Bush And Malki

Bush is meeting with Malki while Wahida's body who is an Iraqi woman lives in Ameriyia district in Baghdad is behind the main door of her house bleeding and no one dares to take a step to collect it because of the heavy shooting there.

Wahida is an Iraqi woman who refused to flee the hell of Iraq as she was worried about her house, the house which she had spent all her life to build thinking it would be a safe heaven for her but she did not know that she would pay her life as a price for that house.

Wahida was left alone after the entire family left to Jordan, one of her brother killed in a car bomb explosion in Sadiyia while he was getting fuel for his car, her second brotehr was kidnapped by a gang and when the family paid a huge amount of money to the kidnappers, they submitted them his body, her third brother, the neighbour of Wahida in Ameriyia kept ringing him to come and collect his sister body, he apologized that he can't leave his house because he would be killed before he came to get her body.

For the second day Wahida body is waiting for Bush and Malki to come and collect it but they stepped on it like the 86 body found today in Baghdad slaughtered like sheep for Bush democracy.

Tens of family are fleeing Baghdad because malki is the suitable man for leading Iraq as Bush described him but it would be better if he said that he is the suitable man to lead Iraq to the downhill, will not say civil war because we are in civil war since Ja'aferi government installed power in Iraq but it is reinforced by his colleague Malki.

Families in Sheikh Omer in Baghdad are paying all their saving just to get an approval to go to other provinces where their orginal tribes live to flee the hell of Baghdad and to leave it to the militias so that they can have enough space to kill and torture the Iraqis and throw them in the trash.

I wish that any Iraqi figure met with Bush would give him a telephone number of a family in Baghdad to chat with them and see what he had done to these innocent people, now, each family is jailed in its house just exchanging news, "the militia is in this neighbourhood and has taken ten guys, be careful", the family would pray thousand time just to escape the harm of these militiamen who are wearing the uniform of the Ministry of Interior and using its cars and picking up men as they like.

A Sunni shop owner well known in a shiite neighbourhood of his peaceful behaviour was kidnapped by the militia, his Shiite neighbour ran to the closest Huseeini and told them to release the man because he is in his neighbourhood and he is very certain that he is a good guy, after one day, the shop owner thrown near his shop after being beaten severely and kept in a ditch with tens of Sunni men just because they are Sunni.

The entire neighbourhood did not believe the news that the shop owner got back because any person kidnapped by militia won't ever get back but that man was an exception.

Another family lives close to gas station,on these days lines of gas are longer than the borders with Jordan, a woman told me that she had such a horrible moments in the morning when Bush and Malki were meeting, a bus came loaded with young guys and they were shouting hurry up, let us break in them, she said because she is obssesed and heard alot of militia kidnapping men, she woke up her husband telling him that they come, the husband took his gun and promised to fight before they kill him, but then the woman said she found that the young men stopped their bus near her house but they went to stand in line for gas.

other families want to leave the country and go to live in Syria but the problem is that they do not have passports and no one dares now to go out and apply for a passport and even if they do that, the passport directorate will tell them that they halted the issuence of the new passport but if you are smart enough you will find a guy who works at that directortae who would tell you if you want a passport we have, just bring me $700 and you do not even need to come here you will get it at home?!!!

This is what is left of a country used to be called The land between two Rivers.

Sader City

After a great effort, we were able to get one of the men who survived from the mass kidnapping of the Fellowship Directoriate two weeks ago, the only reason of his survival is that his name is Ali, a matter made Mahdi army thinking that he is Shiite.

The man was describing how they were blindfolded and taken in cars to Sader city where they were received with great joy by men and women of Sader city there, the man said that for his surprise that women there were making these special Iraqi vocal singlas we called them " Halahel" because they were so happy that these Sunni men will be tortured and killed as the Madhi army has brought the ccriminals behind Iraq's catasrophe.

