Fallujah
What happens now here in Iraq makes me wonder "Did the US administration do their homework right before invading Iraq?" I heard, long ago, that more than 3000 scientists and researchers are affiliated with the Pentagon. They work normally at their academic positions but they introduce ideas and researches to the Pentagon. Hadn't any of them worked on a social study about the Iraqi society?
The Iraqi society is still influenced by the nomadic way of life. Bedouins or nomads are the main inhabitants of the desert. Desert represents around one third of the area of Iraq. An Iraqi sociologist (Dr. Ali Wardi) wrote many books about the influence of nomadic traditions on the Iraqi society. According to Dr. Wardi, Iraq received several migrations, through its history, from the desert of Arabia. The latest of these migrations was in the 19th century. So you can find in Iraq, cities of thousand years old or more, but their population is a mixture of the descendants of the old and recent migrants. Other towns are of around (100) years old. In such towns the dominating cultural way of life is a mixture between the nomadic one and a distorted conception of Islam.
Fallujah, where skirmishes are taking place, is one of the newest such towns. So their way of thinking, as most of us Iraqis, is still dominated by the nomadic traditions. One of these traditions is never to refuse receiving a guest which, maybe, has great role in offering harbor for strangers. A group of Saddam’s henchmen, who can be described as (legally expired), made use of this hospitality and resorted to Fallujah. In the current events, they are making use of enthusiastic young men through religious and patriotic slogans. These henchmen are(legally expired) because they represented the executive tools of torture and mass graves implements. Most of them are well known by the people who suffered from them. I assume that even if these persons step forward and announce their repentance asking for forgiveness, there is a number of their victims won’t forgive. The only available choice for them, according to their side of view, is to fight till death which they are going to face either way.
I can not stop being worried about innocent people in Fallujah. They are between the anvil of the insurgents and the hammer of the US troops. Though, most of Fallujah inhabitants have fled away to the countryside and nearby towns, still it is unpleasant situation for any human being. May God’s mercy be with them.
The Iraqi society is still influenced by the nomadic way of life. Bedouins or nomads are the main inhabitants of the desert. Desert represents around one third of the area of Iraq. An Iraqi sociologist (Dr. Ali Wardi) wrote many books about the influence of nomadic traditions on the Iraqi society. According to Dr. Wardi, Iraq received several migrations, through its history, from the desert of Arabia. The latest of these migrations was in the 19th century. So you can find in Iraq, cities of thousand years old or more, but their population is a mixture of the descendants of the old and recent migrants. Other towns are of around (100) years old. In such towns the dominating cultural way of life is a mixture between the nomadic one and a distorted conception of Islam.
Fallujah, where skirmishes are taking place, is one of the newest such towns. So their way of thinking, as most of us Iraqis, is still dominated by the nomadic traditions. One of these traditions is never to refuse receiving a guest which, maybe, has great role in offering harbor for strangers. A group of Saddam’s henchmen, who can be described as (legally expired), made use of this hospitality and resorted to Fallujah. In the current events, they are making use of enthusiastic young men through religious and patriotic slogans. These henchmen are(legally expired) because they represented the executive tools of torture and mass graves implements. Most of them are well known by the people who suffered from them. I assume that even if these persons step forward and announce their repentance asking for forgiveness, there is a number of their victims won’t forgive. The only available choice for them, according to their side of view, is to fight till death which they are going to face either way.
I can not stop being worried about innocent people in Fallujah. They are between the anvil of the insurgents and the hammer of the US troops. Though, most of Fallujah inhabitants have fled away to the countryside and nearby towns, still it is unpleasant situation for any human being. May God’s mercy be with them.
posted by Ibn_Alrafidain at 1:35 PM
7 Comments:
As the previous commentor said, it seems, from here, as if what can be done to minimize civilian casualties is being done. I am so sorry for those who are innocent and will be injured, but what can be done? If y'all are to have a whole country, you can't have terrorists holding entire cities, can you? How do you think Allawi & your fellow Iraqis should have approached this problem? --Christina
It is difficult for me to wrap my head around the pain and despair Iraqi's must feel to live in a country where there is so much violence, bloodshed, and loved ones lost.
