Alive in Baghdad Video Podcast
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Alive in Baghdad was formed to counter the sound-bite driven, 'Live From' news model. Through the work of a team of Americans and Iraqi correspondents on the ground, Alive in Baghdad shows the occupation through the voices of Iraqis. Alive in Baghdad brings testimonies from individual Iraqis, footage of daily life in Iraq, and short news segments from Iraq to you. Ramadan is a time of fasting and introspection for Muslims. Muslims give up vices and even fast through the day, to understand the plight of the poor and less fortunate.
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Collective Punishment: From Adhamiya to Afghanistan
Tue, Apr 28, 2009
House demolitions in Adhamiya have been one of many tactics employed by the United States military in its attempts to quell violence and insurgents in the troubled neighborhood. The tactic of house demolition has been a familiar one to the United States, used as early as 2003 to destroy the homes of suspected insurgents. This tactic was taken from the experience of Israeli Defense Forces' behavior in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It’s easy to believe the American forces were acting on what they believed to be noble intentions. In 2003 Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told the USA Today, “If I saw that house go away, I’d feel more secure,” in reference to the destroying the home of a “terrorist across the street“. Unfortunately Brigadier General Kimmitt was not considering the impact of home destruction in dense urban areas such as Raghiba Khatoon in Adhamiya. While much has been made of the improved security environment in Iraq and the decision by President Obama to withdraw combat troops, it is important to look back at the lessons learned, and those seemingly unlearned, from the US military campaign in Iraq, particularly as the US escalates its war against insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan.In Afghanistan and Pakistan, or “AfPak” as its commonly referred to in the Western press, the US continues its practice of collective punishment against the population. It does so seemingly unaware of the damages suffered during counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. In fact, it appears that the US military may actually be getting worse at it, rather than improving. A study recently released by academics at King's College and Royal Holloway, University of London reveals that in Iraq, 39 per cent of deaths from US air strikes were children, while 46 percent were women. Even if its assumed that all of the men killed were legitimate military targets, that still only leaves a bombing success rate of just 15 percent.In Pakistan, the statistics are much worse. Figures released by the Pakistani government show that of 701 people killed in US air strikes, only 14 could be verified as legitimate al-Qa'eda operatives. That's a staggeringly low success rate of just 2 percent.It could be argued that in such active conflict zones as Iraq and "AfPak," civilian casualties are inevitable. However, the evidence in the King's College study of Iraq shows that the likelihood of innocent deaths increases dramatically when US air power is introduced. Wired Magazine writes, “On average, around four people were killed in each violent event. Researchers found, however, that civilian casualties tended to be higher when they involved coalition airstrikes or combined air and ground attacks: The average number killed in an airstrike was 17, similar to the average number of civilians killed by suicide bombers on foot (around 16 deaths per event).”Obviously the US in no way intends to cause these civilian casualties, but no matter the motives, it still amounts to collectively punishing the entire population, as opposed to those directly responsible for a specific crime. It should also be noted that the nuance between “intentional” and “unintentional” collective punishment is understandably lost on those whose friends and loved ones are killed in the attacks.As the US moves from Iraq to its war in AfPak, can it really afford to continue with collective punishment, rather than focusing on infrastructure and governance? In this classic episode of Alive in Baghdad, we witness the aftermath of one such instance of collective punishment. The reactions to similar violence by civilians in Pakistan is, unfortunately, not difficult to imagine.
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Liquor Shops Open for Business
Mon, Mar 30, 2009
As calm returns to Baghdad, liquor shops, once targets of Jihadists and Shi'a militias, have reopened their doors. Though some doubt their calling, they are doing brisk business in calm, but war-shattered Baghdad.
