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| 4/6 |
| 2003/10/26 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:10792 Activity:nil |
10/25 Iraqi bloggers. These are great, regardless of your opinion on
weblogs or the war in Iraq and the occupation. Different perspectives
from different people that are a great substitute for so called
"objective" reporting.
Healing Iraq: http://healingiraq.blogspot.com
This guy is very much in support of the war and the new administration.
He has a lot of great stuff, particularly on the new right-wing Shiite
movements.
Baghdad Burning: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
This woman is not a supporter of the Americans, although she's no
hardcore Islamist. Good stuff on where all that reconstruction money
is really going.
Where is Raed: http://dear_raed.blogspot.com
This the original Baghdad Blogger that everyone knows. He's still very
coy about his actual position and seems very torn...so I guess you
could put him somewhere in the middle.
Supposedly there are two more, but I haven't been able to find them.
Anyone? There will probably be even more in the future as the access
and electricity situation changes.
(note to motd cranks right and left: this post is balanced and
there is no reason to censor it, unless you're a pud.)
\_ Wait... how can iraqi bloggers be great if your opinion of weblogs
is that they suck...
\_ I was really hoping there wouldn't be a pile-on with this post,
but... I would say that your opinion is perfectly valid, but so
are the bloggers' opinions. None of them claim to be news
reporters - they are simply people saying what they think.
This is not a perspective you can find elsewhere at the moment,
at least about Iraq.
\_ Right wing? You mean Shiite branded Islamic movement?
Baghdad Burning: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
This woman is not a supporter of the Americans, although she's no
hardcore Islamist. Good stuff on where all that reconstruction money
is really going.
Where is Raed: http://dear_raed.blogspot.com
This the original Baghdad Blogger that everyone knows. He's still very
coy about his actual position and seems very torn...so I guess you
could put him somewhere in the middle.
Supposedly there are two more, but I haven't been able to find them.
Anyone? There will probably be even more in the future as the access
and electricity situation changes.
(note to motd cranks right and left: this post is balanced and
there is no reason to censor it, unless you're a pud.)
\_ too bad there are so many fucking puds around here.
\_ it'll get censored for simply not being about linux and riding bike.
anyway, just keep in mind when reading this stuff that no matter
what opinion is expressed, it is from someone in the upper classes
of iraqi society. the typical cab driver not only doesn't have
net access, but probably doesnt own his cab either.
\_ Agreed 100%, though I would argue that this is mostly true of
bloggers in the West as well. |
| 4/6 |
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| healingiraq.blogspot.com -> healingiraq.blogspot.com/ We can now notice more people on the street going about their daily business, and stores are gradually opening but traffic in the streets is still not as normal as the last few weeks, and governmental and educational institutions are still empty. Baghdadis are trying their best to survive and go on with their lives. Clashes have ceased in Sadr city and Adhamiya for the time being but that is chiefly due to the absence of any American forces there. My neighbourhood has also been quiet since I last posted, which is a bit relieving. Long live Islamic unity, long live Iraq, and long live the Mujahideen. The handbills were signed by yet another new group the Freedom Martyrs Brigades. Arab satellite channels reported today that Al-Mustansiriyah university was under siege by US troops. We have a neighbour who is a professor there, so as expected we raced to his house when we had heard about it. We congratulated him for his safety, but he looked significantly surprised and asked us what was up? It turned out there was no siege at all, there was an American patrol in the vicinity of the university, and they had witnessed someone climbing on the clock tower trying to paste a large poster of Muqtada Al-Sadr. The patrol called for backup, entered the campus and hollered for the fellow to come down. They teared the poster and removed a few others close to the universitys main entry gates. According to our friend, the whole process didnt take any more than 20 minutes. Meanwhile regarding the hostages crisis, 11 Russian engineers working for a Russian electricity company that maintains several power stations south of Baghdad were reported kidnapped just a few hours ago after an assault on their headquarters in the Zayuna district. Anyway, a Jordanian taxi company in Baghdad also reported 2 missing Czechs who were supposed to travel to Jordan. The CPA also stated lately that several American contractors working for Haliburton were missing along with a couple of Iraqi translators. Al-Jazeera displayed an exclusive video yesterday of several kidnapped trailer drivers, some of them Turks and one of them from Phillipines. A masked fellow reading from a paper he was holding said that they have decided to release the hostages as a response to the fatwa issued by the Sunni Haiyat Al-Ulemma yesterday against holding foreigners as hostages, but on the condition that they promise to stop assisting American forces. The Chinese News Agency