Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Who Governs America!
An Iraqi has no right whatsoever to have a say in who governs the USA! This, in principle, is absolutely true.
However, when someone who governs America causes so much damage and suffereing in Iraq and a great deal of damage to America’s standing in the world and to the self-respect of Americans, then an Iraqi has a right (and a duty) to ask fellow American human beings to think again about putting that person in the most important office on earth!
America owes that to Iraq and to itself.
However, when someone who governs America causes so much damage and suffereing in Iraq and a great deal of damage to America’s standing in the world and to the self-respect of Americans, then an Iraqi has a right (and a duty) to ask fellow American human beings to think again about putting that person in the most important office on earth!
America owes that to Iraq and to itself.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Injustice, Anger and Religion!
Mark my words! There is so much deeply buried anger in Iraq that one day, we will be surprised by some violent events which we will fail to relate to recent happenings.
What is needed to prevent long-lasting damage is a major change of US policy in Iraq … but frankly I cannot see that coming soon!
How many innocent people need to die and how many millions need to suffer and for how long … before that comes about?
My solution? Quite simple: true and representative democracy from the bottom up!
Meanwhile, the only source of an absolute standard of justice and what is right and what is wrong for most people seems to be their religion!
Who can argue with absolute truth coming from Heaven when things on Earth are so wrong?
What is needed to prevent long-lasting damage is a major change of US policy in Iraq … but frankly I cannot see that coming soon!
How many innocent people need to die and how many millions need to suffer and for how long … before that comes about?
My solution? Quite simple: true and representative democracy from the bottom up!
Meanwhile, the only source of an absolute standard of justice and what is right and what is wrong for most people seems to be their religion!
Who can argue with absolute truth coming from Heaven when things on Earth are so wrong?
Al Qaeda - American Style!
The present American administration, through its policy and actions, has:
• Killed more innocent people in Iraq…
• Demolished more buildings…
• Violated more homes…
• Abused, humiliated and raped more women and men (!)…
• Caused more people to suffer from lack of security and public services…
…than Al Qaeda has ever done in America!
Do the American people think that this is fair?
• Killed more innocent people in Iraq…
• Demolished more buildings…
• Violated more homes…
• Abused, humiliated and raped more women and men (!)…
• Caused more people to suffer from lack of security and public services…
…than Al Qaeda has ever done in America!
Do the American people think that this is fair?
Thursday, May 20, 2004
A Small Group of Soldiers!
Over the past few weeks, we have been repeatedly told by US officials that the people doing those horrible things to Iraqi prisoners were a "small group of people" who do not reflect the character of the American society or its values.
But in Iraq we also know of other "small groups of people":
• Small groups of soldiers stole money from houses they searched (I alone have heard of dozens of these incidents). There must be hundreds of these cases.
• Small groups of terrified soldiers, when faced with anything like a threat, start firing at random…killing women and children in the process.
• Small groups of soldiers forced open doors of stores and government establishments to looters. I did not believe recurring stories of such incidents…until I witnessed one myself first hand.
• Small groups of soldiers , for want of something to shoot at, and in the absence of any real resistance, shot at streets light poles in Baghdad during the invasion. The poles and the holes in them are still there!
• Small groups of soldiers shot and killed thousands of innocent civilians in their drive to take over unresisting Baghdad.
• Small groups of soldiers forced old, retired people and disbanded army officers to stand in line for most part of the day under the Iraqi summer sun and used truncheons to keep them “well-behaved” when receiving their pensions.
• A small group of soldiers shot and killed 17 people in a peaceful demonstration protesting against the use of a local school as military barracks… because they thought someone had fired a shot at them. This incident (which took place last year) was the origin of all the bad blood in Fallujah!
• A small group of soldiers in Fallujah bombed and killed more than 200 women and children and more than 700 people in total (and injured many more) to "rid them of foreign terrorists and remnants of the previous regime" and in revenge for an atrocity committed by a handful of villains!
So many “small groups of soldiers”!!
Hundreds and hundreds of such incidents all heard (sometimes distorted) by "large groups" of Iraqi people.
The American army does seem to have quite a number of “small problems”!
But in Iraq we also know of other "small groups of people":
• Small groups of soldiers stole money from houses they searched (I alone have heard of dozens of these incidents). There must be hundreds of these cases.
• Small groups of terrified soldiers, when faced with anything like a threat, start firing at random…killing women and children in the process.
• Small groups of soldiers forced open doors of stores and government establishments to looters. I did not believe recurring stories of such incidents…until I witnessed one myself first hand.