The man said that he could not believe what he was listening to and what he was looking at after his eyes were unfolded, the people who live around the place where these abducted men taken were so glad and vowing of more revenage, while session of torture resumed immediatly against the kidnapped victims by most brutal means used by humanity till now, beginning from the drills and ending with eyes removal and then to be thrown in teh trash.

The man who was one of few survivers informed the families of the victims he knew to go and collect the bodies of their relatives because he has seen them while they were tortured till the last breath and their accusation is that they were Sunni infidelas and Baghdad must be exclusive to Shiite only.

After few days, Sader city riddled with three cars bombs and more than 200 Iraqi killed, everybody was syaing that these cars bombs were a reaction to the 150 man kidnapped by Mahdi army, a very good indication that violent acts only breed more violence and the victims always innocent people.

But some of the analysts were asking about the reason behind that deterioration between Sader current and Sunni while they had good relation before, one of the reasons they gave was that Bader brigade was not happy about this relation especially SCIRI wants to have a federalism of the south and middle of Iraq and the only way to drag the Sader current to their side and to take part in the governmnet was to damage this relation by sending cars bombs to Sader city and blaming the Sunni though evreybody know that no Sunni dares to go to Sader city because of Mahdi army control of the city and the so many chek points that make it so difficult for non Shiite person to get inside the city and put cars bombs.

It Is No Good To Be Sunni Or Shiite

After the war of morters that had engulfed Baghdad for more than two weeks, now a new war started which is teh war of Kias, minibus.

All what you have to do, is just to listen to the news or telephones from relatives and friends to tell you about the number of Kias are getting missing now in Baghdad, in a way people are thinking of their means of travelling in Baghdad or just to stay at home, which is not safe too.

The conversation all teh time whether it is better to say you are Shiite or to say you are Sunni if you are captured by the police or the militia and how can you figure out whtehre they are Shiite or Sunni to say teh right thing in the right time.


Two brothers and their sister were in their car heading to Dora district in Baghdad, to collect what is left of their homse furnture after their family decision of leaving the district because life there becomes real hell.

few meters far of their house, they saw a check point stopping any passing car and speak with its driver, the two brothers had to make a quick decision what to say to the armed men at the check point if they asked them about their identity, after few minutes it was its turn, they had to stop at the check point, they did not know whether it is real or fake but they have to stop.

the armed men cordoned off the car and began their checking, the brother who was driving was the first to be questioned whether he is Sunni or Shiite, he immediatly told them, " Iam Sunni." The armed man did not wait long to give him a shot in his head with three bullets and kill him at once.

Another armed man broke the window on the other brother and asked him whether he is Sunni or Shiite, the brotehr thought it is better to say Shiite because these militiamen seemed to be Shiite otehrwise why they killed his brother when he said he is Sunni, so he looked the armed man while he was shivering, " Iam Shiite." The armed man rained him with bullets till he killed him and ranaway.

the sister who was sitting at the back, watching what was going on and could not believe what happened to her brother while she was covered with their blood, fained in the car and lost her consciouss.

The car left in that place for hours, no one dares to go close, till a man was passing by his car and could not move because of the car was stuck in the road got down of his car to see why the driver does not move? but he was shocked to teh bloody scene and took the sister to one of the hospital in Baghdad and till now she is in coma because of what she has seen.

So, to be Sunni, you will be killed, to be Shiite, you will killed, what shall the Iraqi do to sprae his blood? where shall he go, if he has 150,000 US soldier, 7000 British soldiers, more than 150,000 Iraqi police and the same national guard, all these armies can not protect him, what can the common Iraqi person do who can not hide at the green zone?

Dear Hala

Dear reader

I got a message from Hala in which she expressed her anger about my latest post, thinking that Iam against Shiite and in support of Sunni and so on.

Iam sorry, I have to say you really missed the point, in this post I wanted to show, how the different Iraqis react to the US presence of Iraq and not to say this sect is right or this sect is wrong because each one of them has his on opinion which I respect.

