It's completely different

I was sitting in my room when I hear my aunt talking to my mother and telling her that one of our neighbors had died. My mother showed her sorrow by saying "poor man he was very young. May Allah gives his family patience" and then she asked my aunt the usual question that Iraqis nowadays ask about dead people, she said "who killed him" my aunt said "no one, he just died naturally, act of God".

Then my mother said "oh! Act of God, thanks Allah for that". My mother words shocked me because the way she changed after she knew that the guy had died naturally expressed a kind of satisfying with the death case. She used to cry when she watches the news about the explosions and when she sees all these women and men crying and shouting because they lost members of their families. This time she was very calm although the result is the same.

I know death is the natural end of all creatures but for Iraqis, it is more than that. It means loosing people you love for nothing, not because Allah wants although as Muslims we believe that everything in this universe happens according to God will but because some crazy extremists want so. I know that some people may find what I'm going to say is a little bit crazy but this is Iraq reality, death is surrounds us like chains surround prisoners. If a US army convoy was passing and a driver by mistake moved before they pass, they would never hesitate to shoot him dead which happened hundreds times. The case would be even worse when the security companies pass because all the members of these companies are mercenaries, no one ever ask them about anything they might commit.

In spite of the danger of the US forces and the mercenaries but they still less dangerous than the sectarian violence we face. More than 90% of the dead Iraqis were killed because of the sectarian violence. When I wander in the streets Baghdad (only the Shiite neighborhoods because if I go to a Sunni neighborhood, I don’t expect to return back home), there is one common thing among all the areas, the black piece of fabric on which the name of the killed people are written with yellow big font and the very popular phrase since 1980 when the Iraqi Iranian war started "the brave martyr". Yesterday I read the names of three brothers who were killed by insurgents. I cant really describe my feeling when I just imagine the feelings of their family. I always feel afraid that I may face the same destiny and the image that always comes to my mind is the image of my wife when my four months old child grows and asks her about me, what she would tell him. That deep feeling brings me back to my mother's words when she was satisfied with the destiny of the young man, at least he died but he was not killed.

Comments

[Laith]

thank you dear for your sweet feelings. I really hope that my people realize the truth you mentioned. you are completely right because the insurgents work to serve other countries. I have very weak hope but its still hope and I wish it grows bigger. Thank you again dear for your kind feelings

[ljm]

(((Laith))) that's a virtual hug for the internet. I'm hoping the meeting in Iraq between all the regional neighbors will convince the outsiders to stop interfering with Iraq and to quit supporting insurgents. Iraqis need to understand they are being used by these other countries for a proxy war. The hatred that has emerged from the sectarian violence may not end, but somehow, Iraqis have to find ways to talk to each other and strive for a peaceful co-existence. In the meantime, be safe.