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US Withdrawing as Media Retreat from Iraq
Tue, Mar 03, 2009
Last week, President Barack Obama fulfilled one of his campaign promises to the US electorate when he laid out his public plan to have the US military withdraw from Iraq by 2010. While some have bristled at Obama's decision to leave 50,000 troops stationed in Iraq for support and advisory roles, the reaction from Iraqi citizens has been for the most part positive. Even the Mujahideen Central Command of Rafidain, an Iraqi resistance group based in Baghdad, released a statement warmly congratulating Obama for his plan. If you were to judge only from the press coverage in Europe or the United States, you might gather that the conflict in Iraq is all but over and done with. Newspapers, broadcasters, and even wealthy satellite news agencies are all cutting back on their foreign reporters, and the Iraqi bureaus full of producers, editors, and reporters are first on the chopping block. Alive in Baghdad isn't leaving. And this week, as a sign of how far we've come, and how far left we have yet to go, we bring you this classic episode from the archives on the sectarian walls in Baghdad's Adhamiya neighborhood. While the walls of Adhamiya and elsewhere in Baghdad have been credited as a component of the improved security situation in Iraq, the divisions they create are physically indicative of the broader ethnic and sectarian divisions in Iraqi society. While the violence has dropped to its lowest levels since the American invasion in 2003, there are still rivalries between ethnic, religious and political groups, simmering just below the surface, rivalries which have a habit of filtering down and embroiling the local population. With the complete drop-off of reporting, there is yet another wall being constructed in Iraq. This wall, however, is not between neighborhoods in Baghdad, but rather between citizens of the world and the citizens of Iraq. The global financial meltdown along with western media's sensationalist attention span threaten to sever entirely the communication links between Iraq and the rest of the world, although the fate of both are inextricably linked. To put it plainly, just because the Americans are leaving doesn't mean Iraq ceases to matter anymore. Despite the crisis in the mainstream media industry, Small World News and Alive in Baghdad are now well into their fourth year of operation, and we have absolutely no thoughts of stopping. However, we are not immune from the current financial woes. The good news is that we have a plan to deal with it. The first part of our plan is simple – in order to alleviate the workload on our reporters and translators, we'll be running a Classic AiB from our archives, including previously unreleased tapes, to supplement all the brand new episodes of Alive in Baghdad, which we'll still be releasing often. This won't last for long, only until we regain our financial momentum in the midst of industry turmoil. But here's the most exciting part – unlike our compatriots in the television or print business, Alive in Baghdad is in no danger of becoming extinct. Rather, we only need a boost to help alleviate the “Crisis of Confidence” affecting our industry, that is to say, the fear of investment. That's where you come in. We're asking all of you, our faithful supporters and subscribers, to shoot a quick video of yourself explaining why people should support Alive in Baghdad, particularly in light of the American military – and media – withdrawal from Iraq. Why is an accurate portrayal of Iraq important to you? What issues are still relevant to you, or still yet to cover? Tell us, and help us tell the world.
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Journalists in Danger Despite Drop in Censorship
Mon, Feb 23, 2009
Journalism in Iraq is a deadly business. The Committee to Protect Journalism, an international NGO focusing on dangers for journalists worldwide, has repeatedly ranked Iraq as one of the deadliest countries for journalists to work in. Rayat al-Arab, an Iraqi newspaper associated with the Movement of Arab Nationalists, is no exception to these dangerous conditions. In October 2006, Saed Mahdi Shlash, a journalist and administrator working for Rayat al-Arab, was murdered along with his wife. Gunmen entered his home in Baghdad's western neighborhood of al-Aamariyeh and executed Shlash along with his wife. The CPJ has previously highlighted the neighborhood al-Aamariyeh as a focal point of insurgent activity targeting journalists. In addition to militants and criminal gangs, journalists in Iraq are also alleged to have been targeted by the US military as well as their own government. On April 8, 2003, indepedent journalists reporting from Baghdad's Palestine Hotel were attacked by US military units, killing cameraman Jose Couso of Telecinco and another photographer for Reuters, Taras Protsyuk. Though the US Department of Defense claimed they acted in "self-defense," a report issued by Reporters Without Borders states that their investigations concluded "exactly the opposite" of the Pentagon's statement. All of these dangers combine to form a type of censorship for Iraqi journalists. While there haven't been specific laws infringing on Iraqi freedom of speech since the fall of Saddam Hussein, journalists are often intimidated by the steady stream of kidnappings, bombings and assassinations. Satellite news channels, the most popular media source in Iraq, are also monitored unofficially by the government and political parties trolling for criticism and unfriendly reporting. Newspapers and print media, for their part, are targeting much less by the government due to their low readership and distribution. In this week's episode of Alive in Baghdad, we bring you an interview with Hassan Fadhel Allah al-Hussaini, the editor of Rayat al-Arab newspaper in Baghdad. He offers us a personal perspective on the wide variety of dangers facing journalists in Iraq. At the same time he reminds us of these dangers, Hassan remains faithful. "All Iraqis now are working by way of a miracle," he tells us. "Everyone who walks in the street, every student who goes to school or university...all of them are working by a miracle, because death is pursuing them in every moment and place."
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Baghdad Hospitals Improve Slowly
Tue, Feb 17, 2009
Previously on Alive in Baghdad, our correspondents have documented theissues facing pharmacists and the distribution of medicine in Iraq.Following up on that, this week we examine the problems andopportunities for Iraqi doctors and hospital workers, as well as thepatients themselves. There have been significant gains in the healthcare situation thanks to the increasingly stable security environmentand several legislative efforts by the government, many problems withthe health care system remain.Even though it suffered heavily under the UN sanctions in the 1990's,Iraq's health care system was still seen as one of the more advancedin the region. This changed after the American invasion in 2003. Thevast majority of Iraq's wealthy and educated population, including thedoctors and surgeons, were forced to flee the growing violence intheir country. As the violence grew more chaotic during theoccupation, the few doctors who were able to remain in Iraq foundthemselves the targets of assassinations by insurgents, theirhospitals the targets of regular car and suicide bombings.Today in Iraq the security situation has vastly improved, but thehospitals and medical institutions have been forced to, in the wordsof one Iraqi, "start from zero."The continued shortage of Iraqi doctors and surgeons is a constantstress on hospital staff. Many of Iraq's educated population hasreturned as of late, but "brain drain," either from the violence orfrom Iraqis fleeing the country, continues to be a strain. And whilethere have been many gains in the treatment of certain infectiousdiseases like malaria as well as improvements in infant mortalityrates, Iraqis are also facing new threats from polluted water suppliesto a booming cholera epidemic.Despite these pressing problems, many Iraqis remain optimistic aboutthe future of health care in Iraq. In this episode of Alive inBaghdad, we talk to several Iraqis: doctors, patients and hospitaladministrators, each of whom offers us a unique, yet notably hopeful,perspective on Iraq's health care system.