Also would like to confirm that all the people I mentioned in the post are live examples they are not from my imaginary and if you feel shame of their opinions, they do not feel the same and so do I because I believe that we have to listen to everybody and not to be stupid to think that the only right thing is what I believe in and what other people believe in is always wrong, this is absoultly stupid.

if you have read the post carefully, you will see that every person was explaining his point of view and they love their country but in their own way and they have the right to share the waelth of Iraq like other Iraqi sects not to be restricted with a specific sect because they are all Iraqis, which is fair.

I have never meant to imply that Iraqi Shiite are no patriotic or they do not love their country, in the contrary, I can assure you that there are Shiite people resisting the occupation and more patriotic than the other Iraqis.

Mithal Al-Allousi, himself, he is Sunni, not Shiite but again this man exists and he is in the parliment and there are people, Sunni and Shiite who support him and there is nothing wrong with that, the man has lost two of his young sons for principles he believes in, Iam not bring information from another planet, dear Hala.

I always look in one eyes to all the Iraqi, something only few Iraqis do because it is very difficult not to be driven by your sect, but when you will be a journalist, you will discover that this is the only way to report, is to look to people with one eye and to respect what they tell you because as I said before what I believe in must not be a constitution that everybody must believe in but in fact sometimes when you listen to the others they impress you and might convince you to change some of your ideas towards few things.

If you have read my posts carefully, you can read many stories in which I tell stories about different Iraqis, Sunni, Shiite and Kurds and christains and about me too.

I accept your reactions because you are in Britain and because you are not a journalist to have the chance to be close to people.

Did you read my post about the Shiite lady who is a wife of a national gurad and how she was kidnapped and raped by unknown men because her husband used to torture the Sunni prisoners and she was certain that they were Sunni who raped her, something absolutly unacceptable and shameful, because she has nothing to do with her husband practices and this is not our behaviour.

Do you think, I want to say that Sunni are prophets and other Iraqi people are sinners, this is abosulty wrong, good and bad people exist among all sects and I will tell the truth about everybody even about myself.

All what I said in my latest post if you are in Iraq, you would find it very natural because it is a fact and truth, Shiite believe that it is not the high time to resist the occupier because the Iraqis already suffered alot of three wars and because Shiite believe in peaceful resistance and I think there is nothing wrong in that, all the world know that there are so many kinds of resistance and one of them is a peaceful one and the best example is Ghandi who resist the British occupation and liberated his country without fight and this ideology is respected all over the world and even became a source of inspiration for alot of them.

This is our people and I love them all but still when you write you have to tell the truth and not to write in a way that your people are ideal, they are humanbeings, they think, they react and they have their own way of life which we all have to admit.

Please, do not put words in my mouth or explain my post according to your view or feeling which I highly respect but these are facts, the same way when you have a Sunni man even if he is not Iraqi but still he is Sunni who would go to blow up himself among Shiite peopel thinking he is doing Jihad, do you think I justify that and agree this is Jihad, this is absoulty has nothing to do with Jihad and Islam, I have always avoid explaining my opinion about things but leave people to talk about what they think of because for me I like to listen to everybody.

I have always wanted the Iraqis to be left alone by all their sects to solve their problems because Iam sure they will not kill each other because they love each other.

And won't tell you to which sect I belong to because I am simply Iraqi and love all Iraqis.

Sorry if I have hurt your feeling, really did not mean that but please read all my previous posts, you will see I tell the stories as they exist even if someone is critizing me.

I do not find it shameful or non-patriotic to follow the Marjiyia, in fact it had good aspect which is the unification and if all the Iraqis sects were unified under their marjiyia, Iraq's problem would be solved since a long time, because all the Marjiyia would sit together and settled their differences and finished all Iraq problems, it is much better than having 100 factions, each one of them believe in something and if they disagree about something even if they are from the same sect, they would fight each other.

It Is An Occupation Without Any Doubt

Flocks of Shiite marching to Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala were endless, few days after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 as it was the first anniversay for Imam Hussein assassination after the war.

Shiite were so happy because now, they can beat themselves as much as they can, they can hit their heads with swords, they can chant as many poems about Imam Hussein as they want without the fear of Saddam security.

