IRAQ THE MODEL

Sunday, November 30, 2003

I'm not gonna give this a title …

This morning I was discussing the tragic accident of yesterday where
seven Spanish officers were killed with my friends (Zeyad and A.Y.S).
We were all angry, distressed and frustrated.
I felt ashamed to face my readers again. I even was thinking about giving up the whole blog. thing, but I decided to write, not for any purpose, but to relieve the pressure in my chest.

I was watching the news about the accident on the networks, and I was shocked to see some barbarians celebrating the death of those officers, but the most terrible scene was that when one of those barbarians stepped over the dead bodies singing a song praising the Ba’ath.
I could not utter a word and I remained silent for a long while thinking of the families of the victims watching their loved ones, killed and disfigured.
I wanted to cry, but the tears froze in my eyes.
I wished I could get there to kill those animals.
They were not real Iraqis, they were not even human beings, and they don't deserve to live neither in Iraq nor anywhere else.
Please do not misjudge the Iraqi people.
I asked myself a question: is that the way they say thanks to the brave men and women who left their homes and families to help us start a free, safe and prosperous Iraq?
Well…I guess this is not the right question to ask, because those criminals do not want Iraq to become free, they will use all evil to stop the progress in Iraq, they want to damage the reputation of the Iraqi people, they will continue to target Iraqis and coalition troops.
As for us, we should not stand by and watch, we should do our best to stop this evil plan.
I’m asking every honest man and woman and every honest government in the world to give a hand.
This is not a USA vs. Saddam battle.
And not an Iraqi people vs. Ba’athists battle.
This is the war of the free world against terrorism.
This is a war between all the good and all the evil.
If this is what they call resistance, and if this is what they call patriotism, then I am the first betrayer.
People of the world: you can not stay neutral, we're all on the (list).

Posted by Omar @ 18:25

Saturday, November 29, 2003

Let me be your eyes..series II.

I promised to tell you about different aspects of life in Iraq before and after the liberation, so today I'll be writing about another aspect (HEALTH CARE)
To those who think that conditions in Iraq nowadays are worse than they were under Saddan's regime, here are some notes involving the Medicare in Iraq before and after the war based on the events and facts I had witnessed during my 5 year service in the medical field before and after the war:-
1-before the war there was a system called "self financing" that was applied in almost all the hospitals and health centers. As one may imagine that the term must mean that each hospital should be responsible and independent in its financial affairs, actually what it meant was a much different formula.
Each hospital charged high prices for medications and medical services as compared to the average income of the Iraqis at that time, but this is not the major problem, as this system is used in many countries, the problem was that 20 % of these funds were taken to cover the defect in the military budget and 40 % were taken back to the treasury (Saddam's pocket) and this was the regular and officially documented system.
The remaining 40 % were supposed to cover the expenses of the hospital and to pay for the medical staff and other employees.
Today, the (self financing) system no longer works in pediatric hospitals( children under the age of 12 are treated without charging any fees). For older patients, however the system still works but after a 50 % discount of the prices and the funds no longer related to the salaries of the staff.
The whole money goes back to the treasury and the whole needs of the hospital is provided by the treasury, taking in consideration the 6-10 folds rise in the salaries of most employees and with the exchange value of the Iraqi Dinar to the Dollar being 1: 2000 which is very close to that before the war you can see the benefit for both the patients and the health workers, the former paying less and the latter getting more.

2- the most important change is that most of the emergency medications were provided in an amount that was far from being adequate. I used to go to the hospital for my night calls and the pharmacist comes and gives me the list of the remaining drugs, and I find that it contained only a single diazepam injection, three or four ampicilline injections with a few syrups and some times a single injection of hydrocortisone. This was not the case always, but this was the usual condition with very few exceptions.
I had to turn into a magician or a warlock to treat all the patients who come to the hospital, the no. of whom was by no way small knowing that it was the major hospital in al -Kut , one of the 18 Iraqi governorates in which over a 100 thousand people live.
The similar condition applied for most hospitals in Iraq with few exceptions.
Most of the chemotherapeutics used for treating malignant tumors were not available in hospitals and they were sold in the black market with prices reaching a 100 $ for the single injection (a fortune for most Iraqis at that time) forcing some families to sell their cars, furniture and sometimes their houses to keep the faint flame of life in their loved ones' hearts.
Today almost all of the emergency medications are available in all the hospitals and in more than a sufficient amount.
Almost all the chemotherapeutics are available for free for all age groups in most of the major Iraqi hospitals.

