iraq:
COMMENT ON THE INTERNET: Nowadays Bush & his gangs
are faking anything they want just to be heros & play
roles of saviours in front of people & nations not
knowing that all their conspiracies and dirty games are
to be revealed ; not realizing that we do have brains and
that not all are naive ;ignorant or fools ....
I do feel happy as an Iraqi who is suffering daily from
the terror that Bush has imported along with his bloody
war --- I feel happy despite the tragic life we are
living ; I feel happy because day by day I realize that
our nation is not so weak as Bush thought ; I feel happy
because we have the strength & patience which has
been helping us to carry on and defy this mad situation
which has been put in our way by the bloody tyrant Saddam
Husain , the biggest liar in the whole world Al-Baradee
who has been awarded the Nobel prize for his conspiracy
with his allies & the worst USA president ever G.
Bush who is so thirsty for blood + killings & other
dirty criminals of the Qaida such as the Wahabis ,
Salafis + the like of those extremists who call
themselves Muslims and who know nothing of any religion
whatsoever .
Finally , I do feel content and relieved to know that
there are still honest ; decent frank and brave people
who can say the truth without any fear .
Bless you all
Best regards
Dr. Nidhal M. Al-Nakkash
Baghdad/ Iraq
09.18.07
(CNN) --
Iraq's former interim prime minister accused Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki of fomenting sectarian violence
plaguing the war-ravaged nation.
Ayad Allawi says Sunday
that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is loyal to Iran and
Shiite interests.
Ayad Allawi said Sunday
he will soon return to Baghdad to "reverse the
course in Iraq."
Speaking from Amman,
Jordan, Allawi told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf
Blitzer," that al-Maliki leads a government loyal to
Iran and Shiite interests.
Allawi accused the
prime minister of "supporting militias to take the
rule of law in their hands."
Allawi also said he
would like to see the United States begin to withdraw
troops immediately, but realizes the process could take
more than two years.
"I would play my
role in Iraq in whatever capacity is required to change
Iraq into an unsectarian country, to a peaceful country,
to a democratic country," Allawi said.
However, Allawi's ties
to a powerful Washington-based GOP lobbying firm raised
eyebrows just as President Bush has reaffirmed his
support for al-Maliki.
- by Joseph E Fasciani ©, August 16th, 2004  Without a doubt, the
most under-reported news story of the past month
has been the ascension to power of the USA’s
newest Puppet Who Kills (PWK), Dr Iyad Allawi, as
its appointed interim Prime Minister of Iraqnam.
Apparently it took a long time for them to find a
man with a past as dark and vicious as needed for
the job, yet one who wore a suit, instead of
their previous PWK, Saddam Hussein, who often
donned military outfits. |
"Prime Minister al-Maliki's
a good guy -- good man with a difficult job and I support
him," Bush said. "And it's not up to the
politicians in Washington, D.C., to say whether he will
remain in his position."
Allawi has hired
Barbour Griffith & Rogers, a GOP lobbying firm that
employs two of Bush's former foreign policy aides: Robert
Blackwill served as Bush's envoy to Iraq and helped form
Allawi's interim government in 2004, and Philip Zelikow
formerly served as counselor to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.
Blackwill is in charge
of the lobbying account, according to documents obtained
by CNN.
Zelikow, who advises
the firm on other issues, told CNN he has never been
asked by the firm about Allawi, nor spoken to Allawi
himself while advising the firm and knows "nothing
about their relationship or discussions" with
Allawi.
Zelikow said the
campaign against al-Maliki does "not involve me
directly or indirectly. I don't know about it."
Allawi said Sunday he
hired the firm "because of the crucial role of the
United States" in Iraq.
"We are asking
this firm to help us to advocate our views -- the views
of the nationalistic Iraqis, the nonsectarian
Iraqis," he said, adding that he is not directly
paying the firm.
"This payment is
made by an Iraqi person who is a supporter of us, of the
INA[Iraqi National Accord], of myself, of our program --
and he has supported this wholeheartedly without any
strings attached."
A senior Bush administration official said
last week the lobbying firm was "blasting e-mails
all over town" promoting Allawi as an alternative to
al-Maliki.
The official said there
was "no connection whatsoever" between the
White House and the campaign to undermine al-Maliki.
