The Entrance into 2006: The End of the Iraqi Dream

Monday, October 3rd, 2005:

Riverbend begins this post by discussing the importance of the marjuha or swings that can be found out front of most Iraqi’s homes. She describes it as a gathering place for the family when times get tough or when an escape is needed. She expresses her frustration, however, with her friend E. After aiming to convince her to read the new Constitution, she expresses complete disdain. She believes that, no matter if she reads it or not, it’s still going to get ratified regardless.

“’You’ll actually vote?’ she scoffed. ‘It will be a joke like the elections…They want this constitution and the Americans want it—do you thinking it will make a difference if you vote against it?’”

Riverbend states that, while she is incredibly fascinated with the constitution, most everyone else is too preoccupied with staying alive. However, she brings up the interesting fact that the Association of Muslim Scholars, a prominent Sunni group, began a campaign encouraging Sunnis to vote against the constitution. They believe that federalism would only contribute to the division of Iraq, furthering secular and ethnic friction.

Playing into this, very few people care about women’s rights – they just want to maintain a united Iraq.

“Rights and freedoms have become minor concerns compared to the possibility of civil war, the reality of ethnic displacement and cleansing, and the daily certainty of bloodshed and death.”

Saturday, October 15th, 2005:

The referendum on the constitution is occurring today. Security measures, such as a ban on driving until Sunday, have been implemented to reduce tensions during voting. A clause has been added to the constitution which states that it is subject to change with the new government after the next elections- this means that whoever is voted in can work the constitution to fit their potentially non-secular, pro-Iran ideologies. Most people don’t even have access to read the final version of the Constitution and polling stations are difficult to reach. Riverbend says that most educated Iraqis want to vote against the Constitution.

“Iraqis are going to be voting according to religious clerics and, in some areas, tribal sheiks. They aren’t going to be voting according to their convictions or their understanding of what is supposed to be a document that will set the stage for Iraqi laws and regulations.”

Sunday, November 6th, 2005:

Riverbend discusses several films that had a major impact on her growing up because of their violent nature: one about the Holocaust and one about the Iraqi POW in Iran. She sees brutal images of killings in her mind to this day and can’t seem to shake the images. With the growing remembrance of the Iran-Iraq war and the loss that all Iraqis felt, she sees many similarities in the American occupation. While she says it is an occupation that is American in face, it has metamorphosed into an Iranian one.

“It began, of course, with Badir’s Brigade and the several Iran-based political parties…It continues today with a skewed referendum, and a constitution that will guarantee a southern Iraqi state modeled on the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

She says that most Iraqis don’t like fundamentalists. They would not let Iran overrun them if the Americans left. She says that Iraq has been the land of dreams “for everyone except Iraqis.” The Persian dream of an Islamic state, the pan-Arab dream of a united Arab region with Iraq as a protective border, the American dream of a Puppet government, and the Kurdish dream of an independent Kurdish state have all been met. Iraq’s dream of unity, however, has “gone up in the smoke of car bombs.”

Friday, November 18th, 2005:

Torture houses were recently found in Jadriya, one of the best areas in Baghdad at one point. Called “detention centers” by the government, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior funds them. The Americans have raided them and found dead bodies, hanging corpses and prisoners on the verge of death. People are taken from their homes in the middle of the night and eventually turn up dead, not only “suspected insurgents” but any male in the region.

“SCIRI/Da’awa tortures don’t discriminate according to religious sect—under the new constitution… all Iraqis will be tortured equally.”

Friday, November 25th, 2005:

A Sunni tribal leader and his son were shot dead this morning, in front of their entire family. Riverbend reflects on the news images she sees of their crying family and states that every single Iraqi has thought about a close family member dying. The anger, frustration and desire for revenge becomes all-encompassing for these family members.

“People don’t become suicide bombers because they get seventy virgins in paradise. People become suicide bombers because it is a vengeful end to a life no longer worth living.”

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior is continuing to deny the killings, torture houses and assassinations. With this, the most educated, secular people are fleeing the country. This, Riverbend fears, will hold a heavy price.

Thursday, December 1st, 2005:

“Although many Iraqis support armed resistance in theory, I think that the average Iraqi simply wants to see [the Americans] go back home in one piece. We feel sorry for them and especially sorry for their families at times.”

Thursday, December 15th, 2005:

As elections are coming up, Riverbend says that its all that people have been talking about. She describes the five parties that stand out from the rest:

· National Iraqi: Ayad Allawi’s

· United Iraqi Coalition: Pro-Iran fundamentalists

· Kurdistani Gathering: Barazani and Talbani

· Iraqi Front for National Dialogue: Sunni and secular

· Iraqi Alliance Front: Sunni Islamic

She says that Allawi and Hakim are plastered everywhere and election propaganda is a constant.