3- every one or two months we (the junior doctors) were forced to spend a week or two in Saddam's fedayeen camps and the so-called al-Quds(Jerusalem)army camps to supervise their (Dobermans’) health.
I recall when of my colleagues didn't show for 1 day, a military police unit was sent to his house where he was dragged (still in his pajamas) to the camp, he was told to choose between wearing a military uniform, holding a rifle to guard a spot for 24 hours, and spending 3 days in jail.

4- The police protection was near to nil. When a patient dies due to the lack of drugs or any other natural cause his shocked relatives would find no one but the poor doctor in duty to throw all their anger and frustration on, a phenomena mounted in numerous cases to the use of fists and boots and sometimes knives.
Today the junior doctors are free as all Iraqis are and no one compels them to do anything beyond their legal and moral responsibilities. The military service has become voluntary and even started to gain some appeal, after it was considered for along time as hell on earth for most Iraqis.
In every hospital there's a full FPS(facility protection service) unit to keep order and peace and to protect all the hospital employees.

5- The salaries of dentists rose from approximately 5 $(no, there are no missing digits!) to about 120 $ and those of the junior doctors and nurses from approximately 20 $ (again, no missing digits) to 120-180 $.
I know it's still a very low figure, but it's a good step forwards, putting in mind that most of the prices are still the same, with imported goods getting cheaper and local goods rising about 1.5 - 2 times the price before the war, and we were promised a big raise with the beginning of the next year. Besides we're not in a hurry, as we know that our country is passing through a very difficult economic distress, with all the huge debts, their interests and the money needed for reconstruction which demands some sacrifice and patience on our side.

And in case the GC do not fulfill their promises, well, we're not afraid any more and we will demonstrate, protest and keep the pressure until we get what we deserve.
There are no more torture rooms, no more mass graves and we will make sure that it remains so.

Posted by Omar @ 20:51

Here are some clarifications about yesterday's demonstrations:

::the demo. that was held yesterday was organized by some independent Iraqi
parties, and not by the GC.

::There will still be demonstrations all over iraq on december th 10th., and those are
being coordinated by the GC.

::I will provide you with any new info. about that as soon as I get some.

::about the number of yesterday's demonstrators:they were several hundreds, not
several thousands.
sorry for that un intended mistake.

Posted by Omar @ 20:45

Friday, November 28, 2003

I was there.

A wonderful sunny day in Baghdad, I couldn't sleep last night, I was anxious.
The day is my day.
I've stayed awake late watching the news channels broadcasting the news about president bush's visit to Baghdad.
I tried to figure out the meanings behind this visit.
I shared the tears with him, tears of joy, anxiety, and care for the future of his country men.
I was also afraid for the future of my people and I felt some kind of unity of feelings with all the good on earth.
I expressed that today as I marched with my brothers in the demo. That fights the terrorism and defends freedom and democracy.

My friends told me that they will come with me, I waited but no one showed up but that didn't break my determination to go,
as it means a lot to me.
I arrived at al-Tahrir square from where the demo. should start, and I was surprised to find that the numbers of police men and journalists were more than the demonstrators themselves.
We needed some men to hold the sign boards (these were also more than us).
I was a little bit disappointed, because I was dreaming of a huge demo. but when I took a minute to think about what this demo. represents, I restored some of the hope to my heart.

There were 3 cars carrying symbolic coffins for the victims of terrorism.
There were people from some Iraqi ethnic minorities and others who represented no particular party or group.
We decided -regardless of the small number- to march to al-Firdows square where the statue of the tyrant was knocked down on the 9th. of April.
The people who were standing or passing by through the ever crowded (Saadoon street) were watching carelessly and reading our signs.
After a while some men joined us, ordinary simple people with their simple clothes telling their suffering.
Fear started to vanish away from their hearts and people continued to join us and the small crowd grew bigger.

We became several thousands, and I saw the future in their eyes, I didn't feel they were strangers; we were closer to each other than ever, carrying the same feelings and ambitions.
I found myself walking amongst a group of the demonstrators carrying the flag of the Turkman's front, and I tried to say the same words they were saying, although I don't know their language but I was sure that these words represent my feelings too.
This the first time I march in a demo.
No one forced me, and I remembered the old days when we were obliged- by the tyrant's orders- to march in huge crowds in faked demos. crying out with his name and our love for our beloved leader.
His security men used to be surrounding us, watching the expression on our faces and how damn unlucky a man is if they notice that he was not doing the desired effort (shouting loudly).
We used to consider the police men as our enemies and there was even a proverb that says:" a police man will never see heaven"
Today, we consider them our defenders and our brothers.
they're sacrificing their lives tacking the front position to face the terrorists, they will definitely get rid of the bad reputation they earned in the past and they will learn to treat us respectfully, we're their brothers and our enemy doesn't distinguish between a civilian and a police man.

