FEBRUARY-MARCH 2008
A TRAVESTY
by Layla Anwar
The online dictionary defines travesty as:
1.a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style, treatment, or subject matter.
2.a literary or artistic composition so inferior in quality as to be merely a grotesque imitation of its model.
3.any grotesque or debased likeness or imitation
Faithfull to my word and my promise, and in line with my last post, the time is ripe to expose travesties.I find that noun totally appropriate to describe one political character who goes by the name of Nasrallah also known as the “Sayyed”.Nasrallah is one of the most incongruous characters around. Incongruous is a polite word for a deceitful, lacking political and moral integrity, personage. And nothing is more apt to qualify Nasrallah but the latter.
Someone sent me this speech by the “Sayyed.” I read it.
Going past the usual verbiage that I am so used to by now, I noticed something worth EXPOSING and that is probably the only thing that caught my attention. Hence this post is devoted to him and by correlation to all of his supporters.
Nasrallah addresses the sons and daughters of Kerbala in his introduction.
You know where Kerbala is don’t you? Yes, you are right - Southern Iraq. What was called Iraq, but is now an official province of Iran.
But let me get on and not dwell on this “detail”, nor on the other “detail” when he calls Khameini “his Eminence and may God keep him..."
Not important for a so–called "Arab" patriotic nationalist, as “the Sayyed” likes to portray himself...Let me get to the real important stuff.
The paragraph that caught my attention, or should I say my rage is the following – An eloquent defense of Iran by a so-called "Arab" patriot. And I quote:
“Attack on Iran; siege of Syria.
What are the changes they said would take place in the region and on which they are counting? All I am going to tell you is part of the information available to us, but I am going to say it in a story-like manner in order to be very clear. I tell you now not to be afraid or worried. Anyway, listen to them. It was said that there was talk with this group that a US strike or a US war would be launched against Iran before May. Accordingly, Iran will be struck, Syria will be besieged, and the allies of Iran and Syria will be weakened - they classify everything as an Iranian-Syrian axis - and the situation will be in your favor 100 per cent.
I gave you this piece of information and now I will comment on it. My direct question to this group is: Are you sure that the Americans are telling you the truth? How many times have they said they will strike at Iran? If they strike at Iran and a war breaks out with Iran, will they or you guarantee the results? Who says war with Iran will achieve the US expectations? Who says war on Iran will not introduce a change in the region that might eliminate not only the Americans, but also all the Americans and their supporters?
Who guarantees this will not happen? They will come after a while and say I am making threats. No, I am saying facts. I am expecting things the way you expect a war on Iran to finish it off, weaken Syria, and destroy all the revolutionary and genuine national trends in the region. You have the right to expect things and I, too, have this right. I am saying this so that you will not waste your time by betting on things that may not take place and if they take place they might not at all be in your interest.”
I ask you to read this paragraph carefully. Then you get heated up as much as you like. But first read it carefully...
I have many remarks on this character, his incongruity and political hypocrisy.
The reason the “Sayyed” is giving assurances that any possible strike on Iran even though he dismisses its likelihood, is to the "advantage of the Region", is because of a very simple reality based fact – namely that the occupation and destruction of Iraq by the Americans and its handing it over to a sectarian Shia government whose main loyalty is to Iran does turn the table in favor of Iran.
Kerbala that he refers to in his introduction, is totally under Iranian control, so is Basrah, so is Diwaniah, so is Nejaf and so is Baghdad. So the “Sayyed” can afford to make promises for yet another “Divine Victory.”
The real backbone of the Arab world, Iraq has been shattered, with its vertebras lying like crushed dead bones on the ground...
Hence Nassrallah can easily claim yet another future "divine victory" should it be necessary...
And the ones who broke the backbone of the Arab world are none other than the Americans, the Iranians and the Israelis.
The other sentence that caught my attention is “destroy all revolutionary and genuine national trends in the region.”
Which genuine revolutionary and national trends ya travesty of a Sayyed ?
Iran’s and its militias in Baghdad, or Syria who was on the frontline in the first gulf War against Iraq? Or maybe your own group ya Sayyed?
