A Lost Country

All the troops in Baghdad couldn’t provide security for the residents for one day.. just one day.

Not a month ... 12 + 12 hours.

And if you have read or heard about such a day believe me it didn't exist.

I can not believe they couldn't provide security for one day. I can not believe this day is so hard to provide after four years of war…

Even in times of curfew there were IEDs or mortars and bodies found and who knows how many killings were not reported.

I am not suggesting conspiracy; I am suggesting incompetence and ignorance.

I am suggesting lack of leadership skills among the Iraqi elected politician.

What is happening in my country now is what will happen to any nation that loses its identity…

I believe that we are a nation that lost its identity and forgot the fact that we were once upon time a great nation.

There was an Iraqi singer once made a song, about 25 years ago that said:

If some one lost gold, he might find it in a gold market…

If some one lost his lover, he might forget after one year…

But who loses his country, where he can find his country?”

I think now I know the answer, i know where to find my country.

In the pages of books that once (fairly and unfairly) described my country along history

It was a country hijacked by Saddam, destroyed by an invasion and dismantled by Iraqis and many others.

A dream

Yesterday, a friend of mine phoned me as we hadn’t seen each other for about twenty four months . He asked me how was life and I asked him the same question mentioned the nice time we spent together when we were members of the Iraqi teachers’ group in the USA a long time ago .

Looking at the bunch of photos I took there took me back to those lovely and joyful days when all things went as planned and the healthy environment surrounded us. I just asked him of the reason of having no news of him for ages. He simply said he was displaced as soon as he came from the states and went to Syria, but he couldn’t stand living there and came back to Iraq again.

I felt sorry for his bad story sharing him his sorrow telling him of my sad story too as I had my father in the American’s prison for more than two months for no sensible reason. But on the other hand, nice American people just like those who received and welcomed us to get knowledge and new methods of teaching made efforts to bring him back to his family. And they luckily did so. Thus, we felt sorry for each other hoping to have an end to this misery with a dream to visit the USA again.

one more wounded family

It should be my day off. I should have some joy with my family but the shooting woke me up. I heard my mother saying "they brought the body at last". Yes, they brought the body of our neighbor's young man. A father of three kids. One more young innocent man who was killed by gunmen in Doura neighborhood, one of the hot spots of Baghdad. and now what do we have?

we have one more widow.

we have three more orphens

one more dead innocent man.

one more victory for bad peopel

one more defeat for the good people.

I didnt know how to act because I dont know why the gunmen killed a man who was in his truck to work. Just because he is fron one sect? Is that enough to kill people?

Again its a nother failure for all the peopel who participate in the political game of Iraq

Patience has limits

In 1991 I witnessed the public uprising that was aroused in most Iraqi governorates by the persecuted people. At at that time I was a witness when people spontaneously said, "no to the tyrant". The Iraqi people said no and they knew the consequence of this no. They knew with whom they confront, Saddam Hussein, but in spite of that they stormed to the streets yelling no … no … no. This now cost them their lives. This historical situation will remain in generations' memories for a long, long time. We will remember when the bare arms with no weapon shook at the tyrant's throne.

Also we can't forget when Saddam was allowed to use his Helicopters to curb the rising and kill the innocents. Many here blame the United States for not stopping him.

I'm always wondering why those who rule Iraq today try to forget this no.

They forget an important proverb from an Arabian poet historically used to respond to occupation.

if the people want life destiny must respond.

Those people who were able to say no to Saddam they will be able too to say no to new tyrants.

strong>Yes, the government must understand that Iraqi people can't be patient forever. The day will come when Iraqi people will say no again.

They can't watch daily tragedy in all of Iraq, or the sectarian fight in which governmental parties are involved and foreign influence from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Washington.

The day will come when the Iraqis will create their reality by themselves.

No

Did anyone hear about the meetings out great politician would start soon? OMG Here we are again. again and again and again, we are standing on the first square. new meetings but do these meetings have any new solutions to the daily massacre that we live in?

I think its time to say NO. I wish everybody shout loudly NO and let me start hoping that one of our sacred politicians read my words

No for your meetings because you will eat the poor's food.

No for your meetings because your will shake hands and say we agreed to solve the problems and everyone knows you lie because you have been saying the same words during the last four years.

No for you meetings because since the American occupation is on my land, you will do nothing. They are your masters and you can do nothing but obeying them.

Stop this silly play and close the curtain. you are all failure actors.

