False Sovereignty

School in the whole world is a place for educating people whether this school is in the USA or in Iraq. But what happened yesterday at one of the schools in Baghdad is so far from education and humanity. A teacher and student in a central Baghdad school told me this story.

Yesterday noon, an American squad from the United State Army (about ten to twelve) broke in Al-Mansour preparatory school for one reason or another. We don't have the right to ask them why they came to the school. The soldiers spread in different spots of the school walking towards the back yard which is used as a soccer field. Most of the students were in their classes when the squad came, but still there were many students in the yard who were terrified to see the American soldiers with their guns. One of the students was upset to see the soldiers and he threw a stone and hit one of them. Three soldiers surrounded him kicking him with their boots for some minutes on different parts of his body.

Later, a teacher of English said that the captain of the squad told him "next time if students throw stones, we will use our machine guns not the boots". I really hated myself hearing that news as I am a teacher myself. What shall I do if I were there? What shall I tell my students? How can I behave? What excuses will I give for that incident? My brain stops thinking from now on . In 2003 I thought we were getting democracy and freedom, but what happened at that school does not tell the story of freedom .

Contractors

Today I passed through Karrada neighborhood which is one of the places where the people go day and night looking for shopping and peace. I really was happy to see it as I expect full with people ,but one thing was wrong that erased the beautiful picture I had from this neighborhood. I found workers digging the pavements of the main streets of Karrada though it is the best and most beautiful ones in Baghdad.

I soon heard the answer from a passenger who was near by as if he had heard my question to be answered . He said “ in my neighborhood they replaced the pavements twice till this month and they dug the last one two weeks ago without a replacing hearing from people and workers that contractor is not convinced with the amount of money he has got demanding to get some more.

At that moment I remembered that many contacts we have read and heard that the Iraqi side has singed many contracts to reconstruct the country having nothing from them on the ground wasting the billions of dollars to be in the pockets of the few greedy people who are running after their benefits only.

In 2003 , we heard the word of sub-contractor for the first time as the main contractor should be an American person or company , passing it to a sub-contractor from Jordan or Kuwait till it reaches another Iraqi contractor whose job is not a contractor ,but the American side gave him or her a chance to have lots of money without any kind of efforts, most of the time they are ministers , officials and sometimes interpreters .The last step will reach the contractor who will be on the ground with a little money which will effect the quality and quantity of the work.

Thus, the Iraqi officials now , especially those who work in the municipality , they got benefit from the American lesson putting it on the ground. First, the official in a high rank will be the first contractor, relatives will be the second or sub-contractor , friends will be the third , till it reaches contractors who are really not looking for the Iraq's benefit , but for themselves.

Just want to ask where is the role of the government represented by the minister of finance who should know all these things and the Iraqi people put the budget in his hands.

making the street full with dust and chaos. Drivers have only one lane to take while the rest of the street from both sides have been dug and left . The street itself is unpaved as the workers didn’t pave it in a previous period when they dug to change the water pipes !

I asked myself the question the people ask in the whole country : why this great interest in replacing and making pavements rather than building schools, hospitals , new buildings for the ministries, new houses or apartments for those who still have no place to live while each minister and official has three big houses in addition to mansions and the headquarters of their parties .I also forgot that most of those officials have flats and houses in other countries to spend most of the time with their families and realatives there rather than Iraq, the place where they get money from.

Dying alone

Within two months I lost two of my best friends without say goodbye because they dead alone and far. Sorrow breaks my heart and I need to blame some one for that but how I could blame? Why death happens in that difficult way in Iraq only? Have you ever experienced the feeling of losing dears of your heart while you can not be beside them, sharing them the last moment or say goodbye to them.

Anwar was a journalist who was kidnapped and killed by terrorist in Baghdad. I couldn’t say goodbye to him he just disappeared suddenly. His body found in the street three days after the incident.

Ahmad used to work with UN when the terrorist threatened him. He was forced to leave the country to protect his life. Yes to run from death that was waiting for him in his exile….. unfortunately Ahmad infected with kidney cancer while he is in exile. Another time I couldn’t say goodbye to my dear friend. He is dying alone and far from his lovely land, no friends round him to share him his last hours as if that our destiny….die alone by terrorist or abroad far from whom we love.

I really hate that feeling, the feelings of weakness while your dear persons dying alone. The worst thing is not only you don’t say goodbye but also you don’t know about their death till you find their cell phones are close.

When will all these pains end and we can live simple life just like others, sharing each other the moment of happiness and sorrow, visit each other and support each other in sorrow and in joy… I’m afraid that I will die alone and couldn’t find my beloveds people beside me just because I’m Iraqi.

