي دعاني للكتابة عن هذا الموضوع هو مشاهدتي للفلم الذي عرضته العراقية في ذكرى سقوط صدام والذي أظهر عمليات قطع الألسن والرؤوس وكسر الأيدي وغيرها من عمليات التعذيب الرهيبة في سجون صدام الهدام والتي كانت ستستمر الى يومنا هذا لولا تدخل الأمريكان لأسقاط الحيوان المتوحش صدام ونظامه البعثي المجرم, سألت نفسي عندها كيف أستطيع شكر المحررين الأمريكان الذين أخذوا بثأرنا وثأر جميع ضحايا نظام صدام وكيف يمكنني ان لا أكون ناكرا للجميل كمقتدى الصدر واتباعه الذين ينعمون الآن بالحرية التي جلبتها أمريكا وهم يذمون أمريكا في الوقت نفسه, ولم أجد عندي شيء أشكر به هؤلاء الجنود المحررين غير هذه الكلمات:
شكرا لكم ياجنود الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وياجنود قوات التحالف, شكرا لكم ياأصدقائنا الحقيقيين , شكرا لكل تضحياتكم التي أخرجتنا من ظلام صدام الى نور الحرية والأنتخابات والديمقراطية, سوف لن ننسى لكم أبدا ماقدمتموه لنا ياأيها المحررين

Hi Everybody,

It is amusing to see my comments section inundated with some long-winded outpourings from some of my old friends. I don’t really mind. Because regarding these particular friends, despite their verbal excesses, I know that their hearts are in the right place, basically. And Indeed, some of their sentiments and words do strike some sympathetic cords.

For instance, Paul Edwards, is an old friend on this blog, and he is very outspoken and impulsive and excruciatingly profuse; and I can’t say that I condone all that he says; yet at times I cannot help being touched by some of his statements. For instance this:

“the left-wing wankers who thought that Saddam was the legitimate representative of the Iraqi people. He didn't care about the atrocities Saddam was committing against his own people, including institutionalized rape.” , or this:

“The free world has a massive advantage at the moment, and it is time to press home that advantage” – Priceless.

However, I regret that he dragged the name of the late Pope into it. The late Pope was definitely a good man, and his opposition to the War was understandable from his purely sincere humanitarian position. We can forgive him that. And, certainly we must not put him in the same league as the Leftist Anti-war hypocritical crowd.

And then this: “Or was it because the Iraqi people were in an out-group for him? See my message to you over at "Free Iraqi". It is insidious that some people believe in protection of the rights of animals in their own country, while human beings in Iraq and other places in the Middle East are in an out-group that can be slaughtered like cattle as a "cultural nuance".
……Would now be a good time to ask that the status of Iranian girls get raised somewhere between American cats and American dogs, so that the institutionalized rape of them can be ended? Please? It is bizarre that the world can stand idly by and let governments like that stand. Am I living in a parallel universe or something? Does no-one protect women anymore? Rapists are ignored instead of fought”

What is said above does not apply really to the Pope “God rest his soul”; but to quite a lot of other people.

Yes indeed, the war toppled a monstrous regime of a bestial clan, and freed a hostage majority. Whatever other motive lay behind the intervention, this was a valiant act of chivalry. And when the American people ( as proved by their vote) and their president are willing to spill the blood of their children and the treasure of their land to help the Iraqi people regain their freedom and build their democracy, this comes from their respect and belief in the humanity of their fellow humans, regardless of distance and racial differences. Racism consists of ignoring the plight of your fellow humans. “We must not mess about with the problems of the third world, withdraw immediately and leave them to their own resources.” they say. That mayhem and genocide can ensue does not seem to bother these “do-gooders”.

Make not mistake, my friends, this infant democracy that is just beginning in our country will grow and become strong but it needs the helping hand and protection of its powerful friends who were the basic instrument of God’s mercy to bring it into being; especially at these times when it is still too weak and fragile. And make no mistake either, that if it were not for the powerful presence of the Friend, the monsters and wolves infesting the place would loose no time in completely dismembering, deavouring and interring the remains of the new born.