reported that 7 Chinese hostages were released earlier yesterday. The group that held the Japanese hostages announced that they have postponed killing the three Japanese according to an intermediary, but someone denied it later on Al-Jazeera. In Najaf and Kufa, Iraqi police and ICDC have returned to the streets following an agreement with Al-Mahdi army after a whole weeks absence. There is talk of negotiations between the Hawza and Muqtada Al-Sadr, with Mohammed Ridha Al-Sistani the Grand Ayatollahs eldest son and a son of Ayatollah Mohammed Ishaq Al-Fayadh together with other representatives of Shiite clerics as intermediaries. A spokesman for the delegation said that they would later name a renowned Iraqi figure from outside the GC to act as an intermediary between them and the CPA. He also announced that an important statement is to be issued tomorrow by Sistani on behalf of the Hawza alilmiyyah that would be to the effect of a warning to coalition forces if they ever tried to attack Najaf or arrest Al-Sadr. Sanchez remarks that Al-Sadr would be arrested or killed and that American troops are moving to Najaf. If that is true, it would mean a full scale Jihad against Americans by Shia followers of Sistani in the event of any movement against Sadr. A telling sign that Sistani and his colleagues are losing patience. A unilateral ceasefire is still in effect but there are reports of continued fighting. Negotiations are still going on with tribal elders and clerics of Fallujah on one hand, the Islamic party and Haiyat Al-Ulemma on the other hand. Fallujans have made it clear that they will not accept any negotiations with anyone from the GC. Several GC members have mentioned earlier that they were negotiating for an agreeable settlement, but it looks like Fallujans want to distance themselves from the GC as far as possible, so that the GC would not be credited for resolving the crisis. When asked who would control the city after reaching a settlement, the negotiators on part of Fallujah expressed that they would only trust and agree to Iraqi Police and ICDC who were from Fallujah itself. The body count in Fallujah till now is 518 Iraqis dead 160 of them women, and about 50 children and 1250 badly injured. Doctors from Fallujah mentioned that a large number of the dead women and children were shot in the head and that they were saving the extracted bullets to prove that they were being targetted by Marines snipers in the city. Poor Abu Hadi, but the good part is that he at least gets to enjoy the privilege of experiencing war. The sense of an impending disaster, the ominous silence, the breakdown of most governmental facilities, the absence of any police or security forces, contradicting news reports, rumours everywhere, and a complete disruption in the flow of everyday life chores. All signs indicate that its all spiralling out of control, and any statements by CPA and US officials suggesting otherwise are blatantly absurd. The chaos and unrest have rapidly spread to several other cities in Iraq such as Mosul, Baquba, and Kirkuk. The situation in Fallujah looks terrible and bleak enough from what Al-Jazeera is showing every hour. Ahmad Mansour reported that they keep changing their location for fear of being targetted by Americans. The town stadium has turned into one large graveyard, and the death toll is 500 Iraqis until now with over a thousand injured, a huge price to pay for pacification. The insurgents in Fallujah who are using mosques and house roofs to wage their war against the Marines are equally to blame for the blood of the civilians who have been caught in the crossfire. A ceasefire has been announced by the Americans and is supposed to be in effect but Al-Jazeera reports that fighting continues. What kills me is the absence of any serious effort by Iraqi parties, organisations, tribal leaders, or clerics to intermediate or try to put an end to the cycle of violence. All we hear is denunciation and fiery speeches as if those were going to achieve anything on the ground. An anonymous group announced that it held 30 foreign hostages today according to Al-Iraqiya tv. There have been rumours on the Internet that the three Japanese hostages faked the video that was displayed two days ago with the help of Iraqis in an attempt to pressure the Japanese government in withdrawing their troops. Noriaki Imai was in Iraq researching the effect of Depleted Uranium on Iraqis. Nahoka Takato works with an NGO helping Iraqi children orphaned from the war, and Soichiru Koriyama is a freelance journalist who has been in the Palestinian occupied territories recently. The fear and horror in their eyes was very evident in the video, if it is a hoax then they certainly have a promising future in Hollywood. In Karbala, a Mahdi Army figure announced yesterday that they have suspended all operations in the holy city until the Shia Arbaieniya ceremonies are over. Preparations for the event have not been interrupted by the situation in the country, and Shia pilgrims continue to pour into Karbala, which is totally under control of Al-Mahdi. The spokesman congratulated Zainab bint Ali Imam Husseins sister for the liberation of her brothers city in his speech. Any terrorist attacks against the visiting Shiites in the next 24 hours would most probably plunge the country into a disaster. And I cant see how Al-Mahdi are going to prevent attacks if any local or foreign powers decide to. A new popular hossa tribal battle cry amongst Mahdi militiamen is Fallujah wa Al-Kufa, hatha alwatan menufa Fallujah and Kufa, this country we will not abandon. Some Iraqis have been circulating another controversial hossa being used by Mahdi Excuse us Imam Ali, but M... |