Asked why the firm
would be contradicting the president so stridently, the
official responded: "They're making a lot of
money." The official further dismissed the campaign
as a "bunch of noise."
Allawi will travel to
Kurdistan in northern Iraq next week before returning to
Baghdad.
"We are going to
fight for our country," he said. "We are going
to continue our belief in the political process, and we
would look to the support of the United States."
Scrutiny of al-Maliki
intensified last week when a U.S. intelligence assessment
asserted "Iraqi leaders remain unable to govern
effectively."
The assessment came as
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in
Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, prepare
to give Congress a progress report next month.
Criticism of
al-Maliki's leadership on Capitol Hill has spanned both
the Democratic and Republican parties, including GOP Sen.
John Warner of Virginia, the former head of the Senate
Armed Services Committee. He recently returned from
Baghdad with the panel's current chairman, Michigan
Democrat Carl Levin, with harsh words for al-Maliki's
government.
Levin and fellow
Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton have called for Iraq's
parliament to pick a new prime minister, drawing a rebuke
from al-Maliki on Sunday.
"This is severe
interference in our domestic affairs," he said.
AN ARAB WOMAN
BLUES...............
Raouf finally made it to Syria. For those of you
who do not know Raouf's story , please read a Postcard
from Iraq.
At first, he tried Damascus. An old small
"hotel" in the Sayyida Zeinab
neighborhood, run by an Iraqi Shia, who turned
the lobby into a Husseinya once a week.(Husseinya
means a religious gathering for rememberance of
the Imams Al- Hassan and Al- Hussein).
The hotel owner kept preaching to Raouf about the
problem with the "nawasib" i.e Sunnis.
Every morning he was reminding him that if only
the Sunnis praised Ahl Al Bayt (which they do),
everything will be ok. And if only the Sunnis
accepted that Imam Ali was the real inheritor of
the Khilafat then all will be ok. And if only
Aisha (the wife of the prophet) was not such a
traitor, then all of this would have not
happened. And if only Abu Bakr, Othman and Omar
were not such hypocrites, then all of this would
not be taking place...
Raouf is patient by nature and he really does not
give two hoots about these divisions.
But his last ordeal in Baghdad left him fragile
and vulnerable. He could no longer take this
daily sermon that bordered on threats...He was
becoming restless and anxious all the time and
could no longer tolerate the hotel owner and his
preaching.
After all he had received his share of religious
brainwashing from his torturers who would take
breaks and go and pray and sing devotional songs
in between then resume their torture sessions on
Raouf...
He decided to move to another city where rents
were less expensive and away from sectarians. Who
can blame him, the poor man is traumatized for
life.
Besides, Iraqis are really not wanted in Syria,
in particular in Damascus.
The Syrians constantly complain about their
presence. It is because of the Iraqis that crime
rates have doubled. It is because of the Iraqis
that corruption exists. It is because of the
Iraqis that prices have increased. It is because
of the Iraqis that services are slow and
inefficient...It is because of the Iraqis that
Damascus is overcrowded and polluted...
A few Syrians not knowing that I, too, belong to
the untouchable, unwanted ones, told me that
everything has gone down the drains because of
the Iraqis...
" It is not their fault if the Syrians
are anting up the prices. After all they are
making profits no ? Why blame the Iraqis for
Syrian greed ? " I said.
The Syrian replied : " I guess you are
right. After all the government is getting money
from the UN agency. And many Syrians have made
heaps of money because of the Iraqis. But still,
the Iraqis are a cumbersome lot. "
I witnessed Syrian greed. If a taxi ride usually
costs 50 liras, for an Iraqi it is 150 liras. A
bag of rice costs 35 liras, for an Iraqi it is
charged 50 liras. A shirt costs 300 liras for an
Iraqi it is 600 Liras. Everything is doubled,
tripled. As for rents, they are quadrupled for
Iraqis.
Back to Raouf...
He moved to another city. Finally found a so
called "furnished" apartment on the top
of a building with no elevator. It consists of
one bed room, one living room and a bathroom. The
rent is exorbitant for Raouf but Raouf has no
choice.
This apartment is the most insalubrious, squalid,
filthy place he has ever seen.
The sofa is eaten up by moths. The curtains in
shreds. The mattress and the sheets have not been
changed since the Ummayad period. The bathroom is
covered with slime and grime. And the so called
crockery - plates, pots, pans are not even fit
for feeding animals. The teapot is an antiquarian
piece - so rusty that the water turns yellow - a
great piece for the antiquities museum.
