How to be in Dora neighborhood

If someone told me that they went to Dora and they don't live there, I would say that this person is crazy. This craziness happened today I was the crazy one. I went to Dora.

Dora neighborhood is one of the strong-holds for al Qaida in Baghdad . Many people have been killed and displaced from the southwest Baghdad neighborhood from 2003 to present. Those people who were killed were residents of Dora itself, passer bys, taxi drivers, porters, shop owners, policemen, soldiers and officials. Most of the victims were Shiite because al Qaida, an extremist Sunni group, considers them not Muslims. But they killed Sunnis as well. Sunnis who joined the police, army or took governmental jobs were killed because they were considered traitors. Today I was on my way to my office in central Baghdad, but the bridge that leads to the neighborhood was full of traffic slowed by three checkpoints on the road. The driver of the mini bus that I had caught to work decided to take a detour.

All of the 11 passengers, including me, asked the driver what route he would take. I was surprised to hear we would pass through Dora neighborhood to reach Jadriyah, in central Baghdad.

I was frightened when I heard the name Dora and I was about to ask why, but then a woman older than 60 said what I was thinking.

“Do you want to kill us, son?" she said.

“Is it safe to go there?" another passenger asked.

The driver assured us that if it wasn't safe he would never go through Dora. He was a Shiite. 

A young man next to the old woman started to joke with her. 

"The Mujahadeen are not here, but under the next bridge," he said referring to Sunni insurgents. "Hide your IDs."

He laughed but she was afraid.

"Can't you go back. The route we were on was so good," she said.

Another passenger who was sitting in front of the old lady turned around to comfort her.

“You are too old and they won't ask for you," he said. "In fact we should be frightened they will look for the young, not you."

The passengers broke into a lively discussion. Some said that the insurgents don't distinguish between a child, a young man or a woman. As we passed through Dora we saw Iraqi policemen and soldiers at checkpoints throughout the area and we felt some relief.

The young man started to tease the lady again. He told her that the area is famous for kidnapping women and forcing them to blow themselves up. Meanwhile, we saw graffiti on the walls.

“There is no place for betrayers in the Islamic State of Iraq," someone had spray painted on one wall. The saying refers to the Islamic state, a front for a Qaida in Iraq.

I really wanted to take part in the conversation but I was more worried about being late for work than being killed. So I sat silent and listened.

Finally I got to the office in one piece, thank God. Later, I heard that one of my Sunni colleagues had done something just as crazy. He'd driven through a Mahdi Army controlled neighborhood where he hadn't been in over a year. The neighborhood is where I live. I told him thank God for your safety and he said the same to me.

Comments

[Kim Moss]

Thats a scary country. Don't know If I want to live there. The best to you.

[Fadila]

Hard common sense and havoc in the streets.

Now that US troops are shooting at journalists again, although one cannot forget the good deed of justice directed to Sami al Hadj after years of suffering and do hope that the same peaceful behaviour would encompass all Guantanamo prisoners. With elections ahead, and while American citizens are facing huge natural disasters inside their country, their troops are killing civilians in Iraq and with them many witnesses. Things are getting worse. Actually, we all would have expected a new wind of peace and a time for a solution towards the end of occupation with outsiders leaving the country after they have succeeded in introducing democracy and putting an end to dictatorship – how can we define it then with in Iraq someone like…but let’s forget it for a while (!!!). The truth is that no one would accept this situation in the long run.
The candidate to Presidency J. Mc Cain is said to be unpopular either in the USA or in the world because of his policy (to be) towards Iraq. Mc Cain considers that the US troops should stay in Iraq 60 years more, and this makes him unpopular. This policy is no good, neither for Us soldiers nor for the poor Iraqis. Soldiers do commit suicide in terrible conditions and continual blasts and killing are spreading daily. Iraqis, civilians encroached upon by blood– whose pictures are horrible and scaring- are facing this fate because they are determined to live, work and try to rebuild their countries, although they are divided and somehow scattered in neighbouring countries, they are willing to face it with resistance and faith…how outsiders …all outsiders would leave, God will provide if resistance is long living and not with capitulation from Iraq or neighbouring countries trapped in deals with western countries with no guarantees for Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. Within the vicinity of the neighbouring areas, there should be only wishes and prayers that the outsiders would fail and stop their desires there on the land where the innocents’ blood has been pervasive…with the anti-terrorism propaganda.
Resistance, either Shiite or Sunnite would not stop either, each wanting to destroy what others, along with outsiders are building in the mess of oil and land grabbing. We should learn how to resist from the continuous shedding of blood in our countries. The more they bomb us to make us kneel, the more we must remain tough and demand, with no shame nor fear better chances for justice and best guarantees for peace with dignity as long as we think we deserve it. Because outsiders are shameless and restless, they are supporting local unrest and corrupt systems, anywhere through the same means with bomb blasts, in the markets, streets and homes where innocents are willing to live. It is no more outsiders’ army against army in the light of day; it is the dirty job of unknown paid soldiers and cops (mercenaries) against civilians, from Africa to Afghanistan, to make the most peaceful, fair and free people kneel to their will. Below are some press quotes to focus on a set of negative aspects of local trends some consider as democratic and vanguard or clearly falling under the name of human catastrophes:

” What is especially troubling is the editorial written by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in
yesterday's 'Saamna', his party's newspaper. He has advocated the creation of 'Hindu suicide
squads', saying that the only way to counter the threat of Islamic terror is by 'Hindu terror'.
This threat cannot be taken lightly. Terrorists typically target innocents, and with two
varieties of terror 'taking on' each other with bombs, it is ordinary people who will be blown to bits.”

” The Ethiopian invasion backed by the USA has created havoc in Somalia. Hundreds of thousands have become homeless. The Somalis are fighting back and the Ethiopian forces are in bad shape. The Somali people support the Islamic courts, the group which brought peace and prosperity to Somali, he added. Islam is very strong among Somalis, as can be seen even among the Somali refugee communities which have settled in Minnesota in the northern area of USA. He said Ethiopia's dictatorial regime is fearful of the power of Islam because it could encourage the Muslims of Ethiopia to rise up. The Muslims of Ethiopia are the great majority in their country but oppression has made them passive and fearful. Minority rule in Ethiopia has the backing of the USA”.

“Rod Parsley is pastor of the 13,000 member, World Harvest Church that teaches Judeo-Christian-Zionism. Pastor Parsley is one of the prominent supporters of John Hagee’s “A Night To Honor Israel” and is Regional Director of Christians United For Israel.

In some respects Parsley goes even beyond Hagee in his openly stated hatred for Islam, which he attaches to activist politics, ignoring Jesus’ words of peace and love. He has also defiled the name of our forefathers by publicly stating that America was founded partly for the purpose of destroying Islam”.

” Newsweek came up with an entire cover story with a single storyline:
Pakistan is a more dangerous place than Iraq. Senior American politicians, Republican and Democrat, have argued that Pakistan is more dangerous than Iran and merits similar treatment. On 20 October, Senator Joe Biden told ABC News that Washington needs to put
soldiers on the ground in Pakistan and invite the international community to
join in. "We should be in there," he said.”

'We have to win'*

*Obama told reporters that "Afghanistan is a war we have to win." The
Taliban and terrorist groups it supports, he said, pose an unacceptable
threat to the United States, France and other nations. "We've got to finish
the job," said Obama, who often has said the Iraq war was an unwise move
that distracted the United States from efforts to find Osama bin Laden and
other terrorist leaders and to root out the Taliban forces in Afghanistan.*

Sarkozy said he agreed that the Taliban must be defeated in Afghanistan,
where French troops are part of a multinational force. The joint news
conference had many light moments. Sarkozy called his guest "my dear Barack
Obama," and said the French have been following the U.S. presidential race
"with passion." "It's fascinating to watch what's happening there," he said.

”For the last five years the international community and its efforts have been unsuccessful. There is blood shed, despair and hopelessness. If we cannot bring peace immediately, at least we have brought hope and a psychological boost to the people of Darfur. There is a real enthusiasm and desire for peace, and insha' Allah we will do all we can to bring that to the people”.

“ Elaborating Mr. Maliki's remarks in Abu Dhabi, his National Security
Adviser, Muwaffaq Al-Rubaie, said during a visit to Najaf on July 9: "We
will not accept any memorandum of understanding [with the Americans] if it
does not give a specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops."
The government's call had the sanction of the highly influential Ayatollah
Ali Sistani, top Shia cleric in Iraq, who is a revered figure throughout the
country. Why did the Maliki government defy the American script in Iraq?”