Men, women, young, old and kids were carrying light meals with a bottle of water and walking on foot with their different colourful flags.

I and few journalists decided to go to karbala too but of course by car, but we would stop to ask the people heading to the shrine about their feelings.

It was not that difficult trip except that sometimes, the marchers would walk on the road, in a way, we would need to drive on the dusty road to avoid hitting them, they were laughing and shouting and running.

one of the foreign journalists asked me why the Shiite marchers would walk on the road though they know it is for the cars, I told him the situation is like that, " A school with a very strict headmaster whom the students could not open their mouths with a word in front of him for long years, they came the next day to the school to find that the headmaster has left the school, would do you expect them to do? they woud break all the doors and windows, each one of them can do whetever he wants now, there is no more strict headmaster."

when we reached Karbala, it was full of people from all over Iraq, especially the south, who came to celebrate the anniversary with their families. It was really nice and quiet time, no bombs or explosions.

I found a family from Diwaniyia and the foreign journalist asked me to interview them, I asked the father who was sitting on the ground with his family, what does he think of the US invasion of Iraq, is it an occupation or a liberation?

the man answered me " It is a liberation, of course, we are so grateful to the Americans for helping us in getting rid of Saddam and now they can leave home."

I told the man, " Do you think the situation is so easy like that, US troops who had crossed seven seas, would leave like that, without anything?"

the man said, " Yes, they came to liberate the Shiite people from Saddam and now he has gone, so they have to return home, we do not need them any more."

it was noon time, we decided to go to one of the resturants near the shrine to have some lunch, the owner was a young guy, graduate of college of Economy and Management, the journalist asked me to ask him the same question whether it is an occupation or a liberation?

the owner looked at us and said, " Well, it is up to the Marjiyia, if it decided it is an occupation, so it is an occupation and if it decided it is a liberation, so it is a liberation."

The foreign journalist told him, " What about Your opinion, you yourself what do you think?"

he said, " I do not think, I told you it is up to the Marjiyia, if the Marjiyia ordered me now to throw myself in the river, I will immediatly throw myself without questioning it."

The journalist looked at me not believing what the owner was telling him and shoke his head, he could not find a sentence to refer it to the owner, he rasied his head and said to me, " Is this believable, this man has cancelled his thinking and can't decide about anything."

in September of the same year, I had to write about Shiite in Iraq for a foreign magazine, so I travelled to Najef and Karbala, close to the shrine of Imam Hussein, I found a group of clerics who were gathering outside the main gate of the Imam, I went to speak with them, they told me that they were kicked out by the Shiite parties who came later on with their weapons.

one of the clerics said " We are the original people of Karbala, we had protected the shrine from the looters by our lives and we were nearly to be killed, now we are kicked out of the shrine because of some powerful Shiite parties who think the shrine is their shrine and if you go inside you can see how much weapons they gather inside."

the city was full of Iranian visitors, the hotels were full of them, I went to speak with one of the owners of the hotel who was so glad that his hotel is congested with visitors, he said, " This is the first time in my life I benefit from my hotel, before the war when the Iranian visitors come, there will be always an intelligence guy with them who would made a deal with one of the hotel and keep them there and we keep watching."

I asked him what does he think of the US invasion, he said" Iam ready to kiss the shoes of the US soldier who liberated me of Saddam, Iam so grateful to Mr.Bush."

I asked him what does he think of the resistance? he said, " These are the orphans of Saddam, they are dreaming of his days, but they will never get these days, he is gone."

I told him, so you do not accept the resistance against the US soldiers, he said, " Absolutly not, we shouldnot fight them, we should reward them for their deed."

I told him but if the Marjiyia issued a Fatwa ordering you to fight the Americans, would you do that?

he said, " Of course, I will carry the weapon, I and my sons and brothers and fight them."

but you said you are ready to kiss their shoes, he said, " It is up to the Marjiyia."

after few months, I had to interview a Shiite butcher and I asked him about the US invasion, he said, " It is an occupation, I agree with the resistance, it is not a liberation, we are suffering alot of the US presence."

