Iraq & Beyond
Hello again after a longgggg break from writing here!! I’m back alive and well! No stray bullets, explosions or kidnappings reached me!!! I went to Abu Dhabi and stayed there a few days as well, but I'll leave that for later 1stly I would like to retail my account of my IRAQ journey. It’s quite long so brace yourself! Drink some shir-moz or something :)
IRAQ!!! IRAQ!!! 'U r Iraqi, this is your home country, your blood, your culture' This what I have been told all my life and was telling myself the whole way there.
I reached Baghdad Int Airport and it seemed quite ordinary apart from the 2 American soldiers waiting by the foot of the Plane stairs. Throughout all this my heart was beating fast ... 'OMG I AM ON IRAQI SOIL'. As we were leaving the airport we were told to open our bags and be prepared to be searched at the door of the airport. One elderly man asked 'is this necessary?' The guard replied 'It’s for your safety we have just been ripped to bits again just outside the road leading to the airport'!!!
I felt cold flush inside but kept my calm and looked across to look at my mother who had now turned pale. As we left the airport we got into a security cleared taxi and an American soldier helped to load our luggage into the car, I gave him a smile after all he didn’t have to do that but he did.
Baghdad wasn’t what I expected, I had been told of its immense beauty but I never really saw that from the airport to the house of my mother’s family. It felt sad and empty and my heart sank every time we stopped near a checkpoint. What were they playing at? Didn’t they know that all the car bombs were at the checkpoints so why all these cars waiting? It seemed to be a case of 'damned if u do, damned if u don’t'- in Iraqis case if u let the cars go u let a car packed with explosives go pass and kill some innocent Iraqis near a police station.. And if u don’t the driver of that car blows himself up along with all the waiting traffic...
After a quick lunch it was off again to the long road to the Holy City of Najaf.. We passed through the 'Mandhage il Thabih il shar3i' (Area of shariah beheadings) and at one point it was the Terrorists area behind us and the American Hummers and their Guns in front of us! During the ride (approximately 2 hours) we passed through beautiful green marsh type areas and amazingly crystal blue waters I was told this was the city of Hilla. After what seemed to be a long time and alot of desert we reached Najaf! Well what can I say? It wasn’t as bad as I thought but it was no pretty picture either! It was relatively clean but u could see the roads had not been paved in places or very run down, electricity wires were dangling dangerously low in some streets and hardly any greenery. It had the spirit of Qom but to be fair with Qom it wasn’t as developed!
The most significant feature of Najaf is of course the shrine of Imam Ail (A.S) which is sooo small! It’s only got one sahn and it feels very spiritual. Compared to Mashad which is always 24/7 brimming with people (and thieves I may add!) it’s very cosy. The first thing u notice about Najaf compared to Qom is the lack of turbaned men!! Seriously the whole time I was there I saw 2 men wearing Amames! I take it the hawse is not actively recruiting in Najaf then :P
The kids there are still in the whirlwind of new technology, new satellite TV and the new sweets and chocolate!! Canned drinks & Foreign chocolate were a rarerity before the war, but now its common 2 see young kids munching on Twix and mars whilst playing the latest games on play station!.
This happy and carefree feeling doesn’t pass on to the older generation who r wary of the new government, moan about electricity, water and security. Most seem indifferent to the govt and only see them as a talking shop ... a talking shop of lies. Tales of corruption throughout government departments are rife and the sad thing is the majority of them are not tales but actual events!
This is where I get confused... How could a person steal from his own country? His own soil.. When he knows the land is troubled & war torn?? What does this person’s conscience tell him? And when I say steal I don’t mean a loaf of bread to feed his starving child or stealing the tyres of a car for some cash.. I’m talking about millions of dollars being taken out in fake contracts. That’s right they apply for money to build new electricity lines and instead they only thing they line are their pockets!
To be continued ...
IRAQ!!! IRAQ!!! 'U r Iraqi, this is your home country, your blood, your culture' This what I have been told all my life and was telling myself the whole way there.
I reached Baghdad Int Airport and it seemed quite ordinary apart from the 2 American soldiers waiting by the foot of the Plane stairs. Throughout all this my heart was beating fast ... 'OMG I AM ON IRAQI SOIL'. As we were leaving the airport we were told to open our bags and be prepared to be searched at the door of the airport. One elderly man asked 'is this necessary?' The guard replied 'It’s for your safety we have just been ripped to bits again just outside the road leading to the airport'!!!
I felt cold flush inside but kept my calm and looked across to look at my mother who had now turned pale. As we left the airport we got into a security cleared taxi and an American soldier helped to load our luggage into the car, I gave him a smile after all he didn’t have to do that but he did.
Baghdad wasn’t what I expected, I had been told of its immense beauty but I never really saw that from the airport to the house of my mother’s family. It felt sad and empty and my heart sank every time we stopped near a checkpoint. What were they playing at? Didn’t they know that all the car bombs were at the checkpoints so why all these cars waiting? It seemed to be a case of 'damned if u do, damned if u don’t'- in Iraqis case if u let the cars go u let a car packed with explosives go pass and kill some innocent Iraqis near a police station.. And if u don’t the driver of that car blows himself up along with all the waiting traffic...
After a quick lunch it was off again to the long road to the Holy City of Najaf.. We passed through the 'Mandhage il Thabih il shar3i' (Area of shariah beheadings) and at one point it was the Terrorists area behind us and the American Hummers and their Guns in front of us! During the ride (approximately 2 hours) we passed through beautiful green marsh type areas and amazingly crystal blue waters I was told this was the city of Hilla. After what seemed to be a long time and alot of desert we reached Najaf! Well what can I say? It wasn’t as bad as I thought but it was no pretty picture either! It was relatively clean but u could see the roads had not been paved in places or very run down, electricity wires were dangling dangerously low in some streets and hardly any greenery. It had the spirit of Qom but to be fair with Qom it wasn’t as developed!
The most significant feature of Najaf is of course the shrine of Imam Ail (A.S) which is sooo small! It’s only got one sahn and it feels very spiritual. Compared to Mashad which is always 24/7 brimming with people (and thieves I may add!) it’s very cosy. The first thing u notice about Najaf compared to Qom is the lack of turbaned men!! Seriously the whole time I was there I saw 2 men wearing Amames! I take it the hawse is not actively recruiting in Najaf then :P
The kids there are still in the whirlwind of new technology, new satellite TV and the new sweets and chocolate!! Canned drinks & Foreign chocolate were a rarerity before the war, but now its common 2 see young kids munching on Twix and mars whilst playing the latest games on play station!.
This happy and carefree feeling doesn’t pass on to the older generation who r wary of the new government, moan about electricity, water and security. Most seem indifferent to the govt and only see them as a talking shop ... a talking shop of lies. Tales of corruption throughout government departments are rife and the sad thing is the majority of them are not tales but actual events!
This is where I get confused... How could a person steal from his own country? His own soil.. When he knows the land is troubled & war torn?? What does this person’s conscience tell him? And when I say steal I don’t mean a loaf of bread to feed his starving child or stealing the tyres of a car for some cash.. I’m talking about millions of dollars being taken out in fake contracts. That’s right they apply for money to build new electricity lines and instead they only thing they line are their pockets!
To be continued ...
posted by Zahra @ 1:23 PM
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