• Small groups of soldiers , for want of something to shoot at, and in the absence of any real resistance, shot at streets light poles in Baghdad during the invasion. The poles and the holes in them are still there!
• Small groups of soldiers shot and killed thousands of innocent civilians in their drive to take over unresisting Baghdad.
• Small groups of soldiers forced old, retired people and disbanded army officers to stand in line for most part of the day under the Iraqi summer sun and used truncheons to keep them “well-behaved” when receiving their pensions.
• A small group of soldiers shot and killed 17 people in a peaceful demonstration protesting against the use of a local school as military barracks… because they thought someone had fired a shot at them. This incident (which took place last year) was the origin of all the bad blood in Fallujah!
• A small group of soldiers in Fallujah bombed and killed more than 200 women and children and more than 700 people in total (and injured many more) to "rid them of foreign terrorists and remnants of the previous regime" and in revenge for an atrocity committed by a handful of villains!
So many “small groups of soldiers”!!
Hundreds and hundreds of such incidents all heard (sometimes distorted) by "large groups" of Iraqi people.
The American army does seem to have quite a number of “small problems”!
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
You Cannot Un-ring a Bell!
During the Congressional hearings when a House committee was discussing the abuse of Iraqi prisoners with Secretary Rumsfeld, a Representative said: “…in Arkansas we have a saying that you cannot un-ring the bell!”
Well, the bell has rung on some of the excesses of the US army in Iraq and there was uproar in the world!
So much damage has been done to the US that cannot be un-done!
So, what do you do? Do you muffle the bell? (Some politicians would love that!)
For a more humane global society we need louder bells that are more sensitive to wrong-doings.
We also need bells that are sensitive to “political” wrong-doings!
Well, the bell has rung on some of the excesses of the US army in Iraq and there was uproar in the world!
So much damage has been done to the US that cannot be un-done!
So, what do you do? Do you muffle the bell? (Some politicians would love that!)
For a more humane global society we need louder bells that are more sensitive to wrong-doings.
We also need bells that are sensitive to “political” wrong-doings!
Prisoner Abuse – Apologies!
Why Would Someone Apologize?
Normally an apology is an admission of guilt and an expression of regret.
So, when Secretary Rumsfeld apologizes, does that mean that he has done something wrong? Does it mean that he is apologizing on behalf of criminals who have committed atrocities? Why?
This is different from a Japanese official apologizing for something his country did some 50 years ago. This is now! These people are still, this minute, under his command!
So, if he has done nothing wrong, he should not apologize! On the other hand, if he feels responsible enough to apologize, then that is not enough! He should be held accountable for his responsibility.
There was a time when people had enough dignity in them to resign for lesser evils done under their responsibility!
Normally an apology is an admission of guilt and an expression of regret.
So, when Secretary Rumsfeld apologizes, does that mean that he has done something wrong? Does it mean that he is apologizing on behalf of criminals who have committed atrocities? Why?
This is different from a Japanese official apologizing for something his country did some 50 years ago. This is now! These people are still, this minute, under his command!
So, if he has done nothing wrong, he should not apologize! On the other hand, if he feels responsible enough to apologize, then that is not enough! He should be held accountable for his responsibility.
There was a time when people had enough dignity in them to resign for lesser evils done under their responsibility!
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Prisoner Abuse - It Doesn’t Make Sense!
If we accept that those vulgar abuses and obscene tortures were not isolated, sick individuals acting on their own, then they must be following orders from a higher authority.
• Is this higher authority so naïve as not to know the potential damage this could do to the US moral standing in the world?
• Could they not appreciate that these actions go against the policy of the US government to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?
• Had they no fear for their professional careers?
Yet, they had those actions photographically documented!!
• Is this higher authority so naïve as not to know the potential damage this could do to the US moral standing in the world?
• Could they not appreciate that these actions go against the policy of the US government to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?
• Had they no fear for their professional careers?
Yet, they had those actions photographically documented!!
Prisoner Abuse – A Band of Thugs?
Of all those horrible pictures of prisoner abuse, one particular photo keeps coming back to my mind:
A group of eight soldiers “working” prisoners in a broad, well-lighted corridor; the two in the foreground are heavily-built and not-so-young soldiers wearing gloves and concentrating on the task in hand. They do not seem to enjoy what they are doing. A third is taking pictures. Others are evidently going about their business proficiently. There is no urgency in the air. Everything has an air of professionalism about it. No juvenile hooligans horsing around! A job to be done and documented!
This is not a case of a few sick kids having some sick fun!
This is not a band of thugs in Burundi!
This is the American Army.
Regardless of what many angry people are saying, I firmly believe that this is alien to American society, culture and sense of decency. But how could they do it so openly?