| riverbendblog.blogspot.com -> riverbendblog.blogspot.com/ And while I, personally, am very interested in the custom leather interiors of the latest Audi, I couldnt seem to draw myself away from Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia while 700 Iraqis were being killed. To lessen the feelings of anti-Americanism, might I make a few suggestions? When Mark Kimmett stutters through a press conference babbling about precision weapons and military targets in Falloojeh, who is he kidding? Falloojeh is a small city made up of low, simple houses, little shops and mosques. Is he implying that the 600 civilians who died during the bombing and the thousands injured and maimed were all insurgents? What Im trying to say is that we dont need news networks to make us angry or frustrated. All you need to do is talk to one of the Falloojeh refugees making their way tentatively into Baghdad; Over 300 are dead in Falloojeh and they have taken to burying the dead in the town football field because they arent allowed near the cemetery. The bodies are decomposing in the heat and the people are struggling to bury them as quickly as they arrive. The football field that once supported running, youthful feet and cheering fans has turned into a mass grave holding men, women and children. The people in Falloojeh have been trying to get the women and children out of the town for the last 48 hours but all the roads out of the city are closed by the Americans and refugees are being shot at and bombed on a regular basis were watching the television and crying. The hospital is overflowing with victims those who have lost arms and legs those who have lost loved ones. The south isnt much better the casualties are rising and theres looting and chaos. The faces are grim and sad all at once and theres a feeling of helplessness that cant be described in words. Its like being held under water and struggling for the unattainable surface- seeing all this destruction and devastation. Firdaws Square, the place where the statue was brought down, is off-limits because the Americans fear angry mobs and demonstrations but it doesnt matter because people are sticking to their homes. The kids havent been to school for several days now and even the universities are empty. The situation in Baghdad feels very unstable and the men in the neighborhood are talking of a neighborhood watch again- just like the early days of occupation. I flip the channel every time they show shots of Baghdad up in flames, I turn off the radio as they begin to talk about the first few days of occupation, and I quietly leave the room as family members begin, Remember how No, I dont want to remember some of the worst days of my life. I wish there was some way one could selectively delete certain memories as one does files on a computer however, thats impossible. The day our darling Puppet Council has chosen to represent our National Day the day the occupation became not a possibility, but a definite reality. We were all sleeping in the living room because the drapes were heavy and offered some small security against shattering glass. The weather was already warm, but the blankets would protect the kids against glass. Their older daughter was, luckily, still sound asleep- lost in a dream or nightmare. I sensed her trying to read my face for some small reassurance I smiled tightly, Go back to sleep After a few more colossal explosions, we all knew sleep would be useless. It was still too early for breakfast and no one was in the mood anyway. My mother and I got up to check the bags we had packed, and waiting, by the door. We had packed the bags during the first few days of war they contained some sturdy clothes, bottles of water, important documents like birth certificates and ID papers, and some spare money. They were to remain by the door in case the ceiling came crashing down or the American tanks came plowing through the neighborhood. In either case, we were given specific instructions to run for the door and take out the bags, Dont wait for anyone- just run and take the bags with you came the orders. An area just across the main street had been invaded by tanks and we could hear the gun shots and tanks all night. She sat in the middle of her two children and held them close on either side. She hadnt spoken to her parents in almost a week now there were no telephones to contact them and there was no way to get to their area. She was beyond terrified at this crucial point she was certain that they were all dead or dying and the only thing that seemed to be keeping her functioning was the presence of her two young daughters. All I could do was react to the explosions- flinch when one was particularly powerful, and automatically say a brief prayer of thanks when another was further away. Every once in a while, my brain would clear enough to do some mindless chore, like fill the water pots or fold the blankets, but otherwise, I felt numb. It was almost noon when the explosions calmed somewhat and I risked going outside for a few moments. The planes were freely coming and going and, along with the sound of distant gunshots, only they pierced the eerie silence. My mother joined me outside a few minutes later and stood next to me under a small olive tree. In case we have to leave, there are some things I want to be sure you know she said, and I nodded vaguely, studying a