Questions and Answers

I wrote this post in response to few questions asked by one of the readers (he is a blogger too, Peter M)

He asked: "Sooni, what do I tell the liberals that say we should leave? Do the majority of Iraqis hate the Americans and want them out? Are they even aware or grateful of the sacrifices that the soldiers and their families have to endure?"

To answer these questions I need to go through some facts and assessments I hope you will be patient to read to the end.

Iraq consists of 18 provinces, 3 of them only (in the middle and west of Iraq) represent a safe haven for the insurgents (I will tell why), well I don’t think that 3 of 18 is a majority. The question remains who's making the attacks against the Americans and why?

In Saddam's time the Shia and the Kurds were suppressed (they both represent 80% of Iraq population) and most of them see the Americans as liberators, but they started to (blame) the Americans for the current situation in Iraq. The total weakness of the current government and the lack of security and general services made the situation very hard in Iraq and generated a (lack of trust) situation between the people and the government and thus the Americans since the common people still consider both are responsible. But all the (blame) and the (lack of trust) didn’t push the Kurds and the Shia to an armed confrontation with the government or the Americans and they always express there feelings in a peaceful way. And the only groups that don’t submit to this rule are (Muqtada Alsader group) from the Shia and (Ansar Alislam group) from the Kurds who have been violent with the government and the Americans.

Here we come to an important fact that the real responsible of the violence in Iraq are not the Iraqis themselves as (though there is a tangible amount of them have a vital role in it) we all know that Zarqawi is not Iraqi and most of the suicide attacks are executed by Arabs and Muslims coming from outside Iraq and we also know that there are countries funds those terrorists (buying cars, explosives, house renting and paying salaries to the Iraqis that provide the logistic support) and on the top of the list stands Syria who wish's that the delay of the Americans in Iraq will keep her files closed.
Tackling the Americans in Iraq hence the failure of the political process and the democratic model is seems to be the goal of too many powers and countries in the region and outside it and every one of them have his reasons and his means to make it happen.

Back to the Iraqis who have a role in this (battle) they are mostly from the 3 provinces I mentioned earlier and more they are one of these three parts:
People used to work with Saddam's regime like the republican guards and the intelligence.
The Sunni Islamic fanatics that can be easily deceived in the name of Islam's sake.
People who are ready to do anything for the money
The first and the last parts will vanish by time and the cut of the funding but the middle part is what really need a good attention because they are the seeds of terror.

Those who ask for the American withdraw from Iraq are (politically short sighted) because they can't see that Iraq is only step two (after Afghanistan) in the global war against terror and calling for a pull back is a call for ending the operation and a new chance for the terror to grow stronger again, in my opinion it is a (negative thinking) to wait for the terror to hit me again in my hometown and I think the Americans tried that once in the events of 9/11, do you really want to try it again?

Tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed in the terrorist acts but they burst in millions to the polling stations to defend their freedom and because most of them believe it’s the only way to gain the peace back, the freedom that was granted to the Iraqis by the Americans soldiers, and yes the Iraqis are fully aware of what the Americans have done to Iraq and they are really grateful and I wont be surprised if we built a statue for the brave American soldiers who fall in Iraq defending their country and people and Iraq and its people and the whole free world.

I hope what I said will answer your questions Peter.

A free lesson for all

What is happening in and to Syria these days reminds me of what was happening in and to Iraq in the early 90's. A dictatorship with the same ideological background (The Arab Ba'th Socialist Party) is messing around! And the International Community is trying its best to find a peaceful solution for it.

Almost everyone is aware of what is Syria doing to sabotage the political process in Iraq and it's bad and destructive role in Lebanon. And the problem is that it don’t seems like they have learned anything from the Iraqi lesson. The free world was sharp about it and made it clear "no room for trouble makers".

Well Libya learned the lesson well and gave up everything "as it seems" and started to reap the benefits.
I really don’t get it why fighting the free world? I guess the best way I can think of it is the ideological difference between Liberty and dictatorship. And I don’t think I need to explain much about this point.

Anyway my point is there is no use of fighting the whole world and its no shame of accepting the fact that you are wrong and the time has come to start correcting things.
The free world is determined on ending terrorism and its up to them (Syrian) to choose on which side they will be, but they have to keep in their minds that the time is running fast and tomorrow will be harder than today, and I really wish that they can take a close and considerate look on what happened to Iraq since 1990 and they will be blind not to see what there future will be.

A man behind the bars

Millions of Iraqis sat in front of the TV to watch Saddam's trial, the man who is responsible for the death of more than one million (some say two million) human being.