The genuine revolutionary and national trends that you are referring to have been lynched, murdered, drilled, killed, raped, tortured, imprisoned and exiled...
The genuine revolutionary and national trends that you are referring to, have been eliminated by the Americans and your Iranian “eminences” and their militias, the militias of Jaysh Al Mahdi of Muqtada Al Sadr, of Al Hakeem, of Chalabi and of Al Maliki...Or maybe you did not know that ya Sayyed?
Just in case you forgot ya Nasrallah, I shall remind you. And do remember this Arab woman who reminds you - ya "patriotic, nationalist" that you are.
I will not even bother to go into your history and the history of your party.
We all know by now when and where it was formed and with which purpose.
But just in case you need me to refresh your memory when you were still a student of the not so great Sistani then, and after all, I am a few years older than you, so I will remind you...
Your Hezb ya Nasrallah was formed in Tehran to serve Khomeini in his war against all true patriots and nationalists and in particular the Iraqi ones. Do remember your Hezb’s bombing of the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut will you ?
Not only did your Hezb develop very close ties to the DAWA party and the SCII of Al- Hakeem that currently form the puppet government of Iraq and which consists of Muqtada Al-Sadr, Maliki, Jaafari, Hakeem...But your Hezb also made sure that during the current occupation of my country by the barbarian American Zionists that you supposedly denounce, it formed,trained and funded Hezbollah Iraq, and formed, trained and funded the Jaysh al Mahdi of Muqtada Al-Sadr.
The Iranian Quds Brigades were/are involved too, and divided their services between the Jaysh Al-Mahdi and the Badr Brigades. A nice multi-tentacles medusa of killers, don’t you think so, ya Sayyed?
Furthermore the aspiring mullah Muqtada Al-Sadr has visited you on several occasions to copy your “art” of playing politics and war at the same time.
Engage in the political process of the puppet government and at the same time keep his miliitas on alert – just like you.
And no, it is not to fight the Zionists but to torture, rape and murder more Iraqis in particular Sunnis, Palestinians and women.
But it does not stop there ya Nasrallah...ya sectarian hypocrite. It goes even further...
Your Sistani and your Iranian Ayatollahs from Nejef and Kerbala, the Dawa party, the SCII of Al-Hakeem, the Jaysh Al-Mahdi and Muqtada Al-Sadr have all landed thanks to the Americans tanks. But that does not seem to trouble you much. Kind of strange for someone calling himself an anti-American, anti-Zionist, a patriotic Arab nationalist don’t you think ?
Not only these sellouts from Iran that you so ardently support, murdered the true ARAB nationalist, patriotic legitimate president of this country, Saddam Hussein, and yes, your little aspiring mullah, Muqtada Al-Sadr was part of the lynching. Saddam recognized him in his last minutes...
But they also engaged in the most vile, heinous, criminal sectarian cleansing of the Arab Sunnis of this country, bringing down its population from 40% to 20%, through rape, torture, murder, imprisonment and exile.
And the remaining survivors are in ghettoes built by your Jaysh Al Mahdi, your Hezballah Iraq and the Americans.
Furthermore, the current sectarian Shia government of your “eminence” even refuses to extend basic services like electricity, water and garbage collection (forget schools and hospitals)- Ya Sayyed, ya Garbage enta.
Am not done yet...
Did we hear ONE condemnation from the Sayyed on the ethnic and sectarian cleansing undertaken by the sectarian Shia thugs that he supports? NO.
Did we hear ONE condemnation on the horrible body drilling, eyes gouging, teeth and nail plucking done by his sectarian Shia mates? NO.
Did we hear ONE condemnation on the daily rape, burning and murder of women mostly Sunnis and Christians, committed by his sectarian Shia criminals ? NO.
Patience, ya Sayyed am not finished yet...
Let’s talk about your anti-Zionism and your so-called support for the Palestinians shall we ?
Again, you are 40 and am a few years older than you. I can safely say that I’ve been engaged in the Palestinian cause even before you were born. So my memory is slightly longer than yours, ya Sayyed.
A bit of history here. Do you remember when your sister Party Amal of which your Hezb is an offshoot was massacring Palestinians? I do...