They could not do that on their own…a small, isolated regiment.
They could not do that on their own.
A group of eight soldiers “working” prisoners in a broad, well-lighted corridor; the two in the foreground are heavily-built and not-so-young soldiers wearing gloves and concentrating on the task in hand. They do not seem to enjoy what they are doing. A third is taking pictures. Others are evidently going about their business proficiently. There is no urgency in the air. Everything has an air of professionalism about it. No juvenile hooligans horsing around! A job to be done and documented!
This is not a case of a few sick kids having some sick fun!
This is not a band of thugs in Burundi!
This is the American Army.
Regardless of what many angry people are saying, I firmly believe that this is alien to American society, culture and sense of decency. But how could they do it so openly?
They could not do that on their own…a small, isolated regiment.
They could not do that on their own.
Prisoner Abuse - Iraqi Grapevine
Never under-estimate the Iraqi grapevine!
From centuries of occupations and “liberations”, Iraqi people learned not to trust the “official media”. They have developed their own info network – fast and incredibly efficient (but prone to rumors)!
So, when those horrific pictures of prisoner abuse were published, there was a world-wide public uproar. Well, Iraqis knew all along!
Press conferences and public statements by US officials (possibly believed by US and European people) were laughed at by Iraqis!
For months, the fact that Abu Ghraib prison was shelled by “terrorists” was periodically reported. I wonder if anyone asked himself why those mad “terrorists” were so eager to bomb their own people!
The truth is that women prisoners have been sending plea after plea to anyone with a "grain of honor" left in him to bomb them and bury them with their disgrace!
From centuries of occupations and “liberations”, Iraqi people learned not to trust the “official media”. They have developed their own info network – fast and incredibly efficient (but prone to rumors)!
So, when those horrific pictures of prisoner abuse were published, there was a world-wide public uproar. Well, Iraqis knew all along!
Press conferences and public statements by US officials (possibly believed by US and European people) were laughed at by Iraqis!
For months, the fact that Abu Ghraib prison was shelled by “terrorists” was periodically reported. I wonder if anyone asked himself why those mad “terrorists” were so eager to bomb their own people!
The truth is that women prisoners have been sending plea after plea to anyone with a "grain of honor" left in him to bomb them and bury them with their disgrace!
Monday, May 17, 2004
Men in Fear!
A few days ago I went across Baghdad and back – an annoying trip with all the traffic congestions and the heat.
Looking at people, I could see the usual faraway look of sadness in the eyes Iraqis invariably possess. I could see anger and frustration.
But the only fear I saw was in the eyes of young men bearing weapons, wearing bullet-proof vests and riding armored vehicles! American soldiers!
All other vehicles tried to keep a "safe" distance from them!
Looking at people, I could see the usual faraway look of sadness in the eyes Iraqis invariably possess. I could see anger and frustration.
But the only fear I saw was in the eyes of young men bearing weapons, wearing bullet-proof vests and riding armored vehicles! American soldiers!
All other vehicles tried to keep a "safe" distance from them!
Look at Your Watch!
Many uninformed people view Iraq as just another backward third-world country populated by a violent and ignorant people!
In some respects, and on the face of it, this is largely true, but…
• Look at your watch: the hours and the minutes were invented in Iraq.
• So were the days of the week, the week itself, the months of the year and the years that count the centuries!
• The letters that make these words and all the words ever written and all that will ever be written using the alphabet.
• The written laws that govern and regulate the lives of people in all civilized nations!
• The Wheel!
• The Prophet Abraham was born in Iraq. Consequently Iraq is the cradle of all major religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that believe in the One Almighty God!
Does a country like this deserve to be treated with so much contempt by any conquering army? And with so little regard by the political administration?
In some respects, and on the face of it, this is largely true, but…
• Look at your watch: the hours and the minutes were invented in Iraq.
• So were the days of the week, the week itself, the months of the year and the years that count the centuries!
• The letters that make these words and all the words ever written and all that will ever be written using the alphabet.
• The written laws that govern and regulate the lives of people in all civilized nations!
• The Wheel!
• The Prophet Abraham was born in Iraq. Consequently Iraq is the cradle of all major religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) that believe in the One Almighty God!
Does a country like this deserve to be treated with so much contempt by any conquering army? And with so little regard by the political administration?
Hope Lies with the American People!
They seem to me to be the only decent “entity” that has sufficient power to control fanatics acting in their name!
The American public should be aware of the wrong things that are happening … devastating our country and creating an animosity to America that will recruit hordes of “terrorists” bent on destroying America!
