Taking off her black scarf immediately as she entered the restaurant, the westerner felt entering a place that is not in Iraq. Invited for lunch with an Iraqi friend who used to be scared to take her in public places normally, she felt free for the first time in Baghdad since she came two years ago. This westerner had never been in public places without putting on her "bullet-proof" scarf which she never forgets. This time, it was different! The restaurant was for high class people and no westerner has visited it previously."There were many people gathering and women wearing their modern clothes," she said delighted and happy to the extent that it was noticeable on her face and eyes.
In Baghdad after the US-led invasion, it became impossible for a westerner to work, live, or at least spend some time with friends. Journalists, contractors, foreign laborers and even anti-occupation NGO employees were abducted and taken hostages, some were beheaded by foreign fighters and remnants of Saddam's regime and some others survived and freed. This made large number of westerners who came to support this country leave it desperate and alone.
The question has to be asked, what is to be gained by scaring all these people out of Iraq? What would they gain in having no one from outside in Iraq?
It became so disgusting to make Iraq's friends scared in every moment they live in a country which was the safest among other countries.
Wake up Iraqis! Wake up, you, the government!! What the hell are you doing? When are you going to stop all of these disasters? Is it nice to see friends kidnapped, taken hostages, or beheaded? For God's sake! Would you imagine the same thing happening to you in their countries?
We have to restore the safety to Baghdad in order to restore the happiness and smile that we miss. Did you forget that we had the Arabian Nights?! Shahraiyar and Shahrazad are so sad. They want to do something but they feel that they are muted!!
You are full of heart, and I dont know how you as a person can still be standing and remembering the beautiful, yet oppressive years of Iraq.
ReplyDeleteLiving far away from Iraq and the middle east, my family and I always talk about Iraq. Never has it gone out of our lives, or will and even I, a young person who grew up in the West and barely lived in Iraq, can imagine and feel the beauty of Iraq and Iraqis. Every Iraqi I meet and talk to, is as though they are a part of the real Iraq. A part that broke into little pieces. Even writing this makes me ill of saddness and misery for those who have suffered in Iraq and outside of Iraq because of the mistakes of our 'wonderful Arabs' and the ex regime. I still wonder if I will be ever able to go back and repay the years I have missed.
You have to be aware that Iraqis had changed after the Iran Iraq war and to bring back the true warmth and respect of Iraqis will take a long time. We left Iraq for that reason; it was the loss of warmth, respect, and lack of sensitivity that drowned Iraqis ever since. Now you hear Iraqis saying 'what can we do...what is thre to do?' The measurable problems in iraq are very hard to solve. One has to stay strong, resilient, yet sensitive to the needs of Iraqis and Iraq. But to be overly emotional will only sadden and depress the person as someone like me who knows little extract of Iraq from small visits and stories about home have sensed this feeling. Try not to only think of the past of Iraq and its days of joy for I believe it may only put one's self down, because many miss it. Try to think of the past of Iraq in its mistakes so we Iraqis hope never to repeat that mistake again. I know Iraqis are very sensitive in general as I have met dozens, but they still have remnants of humor, of joy, love, and warmth for others. And I hope that does not go away. I hope the warmth, welcome, and respect Iraqis have now will not fade for they have been through so much in such a time frame of a few decades.
Keep strong, do what you can to defend your rights and your spirit. That is all one can do for now until time will tell more about the forseeable future of a new constitution in place.
My hope, wishes and love are with you and every Iraqi.
Sara.
"The question has to be asked, what is to be gained by scaring all these people out of Iraq?" ----I think there are two reasons. The Saddamist want to destroy as much as possible on the grounds that "If we can't have Iraq, nobody else shal either". The Islamists want to create chaos and misery so that they can seize power in a coup, as Lenin did in Russia. Sabotaging the electric grid, blowing up water mains, killing helpful people (not only foreigners) are all part of the twin campaigns of destruction.
ReplyDeleteThat's totally true, Don Cox.
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