I asked him so why Shiite do not resist the Americans like Sunnis, he said, " We are waiting for the Marjiyia to order us to fight, we can not fight by ourselvers otherwise it won't be a blessed Jihad, and I hope Marjiyia won't be late in this decision."

just before the late elections of 2006, I asked a Shiite young guy who is a computer engineer about his choice?

he said, " If it is my choice, I want to choose Mithal Al-Alousi, I like him because he wants to make relations with Israel, he is very smart because if we do that we would live in peace."

I told him why do not you do that and choose him, he said, " The marjiyia wants us to choose the Unified Alliance and I have to obay the Marjiyia."

I told him you will choose that list even if it had peopel you do not like? he said, " Yes, because I arleady have submitted all my religious affairs to the Marjiyia, which means I trust them and for sure their choice always is the right choice."

in another occasion, I was speaking with Sunni clerics who told me that Sunni men would come and ask him whether it is high time for Jihad or not? he said I would tell them, " Your country is occupied by foreign troops, what further evidence you want for launching Jihad, you do not have to ask me, it is very clear."

he added that some of the Sunni men would not get back to him for checking as they think, It is an occupation without any doubt and does not need any Fatwa, they would go to do Jihad directly.

Iam Not Happy

Today I had to make some interviews with some Iraqis to see what is their reaction regarding the hang verdict against Saddam Hussein.

I really came close a strange situation but it has a lot of meaning, the man was telling me that he should be happy because his father whose a Sunni man conspired against Saddam in 1992 with some other men from Tikrit but unfortunately the coup was discovered by Saddam at that time and he ordered their execution including his father.

The man said, “ Iam not happy because my father wanted to kill Saddam and when Saddam discovered that, it was natural that he did the same, otherwise he would be killed my father.”

He went on to say but after the topple of Saddam and the instalment of a new government who claims to be in opposition of Saddam, we thought our family would be rewarded as it had sustained a big damage because of my father, in the contrary, my eldest brother house was cordoned by the vehicle of the ministry of Interior and its men whom we thought they came in an official motorcade to take the family to the new government to compensate it, they kidnapped my brother who is 36 yr and after 24 hour we found his body dumped in the trash.

Since that time, I with my family and his family are moving from one place to another in fear of death squads, and you want me to be happy?!!!

I talked with an old man who lost his only son for being member of Dawa party and asked him how does he feel about the verdict?

The man answered “ I was waiting for the day when Saddam will be toppled and Dawa party will install the ruling in Iraq so that they will give me the right of my son who died for the party, but I’ve been waiting since a long time no one came to knock at my door and ask me what do I need with my wife and my three daughters?

After the campaign of looting that ravaged Baghdad after the toppling of Saddam, Shiite clerics issued Fatwa calling upon looters to bring back the things they looted to the Husseinis and the clerics will see how they will deal with it?

I have a friend who is a cleric too and was in charge of one of the Husseinis close to my house, his Husseini was one of the places people began to bring back the looted stuff to it.

I thought I should go and ask the help of my friend, he knows how poor I am and honestly I even did not have food in my house.

I went to my friend’s Husseini and was surprised about the different materials that was inside, in a way it was congested with food and furniture and everything, a matter which encouraged me to ask my friend if he can give me some stuff.

My friend told me that it was a great pleasure for him to help and looked around the place thinking of what to give me, then, he shouted I found it, he went to one of the corners where were ten of wooden sticks and pick up one and came running to me, “ Take this stick, you need it when you walk.”

The old man said that it was a great disappointment for him as he did not need a stick but he needed food and kept wondering where all these materials disappeared.

He said, “ I began to envy the people who were considered as martyrs in time of Saddam, at least, he used to grant them permanent salary, car and piece of land and a salary for their parents, what did Dawa party give me for my son? only car bombs and IEDS.