Ok, let’s forget the past for a little while...Let’s turn to the present.
When the Palestinian population in Iraq mainly in Baghdad dwindled down from 35’000 to 7’000, thanks to the cleansing that Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Jaysh Al-Mahdi that you support and the Badr Brigades of Al-Hakeem that you also support (and both are from your love-Iran) did we hear one condemnation from your part or your Hezb ? NO.
When the Palestinians of Iraq were massacred and the ones who escaped with nothing but the clothes on their back and are still living in tents on borders, did we hear one word of condemnation from you ? NO.
Total Silence. How come Ya “Hero” of anti-Zionism ?
Wait, wait...
When your Hezb joined the current Lebanese Army after your so called “Divine Victory” against the Enemy, and when that same army leveled Nahr Al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp to the grounds under the pretext of so called “Fath Al-Islam” - Did we hear one condemnation from you? NO.
When you talked of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and in Nahr Al-Bared being a "red line" not to be crossed. And 30’000 Palestinians from this camp have become refugees for the third time, did we hear one word of condemnation from you? NO.
Quite the contrary. I still hear some of your ardent members and supporters claim that over 150 of your finest Lebanese army men were killed and that turning Nahr Al-Bared to rubbles was a must. After all Fath al-Islam are nothing but Sunni, Mossad, American agents according to your analysis and their parroting of your worthless analysis...
Curiously, many Zionist, American hardliners are urging you for a rapprochement with Israel against the Arabs. I am not surprised ya Nasrallah. This is where you and your Iran are ultimately heading...
Ya Nasrallah, I have said enough so far.
Those who are orgasmic at your speeches, let them be. A misplaced politicized libido...poor things.
However, I and a good number of others have seen through you.
Iraq has been destroyed, beyond repair, thanks to the Americans, the Zionists and Iran with its “eminent” Ayatollahs like you like to call them and thanks to its mullahs and their criminal thugs and last but not least thanks to a travesty like yourself.
You and your supporters have no political, moral or intellectual integrity.
In fact, you and your herd have no shame. You are all a political sham of the first order. You are like a cheap aspiring belly dancer, who will follow the highest paid drummer and dance along....However your tune is very much Persian for a so-called Arab.
Yes, a Travesty indeed.
comments:
Hi Layla,
It is really very rare to find someone that understands
and analyzes Lebanese politics correctly. The problem is
that most of the so called intellectual masturbators (I
love this term as it fits them well) have short-term
memory loss, (maybe long term as well). One of the very
few nice articles can be found on Al-Shiraa website:
www.alshiraa.com.
Before Lebanon got its independence, it was under the
French occupation. The French influence stayed until the
start of the civil war in Lebanon in 1976. The French
ruled Lebanon with their allies who were basically
Christians and Sunnis. The Shias were out of the
political equation at that time. Not until the Israeli
invasion in 1982, which it was a turning point for the
Shia. After the Israeli withdrawal from Beirut in 1982,
the Shia started to be more and more powerful in the
political scheme. One of the very early militant groups
was the AMAL movement. The Shia awakening started by the
Imam Musa Asader, an Iranian Mullah, at that time. This
Mullah started pouring the Iranian money into building
the infrastructure for the Shia minority especially in
the south of Lebanon. To understand why the Shia were
given a future major rule here, you have to look at the
Israeli strategy in the region for a long time now. For
Israel to survive in a majority Arab Sunni environment
they have to collaborate with the other minorities in the
region, for instance look at the kurds and shia in iraq.
You know there is a fascinating aspect about this
strategy, it is that you can convince not only the
leaders of the minority but also the entire population,
of this minority, by your ideology. Naturally, the
majority of any population will rule, it just a natural
law. All the minorities have this sociopolitical desire
to be in the political power as they were out of the
picture for so long. So that is why Israel knows that its
only chance of survival is to work with such minorities.