To change the subject some friends would like to know my thoughts regarding the election of the new presidential team and the recent political developments. Well, I think it is well that the Kurds have insisted on the selection of Jallal Talabani to the post of president. To start with, it is a very good antidote to emotional separatist sentiments amongst the Kurds; although I am convinced that those sentiments are of impulsive rather than serious nature. It has been extremely wise that the Iraqi Alliance insisted on reaching agreement with the Kurdish faction rather than any other. Numerically, it would have been possible to get the required majority by different alignments. Any alliance against the wishes of our Iraqi Kurds would have had disastrous consequences. I suspect the wisdom of Sistani behind this. Besides, Talabani or Mam Talabani (Uncle Talabani) as he is called in Iraqi Kurdistan, is an old veteran politician of high degree of political skill and famous maneuvering ability. And, above all he has his heart absolutely in the right place. Symbolically, it is very valuable. It signals equality between all Iraqis and that any Iraqi can reach the highest office regardless of creed or race. Therefore, overall we are very pleased with this outcome and hoping that the new government (the first democratically elected one in our history) will achieve success.

Regards to all my friends.

Salaam

CONDOLENCES

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم


كل من عليها فان ويبقى وجه ربك ذو الجلال والاكرام . صدق الله العظيم

With these words of the holy Koran; our holy book, we say farewell on this earth to the great man John Paul II, the Pope of the Catholic church, who has just passed away. Our sincere condolences to all the Catholic people in the world and to all humanity in general.

This Pope was quite an exceptional man, a true lover of humanity; a man who had the courage of conviction and great character to put aside all scruples of quite a strict faith historically and visit mosque and synagogue and extend his hand of peace to all men regardless of race and religion. He was an activist who did not hesitate to speak out on political and social issues of relevance and urgency in his time. His voice was always heard and presence felt everywhere in the world. We the Iraqis have a special sadness and regret on this solemn occasion: that the express wish of his holiness to visit the birth place of the prophet Abraham here in the land of Mesopotamia; the greatest of all pilgrimages was not to be realized. Yet for believers, as you all know; death is not the end, but rather the beginning of eternal life in the hereafter.

On this occasion, I recall some of the verses of one our greatest Iraqi poets, Al Jawahiri, and don’t ask me to translate, hoping that one of our friends might volunteer a respectable translation:

لغز الحياة وحيرة الالباب أن يستحيل الفكر محض تراب
.........................................................................
أنا ابغض الموت اللئيم وطيفه بغضي طيوف مخاتل نصاب
يهب الردى شيخوختي ويقيتها بكهولتي ويقيتها بشبابي
ذئب تربصني وفوق نيوبه دم اخوتي وأقاربي وصحابي

Inspired by the courage of the late Pope who did not hesitate to walk into our mosque, we should not hesitate as Moslems to pray for the peace of his soul. And as our prophet Mohammed (ص ) said on the occasion of the death of his son : “Although we are fully resigned to the will of God, yet still the heart grieves and the eye moistens for your departure”

Salaam

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hi,

Congratulations to all our Christian brothers and peoples around the world on Easter Holiday. I have recently discovered a saying attributed to the prophet Mohammed (PBU) that may surprise some of you quite understandably, in view of the present day practices of our contemporary “Khawarij” heretics. “What is religion but love”, the prophet is reported to have said. What a revelation! This is a statement of a prophet, i.e. a tenet and precept of the faith. It follows that any act of hatred and violence inspired by vengeance or spite is against religious faith. Even an act of War must not be inspired by hatred but by quite opposite sentiments; hence “Love thy enemy”, the famous concept of Christianity, can be understood in this context. One incident comes to mind here. It is reported that in one of the battles of early Islam, the Imam Ali (PBU) overcame an enemy in a battle, and sat on his chest with the intention of finishing him off. The beaten man lay there in total helplessness and looked at the Imam with burning hatred in his eyes; and suddenly seeing that the Imam’s face was quite close to his he spat in the face of the Imam. The Imam wiped his face and suddenly stood up and let the man go. The people were amazed and asked him what was the reason for sparing the man’s life. The Imam’s response was: “I let him go; for fear that my motivations might be tinted by personal vengeance”.