particularly annoying plane we were calling buggeh or bug, as it made the sound of a mosquito while it flew. We later learned it was a surveyor plane that scanned certain areas for resistance or Iraqi troops. The documents in the bag contain the papers for the house, the car I was alert. I turned to her and asked, But why are you telling me this- you know I know. We packed the stuff together and you know everything anyway She nodded assent but added, Well, I just want to be sure in case something happens if we You mean if we get separated for some reason? You have to know where everything is and what it is By then, I was fighting hard against tears. I swallowed with difficulty and concentrated harder on the planes above. I wondered how many parents and kids were having this very same conversation today. She continued talking for a few moments and seemed to introduce a new and terrible possibility that I hadnt dared to think about all this time- life after death. There were moments when I was sure wed all be dead in a matter of seconds- especially during the horrific shock and awe period. But I always took it for granted that wed all die together- as a family. Wed either survive together or die together it was always that simple. As we sat there, she talking, and I retreating further and further into the nightmare of words, there was a colossal explosion that made the windows rattle, and even seemed to shake the sturdy trees in the little garden. I jumped, relieved to hear that sound for the very first time in my life it was the end of that morbid conversation and all I could think was, saved by the bomb. We spent the rest of the day listening to the battery-powered radio and trying to figure out what was happening around us. The day we sensed that the struggle in Baghdad was over and the fear of war was nothing compared to the new fear we were currently facing. It was the day I saw my first American tank roll grotesquely down the streets of Baghdad- through a residential neighborhood. There are thousands who werent so lucky- they lost loved ones on April 9 to guns, and tanks and Apaches and the current Governing Council want us to remember April 9 fondly and hail it our National Day a day of victory but whose victory? The atmosphere is charged and the day before yesterday, Baghdad was quiet and empty, almost the calm before the storm. The area of Aadhamiya in Baghdad is seeing street fighting: the resistance and Americans are fighting out in the streets and Al-Sadr city was bombed by the troops. Falloojeh has been cut off from the rest of Iraq for the last three days. Yesterday they said that the only functioning hospital in the city was hit by the Americans and theres no where to take the wounded except a meager clinic that can hold up to 10 patients at a time. There are over a hundred wounded and dying and theres nowhe... |
| dear_raed.blogspot.com -> dear_raed.blogspot.com/ Their hands reach every where and you dont want to be on their shit list. Every body, even the GC is very careful how they formulate their sentences and how they describe Sadirs Militias. I was listening to a representative of al-sadir on TV saying that the officers at police stations come to offer their help and swear allegiance. Habibi, if they dont they will get killed and their police station liberated. Have we forgotten the threat al-Sadir issued that Iraqi security forces should not attack their revolutionary brothers, or they will have to suffer the consequences. Please dont act surprised and what sort of timing is that: planning to go on a huge attack on the west of Iraq and provoking a group you know very well I pray to god you knew that they are trouble makers. My mind doesnt seem to be able to multi-task any more, I am in filming mode, and with a certain person here with a whip in her hand, I cant even get a chance to check my emails. Karbala was one of these things I will never ever forget in my whole life, I dont care what you think of the rituals that are practiced, the fact is that the atmosphere was beautiful. Peacful and so much passion and devotion, it brings tears to your eyes. I, my mother and my cousin were out of the center of the city, running, by the third mortar. I am not sure I am more phased out by the rituals I saw and witnessed there or by the attacks and their consequences. I have gone thru the footage I have from the 4 days over and over again. The world being a very unfair place I cant show you the 400 minutes I have and tell you about them, people will chop it down to 12 minutes. There was such a feeling of solidarity and unity and peacefulness, you had to be there to feel it. People were sleeping on the street, stands giving out everything, from tea and milk in the morning to full meals, for free. So I assume you have been reading the blog and already know that the prophet announced before his death that whoever sees a leader in him should see a leader in his cousin Ali. Which the Shia took as a sign that the rule of the growing Muslim empire should be in the hands of the descendants of the prophet. The revolution that was led by an orphaned man to make all believers equal in the eyes of Allah wasnt gaining much ground with the big rich families of Mecca. If you have read Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses youll see how he hinted at the disgruntlement of the big rich families, they were calling it a revolution of water bearers and slaves. This gap between the old and the new power, the author suggests, has always been at the heart of Sunni/Shia