Curfew Thoughts

Its my fourth day in the office. Since last Tuesday, I came here to the office and I didn’t go home because of the curfew and I have to stay this night and the whole day of tomorrow. Although life here in the office is better than all Iraqis people (im talking about regular people not the politicians) we have permanent electricity power, air-conditioned rooms and some other nice things but yet, I don’t really feel well. I miss my family and to be frank, I miss my son Haidar. I miss his sweet smile and I miss his sweet lovely hands when he moves them all over my face every time I hold him as if he say “we are you dad? I don’t see you much. By the way, he just started crawling few days ago and I filmed his first steps. I was talking to my wife today when she told me to talk to him. I refused because my sweet 10 months baby will keep looking for me as he used to do every time when he hears my voice. I don’t know how to say it but honestly sometimes I feel that I had committed a great mistake when I got married and had a child because its never a normal life that we live in Iraq. I always think about tomorrow and my son’s future and always the same question comes to my mind (what would the situation look like when he is 10 or 20? Is it possible that things go well to the extent that my son can enjoy his adolescence? And the most important question for me is (Will I be with him or he no?)

So strange

Sitting all together watching TV!!

The three day curfew that was announced was supposed to begin at ten this evening.

Instead - we awoke to a curfew world. No cars, no sounds, empty roads - a ghost town. All together, in the office, knowing that none would be able to go home tonight.

It was a bit scary at first; we hadn't had time to hoard supplies for three days, but an expedition undertaken by the drivers to the market - on foot - made us sigh with relief upon their return. Sustenance!

After that things started taking on a camping air; no Chef - who's cooking??

Jenan and I pitched in - it was lovely!

Evening came on with an unreal quality; we are all still here together, preparing, then having dinner together. Sitting in the newsroom to the early hours watching news, films, video clips. Chatting and working. playing and laughing - laughing so completely out of control that tears are flowing from our eyes!

Two more days to go.

Curfew. Quiet city. Safe city. Dead city.

Let's laugh together while we may.

One More Day in Baghdad

Good, I still have my two hands and they still working properly, and what else?, oh, i still have my two legs working, I still have my head stuck to my neck, my two eyes working,my mouth and nose, no blood on my white T-shirt but why do I have this terrible pain in my ears? oh now I know why. the reason of this pain in my ears is the explosion. it just happened two or three seconds ago. It is 8,10 am when I was in the mini bus coming to work. A loud sound. OMG, its an explosion

man in the mini bus:-"its a car bomb OMG. "

myself:-"no its not a car bomb. Its either a mortar shell or an IED"

the man again:-"its a car bomb, i saw a big piece of iron "

myself:-"ok its a car bomb but where is the black cloud? where is the big fire?

the man:-" oh right, I think its an IED."

The explosion happened in short street which is full with the security guys. From one side, we have one of the most important ministries and at the other end of the street, there is a very important hotel guarded by tens of policemen, soldiers. Between these important landmarks, we have two check points. So how did the man planted the IED there, in the middle. When the explosion happened, mess controlled the place, the security forces acted in a crazy way trying to move all the cars quickly but they just created more mess. One of the young men in the mini bus with me lay down quickly. I told him "its OK you don't need to do that because the loud sound of the explosion is the last thing happens in any explosion". I saw two teens running away to our side, Thanks Allah, they are safe, they were like 10 meters away from the IED while our mini bus was about 20-30 meters away.

Less than five minutes after the explosion, everything was normal and we started talking and laughing again and why not, its just an IED in Baghdad, So what ?its not the first and we are all sure its not the last. Its just one more day in Baghdad . Its just a typical Baghdadi day.

Ta, but no thanks

One bloc pushing for supremacy.

Another pulling out.

Three contemplating joining ranks.

Speaker of the house holding on with his teeth.

This group accuses that one of foreign affiliation, while a third group accuses them both of shadowy agendas.

Iraqi Army.

Iraqi Police.

American Forces.

Other Forces.

Militias.

Qaeda.

Their Iraqi minions.

Iran

Saudi Arabia.

Syria.

...All, love the Iraqi people and are all doing their very best to provide us with ….WHAT??

Democracy of an Islamist state in the twenty first century?

A Parliament?

The freedom to carry weapons and kill?

The freedom to shout out loud our pain??

Who is listening?

All these good-doers, thousands of them, in four years, what have they presented to the poor Iraqi Man that they all wish to serve?

Thousands of reconstruction contracts have been awarded – and the projects said to be implemented.

What are they?

Where are they? Where are they?

Wouldn't a sinking government jump at the chance to show such accomplishments – had there been any?

Wouldn't an accused occupier jump at the chance to show some successful, truly fundamental infrastructure developments and shout them from the roof tops?

Do we have sanitary drinking water?

Do we have electricity?

Do we have medical services or basic neighbourhood services?

Thank you, but no thank you.

But you see… no one asked me.