Transportation

Oil crises have become habits for us as we have once in a season and may last till the end of it to get the second one! My point in this blog is not the oil crisis, but the consequences of the matter. Each time in such a case we have prices rise in oil products, food stuff, bread, the fee of the power supply from the streets’ generators and transportations. I want to focus on the latter thing “transportations “.

In every crisis, the taxi drivers and mini bus ones ” the main means of transportation for most people “ put a rise on the fee which is some how fair concerning to the amount of money they pay for the fuel which has reached its double price . I give them ,as many people do , the excuse to raise their fee , but I won’t do this when they keep this fee in normal situation when the oil crisis is over .The matter doesn’t end at this point ,but when we have the second crisis we have some more fees to pay .

In this year we witnessed three crises, from the last winter till this autumn, waiting winter to come so soon. The fee of the mini bus which I use to ride to reach my place has reached its double price of the last January. In addition to that the drivers begin to use new tricks to have the double price, but with the half distance they have to take. Sometimes, they use another trick saying that the road is blocked for the reasons we know, American patrols, clashes on the road or false check points which the people are familiar with. I am asking of the government’s role in controlling both the oil crises and transportations’ rises.

Today

"But Doctor Ylaf, what can I do - There are no patients. People are too afraid to come into the hospital for treatment. What can I do??"

"If you don't treat patients, you will have a failing mark. I cannot do anything either."

The students are trying to find a way around this terrible situation. Hospitals that people are too afraid to enter!

Dr. Ylaf was a kind hearted woman in spite of her strict words. "Listen ----------, last year the students had the same problem and we allowed them to bring in their own patients."

"How do you mean, Doctor??"

"Friends, relatives, anyone you can convince to come, on condition that they are in real need of treatment."

This is what I got from my daughter at 08:15 this morning. She spoke to me half crying telling me that she is going to fail after all - unless we can find people who are in need of dental care and convince them to go to that hospital where she can work on their teeth under the supervision of her teachers.

I pick up my phone and start dialing the numbers of uncles, aunts, friends and everyone I know who is still in Baghdad.

"I'm Sorry, Sahar. You understand. Our lives are more important than our teeth." is the average answer I got.

At last! "Of course we'll come! I'll bring her uncle and we'll both be there! We understand. Although we are all in need of dental care, none of the young ones will be with us. You understand."

Two people.

A start.

A deeeeeeeeeeeeep breath.

To cover the required number of teeth pulled, teeth repaired, partial and complete dentures and so many other things in dental surgery that I can't begin to imagine - we have made a start.

Her uncle and aunt, willing to risk their lives so that she may have teeth to work on today.

One peaceful Night in Baghdad

Today I made a social visit to my brother who lives few blocks away from our house.

His son has a broken hand while he was playing soccer. I went there with my other younger brother who drove us there by his own car taking his only son with having him on my lap, the youngest member of the family, Mohammad, my lovely nephew who is only two years old. Till now the matter is normal, but the point or the focus is of the timing which took place at 7 p.m. lasting for two hours which means that the visit ended at  9 p.m.,and the other great achievement is the visited place which lies in an area located only few meters from al-Janabat area !!!!!

The answer is so simple carrying happiness at the same time. I live in Amil neighborhood and we had been suffered from the sectarian violence for more than one year leaving people suffering from many bad things ; losing lives, properties and businesses which led to have the neighborhood divided into parts , two third for the Shiite and one -third for the Sunni .

Also we had some streets which were blocked and others were abandoned due to the snipers who were in their duty of random shooting day and night. After all that, today I went to my brother’s house passing some streets I wouldn’t dare to pass a week ago. I also noticed the two cafes on my way open, with great surprise, one of them is filled with customers. Some were drinking the cold drinks while others would rather drink tea .

Those customers are divided into two groups; the first majority groups were playing backgammon and domino while the second minority were chatting with the Hubble- bubble in hands. I was really happy to see this happens having our traditions and habits come back again. I noticed the improvement in the security side two weeks ago when meetings started between the Sheiks of both sides Sunni and Shiite’s to establish peace in Amil neighborhood.

Traffic jam

Saturday is a day off for all governmental offices which means that Baghdad streets are less crowded than the other days of the week. Today is Saturday ,but the streets were full of traffic . Traffic jam in Iraq is caused by reasons totally differ from those in the world .

In the world, traffic jam takes place in crowded cities in limited hours which are called ( rush hours) or where accidents happen. In Iraq , traffic jams take place in Baghdad streets every day ,but for many reasons. Today during my way to work I faced a traffic jam which made me spend 70 minutes instead of the 10 minutes which I use to have on Fridays and Saturdays while it takes about 40 to 45 minutes on the rest days of the week during the rush hour. This thing happened today because there was an American patrol in front of us with maximum speed of 10 km per hour making three stops took about 40 minutes without knowing the reasons (from our side of course) as we can’t dare to ask or even be close to them to know what was going on or the reason which might forced them to stop.