I've been there, and I came back stronger with a deeper belief that there are others who care for us, and next time, the participation will be wider.
Our victory in this challenge is a victory for all the honest, good and free people on earth.

Posted by Omar @ 20:36

Thursday, November 27, 2003

Happy id for everyone.

This is the first id after Saddam's gone. I’d like you my brothers of all religions and convictions to share my happiness with me.
This is the first time I choose my id.
I can not tell you exactly how I feel but I believe the true feelings will find their way to the hearts of the good.
In the past and with every id we used to repeat an old Arabic verse that expresses our grieve, a verse that you would have heard from most of the Iraqis, it goes:
Oh id,
With what sorrow you have come!
Oh id,

Now I can see this verse only on the lips of the remains of the regime, who found it hard to see the joy and happiness in our eyes, while they're tied and incapable of killing it again.
They might try to terrorize us through planting explosives here and there but they definitely won't be able to force us to send our blessings to the (legendary and inspired leader) the gift of god as the paid off Iraqi media used to call him.
No one ever will force us to pray for loudly in our mosques and churches wishing god to prolong his life to guide us from victory to victory.
At least we're not forced to see him on TV wearing his fancy suit presenting generous gifts to his sick-minded mercenary.
This id, no one told me that I must write slogans on my shop or my front door saying (yes..yes..yes..to our beloved leader ,the defender of the Arab honor and the brave knight of the whole Arab nation).

I decided to break the tradition of visiting the relatives and exchanging gifts with them, instead of that I went out to the streets to share the largest no. of Iraqi people the joy of the id.
As this time it's not official, but it's the people's id.
Yes I admit there was some sort of worry in the eyes of people that one can not miss, as the future is still vague for most of the Iraqis, but you also won't miss the optimism in the eyes of the young generations.
Mixed with that there was the grief and heartache for our brothers who we still miss.
Rise my brother from your mass graves for without you our happiness will never be perfect.
We won't forget you, for it was your struggle and your blood which was shed fighting the tyrant.
Without you the world would have never even heard of our misery and we would have never been free.

You ask me not to feel gratitude to those who set me free, ask for what is more realistic.
I say it with all my heart: may Allah bless America, UK, Italy, Spain, Australia, Poland and Ukraine.
For through the sacrifices of their sons and daughters on this land, smile has found it's way to our faces.
You have to be proud for what you have done.

I will never forget this and let whoever accuse me with whatever.
I will teach it to my children so that they may grow free, helping the good people fight for others happiness.

Happy id for all.

Posted by Omar @ 15:12

Facing the demons.

Last night I was sitting in the residents cafeteria having tea with some of my colleagues, the Iraqi TV was broadcasting an interview with some officials in the GC and some other independent parties discussing the expected demonstrations against the terrorism in Iraq.
Despite the large letters saying(NO TO TERRORISM) showing on the background, non of my colleagues seemed to be listening or paying any attention.

I turned to one of my friends and asked him: -will you take part in this demonstrations, he inquired (what demos.?) and when I explained the matter to him, his answer was NO. His excuse was that he didn't want to risk his life, so we indulged into a hardtalk, which attracted the others.
I asked them about their opinion one by one, one of them said that he will definitely go, the others refused, and when I asked why, one of them said that it's been organized by the GC which doesn't represent him, others said that it will not make any difference while the rest said that they have nothing to do with it and it's just an old account between the Americans and the terrorists that allied with Saddam and his loyalists.

At that time I felt an enormous rage growing inside , as I remembered the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis lying in the mass graves, the coalition soldiers getting killed every day trying to defend both the freedom of their fellow citizens and that of ours.
I saw the people of jeorgia who marched in thousands and forced shevardenadze to resign. I remembered all the compassionate and encouraging e-mails and comments sent to me from different people in the world offering their help and showing their support.
I couldn't hold myself and shouted in their faces (shame on you) for how long will this carelessness last?
For how long will this coward attitude continue?
When Saddam was in charge, you had some excuses, but now you have none.

The tyrant and his terrible killing machine are defeated, they don't sleep for two nights in one place, haunted by the American hammer, finding no other places than the basements and tunnels to hide in.
you are now free, protected by 150,000 of the coalition troops and a similar no. of Iraqi police and new military, yet you're still shaking of fear for just hearing Saddam's name.
Yes, there's a great possibility that they will attack this demo., but aren't we risking our lives daily as we go to our work or drive near a government building or near an American or IP patrol.
These terrorists are attacking our schools, our police stations, power supply, the red-cross and the UN, most of the time they choose to attack American soldiers as they pass through a crowd of Iraqi people, they plant explosives on our roads hoping that an American vehicle might step on it .
Do you think that your submission to them will make you safer? Maybe, but you will never be free. You always put the blame on the Americans and the GC, you'd better blame yourselves for such a negative attitude.