It Is America Who Toppled Saddam Hussein, Not You

Palestine hotel was a scene for the formal efforts to raise up from the ashes of 2003 invasion, and to start with the capital of the bloodiest history in the world since its foundation, a mayor was appointed for Dear Baghdad soon after the war.

Iam really trying to recall his name but can’t because he was appointed for a very short term, anyway, I had the chance to attend one of the meeting he held with some of the Iraqis who wanted to work with him and get positions in Baghdad municipality.

As usual, after few minutes, a quarrel erupted among the confrreres while they were trying to share these positions, it was really a small picture for what is happening now in Iraq.

When the dispute got more feverish, nothing left to the confreres only to resort to their Jihadi struggle to topple Saddam and that Saddam was kicked out only because of them.

At this moment, the mayor raised up and took the speech from those who were quarrelling and said,
“ Look, you can claim anything, you can lie as much as you like, but here Iam saying in front of all of you, any one claims that just because of him, including me, Saddam was toppled, he is a big lair, whoever he is, we all could not topple Saddam, he was toppled by America, so shut up all of you, and I do not want to hear any one of you describing himself as a hero and patriotic while the other is not, we all did not do that, it is America, Saddam would be still in power till now.”

I read lately, the first US wise article about Iraq by a Washington Post writer, his name is King, in which he was describing his frustration about Sistani refusal to meet any US official even president Bush himself, though Sistani now was nearly to be hanged in time of Saddam and it is only because of America, he is in his position now, the same like with Sader and Malki.

But why these figures do not respect America though America did them a favour, in fact, even the entire Iraqis only those who came on the US tanks who always praised America favour on them, the reason is that all the Iraqis knew that America invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam not for the sake of the Iraqis themselves but for its interest in the region, but by chance the Shiite benefited out of that.

Till now, the US can not grasp the fact or it knows but did not want the admit, that Arab world and Moslems never trust US intentions in the Middle East whatever US tries to prove to them because of the suspecious relations between both of them all over the modern histroy.

This luck of trust which is planted by America itself among Arabs and Moslem dated back to more than sixty year, because since that time, America was supporting Israel blindly on the barter of the Arab world and never did anything to reform that, yet, its practices against Arabs were getting worse and worse till it woke up on the events of Sept 11 and tore its hear about the massive damage caused by the Moslem extremists.

Again, the US did not learn from the lesson and began to correct the mistakes by another big mistakes till it ended with Iraq quagmire which till now claimed lives of 2,820 soldiers and thousands of wounded but this time not to be killed by the Moslem extremists but by the hand of America itself.

And today, the US is playing another game by expressing its satisfication of Iraqis joy for Saddam's death verdict which it kept described as Iraqi decison though everybody know how much America spent money on this court, on training the Iraqi judges and that there were always US consultants who watching the court and directing the Iraqi judges and prosecuters, of course not the defence lawyers, in another show to deceive the Iraqis that this court is for the sake of the Iraqi people oppressed By Saddam not for the sake of the US elections next Tuesday or other interests we will discover later on.

But the problem again is non of the Iraqis will believe that, even the Shiite and the Kurds and Sistani will keep rejecting meeting US officials even Bush and Sader current will keep denying US favour on them and would divide Mahdi army duty between killing Sunnis and American soldiers.

The Real Iraqis

Iraq

Two weeks before the US invasion to Iraq in 2003, a US spaceship devastated in the space, what was important for the foreign journalist who were in Baghdad at that time waiting for the outbreak of the war was one of the crew was the Israeli pilot who attacked Iraqi nuclear reactor ”Tamouz” in 1981.

The foreign journalist wanted to go to site of the reactor to talk with the people who live around especially those who have been there for long years and suffered of that attack to see how do you think about the death of the Israeli pilot, were they happy for his death?

It was a big adventure to go there with foreign journalists but we decided to go and see.

Most of the families who were living there were rural, they hardly read and write particularly the old, but as usual they were the best people in welcoming the visitors and served them drink and food.