Just remember that many Iraqis knew some of what was happening; the American army and administration already knew of them…it was only when the American public was aware of these monstrosities that the ball started rolling!
I believe that there is only one hope and it lies with the American people!
The reasons are simple:
• There are many decent people over there…millions of them!
• They are not aware of the damage being done to their country (and that damage has been enormous)…
• The same group of people is also damaging Iraq.
• This makes the Iraqis and the American public natural allies.
• Furthermore, the American people have the power to change things without the loss of a single innocent life.
All we want is a true democracy and the safe return of your boys (and girls) back to their families!
There’s no hidden agenda or some sinister grand scheme.
This is a person-to-person approach; an Iraqi hand held out to the Americans. It has two objectives: It offers
• insight into the Iraq we know, love and want to have (so that you can see us as people like you and fellow human beings)…and
• enlightenment on how America is being damaged by people supposedly representing the Americans.
The American public should be aware of the wrong things that are happening … devastating our country and creating an animosity to America that will recruit hordes of “terrorists” bent on destroying America!
Just remember that many Iraqis knew some of what was happening; the American army and administration already knew of them…it was only when the American public was aware of these monstrosities that the ball started rolling!
I believe that there is only one hope and it lies with the American people!
The reasons are simple:
• There are many decent people over there…millions of them!
• They are not aware of the damage being done to their country (and that damage has been enormous)…
• The same group of people is also damaging Iraq.
• This makes the Iraqis and the American public natural allies.
• Furthermore, the American people have the power to change things without the loss of a single innocent life.
All we want is a true democracy and the safe return of your boys (and girls) back to their families!
There’s no hidden agenda or some sinister grand scheme.
This is a person-to-person approach; an Iraqi hand held out to the Americans. It has two objectives: It offers
• insight into the Iraq we know, love and want to have (so that you can see us as people like you and fellow human beings)…and
• enlightenment on how America is being damaged by people supposedly representing the Americans.
An Iraqi Hand of Friendship!
After a year of “liberation”…
Hurt, violated, humiliated and bloodied, my country still in ruins, my life pure hell, still with no electricity, security in the streets, no good future in sight for my children, no prospect of any life improvement for my people…
Yet, I offer my hand in friendship … only on one simple condition:
Don’t hurt or damage my country or my people anymore.
Is that too much to ask?
Hurt, violated, humiliated and bloodied, my country still in ruins, my life pure hell, still with no electricity, security in the streets, no good future in sight for my children, no prospect of any life improvement for my people…
Yet, I offer my hand in friendship … only on one simple condition:
Don’t hurt or damage my country or my people anymore.
Is that too much to ask?
Grains of Iraqi Sand
It never ceased to amaze me how large the Universe is! I often wondered how many stars, pulsars, quasars, etc. there were in the Universe.
Once, I even made a few calculations to try and visualize that enormous magnitude; I started from an ”estimate” of the number of stars astronomers believe there are in the known Universe, and represented each star by a grain of sand.
The result was something like a stretch of sand 10 meters wide, 1 meter deep and 100 kilometers long. Imagine that! Consider further that on average, these grains were so widely dispersed that light, traveling at 300 000 kilometers per second, took four years to reach the first star nearest to us!
Nowadays, I find myself equally fascinated by the number of “bits” of information connected to the internet.
Again, trying to visualize the magnitude using rough estimates, I found that, if each web page is represented by a sheet of paper, the total stack of sheets would be about 300 kilometers long!
Yet, one could reach any of these sheets in a fraction of a second!
These pages are some grains of sand from the ancient deserts of Iraq splashed onto sheets of paper and connected to the World Wide Web. They will hopefully be brought to you by silicon chips made from grains of sand from the deserts of America.
Once, I even made a few calculations to try and visualize that enormous magnitude; I started from an ”estimate” of the number of stars astronomers believe there are in the known Universe, and represented each star by a grain of sand.
The result was something like a stretch of sand 10 meters wide, 1 meter deep and 100 kilometers long. Imagine that! Consider further that on average, these grains were so widely dispersed that light, traveling at 300 000 kilometers per second, took four years to reach the first star nearest to us!
Nowadays, I find myself equally fascinated by the number of “bits” of information connected to the internet.
Again, trying to visualize the magnitude using rough estimates, I found that, if each web page is represented by a sheet of paper, the total stack of sheets would be about 300 kilometers long!
Yet, one could reach any of these sheets in a fraction of a second!
These pages are some grains of sand from the ancient deserts of Iraq splashed onto sheets of paper and connected to the World Wide Web. They will hopefully be brought to you by silicon chips made from grains of sand from the deserts of America.