The discussion went for about an hour, at the end, 5 of my colleagues (out of 10) were convinced and will take part in the demo.
I thanked God saying to myself there's still hope.
After that one of my friends (a committed sheie Muslim) asked me gently: does it really grows inside you, this compassion with the USA?
I replied, if you mean the government of the USA then let me tell you that governments were made not to earn the love or hate of other people, but to protect it's citizens and serve their interests, which -I think-is exactly what the government of the USA doing. That’s why I respect this gov., however I do find inside me a growing love and gratitude to the American soldiers and citizens who continuously provide their money and efforts and even sacrifice their lives to protect their country, yes-but also for our freedom.

Here, my friend said that he agrees with me but asked (do you believe that the American soldiers are here to set you free?)
Well, my answer was YES and I don't find it naive to say so, although I don't deny that many of them came out for duty or for some personal benefits, but I still can feel the love of the people and soldiers of the USA to do the best they can for the sake of other's freedom.
Here, my friend shook his head not completely convinced. It’s your right not to believe it, for you and I can not easily comprehend it, but these men and women earned their freedom long ago and satisfied all their essential needs and most of the -what's considered luxuries for us- and it's a natural thing that when a human being achieves all of these his soul will rise high and he stands to take a look at other peoples' sufferings with sympathy and may not hesitate to sacrifice for them. Of course not all human beings do that, but only the good. On the other hand, the imprisoned and the tortured who lack the most simple human rights cannot do that and it's totally unfair on our side to ask that from him. It’s like asking a man with cancer to feel sorry for someone with a headache (as this is the case in which most people compare their misfortune to that of the others).

At the end, my friend nodded without saying anything, but I felt that he was somewhat convinced.
I hope that I’m not being too optimistic here as the hearts and minds of people change frequently and what was said in the night might well be forgotten in the morning.
Maybe, this demo. will be a total failure , maybe non of my colleagues will show, but I’m sure of one thing :I’ll be there to face my demons even if I walked alone or with a bunch of determined Iraqi people.

Posted by Omar @ 15:04

Monday, November 24, 2003

Do we really need these armies?

Till when should the armies keep on being a heavy load on our shoulders, spreading their destructive effect on our lives?
Here I'm talking specifically about the M.E. and generally about the 3rd world nations.
When shall we understand the lesson? Are we naive to the extent that makes us believe that they (the armies) were found to defend our nations, and to keep the regional equilibrium of forces?
what great servise the syrian army(for e.g.)is doing for the syrian people?
Do they really have the same role after the world had gathered to kick Saddam out of Kuwait?
Will the world nations continue to afford credibility and export weapons to these armies regarding them as a nonnegotiable condition for the existence of a nation? Or do we have to wait until Russia, china and India join the NATO to strip off the excuses that these armies use to justify their existence?
As an Iraqi citizen, I find that it's my duty to explain to everyone the disadvantages of these armies, because I have suffered enough of them.
yes, we do need national guards, borders' guards to save our land from intruders ,but I question the need for traditional armies with their known form. I find that the disadvantages are:
1-building and equipping such armies depletes the resources of nations (up to 80 % of the national Iraqi income was wasted on the army in the 1980's).
2-rendering idle the productive power of millions of citizens in some countries, as people were forced to do unnecessary service in non beneficial armies (the max. limit for duration of an individual's service in the army was 3 years in Iraq, but extended to 10 years during the war with Iran).
3-had a major contribution to retard the intellectual ability of educated people by keeping them booked in the army for years soon after getting their qualifications.
Even intelligent, highly active minds had their share of corruption and became blind machines that can do nothing but obeying silly orders.
4-gave the opportunity for politically unqualified generals to intervene in the civil, political life through faked revolutions and using military force to establish military governments, that deprived the true, qualified political personalities from performing their role in leading the communities.
5-participated in creating unstable conditions in the region (M.E.) and the world by raising continuous conflicts, performing invasions and destroying the vital and civil structures and natural resources.
6-encouraged the use of force and violence policy in solving internal and external problems and blocked the ambitions of the people buy militarizing the community and violating the public freedom and the mastery of law.
I don't mind my country joining a global force of good intentions and legal aims, so it will not be thought that we want the west to bear all the cost.
It's a request directed to the free world to find a way to forbid selling weapons to these armies.
I'm not afraid of the British or French nuclear power, but I do fear the possession of nuclear power by Libya, Iran or N.Korea.
Still dreaming of a world with no WMD's.