South of Lebanon is very important to Israel. It was out
of control and military groups never stopped attacking
the north of Israel. By invading Lebanon, and finishing
most of the Palestinian groups, they needed a natural
ally. Which it was there for them, the Shia minority in
the South. However most of the Shia leaders at that time
were Arab nationalist, they would never consider a course
that does not go with the Arab cause. Then Iran comes to
the rescue, and that is how the Amal movement was created
and consequently hezbullah. Iran created and fueled the
shia with its sectarian agenda against palestinians and
arab sunni, as it mach the Israeli interest.
The first thing Amal did is the ethnic cleansing of the
Palestinians from the south of Lebanon, all the way to
Beirut. This ethnic cleansing also affected the
Palestinian natural ally the Arab Sunni in Lebanon. That
took place right after the Israeli withdrawal from
Lebanon in 1982, and continued until 1984, 1986 etc. Of
course, no one dare to make any kind of military
operation against Israel in the south of Lebanon after
that time. All the war crimes that the Mehdi army is
committing in Baghdad against Sunnis and Palestinians
took place in Lebanon at that time, and again with the
full support from Iran.
The Amal movement did a very good job in securing north
Israel. Nabeh Berri, the war criminal, who was the head
of AMAL movement, was awarded to be the head of
parliament and still is. Due to this amazing success,
they needed someone else to continue the Iranian-Israeli
course in the region this time. That is why hezbollah was
created. It should be noted here that so many secular
Shia opposed this strategy, including the former head of
hezbullah Sobhi Atofyli who said: “Hezbollah became
the guardian angel to the north of Israel” he said
also that “Iran is the most dangerous on shiasm, as
they are using it to pursue their own sectarian Persian
agenda” and yes this person is a shia scholar
anti-Zionist, anti-American. Yes he was former head of
Hezbollah, but apparently, they did not like his style.
He seems too much consumed with the Arab nationalist
propaganda.
The job of Hezbollah is to first convince the arab and
muslim world that iran is really fighting Israel. It is
really important to keep this harmony between Israel and
iran against the arab and muslim cause out of the
picture. That is why we witness some monkey like fighting
in the south of Lebanon with Israel just to create the
necessary distraction. In 2000, Israel withdrew from the
south of Lebanon completely, and Israel gave the victory,
intentionally, to Hezbollah. It was a huge reward to
Hezbollah that made him the legend of the arab in the
21st century. Do you think, that it would be better to
give this kind of victory to the Lebanese army or regime,
but no it was given to Hezbollah because the story does
not end here. They needed to popularize the image of iran
and Hezbollah, because they need to keep iran in this
flowery picture in the heads of the arab and muslim
world.
It is really interesting to see who really lost the most
in the recent war in 2006. Can you take a guess, well it
was the Lebanese people, Lebanon as a country. The
infrastructure of Lebanon was demolished. The unifil
came, and now south of Lebanon is even more secured. They
wanted to put huge pressure on the Lebanese government so
that if it falls, a civil war will start.
So what is happening in Lebanon. Basically it is a
conflict between Europe and the US. Yes, the government
is supported by the French and Hezbollah is support BY
THE US AND ISRAEL AND IRAN. In 2004, there was a company
searching for oil and gas, the curse of the ME, in
Lebanon. Unfortunately they were able to find some, and
the former PM Hariri, gave the contracts to France. That
was a grave mistake, as it angered the Americans. The
Americans then gave the green light to their allies, the
Syrians (yes they are their allies and I need another
long post to say why) to assassinate Hariri. Because
Hariri was Sunni there was humongous reaction from the
Sunni population against the Syrians and they drove them
out. The government fell in the hands of the French and
the Americans didn’t like it. The government is
trying to balance between the US interest and the French
interest. Hezbollah job now is to threaten the government
from upsetting their masters the AMERICANS. And it is
very easy to do it as the government is considered as
traitors, and Nasrallah, is considered hero. So it really
comes in handy. And no the government cannot do anything
about it because, if they say anything that upset the
American-Israeli-Iranian scheme in the region they will
be blown into small pieces that cannot even be found to
put in a coffin.
You see Layla, it is not that Nasrallah is against the US
in Lebanon, and with the US in Iraq. It is just the job
requires him to appear, look like, pretend, to be against
the US in Lebanon. But he is as loyal as all the
Iranian/Israeli puppets in the region. Hezbollah is
caring the US agenda in Lebanon and no one, including the
government is dare to stope him. What is happening in
Lebanon is just a fight between the French and the US to
get their hands on the new found oil, the curse of the
Arab world.