But the worst, are all those unwanted visitors -
cockroaches. The place is full of them.
Raouf with his swollen bruised ankles, unable to
wear shoes. Raouf with his broken ribs unable to
carry anything. Raouf with his dislocated
shoulder unable to move his arm. Raouf with a
partial paralysis in his hand unable to hold
anything for a long time...would walk daily for
one hour to the souk (taxis are too expensive for
him) and buy sheets, crockery, curtains,
detergents, paints, and of course plants...
Then he would carry daily three bags full up 6
floors to his " furnished apartment. "
This went on for about 10 days. He cleaned,
painted, brushed, polished, fixed...the place to
make it liveable. And everytime he was
overwhelmed with pain, he would comfort himself
by saying " At least am alive and away
from Iraq."
When Raouf's wife learned that Syrian visas were
to be issued to Iraqis on the 10th of September,
she caught a bus on the 8th of September at 6.30
am and finally arrived to Syria on the 9th of
September at 11.30 pm. Endless rows of buses and
endless queues at the border before the 10th. Her
trip from Baghdad to Damascus took over 24 hours.
But she too is grateful she made it away from
hell.
When Raouf learned that his residency will not be
renewed after the initial three months period, he
was gripped with a terrible anxiety.
Throughout his ordeal, Raouf never cried, never
screamed... Even his torturers were surprised and
asked him what kind of human being he was. They
told him : " Another man would have died
but you did not even utter a sound - you are not
normal."
Raouf replied that he had totally surrendered and
whatever they wish to do to him, is fine with
him. " I am in God's hands "
he would say.
" You in God's hands ? Because you know
God ? We saw you wearing shorts inside your house
and we saw a can of beer outside. "
And they would beat and flog him some more,until
his skin fell off, keeping him blindfolded and
chained in a bathroom for 5 days with no water
and no food...And threatening to murder him, burn
him or behead him daily. At one point they were
three of them with three sharp knives on his
jugular about to go into his throat...Raouf did
not utter a sound.
But when Raouf learned that he might be forced to
return to Iraq in two months time, he screamed
like a wild animal. He cried like he has never
cried before and his anxiety attacks would take
hold of him for days on end.
After his torture ordeal Raouf had partial memory
blackouts...But after hearing that he might have
to return to Iraq, all the images came back
flooding his memory.
Today Raouf cannot be left alone for one hour. He
simply goes mad with the flashbacks.
He said : " I would rather commit
suicide than go back to Iraq. Iraq is over for
me. Iraq is no longer my home. I do not miss it.
I just miss my family and my neighbors and my
garden. I would rather die than go back. "
And Raouf means it.
UNHCR is filled with case upon case similar to
Raouf's. They are all going crazy at the idea of
returning to hell.
But it seems that the Syrian authorities want the
Iraqis out.
I made it a point to peruse daily their
newspapers, they are very kind and
"soft" towards Al-Maliki. I also
noticed a lot of Farsee being spoken in Damascus.
A detail.
Goodness, am at loss. Raouf is one story. But
there are so many others. I do not even know
where to begin the list.
There is Ahmad. A Phd in Microbiology, worked as
a masseur for a while and is now unemployed.
There is Noora and Hanan not older than 17,
despite the heavy make up, working as call girls
in hotels. There is Wassim, a Phd in Electrical
Engineering working in the black as a technician
repairing Air Conditioners. There is Sana a high
school student, standing in the streets selling
combs and bubble gums...
They are crammed up to 10 in one room. There are
the sick ones, the amputated ones, those in wheel
chairs...The tragedy is endless. The despair is
endless...
But they are all unanimous. They would rather die
than go back to Iraq. And they all agree that
Iraq is no more. For them, and from what they
have seen, witnessed, and experienced, Iraq is
finished. And I agree with them.
If the Syrian authorities force them to leave
where will they go ? What will happen to them ?
In Syria they hardly have any future. In Iraq,
they will be something of the past.
And the International "Community" is
still watching, with amused detachment, those
unwanted ones about to be pushed off the edge and
into the abyss of no return.
Painting : Iraqi female artist, Sawsan Al
Sarraf. "Immigration"
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