Thus, the message of religion whether Christian or Moslem is essentially the same. In this, I am firmly convinced regardless of all the theological quibbling and disputes. And this is the final conclusion that I have come to after a long life full of all kinds of trials including the present one.

Yes, “Religion is Love”, and in this we are in perfect agreement with all the true Christians and it is the final and irrevocable position that nothing can shake.

Happy Easter to all.

Hi,

Greetings to all my friends – the Mesopotamian is still around, very much alive and getting stronger.

The fact that our blogging has become less frequent is, in fact, a sign of normalcy beginning to return to our lives. Some time, sooner than people might expect, we shall be talking about things other than the War and Politics.

Regarding the situation here, and despite the horrible news you hear about the massive casualties caused by cowardly and criminal attacks against soft targets like funeral receptions and medical clinics; the terrorists are being rounded up and are really under pressure now. Things are moving in the right direction; albeit painfully and at a high price. We have said it since long time ago; and now they are forced to follow that course; because it is the only wise solution that there is. The Iraqis are the ones who can really clear this matter up. The presence of the American friends and their allies, remains important, but they should keep more and more in the background and provide the technical and material support required to the growing Iraqi forces.

Nobody can deny the considerable successes of the new Iraqi security formations lately, with quite modest equipment and resources. Also the great stir created by the new information policy of exhibiting terrorists and their candid confessions on TV screens. Nowadays, the 9 o’clock daily show of interrogations on “Al-Iraqia” of the thugs and terrorists is absolutely the top favorite of people that is eagerly awaited by everybody.

I hope to find more time to analyze the situation more fully later. Meanwhile, our friends should be reassured that there is a general feeling around here that things are moving in the right direction.

Best regards to all our friends.

Hi,

Just a quick word: Almost all the important western and international capitals issued their condemnation and expressed their condolences and sympathies on the occasion of the carnage that took place in Hilla. Only the Arabs were quiet and nothing was heard from them. So, it seems that the blood of Iraqis does not concern them much, or worst still, perhaps they were secretly pleased and gratified at the event. Now, this is very serious. It is disturbing. Add to it that almost everybody in Iraq is firmly convinced that the perpetrators of suicide attacks in particular are all non-Iraqi Arabs albeit with the collusion of some Iraqis, you can understand the general feeling towards the Arab “brothers” that is dominating the Iraqi street right now.

The tragedy is that our problem does not seem to be with the regimes only, but also with the ordinary people themselves of these Arab countries. And this also recalls to mind the cheering crowds that greeted the news of 9/11 of the murder of thousands of innocent civilians in the U.S.; this is serious friends; this is very serious.

Anyway, as far as we are concerned; we assure you that revenge will come and those responsible for these horrors will be punished; though the majority of the people are showing the fortitude and patience of early Christians. Because, you see, we know exactly where these criminals are, which tribes they belong to, where are the filthy huts they are living in. We know that these are and have been bandits and murderers from time immemorial. Do you think that those millions who braved the threats and terror and came out to vote in broad daylight cannot overwhelm and obliterate these miserable enclaves of thieves, brigands and murderers in one furious and hurricane-like convulsion; were it were not for strict instruction from their religious leaders to persevere and forbear, for fear that innocents might be hurt, and in order not to be goaded into sectarian conflict and jeopardize our march to democracy and a decent society?

The mood, though, is that of bitterness , pain and sorrow as we watch the bodies of our young people being ferried in wooden carts like the fresh meet of carcasses in a slaughterhouse. Holy anger is swelling up, not only against the perpetrators, but also against all who seek to find excuses, glorify the foul murderers by such appellations as “insurgents” or worst still “resistors” and such like; against the theorists and the “commentators”; against anybody who even shows indifference to such heinous butchery.

Yet the decent majority of Mesopotamia will not bend to anything. The Genie has been released from the bottle and no force on earth can stop him.

All we can say is: Inna Lillah Wa Inna Ileihi Rajioun: “We are all to God, and to him we shall return”.