-ABC
You have handled the freak very well, Layla:) here is
a clip that shows an interview with Nasarallh on the
Irani television, where he meekly and politely and
quietly pays allegiance to his master- Ali Khameini.
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1541.htm
The freak never elaborated on what he means by national.
Is it Arab national, or Persian national aka welayit
fakeeh national?
I have watched Nasrellah on several televised interviews
and internet clips, I have read many of his statements,
What drew my attention most is that, he seldom used the
word “ARAB”. I wonder how that simple
observation missed all this huge cheering audience of
writers, journalists, intellectuals, belly dancers..etc
hailing that cheap Iranianised man to be
“Saladin” of modern times. Whenever Nasarallh
talks about resistance, Iran is promptly thanked in the
same context. Nasarallah never misses a chance to crack
down on Arab rulers in his bombastic speeches( I am not a
fan of them myself)- while on the other hand, he
highlights the heroic role of the Islamic republic of
Iran in supporting the resistance. In the midst of
boiling speeches he sometimes injects some short quick
lines on the American occupation ridding Iraq of an Evil
aka Saddam. The man is credible, he lost his own son in
combat , he improved the lives of the disenfranchised
poor Lebanese( with Iranian money). The man is trust
worthy as he is a clergy man who speaks with a simple
charismatic language that resonates well with a huge
portion of Arab population. His storylines on resistance
, corrupt rulers…etc move towards, anchoring Iran
and its project as the “ good fellow” in the
Arab street, discrediting Saddam Hussien and presenting
the Iranian occupation of Iraq as an irrelevant domestic
issue; leaving alone the confusion generated by the wide
misunderstanding of the Arab-Persian conflict in Iraq as
a Sunni-Shiite one, especially that social structure of
Iraq is quite ambiguous in most of the Arab world. He
tactfully and skilfully pulls the right chords with
Arabs, as well as the western leftists who might as well
be fascinated by the bizarre character of Nasarallh and
oriental Irani mysticism, as opposed to the ancient and
competitive Arabic rivalry.
To my own view, I think that Nasarallh is very sincere in
his believes in welayit fakeeh and “Irani”
Islamic Ummah- Nasarallh is part of Iran, and Iran’s
biggest enemy is Arabs, whatever the definition of that
is. So as to prove that Nasarallh is what is called
Persian ( there is no such thing as Persian as they are
extinct species) I shall go back to his attack on Israel.
What did it exactly serve that attack? Did it liberate
the Shabaa farms? Of course not, only a natural born fool
would have expected that possible ( it is a very small
surface area very close to Israel, so attrition war
tactics could have never been effective in this regard).
On the contrary, the outcome of the battle was the
occupation of Lebanon by International troops! That was
it, it maliciously and cunningly forged the annexation of
a big chunk in the heart of the Arab world by Iran, since
Hezbollah had turned into a state that declares wars and
negotiates with U.N. In the meanwhile, the war fitted in
perfectly well with the Nasarallh-Irani Discourse of the
Khomeinist anti- imperial Islamic revolution. Then we
finally come to the most crucial reason behind that
bizarre war - which is Iraq. The war broke out at a time
when the popularity of Saddam was on the rise, at a time
when news about death squads were starting to spread in
the media. So Iran decided to destroy Lebanon , in order
to divert the sentiments of dissent among Arab
populations into supporting it instead of Iraq!
What is equally astonishing is the total lack of any Arab
discourse among the transnational Muslim brotherhood (
they have no problem with an Arab nation, but they
totally reject Arab nationalism). Arabs are the common
denominator of both Americans and Iranians. Iran would
never finance and provide revolutionary consultancies to
political powers that are not aligned with its project.
On the other hand, Americans wouldn’t mind tamed
Islamists in power, but NEVER ARAB NATIONALISTS.