The good Iraqi people have demonstrated and reminded the world just how costly and painful achieving a free democratic society is. It is a lesson that even many in the US do not appreciate or value appropriately enough to this day.
I pray that one day soon a free and democratic Iraq will arise and become the envy of many throughout the world. Perhaps only then can the innocents' sacrifice have any meaning.
(Lincoln said it better.)
"Did the US administration do their homework right before invading Iraq?"
I am not a Washington "Insider", but as an American who pays close attention to the news, I can only offer my view of things. I would say that yes, they did do their homework, but the question becomes "How well?" What grade would you give them for their homework assignment? I don't know how traditional school grading systems work in Iraq, but in the US it's usually something like:
A - Superior
B - Above Average
C - Average
D - Below Average (Passing)
F - Failing Grade
Overall I would give the US administration's pre-invasion homework assignment on invading Iraq and establishing democracy a "D". The difference between the "A" and the "D" possibly represents, among other things, the difference in innocent civilian lives lost. I hope and believe that the US is trying to improve this grade each day.
I truly believe that the US, its people and their government, want Freedom and Democracy for Iraq. I will feel very angry and betrayed by my government if ever the day comes evidence to the contrary surfaces.
Keep up the Blogging,
Dave K
Chicago
I'm trying to understand -
You said as part of the nomadic culture that is normal to not refuse a guest and that the "insurgents" took advantage of that culture.
Do people truly take these people in as a matter of hospitality or out of fear if they don't?
Texans are very hospitable people too, very welcoming - always a spare bed, food or maybe just the use of a phone. But if a Texan thinks the stranger has threatening intentions, the stranger will not be welcome and is likely tossed out on his ear.
I am not faulting the people who take in these insurgents out of fear. But I do believe that may be a better explanation than accepting these strangers as a matter of hospitality.
Do you truly believe it is out of hospitality?
I think the US did do its homework but was probably counting on too much from the Iraqi's themselves. The US expected them to be emboldened by the 12 years late Americans. I read Chrenkoff's "Post-Totalitarian Stress Disorder" with great interest because I think the people were relieved to see us, but just exhausted from the years of Saddam.
Am I way off here?
In the days of Saddam Sunnis in Iraq enjoyed a better life than the Kurds and Shia, whether this was intentional or not.
I would have thought that the Sunnis would generally be less appreciative of the US led over throw of Saddam, to put it mildly. Besides a lot of the trouble seems to be concentrated in the Sunni Triangle.
I agree that the Bush administration seems to have under estimated the rebuilding process, but they have to start somewhere, i pray and hope that ordinary Iraqis turn against the terrorists and rebuild their country. In many ways Iraq and Afghanistan are lucky, in the sense that few countries in the history have been given a golden opportunity like this. They just need to unite and grasp it while it's still there..
Surely mistakes have been made. Let's all just hope that the lessons have been learned. In th U. S. we all want to see progress, but things somtimes take time, and pacience. I hope the Iraqi people, above all have the pacience to weather the storm. People forget what it took in America to becom a stable, democratic republic, and how many times it nearly all fell apart. there were so many differing cultural views in different geographical regions, but more than 200 years later, we are still the UNITED States of America. Keep the faith and work for it. It IS worth it.
The main thing we didn't understand is that we should have put most of these guys in jail. They just don't want to give up their lifestyle.
Here is an interview with someone that knows if he doesn't win against the "Americans", he will have to go to the Terrorist union for a job that pays much, much less and is much more dangerous.
http://tinyurl.com/4clg5
This post is mine
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
Using the grading scale posted above, I'd give the US a B on planning that avoided civilian casualties and a C on overall anticipation of what would come.
I do feel sorry for the Iraqis who just trying to get by and are caught between the hammer and anvil, though I find it hard to believe that includes many in Fallujah. Notice of the action was given far in advance, not to mention the leaflets and such immediately prior.
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