Posted by Omar @ 19:30

Sunday, November 23, 2003

Just a bad case of de ja vu..

-What was I supposed to feel when I see a statue representing Mr. Bush being pulled to the ground in London?
I hesitated whether to write about it or not, but I found myself compelled to do so as I couldn't tolerate to keep all the frustration inside.
-I was shocked I didn't find the slightest similarity the protestors wanted to exhibit and it never occurred to me that I would see such a naïve and absurd action, and where? In London!.
-We here are waiting for all possible help from these people to offer us what broadens our horizon and helps us reach the bright side of life as they helped us in freeing our country from the tyranny, and scenes like these make me doubt the value of such help, I mean what were they trying to prove?
-The real, living and historical event that took place in Baghdad
on the 9th of April that announced not only the downfall of the ugliest dictatorship in modern history but also the beginning of a new era of freedom was a totally a genuine and spontaneous reaction that came right out of the hearts and souls of crowds that have been brutally restrained for decades, and trying to simulate this through a previously organized and timed action was something the least I could say about is pathetic and disgusting .
-I can understand the fear of the middle east dictators from the ongoing changes in Iraq, as for them the new born democracy and freedom in Iraq is like a terrifying monster or a highly contagious disease that should be contained, but what I do not understand is the rejection of some of the people of the advanced world.
-I really do respect everyone's right to express their feelings but I also think that people should be more thoughtful and careful on practicing this right otherwise they might hurt others' feelings.
-In a previous post when I compared the tragedy of Iraq with the holocaust some of the readers were upset, and I can now understand their feelings.
-Now, the demonstrators should have thought a little about the feelings of other people before performing their play. To compare SH with president Bush is an insult not only to him but also to the American people (who elected him).
-I mean when you say that the American president is as evil as Saddam, how does this make the people who elected him look like, I also see an insult to the Iraqi people in this action because it is as telling the Iraqis that your approval of (such an evil man) makes you either cowards or as evil as he is.
-I can not but wonder, Who's behind all that? Please wake up, our land has turned into a source of terrorists and all because of gently dealing with the dictators, not to mention cooperating with them.
-I really don't understand why people find it hard to comprehend what happened, why are they against it? Why are they speaking on behalf of us? Can’t they see that they're opposing the only power that has the means and the will to fight terrorism on it's own ground.
USA, UK, and their allies did not only topple tyrannies in Iraq and Afghanistan but also trying hard to rebuild these countries, each new hospital or school in Iraq or Afghanistan will definitely reduce the number of terrorists on long terms. A free and prosperous Iraq and Afghanistan would be allies to the freedom instead of being a source of threat as they used to be.
-Can I remind them of the role of the USA in WW2(without being accused that I'm a CIA agent)?
-Is it so hard to them to understand that we highly appreciate the sacrifices that the people of USA, UK, Spain, Italy and the rest of the coalition countries in order to rebuild our country and make it ensure it's prosperity and progress?
-For the first time I feel hopeful as I see an American administration decided so firmly to solve crisis rather than managing them. And I wished the powerful nations could decide the same for the benefit of all humankind.
-Maybe it's the destiny of these countries (the coalition) to be only ones who fight for the freedom of others, and I think they should be proud of it. It will not be forgotten and let them be sure that at least here in Iraq there are people who would like to help them even if with just a few words for the moment, but maybe with a much more stronger alliance in the future as I hope.
-However, my hero is not president Bush, but it’s the free and brave people of the USA, regardless whether the Americans will re-elect Mr. Bush or not.

Posted by Omar @ 19:30

Saturday, November 22, 2003

Here are some answers to questions sent to me by one of the readers, I feel these questions are important and worth answering them.

-About whether president bush is selling off the Iraqi economy: if you mean the oil funds, 5% used to go to Kuwait as compensation for the damages inflicted by Saddam(25%before liberation).
95 % spent entirely for the Iraqis as: (salaries, reconstruction, Medicare, food supplies).
Recently the 5% compensation has been suspended.
As for contracts : most of them go to American companies but there are also Italian, Spanish, Japanese, French!? and some Arab firms.

-About unemployment: yes before the war more Iraqis had jobs, very little of those jobs were making enough money to keep a family alive and each official employee had to find a second job to support his family(for instance I, a dentist had to open a grocery to pay for daily life expenses).
Surely I gave it up after liberation.
Now, officials do not need a second job.
Today there are hundreds of thousands of unemployed(soldiers, officers, intelligence agents, Saddam's special security systems, information ministry officials, military industry officials)most of them are being paid approximately the same amount of money that the employed get, with exception of Saddam's special guards, senior baath party members(the tight circle around Saddam).
There are also rehabilitation programs for those unemployed people to help them get new jobs and go on with their lives.