Iran-Nasarallh is a master of the communication and
playing Arab emotions i.e. propaganda. The best way to
counter it is a counter propaganda that capitalises the
integral relation between Arabism and Islam, the
American—Israeli- Irani common interts as well as a
relentless perennial rhetoric discrediting the
Iran-Narallah malevolence.
To AMRE--Thanks for adding the part about interjecting international troops into a sovereign country, Lebanon. I should have done that in my previous comment, above. I had a blog on that very subject--the real winner of the Lebanon war. All that could not have happened without first eliminating the Syrian military from Lebanon, a stabilizing force, whatever role Syria may play, nonetheless, an Arab country, thus, opening up Lebanon to the scenario that followed Syria's removal, Siniora and international troops. In addition, as I recall, is/was the question of Russian military bases on the Syrian coastline, versus, now, "international troops" in Lebanon. And so on.--karlmarxwasright
Hi karlmarxwasright,
the oil issue is still sort of indoors subject, as it may
certainly create a civil war. The only media was able to
spot it is alseyassah:
http://www.alseyassah.com/
As far as the French-American conflict, it is more real
than ever. The American trouble in iraq elevated the
appetite of Russia and Europe to get back in the game in
the region. The oil issue is much bigger than citigroup,
harir and Sinuora
-ABC
In politics you don’t have black and white,
friends and enemies, you just role with it, and that is
what makes enemies of today friends of tomorrow. If you
don’t consider this rule, then it is hard to
understand the political game. Yes what you said about
Israel is right, Europe cannot upset Israel, but that
doesn’t mean they cannot fight for their own
interests which are consistent with Israel interest
anyway.
The US had a plan to divide the ME even further. However,
the turn of events in iraq, had a major setback for them
in the region. Subsequently, after the American bear got
tired from fighting, the foxes try to snatch bite from
here and there. Don’t get me wrong here, I am not
saying that the French or Europe will come to the rescue.
They did not and will not give a damn about the iraq, or
the arab nation. Remember Europe did not agree to invade
iraq, that doesn’t mean because they had any respect
to the people of iraq. It just did not work with their
interest. That was a conflict between the US and Europe,
right? So no the US is not Europe even if they are both
good boys to the Zionist master.
The trouble in Lebanon is that the Christians were always
in favour of Europe. At the end of the day the point I
was making is that Hezbollah acts in Lebanon are
consistent with the American interest in the region. They
did their job perfectly in securing the Israeli border
and they are fighting for the Americans to break down the
French supported government, the Senioura government.
That doesn’t mean that the government is innocent or
the French are with Lebanon. It just to understand what
is really going on, who’s on whose team. At the end
of the day we are the cake and they are the ones eating
it.
YOU MAY NOW SUCCESSFULLY ANALYSE THIS NEWS
REPORT BY PATRICK COCKBURN FOR THE OMMISSION OF
EITHER TRUTH, COMMENT OR CRITICISM,AS ****Sunni vs Shia: the real bloody battle for BaghdadBy Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad A teenage boy was arrested recently for the attempted rape of a girl his own age in a school in west Baghdad. He admitted he had chosen the particular girl as his victim "because I knew she was a Sunni and nobody would protect her". The boy was mistaken in his belief that he was beyond the law, mainly because the girl's uncle was a senior officer in the army. But his words explain why Iraq's Sunni minority feel so vulnerable since they lost power to the Shia majority when Saddam Hussein was overthrown five years ago. Reconciliation between Sunni and Shia, seen by the US as essential for political progress in Iraq, is not happening. The difficulty in introducing measures to conciliate members of the old regime is illustrated by the way in which a new law, originally designed to ease the path of former Baath party members into government jobs will, in practice, intensify the purge against them. The framers of the law wanted Baathists to be able to get their jobs back in the Iraqi military, security services and elsewhere. But the Iraqi parliament has a Shia majority, and the legislation signed into law last Sunday will make it more difficult for the former Baathists to work for the government. Under the terms of the law, Ahmad Chalabi, the chairman of de-Baathification commission, said 7,000 senior Iraqi security personnel will be fired. "The law flatly mandates that all people who were in security such as the Republican Guard, Special Republican Guard, general security or military intelligence must go." The new measure will effectively strip the Iraqi