The New Iraqi Government
Close to the statue of Saddam, while some Iraqis and US forces were busy to pull down the statue, immediately after the US soldiers stormed “Palestine” hotel in Baghdad in April 8, 2003, a big crowd of Iraqi men assembled in a unique speed and started a beating session with a chant “ In the name of God, we will never forget you, Hussein.”
I was watching with other journalists and Iraqis what was going on in “ Al-Firdous” square, I could understand all pictures of reactions at that moment, some people were shouting out of joys, others helping in bringing the statue down but could not find any interpretation for that beating session because such kind of sessions held in sorrowful occasions, Shiite must be happy for the toppling of Saddam so why they were beating themselves?!!!!!
The other amazing feature of that Iraqi crowd was the absence of Iraqi women, I looked around I did not find any Iraqi woman, if Iam not wrong, I was the only Iraqi woman at that day, only because I was working with foreign journalists.
Most of the common Iraqis did not know that with the end of Saddam Hussein ruling, Shiite and Sunni religious parties will climb their shoulders and tighten the robe on their necks under tens of Islamic slogans, even before they take a breathe of the last three wars and the real victim will be for sure the Iraqi woman.
Only yesterday I got the explanation for that beating session I was looking for all that time, I found the explanation in the five posts granted to the Iraqiyia list in the new Iraqi government, the only list that contains Iraqis who believe in their Iraqi sect not Shiite or Sunni or Kurdish sect they belong to, and how sects lists swallowed all the other posts with great victory.
It was the best and most sad indication for the retreat of Iraqi sect and the incursion of the minorities sects governed the life of the Iraqis after the US invasion of Iraq, Iam really worried that soon we will have to change our Iraqi ID’s with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish ID’s, because on these days no one feels proud of his being Iraqi but he is ready to fight and die for the sake of his sect.
The two posts granted to two Iraqi women was an explanation for the absence of the Iraqi woman in that crowd. Iam sure these two posts were meant to answer any question about the position of the Iraqi woman in new Iraq.
Stemming from the belief that all evils come from a creature called woman, posters flooded Iraqi universities, hospitals and ministries after the US invasion, calling upon woman to be like Virgin Mary and Fatima Al-Zahera, daughter of prophet Muhammad and pictures of women who do not wear hijab tortured in the hell with a curse, and none of these posters bothered to call upon the Iraqi man not to glance at woman or chase her wherever she goes or kill with cold blood his Iraqi brother.
I recalled the scene of beating session I saw in the square again and found another interpretation for it yesterday. It was a beating session for the resumption of the old habit before Islam by Arab tribes which is the burial of female the moment she born.
I was one of the Iraqis who were waiting to see a democratic parliament in Iraq represents all the components of the Iraqi people where every Iraqi will have an MP who can convoy his voice to the government, but not to have a parliament dominated by turbans, Abaya and scarves with a condition that they must cover the chin.
Most of my friends voiced their fear of the future in Iraq because if they were able to stand the previous government with all its sectarian stamp, in hope soon the six months would be finished, it is so difficult now to stand such kind of government for four years.
Nobody thought that the US invasion to Iraq will breed a government that is pulled by Shiite from one side and Sunni and Kurds from another side, and within the first session quarrel erupted as some Sunnis were upset of the entire process of forming the government, in a way they withdrew with anger.
I was in Beirut last month and really shocked by the way young Lebanese were introducing themselves to me when they know that Iam Iraqi, the young guy would tell me with a big smile, “ Iam Shiite, you are Iraqi?.” I was waiting for them to tell me that they are Lebanese, but no one did that, what a disaster!!!!!
I was watching with other journalists and Iraqis what was going on in “ Al-Firdous” square, I could understand all pictures of reactions at that moment, some people were shouting out of joys, others helping in bringing the statue down but could not find any interpretation for that beating session because such kind of sessions held in sorrowful occasions, Shiite must be happy for the toppling of Saddam so why they were beating themselves?!!!!!
The other amazing feature of that Iraqi crowd was the absence of Iraqi women, I looked around I did not find any Iraqi woman, if Iam not wrong, I was the only Iraqi woman at that day, only because I was working with foreign journalists.
Most of the common Iraqis did not know that with the end of Saddam Hussein ruling, Shiite and Sunni religious parties will climb their shoulders and tighten the robe on their necks under tens of Islamic slogans, even before they take a breathe of the last three wars and the real victim will be for sure the Iraqi woman.
Only yesterday I got the explanation for that beating session I was looking for all that time, I found the explanation in the five posts granted to the Iraqiyia list in the new Iraqi government, the only list that contains Iraqis who believe in their Iraqi sect not Shiite or Sunni or Kurdish sect they belong to, and how sects lists swallowed all the other posts with great victory.
It was the best and most sad indication for the retreat of Iraqi sect and the incursion of the minorities sects governed the life of the Iraqis after the US invasion of Iraq, Iam really worried that soon we will have to change our Iraqi ID’s with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish ID’s, because on these days no one feels proud of his being Iraqi but he is ready to fight and die for the sake of his sect.
The two posts granted to two Iraqi women was an explanation for the absence of the Iraqi woman in that crowd. Iam sure these two posts were meant to answer any question about the position of the Iraqi woman in new Iraq.
Stemming from the belief that all evils come from a creature called woman, posters flooded Iraqi universities, hospitals and ministries after the US invasion, calling upon woman to be like Virgin Mary and Fatima Al-Zahera, daughter of prophet Muhammad and pictures of women who do not wear hijab tortured in the hell with a curse, and none of these posters bothered to call upon the Iraqi man not to glance at woman or chase her wherever she goes or kill with cold blood his Iraqi brother.
I recalled the scene of beating session I saw in the square again and found another interpretation for it yesterday. It was a beating session for the resumption of the old habit before Islam by Arab tribes which is the burial of female the moment she born.
I was one of the Iraqis who were waiting to see a democratic parliament in Iraq represents all the components of the Iraqi people where every Iraqi will have an MP who can convoy his voice to the government, but not to have a parliament dominated by turbans, Abaya and scarves with a condition that they must cover the chin.
Most of my friends voiced their fear of the future in Iraq because if they were able to stand the previous government with all its sectarian stamp, in hope soon the six months would be finished, it is so difficult now to stand such kind of government for four years.
Nobody thought that the US invasion to Iraq will breed a government that is pulled by Shiite from one side and Sunni and Kurds from another side, and within the first session quarrel erupted as some Sunnis were upset of the entire process of forming the government, in a way they withdrew with anger.
I was in Beirut last month and really shocked by the way young Lebanese were introducing themselves to me when they know that Iam Iraqi, the young guy would tell me with a big smile, “ Iam Shiite, you are Iraqi?.” I was waiting for them to tell me that they are Lebanese, but no one did that, what a disaster!!!!!
posted by Ishtar at 12:34 AM
1 Comments:
There is nothing to add or to say to the truth of what you tell us. This is just to say that we're out here, reading and learning. And feeling unspeakably sad about this, about the poor doctor and his family in the next post, about everything. I wonder if we'll live long enough to see it get better?
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