-About Iraqi firms taking share in reconstruction: actually all the sub-contracts go to Iraqi contractors and firms with no exception.

-About affording more consumer goods: here's a simple example, one of my relatives who's a high school principle had to sell his furniture piece by piece to support and educate his 5 kids, his house was nearly empty a year ago(no TV no fridge. no car no air conditioner)today 7 months after liberation he has all these stuff, still looking for a car though, and his kids are much more properly fed and dressed.

-About the food situation: I can't tell about all the Iraqis, but one of the things that I noticed was a considerable decline in the number of beggars in the streets, and I haven't heard of a famine anywhere in Iraq.

-About the CPA compensating damages: I’m not very informed about that but I know that applications were made, some rejected, some still under study, others were accepted like the compensations given to families of the victims of the explosion in najaf(assassination of al-hakeem)despite the fact hat the coalition had nothing to do with that terrorist attack.

-About schools being functioning: I can assure you, all students are back to study, though some schools are still under reconstruction.

The curriculum is still the same but the pictures of Saddam and topics related to Saddam's wars and baath history have been omitted. Researches are now being worked out to change the whole curriculum.

-About Islamic fundamentalists schools: in fact there are no such schools in Iraq even before the war as Saddam allowed only his sick ideology to be studied.
Now, some religious groups started experiencing their freedom in holding their ceremonies and in preaching for their convictions but their effect on ordinary Iraqi people is not significant.
There are some fundamentalists, but they're not welcomed by the majority of Iraqis who descend from different ethnic, tribal and religious groups and sub-groups, so there is no real chance that one of these groups could dominate the street.

-About women safety: it's been months since ordinary life came back to the streets of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq, and women do walk completely safe through all Baghdad even at night, and they do not have to cover up except in the holly cities of shia (najaf&kerbala)while elsewhere especially Baghdad and the northern parts of Iraq the majority of women do not cover-up, and there's absolutely no one trying to force such an attitude, though the mullahs are still preaching in the mosques about this as they have been doing for decades.

-About weapons’ cashes: most of them have been secured and/or destroyed, however there maybe others still undiscovered.

-About agriculture flourishing: sorry to tell you that I don't have enough info. about this issue, but I think it haven't recovered yet.

-About Iraqi police: they have the authority to investigate, do arrests, enforce law and they do patrol all over Iraq unaccompanied by coalition forces and they're well armed and I haven't witness a single situation of authority abuse.
-About detained people: I can't tell the exact number, maybe some thousands, I can tell you they have contact with their families, for example :one of the most wanted 55 who is detained by the coalition is my neighbor's uncle and his family was allowed to contact him through the red-cross and supplied him with his needs.

-About baath members who lost their jobs: only the senior baath party members lost their jobs.
Thanks for your concern about our life in Iraq, I wish I was able to show some photos that reflect some aspects of the ordinary life in Baghdad (hopefully soon).

Posted by Omar @ 19:50

Friday, November 21, 2003

YES WE ARE RESPONSIBLE TOO, BUT..