…the quote sums up that A Maliki’s Government “ is swinging under US and Iranian hold and failing to stop underground torture against Sunnis ”

” The US military is the largest fuel burning entity in the world. According to published data
the US army used 144 million barrels of fuel in 2004 with budgeted cost
of energy used by the army at 8.2 billion for that year. The U.S.
military consumes 10-11 million barrels of fuel each month to sustain
operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. At $140/barrel only
(unrefined) that is 1.4 billion monthly just on fuel. All this
consumption and its impact on the demand is unmentioned by politicians
and media in the west (this is not counting all other federal agencies
use of fuels domestically - e.g. all the hundreds of thousands of SUVs
in the service of government bureaucracies). Also the dollar keeps
coming down in value (so oil denominated in dollars is higher) because
of the debts incurred by the US war economy. And you wonder why oil
prices are high? ”

“Hundreds of thousands of innocent men and women were arbitrarily arrested
and subjected to savage forms of torture drawing swift universal
condemnation. In Falluja, a city of 300,000 people, President Bush dropped
internationally banned and improved versions of napalm bombs which burnt and
melted Muslims to death during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Today the
entire Iraqi population remains traumatised. Angered right-minded Jewish,
Christian and other intellectuals all over the world have been openly
calling for impeaching President George Bush for launching the most barbaric
war in modern history. Describing this as an act of banditry Nobel laureate
and British Jewish playwright Harold Pinter demanded that Bush and Blair
should be put on trial along with the rest of their cohorts in The Hague and
be categorised in the same class and company as Slobodan Milosevic. ”

” For the last five years the international community and its efforts have been unsuccessful. There is blood shed, despair and hopelessness. If we cannot bring peace immediately, at least we have brought hope and a psychological boost to the people of Darfur. There is a real enthusiasm and desire for peace, and insha' Allah we will do all we can to bring that to the people”.

“Meanwhile in a spotless democratic election held under the supervision of
former US President Jimmy Carter in January 2006 Hamas was elected with an
overwhelming majority in Gaza. Alarmed Israel, US and Europe cut off the
flow of all money to starve Palestinian into submission. The Arab rulers too
joined this Zionist sponsored financial blockade”.

” But our children are still murdered in cold blood in front of our homes, in
the heart of our villages and in our schools. For on another black
Tuesday a year and a half ago, soldiers of the occupation killed my own
beloved ten-year-old daughter. Abir Aramin was shot in the head in
front of her school in the village of Anata on January 16th, 2007.
Ahmed and Abir passed on the same day of the week, at the same age;
both were shot in the head by the same kind of killer: one of the
Israeli border patrol guards” .

“As of May 2008, 37 children under age 16 yrs, and 282 children 16-18
are in Israeli prisons today: no Israeli children are in Palestinian prisons
-- according to a reputable Israeli source B'tselem” .

“On his foreign travels this week, Barack Obama, the Democratic
presidential candidate, pledged to switch the focus of America's
military effort from Iraq to Afghanistan -- the "central front," in his
estimation, of the war on terror.

U.S. combat troops would be withdrawn from Iraq within 16 months of his
taking office, but thousands more, he promised, would be sent to fight
in Afghanistan, and be ready to cross the border into Pakistan's tribal
areas to root out jihadist sanctuaries there.”

“The number of people who support ending wars, colonizations and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine is in the billions on this small planet. These billions also favor fixing our destructive habits especially in poisoning our small planet. But as in all social movements those who believe are many, those who act are few […]Such activists occasionally get targeted and attacked by the ignorant, the misled, and the implanted agents who sow discord (e.g. Dr. Terri Ginsberg and Dr. Norman Finkelstein losing positions, Rachel Corrie losing her life etc.). But it is always inspiring to see those who keep going year after year doing great work. US Citizens are of course responsible for changing US policies; policies that support torture, warrant-less domestic spying, erosion of civil liberties, detention without legal process, etc. It is the responsibility of the Israeli public to challenge Israeli apartheid and war crimes. It is the responsibility of the Palestine public to root out defeatist and collaborative elements, to engage in more actions of civil society resistance, and to build solidarity and joint resistance with all people especially those who are also impacted by imperialism, racism, and Zionism.”

[Andrew]

Hello Hussein,

I am a U.S. journalism student and when I found this blog I was excited to ask you a couple questions that I hope you can shed some light on for me.

As an Iraqi journalist, what are your opinions of the U.S. media's coverage of the war in Iraq? Especially in comparison with Al Jazeera's coverage of the war? And do you believe that there is a right or wrong in the case of showing the brutalities that occur as Al Jazeera has, and has come under criticism for?

[Laura]

I think the same for you both. Take good care, Hussein!

[Ben Rosengart]

You're the Dora Explorer. (A U.S. pop-culture joke.)

Interesting story. Stay safe.