army, security and intelligence organisations of their senior officers. Mr Chalabi believes it has been unfairly pilloried as a wholesale attack on anybody connected to the old regime. "The Baath party had 1,200,000 members of whom only 38,000 were subject to de-Baathification," he says. "Of these, 15,600 applied for exemptions [allowing them to take government jobs] and only 300 were turned down." The provisions of the new law are not the only difficulties facing Baathists or Sunni who work for the government or want to. It is often physically dangerous for them to work in ministries, such as the oil ministry, in overwhelmingly Shia parts of the capital. Some ministries, such as the Health Ministry, were controlled for long by the party of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The ministry's guards were all Mehdi Army militia from Sadr City and Sunni believed the cellars of the ministry had been converted to torture chambers. A reason why there is such intense competition to control the government in Baghdad is that it is a giant patronage machine funded by oil revenues. The state has four million employees or people on pensions, Mr Chalabi says, about twice the number employed by the government under Saddam Hussein. Aside from government jobs, there are very few employment opportunities in Iraq. Discrimination against Sunni is not just confined to ministries. Since the savage battles between Sunni and Shia in Baghdad in 2006 Sunni have often been unable to go to work. One Sunni maintenance engineer in the non-functioning railway station was told by Shia militiamen to leave or be killed. A friendly Sunni co-worker collected his salary for several months until the militiamen told him to stop or be killed himself. There was always going to be friction between Sunni and Shia in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. But what turned sectarian tension into a bloodbath were the massive al-Qa'ida suicide bombs, often a ton of explosive in a vehicle, detonated in crowded Shia markets and religious gatherings. Though the Shia were patient for two years, they struck back massively after the destruction of the Shia shrine in Samarra on 22 February 2006. It is the outcome of this battle for Baghdad which still determines the political landscape of Iraq and makes reconciliation between the communities so difficult. The struggle for the capital was won by the Shia, who now control at least three-quarters of it. Pressured by al-Qa'ida and the Shia, many anti-US Sunni guerrillas switched sides, seeking US protection, but they intend to renew the battle for Baghdad whenever they think they can win it.
|
from fallujah
"The city's streets look as if the fighting had
finished only a few weeks ago.
CAIRO — Buildings reduced to a heap of concrete
slabs as if they were toppled by missiles the other day
and walls pock-marked with bullets, while clean water,
electricity or medicine are something of a luxury.
It is not a scene from Gaza or the southern suburb of
Beirut in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war, but a
miniature portrait of the onetime Iraqi resistance hub of
Fallujah three years after the US occupation had sealed
off the city, the Independent reported on Monday, January
28.
"The Americans provide us with nothing," said
one mother. "They bring us only destruction."
The US occupation forces launched in March of 2004 an
abortive operation to control Fallujah, which went down
in history as the country's resistance command base
against the occupation at the time.
Eight months later, the US occupation staged a
devastating operation following the killing and
mutilation of four US Blackwater contractors by locals,
recapturing the resistance hub.
The November onslaught left much of the city in ruins and
up to 1,300 killed, including children and women.
Thousands were maimed for life.
Today, the city's streets look as if the fighting had
finished only a few weeks ago.
The city is still under siege, more difficult to enter
than any city in the world.
There are more than 27 checkpoints, only on one road that
links the city and the capital Baghdad.
"The siege is total," said Kamal, a doctor at
Fallujah Hospital.
Nobody is allowed to enter Fallujah unless they carry
biometric identity cards.
After controlling the city in the wake of the aftermath
of the 2004 battle, the US occupation finger-printed
locals and gave them a retina scan to issue them
biometric IDs which cannot be forged.
Luxury
The city still lacks many of the basic humanitarian
needs, which have become something of a luxury.
"We have no electricity, we have no water," an
elderly man shouted.
Inhabitants say their war-torn city is getting
electricity only one hour a day.
Overlooking the apocalyptic scene, the city's newly built
bridge has turned into a park for US armored vehicles.
People still walk warily in the streets as if they
expected firing to break out at any minute.
The city's healthcare system is also collapsing.