trouble in the early days of the Caliphate. Four Caliphs down the line, as we get into the Ummayad period, things are getting more and more decadent and. When Yazeed comes to become Caliph in Damascus he wants to make sure that there will not be anyone from the Prophets family to contest his right to the throne. In the mean time al-Hussain is getting messages from Kufa/Iraq telling him that they support his cause and wish he would come to Kufa and lead the believers there. He takes with him all his family, the prophets family and followers of al-Hussain ie Shia. It is a small entourage since he is expecting the help of the Iraqis in Kufa. Before he arrives a messenger is sent to check things out in Kufa, the messenger is a family member. The first day he arrives all the city prays behind him, a sign of respect. The Sunni Caliph sends his envoy to warn the people of Kufa from following this man. When the messenger comes to pray the next day, no one from the city is in the mosque and when he is killed and hung from a minaret no one from Kufa rises to avenge his death or bring him down for burial. Bad sign for the Shia on their way but with no wireless internet the word doesnt get to al-Hussain. He doesnt know that those people who have pledged support are all hot air. Surrounded for 10 days, his few followers try to protect him and die one after the other. Zain al-Abideen was too ill to fight and this saved him from death. The story of the battle has been told on the blog before, will dig into the archives and post a link and some of it. Every 10th of Muharam, the first Islamic month, is a day of deep mourning for Shia. He is seen as a symbol of Shia struggle and the story with all its gory details gets told and re-enacted every year. There is also a deep sense of regret for abandoning al-Hussain in his most difficult hours, hence the flagellation. That is because so many of the Imams died on that day there is no chance to commemorate all their deaths in one day. The laments on each day tell the story of one of the Imams building up to the big day on the 10th of Muharam. The scenes I saw today are things I have never seen before, my mother and uncles would tell me about them but the event was banned. This is of such significance to Shia in Iraq this year it should not be missed. You can bet your ass that the Sunnis will see this years Ashura as a provocation and you can bet your friends ass that the Shia will use it to provoke. So we be there wearing black and a pious beard with a camera in hand. Is it to have driven Saddam out which requires a war, but with a truly United, worldwide coalition, along with a master-plan for the post-war? Or should he have been left in power, isolated from the international community, and basically allowing the maintenance of the status quo? Although I know most of Iraq wanted him gone, is it realistic to believe that Iraqis would have pushed Saddam from power? I think-but dont know-that Saddam had consolidated so much power over the masses that it would have been impossible for Iraqis themselves to deal the death knell to his regime that would pass on to his progeny? Basically, should the issue of Iraq been left 100 to the Iraqis from the beginning no war? Doesnt it usually do good things with its power, or does it screw up as much as it helps? There was a war almost a year ago and we have to deal with its consequences, there was time for debate much earlier. The powers that be made their decisions, whether right or wrong, at that time. I am a very pragmatic person, Raeds nickname for me was Salam the PragmaPig I deal with the shit as it happens, never a moment of regret well almost. The various documents that were produced to show how much of a bully he has been on the international playground were treated as if they were so new and startling. What the US administration didnt put in those records and documents was the extent of its own involvement in building up this monster and now that he has grown bigger than they thought he could they thought it was time to get rid of him. Well yes but that would have involved something the US administration didnt see necessary at the time. The scene was set and all the players were ready to play there part in Iraq. There was a sense that people have achieved things for themselves, truly proud revolutionaries not the scared people who had to be helped by an outsider they are now. Even the political situation would have been easier to handle, the rift between Shia and Sunnis wasnt as big as it is now. The country still had its secular educated class, which now is all over the world having turned to political and economic refugees trying to escape the claws of Saddam and the difficult economic situation in Iraq after the war and the sanctions. But as I said it is no use crying over spilt milk, we have to deal with what we have now. You say Or should he have been left in power, isolated from the international community, and basically allowing the maintenance of the status quo? But that policy didnt just isolate Saddam but the Iraqi people and gave him more power over the destinies of Iraqis, we became so dependant on a government that wasnt at all fit to take care of us. We all know that it got to a point where we would have never been rid of Saddam without foreign intervention; NO, because I dont believe there is any altruism in politics and the way he sees the world scares me. What I do really and sincerely hope for is that the day you and other soldiers and US civilians here dont have to stay be... |