The reason for this article is one of the comments which was posted after the article titled (you owe us..), which(the comment ) described Iraq as a child waiting for help without doing anything to help himself and urged me to get out of the internet cafe and help getting the bad guys, actually I found it true but I want to clarify something for the writer of the comment and all the others. Yes most of the Iraqis are not doing much to help themselves or the coalition forces despite the fact that they admit the necessity of the presence of these forces, but that's not the case for all Iraqis and I speak on behalf of myself and many of the people that I know :we have always resisted SH in every possible way(risking our lives sometimes)though we didn't carry arms, the heroic action that a lot of Iraqis did and most of those are now lying in the mass graves next to their wives, parents and children after being tortured and disfigured without even allowing their relatives to give them a decent funeral.
And that shows that the claim that we didn't have the guts to stand against SH is not true, now after liberation we still serve our people by doing our jobs and cooperating with the coalition forces, we try so hard to convince our friends and acquaintances that we should be active and that we should have a role in deciding our future rather than wait for the US. government to do the job or at least we should help them do it. Unfortunately most Iraqis are still idle, a fact that as much as it’s strange for people who have been oppressed for 4 decades as much as it made sense when we went deep to see the reason behind such a careless attitude . This had led us a long time ago to the same conclusion that was stated in that comment, that it's our own culture that was raising tyrants like SH and paving their way to power and is still capable of fertilizing many potential dictators, (not that our culture was sick but it has been manipulated by tyrants and their classical allies, the greedy, hypocrite clerics for hundreds of years to convince the simple people of the legitimacy of their leadership, and that this was only god's will, and anyone who opposes that was considered an infidel).
And that's why I found myself entitled to write this article to apologize to the world on behalf of all honest Muslims for unconsciously allowing the creation of such a monster(s) who endangered the whole world and put in to suffering not only Iraqis but most of the neighboring countries.
Yes we are a child nation and I find no shame in admitting this fact, we don't lack educated or wise people but it's the voice of the ignorant that is still louder, which makes us in need for help. This is the reason that makes me sit in an internet cafe to write to you and to convince you to support not only our nation but also the people of Syria, Saudi Arabia, N.Korea and all oppressed nations, (although they may not appreciate your action and instead of flowers you may well find rocks if not bullets waiting for you as happening in Iraq now ), and to(interfere) in the (internal affairs) of these countries this time armed with culture, patience,understanding,civilization and guns if necessary.
These poor and oppressed nations have made their contribution to the human civilization when they were once powerful, and now the power to change the world lies in your hands, and surely sooner or later these poor nations will have a role and will have the power again to complete the mission with you side by side.
And the answer to the question( what force us to risk the lives of our sons and daughters and spend money that we earned by hard work to save people that don't want to be saved??) lies in 2 logical reasons:
1-The danger of the wide spreading terrorism that flourish as a result of oppression and poverty, and that is supported by dictators ruling those people.
2- the day by day increasing ability to possess technologies of producing WMD's and the possible and horrible consequences we might get when we have a mad dictator armed with such weapons.
And if these 2 logical reasons are not enough then there's nothing that could force you to commit to such a hard and costy task unless you're.... HUMANISTS.

Posted by Omar @ 15:06

Sorry for not replying to your e-mails, you might have heard that we had a problem with electric power supplies for the last few days, so I had the chance only to write and publish the last article and read some of the comments and e-mails.
Now that the power supply had improved, I promise to give more time to reply to your messages.

Posted by Omar @ 14:58

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

LET ME BE YOUR EYES.

When I read your e-mails and comments thoroughly (regarding the first article) I realized that many of you are eager to see the truth about what's happening in Iraq and you want to make sure whether things are going better or worse there.
Some of you questioned the accuracy of news broadcasted by some media sources.
To be honest, I won’t say that the media are lying but they are telling only one side of the truth.
This side usually reflects the attitude of the funding source of that particular station or journal towards the events in Iraq.
So I’ll try to show you the naked truth about daily life in Iraq.
And I will try to show you the difference between pre. And post. Liberation Iraq.
I will put it in some form of a series, discussing one aspect of life in each post.
Let’s talk first about security and order in Iraq, as this is a major point of concern.
Some TV channels try to show our streets like battlefields, actually they are not. the streets are relatively safe and one can walk in the streets with no fear greater than the one he feels if he was in any other country. People go to work regularly, stores and restaurants are open even to a late hour in the night. crime levels in Iraq according to IP reports are declining and they’re now much lower than they were In April or May this year.
The main point that satisfies me is that I no longer fear the risk of death penalty because of something I said.
Do you imagine that someone could get tortured and executed just because he laughed at a joke about Saddam or the Baath ?
Statistics from the reports of the red-cross and the IP state that approximately 1570 Iraqis were killed in violent accidents in Baghdad during the first 5 months following the liberation.
Some would say, well , this is sad. This is a large number of casualties. And this is true.
But if you take any 5 months during the reign of Saddam you will find that the number will reach to an average of 30 000 kills in Baghdad alone , I don’t want to bother you with math.work but if someone thinks that I’m lying then I can show you the whole calculation steps.
On the other side there are some bad aspects like traffic jams and a little mess here and there, some of my fellow citizens have not yet understood the meaning of freedom and I think they have their excuses. And as time goes on they will understand their faults and work to fix’em.
Another issue that I want to talk about is the behavior of coalition forces.
They have been accused by ill-treating Iraqis, unjustified arrests, and random shooting of fire after being assaulted- by Saddam’s mercenaries-. And I tell you again, this is not true.
I have seen some of these actions and I met some American officers and inquired about the basis on which they get people arrested, and the answers were quite convincing.
Something else that I want you to consider is that there are 18 governorates in Iraq.
Violence is seen in only 5 or 6 of them while the rest are quite peaceful places and one can spend a week there without hearing a gun shot.
I believe that I didn’t answer all your questions, but I hope I got you closer to the truth. And the truth is :
Iraq now is a safer place than it’s ever been in the last 3 decades.