We sat with one of the families who had sheep and cows and a lot of kids to ask them about how do they feel about the death of the Israeli pilot who was killed in that day, before we start, we saw to kids who had malformation.

I asked the grandfather about the reason, he said the doctors told us that the reason was because the contamination caused by the blowing up of the reactor.

Then, I asked the man, how did he feel about the death of the Israeli pilot who was behind the malformation of his grandsons?

The man looked at me and said” first of all as Moslems we do not feel happy if a person killed or died because all of us would die at the end, if he was guilty God would account him and if he was innocent God would reward him.”

The foreign journalist looked at me and did not believe what was that man was saying because she did not expect him to say such thing about an Israeli assailant.

We decided to see a family who was in that area since the fifties and ask them how do you think about the death of the Israeli pilot?

We went inside the house which was very simple and sat on the ground, I asked the father the same question after he told us about so many health problems suffered by the people there after the attack of the reactor.

The man answer was like that, “ for the Israeli pilot I feel sorry about him.” And before he continued I and the other journalist were really surprised, the man went on to say, “ I feel sorry for him and for the other people who died with him because all of them were scientists and their death is a loss to the entire humanity, these people can not be substitute, they are precious.”

It was a real shock for the foreign journalist and to be honest for me too, but I was so proud of the answer which indicated a big wisdom and real human spirit for people never been in schools or graduated from US and British universities.

Again, we interviewed another family whom the eldest son said “ We hate to feel happy about the death of a human being even if he was Israeli, and I think he was carrying out the orders of his commanders, something I would if I was asked by commanders.”

Two days after the invasion, I went to the collage of Fine Arts to interview one of the professors as they were trying to resume life in Baghdad, the professor was Shiite, he could not control his tears while he was describing the night when dear Baghdad collapse.

He said” Yes, I suffered a lot because of the law payment but this has nothing to do with my love to my country, I have refused many offers to go other Arab states to teach because I would accept to be humiliated by an Iraqi but not by any other person.”

There was a Norwegian journalist who kept telling me that he could not understand why the professor would accept to be humiliated by an Iraqi but not any other human being, I told him you will understand that only if you were Iraqi.

I recalled these interviews dated three years ago with their great meanings while we are living this wave of hatred and sectarian war which maintains everybody, these people were Iraqis who could not be happy for the death of an Israeli pilot, why now, I find Iraqis who are happy with the killing of their Iraqi bothers, who justify the death squads? where did we get these people?

It was a great shame when all the world condemn the scandal of Abu Ghraib and then you would find some Iraqis especially the official to justify that just because the majority of the people who were in Abu Ghraib were Sunni and would compare it to the prisons in time of Saddam.

I found it a great shame when non of the Iraqis at least protested for the killing and raping of innocent Abear an her family, as if they were not Iraqis?

It is really new Iraq by all levels and standards as America and those who call themselves the opposition abroad in time of Saddam, wanted to be.

Threat Game

The most common thing in Iraq nowadays is receiving threat letters, whether orally, by mobile or written.

And if you ask for reasons, there are tens known and unknown reasons, depending on the person himself who is receiving the threat.

but for the first time, I heard that it has become even a game for some teenagers to get some personal gains.

Salma is a widow with three kids, her husband killed in 2004 for being former Ba’athist at the front door of their house and she herself was injured too but she survived.

She thinks she still lucky because her husband bought her and their three kids a small house few months before his assassination to guarantee that the family will not be homeless.

The eldest son who is only 15 yr, is a real trouble maker, his main concern is to get money to buy cigarette, play games at internet cafes or spending it with his peers for trivial things.

The mother told me that she was so upset of him because of his carelessness that he quitted the school and he wanted her to get him money by any means.

She wanted him to join the police, I told her that it was very risky and he would be killed, she told me, “ This what I want I want him to die so that I can have some rest of his endless problems.”

But again to join the police, her son, Hassan, needed money to give to the police to accept him, so the mother had to get him money but when she got the money she had another problem which was Hassan age, he is not 18 yr, so she has to change his ID.