When asked what the hospital lacked Dr. Kamal said:
"Drugs, fuel, electricity, generators, a water
treatment system, oxygen and medical equipment."
Officials say things were getting better.
But locals gathering at one ward at the city's main
hospital contradicted the customary upbeat statement.
"Every day 20 children die here," said one.
"Seven in this very room."
love
I've spent the last three hours writing an article for
the other blog.
Ok, I can understand you might have difficulty keeping
up. But...
I am having great difficulties keeping up too. And it has
nothing to do with blogs.
I just read this and having experienced it "All
Iraqis will go to heaven, because we've all been to
Hell." - I know there is never a good time to
give up.
I am not a politician, am not a poet, nor am I a
writer...Am just a survivor.
And like every survivor, we seek little things...
Sentences here and there. Maybe a poetry line, a piece of
music, a work of art, the eyes of a stranger that bring
on a sense of familiarity, a memory, a song, an embrace
or a heartbeat...
Photographer: Iraqi, Nadhem Ramzi
A heartbeat and the heart breaks open and says "finally"
And the heart breaks open and sighs...or sheds a few
silent tears.
Let your heart breathe - Open it.
I have to keep the lid on most of the time, because am a
survivor.
Am a survivor of many things I will not share with you. I
can't afford to unlock the bolted door. I need to keep
going...but occasionally...
There is a popular saying that goes - you will never
realize how much you love something/someone until you
lose it, her, him.
This is very true. This is why I believe it is important
not to take anyone or anything for granted. Especially,
not those you love.
And I absolutely love Iraq. I never realized how much I
loved Her until I lost Her.
This is so hard to explain. But those of you who feel the
same will understand.
When I get very homesick, I watch pictures and videos.
Most of them are of bad quality, but it does not
matter...Love does not care about appearances.
I watch Dijla and Furat, (Tigris and Euphrates)
and I need to say it in Arabic-Dijla
and Furat...and I see them running in my veins -
like my own blood.
Someone sent me several snapshots of palm trees. It has
become our common symbol, our common bond...
We send each other palm trees with pictures of dates
hanging loose, hanging in freedom, waiting to feed,
waiting to give nourishment, waiting to be picked and
savored...
And when we share those pictures, we understand
everything we need to understand.
We don't need analysis, theories or political parties to
define "it" for us...we just understand.
Because when we look at the pictures, we smell the same
smells, feel the same sensations, smile the same smile,
we become one again in our common memory of what it was
like...good and bad, does not matter. We have a past
reference...even the youngest amongst us, has it
ingrained in him/her.
And I become that palm tree...my hair falling down,
sometimes across my face, sometimes blown by the
winds...and they become the leaves and the branches...
Th trunk is my spine, my backbone...Everytime I catch a
glimpse of myself slouching, slouching under the weight
of "it", I remember Her and redress myself...
Everytime I feel I have no fruits to give, I compose a
few silly lines like these ones and hope they become
nourishment...
Everytime I feel dried out, I remember Dijla and Furat
running in my veins...
Everytime I feel lonely and cut off, in a world of
indifference, I remember Her.
And I see images of my grand mothers, my great aunts, my
grand fathers, my great uncles...
I see my father, my mother, my sister and my brother. I
see my aunts, my uncles, my cousins- even those I
dislike...I see my nephews, my nieces, my neighbors, my
friends...
I see the men I loved and the men I hated...
I see them all running in my veins.
We have become part of one another.
Hell brought us closer, hell brought us together again.
And I start missing each single one of them.
I reach out to revive them, even though they are already
dead.
And those that are alive, I reach out to keep them
going...
Sometimes our fingers touch and sometimes it is too
late... "Destiny" was quicker, faster than my
grasp.
I don't even know if this will be published, we are
having acute problems with our "servers" -
nothing new here.
It took me ages to log in. And it will take me ages to
give up and stop loving...Her.
I don't think it will ever be possible.
After all,
She is the rivers that quench me.
And She is the branches and leaves that cover me
And She the trunk that keeps me upright, free and proud.
And She is my memories etched on a tablet
And She is my life turned into an immortal Sumerian
stone...
After all , She is my Beloved.
Yes, I think it must be Love after all.