Posted by Omar @ 20:51

Monday, November 17, 2003

YOU OWE US AN APOLOGY

I don’t know really know why Saddam’s regime lasted for over three decades, but I am sure as an Iraqi who survived that period that there’re no legal or moral justifications
for it to remain.
I was counting days and hours waiting to see an end to that regime, just like all those who suffered the cruelty of that brutal regime.
It’s been really a disgrace chasing the world ,the world of the 21st. century, reminding it how incapable it was to aid the oppressed and to sue those who dispised all the
values of humanity.
Through out these decades I lost trust in the world governments and international committees.
Terms like (human rights, democracy and liberty..etc.)became hallow and meaningless and those who keep repeating these words are liars..liars..liars.
I hated the U.N and the security council and Russia and France and Germany and the arab nations and the islamic conference.
I’ve hated George Gallawy and all those marched in the millionic demonstrations against the war .It is I who was oppressed and I don’t want any one to talk on behalf of me,
I, who was eager to see rockets falling on Saddam’s nest to set me free, and it is I who desired to die gentlemen, because it’s more merciful than humiliation as it puts an end
to my suffer, while humiliation lives with me reminding me every moment that I couldn’t defend myself against those who ill-treated me.
What hurt me more and kept my wound bleeding was that they gave Saddam a tribune so the skinner can talk, and offered him a diplomatic representation almost all-over the world to broadcast his filthy propaganda and sprinkle Iraq’s wealth on his supporters.
I really didn’t understand those countries demands to take away our misery. Did they really think that the sanctions were the cause?

We were not even human, Saddam wiped off our humanity , we were just numbers and a lot of Identity cards that we had to show wherever we went.
The Baath idea was this:
YOU’RE A CITIZEN , THEN YOU’RE A SUSPECT
Believe me , we were living in the” kingdom of horror”.
Please tell me how could the world that claims to be civilized let Saddam launch chemical weapons on his own un-armed people?
Shame..
Can anyone tell me why the world let Saddam remain and stood against America’s will to topple him?

Till when will the charts of human rights remain incompulsory , cancel them, because they remind you of your big disgrace.
Keep giving time and tribunes to regimes like those in Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Libya to justify their presence.
To me I don’t recognize your committees and I have no time to listen to that nonsense, I’ve got along way to walk building my country and helping my people forget the days of abasement.
You all owe the Iraqi people an apology.
What happened in Iraq was worse than the holocaust.

Posted by Omar @ 19:18

Friday, November 14, 2003

My first blog

You can not imagine how happy I was when I created this blog and published my first article, after years of being imprisoned inside the walls that Saddam's regime built around Iraq.
I am really grateful to my friends A.Y.S and Zeyad who gave me all help and support to start.
Thank you very much.

Posted by Omar @ 16:20

THIS IS NOT A DREAM..

The dramatic change that happened in Iraq will-as I think-have a great effect on the region &the whole world in the coming years and the (MODEL) that is going to be established in this country will change many concepts&beliefs, which were thought to be true for a long period.
I would like -through this blog-to exhibit our points of view,WE:the Iraqis of the interior about this model, what we think about it & how we expect that everyone will take part by showing their ideas; because the more the opinions discussed the wider the horizon&the greater the chance we have to correct faults or avoid them.
I think that the new Iraqi model doesn't have much in common with the previous models presented to the world by USA(Japan&Germany) as these were basically found to deal with the international committees created after the 2nd WW.
The idea here is about that those committees have become out-fashioned &incapable to bare the international responsibilities.
So the Iraqi model will be the corner-stone in the new regional&global systems.
We have to bare our responsibilities to help establish the model, by doing this we're backing-up humanity in it's struggle against new ,serious challenges the major of these is the cancer-like growing terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction & the serious ecological & financial challenges.
Our major problem lies in those tight-closed frames that we still live in,this is the obstacle on the way of humanity to achieve peace & prosperity.
I believe that the strict concept of nationality represents the main hindrance that blocks the road to globalization, everyone talks about independence &national dominion ,but the question is :
Is there really an independent state?
Can anyone live without the others? why do we have to act isolating ourselves from the others in a world where events and their echoes are no longer contained in their focus.
I see that we can be the 1st. state in the world that gives up these narrow concepts and let’s be the 1st. state that joins the UNITED STATES OF THE WORLD .
I it’s time for the sun of national dominion to set,&for globalization to take place for the well-being of man-kind.
No more hand-cuffs strangling the freedom of a man ,wherever he is; this CONTRACT between the citizen & the state is no longer valid, this situation should change;
I am asking the whole world here :
If this is not the time,then when?

Posted by Omar @ 16:09