I hated myself and the situation I was in because I couldn’t do anything just sitting in the car waiting for the American patrol go to have the road clear. I wonder myself as many others do when we will have the time to see the roads be clear having no blast walls, check points and American patrols in the roads .

Is it really an independent country?

This question came to my mind when one of my friends wanted to go home to Falluja city west of Baghdad. He lives there but he works in Baghdad. He received a call from his brother telling him to come today to Falluja. My friend took his stuff and went quickly to the bus station. About half an hour later, he came back because he forgot the most important thing among his stuff, he forgot to take his Falluja ID.

He wouldn’t be allowed to go home without having this ID even if he is as famous as Tom Cruise. For those who like to know what is the Falluja ID, I would say its an ID issued by the US army only and specifically for the residents of Falluja city. I don’t want to know why the US army decided to issue these IDs but I only want to the answers of the following questions.

Is it something legal that the US army issue IDs for Iraqi people? Its very normal and legal to issue work IDs fro the Iraqis who work for example with the US army but its not acceptable at all to issue IDs for the residents of any Iraq by the US army or even the US government because this is Iraq, its not California. What makes me really sad that the Iraqi politicians keep repeating “Iraqi is a united independent country”. Is that true? Then why do the people of Falluja have two IDs, the Iraqi ID and the American issued ID?

Time

I am HOME!

I missed everything; my family, my colleagues... even my table!

My trip to the U.S was like a whirl wind! It was short and to the point and I came home with a better understanding of  what areas need to be covered for the regular American to better understand the situation in Iraq.

I was greatly surprised that most people didn't have an inkling of what Iraq is - was. I would have thought that as the U.S was at war in Iraq, the regular American would have some idea of what Iraq had, and thus would be better equipped to assess the loss that resulted from this war - but I found that not very many people - amongst those that I met, at least, had any clear Idea of the Iraqi society, and what the war has cost the country, in terms of how it affected our education system, our healthcare, services and infra structure. And although they were aware of the statistics of the casualties lost as a result of the collapse in the security system, the figures were so high as to become surreal - they acknowledged them in their minds but couldn't actually feel them in their hearts.

Each and every person I met was compassionate and supportive - so much so that I am at a loss - if people felt like that, why isn't there an outcy so loud that policy makers have no choice but to stop and listen?? Stop to reconsider and ask themselves the questions that need to be asked at this late stage: "What can we do to ammend the mess we created?

"We cannot go back in time to save the hundreds of thousands who died senslessly - but how to save the rest?

"What can we do not only to stop but to mend the decomposition that has occured in this stable society as a result of a war we chose to wage?

"How can we secure the borders after we decommissioned the former Iraqi Army? After all what's the use of going after al-Qaeda pockets inside the country - when the borders are open to them? Not only to them, but to any who wish to walk in and implement whatever agenda they have?"

And numerous, numerous questions that need to be asked - and answered.

Isn't it time?

Or must we lose more sons, more brothers, husbands and fathers and win nothing but heartbreak and a destroyed country?

X

It is very clear to everyone that the security situation in  Iraq improved remarkably especially in Baghdad. The improvement of the security situation encouraged some of the Iraqi politicians to talk about their aims to return back the displaced families to their original residency areas. This is one of the good news and everybody knows that its too hard to hear good news in Iraq because we used to think about death, killing, displacing and insurgencies whenever we hear the word  IRAQin any news channel.

Few days ago, one of the Iraqi politicians gave a statement about the return of the displaced families. He says that he welcomes the return of the Shiite families to their houses in Adil and Khadhraa neighborhoods (Sunni controlled neighborhoods) if the Sunnis families returned to their house in Hurriyah and Shoala neighborhoods (Shiite controlled neighborhoods). Everybody I met in my area (Hurriyah) welcomed the idea.

One of the people I know said “they must come back because they suffered enough” but the second day we (the residents of the neighborhood) found out that (X) don’t like the idea. X is the side that doesn’t want the Shiite to return to their houses in the Sunnis neighborhoods and he also doesn’t want the Sunnis to return back to their houses in the Shiite neighborhoods. We knew that X doesn’t want this good political step to succeed because we found out that the Sunni mosque which was close for more than a year had been burnt one night after the statement of the Sunni politicians

.

This mosque remained safe and no one even tried to touch it for more than a year. In fact, the shops beside the mosques kept cleaning the area around the mosque because as we say (it’s the house of Allah) and it must be respected.

Everybody tried to guess who is the doer and why he did it this time. Of course, everybody in the neighborhoods including my families has their own theories and these theories were built according to their own ideologies and inclinations.

Until now, the Sunnis families returned back to their houses and the Shiite families didn’t return to their houses. If the government wants these families to return back to their houses, it must stop X from creating a new strife but the most important question is WHO IS THIS X?