When she found a person at the ID department who accepted to do that, he asked her for huge amount of money that she could not afford and decided to leave the entire subject.

Few days ago, Salma found a letter at the front door, when she read it, it was a threat to her to leave the house immediately or she would be killed.

“ I could not stay for one moment there, and when I read it was signed by Bader brigade, I ran to my cousin who was a prisoner in Iran for 18 yr and got back as Bader brigade member to question him about that.” Salma said.

When Salma cousin read the letter, he told that if Bader brigade threatens a person, it does not put its name on the letter because they do not need to do that.

“ This letter must be from a person lives next to you and he sent it to frighten you, go and wait for few days.” Salma cousin told her.

Salma could not go to her house for few days in fear of killing but she needed to bring some stuff from the house, when she went there, one of her son’s friend approached her while she was moving some of the house articles.

The guy asked her why she was doing that, she told him that she received threat letter, the guy could not keep the secret and told her that her son, Hassan, himself wrote that letter to her because he wants to sell the house and buy a car.

Fadhil Story

At the last day of Ramadan, Sa’ad and other three young colleagues who work for Sader office loaded a car with kids dresses and went to Fadhil neighborhood in Baghdad to distribute them there among kids for Eid celebration.

Sa’ad like most of the Baghdadies knew about the ongoing fight between Mahdi army which is loyal to Sayed Muqtada Al-Sader and fadhil neighbourhood, one of the oldest neighbourhood in Baghdad, the majority there is Sunni.

The fight which began few months ago left a lot of causalities from both sides, Sunni who live in Sheikh Omer fled the place because of Mahdi army threats and because they could not continue their works there any more and Shiite who live in Fadhil went to Sader city for the same reason.

But Sa’ad insisted to take a car belongs to Sader office and go there to distribute dresses among kids there for Eid holiday.

Sa’ad family, particularly his mother who has only him and his wife with his five kids asked him not to go because the situation is very risky and no one will believe that he comes for the sake of the kids, but he believed that he was doing something good and he will survive.

On Monday Sa’ad went with his three colleagues to Fadhil neighbourhood and began to tour the place and grant kids with gifts from Sader, but they were stopped by an armed man who asked them what they were doing there?

They told him that they came to give these presents to the kids from Sader office but before sa’ad complete his sentence eight bullets went in his leg and a another in his heart.

His friend who was trying to help him were shot in the head too and so as the other two, within few minutes all of them were dead.

The armed men came to put them all in the car and put fire in their bodies but the people in the neighbourhood protested and condemned his act so he began to shoot in the air and ranaway.

At the first day of the Eid, Sa’ad funeral was set up in Sader city as well as for his other three colleagues.

His uncle told me,” I do not know what happened to us we Iraqis, I swear Sa’ad intention was good, he did not mean something bad, but do you know the three Sunni families who still live in our neighbourhood came to Sa’ad funeral to console me and Sa’d mother. They were receiving the mourners.”

I have talked with some people who live in Fadhil neighbourhood and asked them about Sa’ad and his other three colleagues who were killed there.

I told them that his uncle said that the fourth guys went to Fadhil at the first day of Ied for Sunni there to distribute presents and dressed among the kids but they were shot dead.

The people of Fadhil had another version for the incident which was absolutely different than the Shiite uncle story.

The people there said it was well-known to everybody in Baghdad the sensitive relation between the people of this neighbourhood and Mahdi army who used to come to their neighbourhood to kidnap and kill and that they even killed one of the prominent figure in this neighbourhood who was trying to reach an agreement with Mahdi army.

What the people there said, at the first day of Ied, large number of kids from Fadhil neighbourhood went to a park there were there are some games for them like swings and slipping ladders as most of the kids do in such occasion.

After few hours, a BMW car with four guys inside arrived to the scene and start to shoot against the crowd, they killed four kids and young man and wounded other eight.

One of the men told me what do you expect the people do there, just keep watching more people to be killed, they did what they supposed to do which was to kill the four of them before they kill more innocent people.