Happiness all over the country, since the only protesters to the trial where in Tikrit (Saddam's hometown) and it is something very normal due to the tribal values we have in Iraq.

He killed too many people without a trial but he will have a fair trial (we hope so) because this is the new Iraq and this is the way we want our country to be.

No more dictatorship, just a man behind the bars fighting for his life while most of the Iraqis are waiting for his death (death penalty by court)

The Iraqis want to forget Saddam's decades and want to forget him too, it’s a step the Iraqis have to take, and we want to leap into the future without the sorrows of the past.

Too many Iraqis complain about the current situation but if you ask them the magical question: "do you think it's better to have Saddam back?" they will answer:" hell, no!" (most of the people I know answered no in a conversation like that)

I really would like to say something to Saddam and I wish he can hear me ….."Your days are gone and we are very happy without you, in your days we were ashamed of saying we are Iraqis, but now we are proud to say so"

A peaceful Vote!

I think you all were surprised how peaceful the Vote was (in comparison with the last election the Zarqawi attacks were over 300 but in this Vote they were only 13), it wasn’t the security measures for sure nor the lack of suicide bombers but I think it’s the new situation that most of the Sunni Arabs voted like all other Iraqi sects and groups.
One may ask: what's that got to do with stopping the attacks?

Firstly: for Zarqawi Sunni Arabs are like the backbone of his operations in Iraq because almost all his followers are from them and also they provide the logistic support for him and his fighters (most of the west side of Iraq is a Sunni Arabs provinces and it’s the major route for the Arab fighters that come from Syria), so starting to kill them without plan (B) will be a big mistake.

Secondly: I guess Zarqawi is also eager to know what the real situation in Iraq is, surely he knows about the Kurds and the Shia's but he really need to know about the Sunni and who's with him (people who said NO) and who's against him, and this Vote is like a free survey that will help him to set his future plans.

We all know that he will never stop but if he want to start fighting the Sunni Arabs (not all of them of course but still a substantial part of them who voted YES) then he will need new plans for sure, and if u ask why? I will answer that by:
The Sunni Arabs were acting so tight till now but when a major part of them "The Islamic Iraqi Party and it's followers" started to believe that there is no future for violence and decided to join the political process the situation will end up with a big infiltration to the Sunni Arabs which may result of increasing intelligence information from inside the Sunni house, if Zarqawi started to attack the Islamic Iraqi Party and it's followers.

We really don’t know or have any idea what the outcome of the Vote will be, but lets hope that it will be something will make Zarqawi recalculate everything he have.

Voting photos from Baghdad

My brother took some photos for me near a polling station and i like to share them with you.

A little kid with his blue finger

A citizen celebrating

A policeman voted earlier

People heading for polling station

People voting

The right choice?!

I think the time has come to choose between YES and NO for the new constitution and to tell the truth it's not easy to decide what to choose for which both choices have their advantages and disadvantages.

I really hoped that the constitution were done and approved by all "The Iraqi Spectrum" but unfortunately the limited presentation of the Sunni Arabs in the National Assembly and the Constitution Drafting Committee will remain like a scar in the constitution if ratified.

But if we take in consideration the altering made to bring the "Sunni Arabs in" (which made the Islamic Iraqi Party switch to YES) then we will start a new assessment for the whole situation.
The Islamic Iraqi Party made a huge move when they declared that they will vote YES for the constitution because they gave the constitution a "new legitimacy" and ended the situation of "Sunni Arabs are out" for the Islamic Iraqi Party is one of three major movements that speak in the name of Sunni Arabs in Iraq, and to be honest their decision was very brave and unexpected and as a result they started receiving attacks from the terrorist groups that threat to kill anyone joins the political process.

Back to the constitution and why it's hard to choose between YES and NO.
As a secular living in Iraq I don’t agree with too many religion (Islamic) based articles imbedded in the constitution that will lead it away from human rights and for this reason I wanted to say NO. But on the other hand the constitution is a very important step in the political process and a big slam for terrorism and dictatorship everywhere.

Few days ago I would have said NO but now after the agreement of shifting all "disputed among things" to the new Assembly which we wish will be more balanced and represents all Iraqis since most of Sunni Arabs are willing to participate in the coming elections, though the seculars may not have any seats in the new Assembly (because they are still afraid of nominating themselves that they might get killed) I switch to YES.

I'm writing this article before 3 hours from the official time (7 AM) of starting the referendum, I don’t know what the outcome will be but for sure it's something we will talk about later.