“It’s a poster war. One day, you see the posters of Allawi, the next day, Allawi’s big face is covered with pictures of Hakim and Sistani. Allawi’s supporters have been complaining that Hakim’s supporters were sabotaging campaign posters.”

Wednesday, January 4th, 2006:

As the new year begins, Riverbend says it doesn’t seem to be a good start. Prices have gone up on virtually everything from kerosene to gasoline to tomatoes. As most Iraqis only make $100 for the entire family each month and must survive on that, price increases are increasingly devastating. There is also talk of mismanagement and theft in the Oil Ministry. A new leader, Chalabi, took over recently and he said to be incredibly corrupt.

“Goodbye 2005—the year of SCIRI, fraudulent elections, secret torture chambers, car bombs, white phosphorus, assassination, sectarianism and fundamentalism… you will not be missed. Let us see what 2006 has in store for us.”

Thursday, January 12th, 2006:

Today’s blog is a sort of obituary for a local friend and neighborhood legend. American journalist, Jill Carroll of the Christian Science Monitor, was recently abducted and her Iraqi translator, Alan, was killed. Alan owed a local music store named “Alan’s Melody” and Riverbend describes him as being a close friend of hers. She says that his music shop acted as a sanctuary and was a path to the outside world during sanctions. He memorized your musical interests, insisted on showing you new music, and always had Billboard’s Top Hits displayed. The occupation, however, caused him to shut down his shop. Alan remained, however, a loyal friend and a passionate lover of music from both the Iraqi world and beyond.

“He never let you down. Never. Whatever it was that you wanted, he’d try his hardest to get it…That didn’t just include music—he was ready to lend a helping hand to those in need, whether it was just to give advice, or listen after a complicated, difficult week.”

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006:

The 17th marked the 15th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991. 42 days of continual bombing occurred in Baghdad and things such as schools, housing, churches, mosques, factories, and so much more were destroyed. The intifadah entered southern Iraq from Iran and gained support once inside. After this war, however, reconstruction work was quickly completed. Infrastructure work was done and in two years almost 90% of the damage was repaired. 6,000 engineers, 42,000 technicians, and 12,000 administrators came together.

She contrasts this with the current situation, however, and emphasizes that buildings still remain in rubble.

https://youtu.be/xl_lctDXHuQ

“Iraqis hear about the billions upon billions that come and go. A billion here for security…Five hundred million there for the infrastructure…Millions for voting…And the country is still in shambles.”

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006:

Election results were announced two weeks ago. A Shia, Iran-influenced party came out on top. Riverbend says she is not surprised. During times of crisis and fear, people turn to religious clerics for guidance. Additionally, she thinks many Iraqis think of it as a vote against America. These religious parties claim that they will end the occupation quickly.

She says this is dangerous, however, because supporters aren’t just supporters- they are almost worshippers of the religious leaders and will do most anything he tells them to.

“When living in the midst of a war-torn country… you turn to God because Iyad Allawi couldn’t get you electricity and security—he certainly isn’t going to get you into heaven should you come face to face with a car bomb.”

However, because Iraq is so diverse, this will be incredibly divisive to non-Muslim citizens. Religion is a personal element of one’s life and can’t be argued away like politics can be.

Saturday, February 11th, 2006:

After an evening of celebrating her cousin’s birthday, cell phone and telephone service was completely lost. This, she says, is the sign of an impending raid. The family quickly starts bustling around the house, listening for vehicles, and trying to make a plan for safety. As they huddled in the living room, they could hear cars approaching and faint yells of people demanding that neighbors leave their homes. As a group eventually came pounding on their door, they searched the house aggressively and loudly demanded answers to vague questions. They eventually left but the family was left pale and fearful.

“We found out a few hours later that one of our neighbors, two houses down, had died. Abu Salih was a man in his seventies and as the Iraqi mercenaries raided his house, he had a heart-attack.”

The raid was conducted by the Iraqis but was protected by the Americans, Riverbend says. Over a dozen men between the ages of 19 and 40 were taken from the area that night, with no explanation, but the impending doom of death by their family.

Thursday, February 23rd, 2006:

The Askari Mosque in Samarra was damaged by explosives today. This mosque holds incredible importance to Muslims as two of the 12 Shia imams are said to be buried there. Extreme Shia are blaming extreme Sunni and vice versa.

Saturday, March 18th, 2006:

It has now been three years since the beginning of the war. As she reflects on the past three years, she says that 2006 is different because of the rift that has formed between Iraqis themselves. Discrimination based on Islamic sect, Sunni or Shia, has become very normalized.

“Before, we’d get refugees in Baghdad and surrounding areas…Now, Baghdadis themselves are looking for ways out of the city … and out of the country. The typical Iraqi dream has become to find some safe haven abroad.”