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Some Words from Al-Sadr's Spokesman
Tue, Feb 10, 2009
The results of Iraq's 2009 provincial elections are in, and while the statistics are clear, the consequences are more difficult to discern. What can be noted for sure is that political parties who campaigned on a stronger central government and a unified Iraq, such as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Daa'wa party, prospered at the ballot box whereas parties who focused on religious and sectarian identities, such as the Iranian linked Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, known as ISCI, showed much deeper losses. Another party in particular who seemed to suffer at the polls was Muqtada al-Sadr's Movement. In the run up to the elections, rumors circulated of secret deals between the Sadrists and Maliki's Daa'wa party, and some even speculated that Sadr's Mehdi Army would once again resume armed resistance. While no violence has yet occurred nor deals confirmed, the Sadrists have announced a plan to appeal the election results with Iraq's Electoral Commission, citing voting irregularities in several districts. Some of the provinces especially highlighted by the Sadrists are Baghdad, Najaf, Kadhumiya and Qadisiyah, all heavily Shia provinces and all provinces that showed strong results for secular, nationalist parties like the Daa'wa. It is in this light that we bring you an unaired interview from our archives. In December 2007, Alive in Baghdad had a chance to sit down with Sayed Hazim Al-A'araji, the top Sadrist representative in the Kadhumiya district of Baghdad. While some of his words may seem like an anachronism with all that has happened in the last year, much of it is worth a new look and a new consideration.
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Night Life Returns to Baghdad
Mon, Feb 02, 2009
What used to be a rare scene in war-torn Iraq is becoming quite common again: Families gather in lush parks after prayers and breakfast and stay until all hours of the night. Small children play, old men battle for supremacy in dominoes, and young men gathered around hot teas argue over politics - all possible due to Iraq's ever improving security situation. Before the American invasion in 2003, Baghdad's parks and public squares were known for their traditional games. Men would journey from all over Iraq on holidays to play games of Mohaibi, dominoes and backgammon. During the occupation, this was impossible due to the chaotic security situation. Battling between the militias, the Iraqi government, and the US Military made it unlikely that anyone in Baghdad could come to the parks at all. Now they stay until dawn, unthreatened by terrorists, criminal gangs or militia attacks. It's not just old men and their traditions enjoying the new era of freedom and security. Young Iraqi men take full advantage of their country's experiment with western democracy, using the parks to meet and discuss politics, music, and of course the number one preoccupation of young men worldwide: girls. Indeed, even Iraqi women are able to come out and socialize for hours without fear of harrassment. This week as the final votes are counted in Iraq's elections, we offer you another side of Iraq's tenuous relationship with Western-style democracy - The tales of a few Iraqis able to once again enjoy and take pride in their country's rich public atmosphere.
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Fake Pharmacies Plague Iraq
Tue, Jan 27, 2009
IRAQ, BAGHDAD - Tales of tainted merchandise, non-existent oversight, and government extortion may seem like headlines from sensationalist western media, but these are also just some of the problems facing pharmacists in Iraq today. Though the central government has taken steps to restore order to the pharmaceutical industry, a myriad of a problems remain for pharmacists, not to mention the patients themselves. Though it functioned effectively even through crushing UN sanctions, the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the security vaccum immediately after in 2003 proved too much for Iraq's Ministry of Health. It's ability to regulate the pharmaceutical industry collapsed and as a result Iraq was flooded with black market and counterfeit medications. The Ministry also lost its ability to regulate licensing of pharmacists, effectively nullifying the line between esteemed tradesmen and common drug dealers. Most of the countefeit and substandard drugs in Iraq came from smugglers bringing in black market product from Iran and China. No longer required, or rather forced, to undergo rigorous testing by the Ministry of Health, these counterfeit drugs at best had no effect at all and at worst could cause serious harm. The black markets stretch into every conceivable pharmaceutical niche, from Viagra to anti-depressents, even skin care products.There is also no regulation of licensing of pharmacists, so Iraqi patients often have no idea if their pharmacist, or his products, are legitimate. Lately the Ministry of Health has been attempting to extend its oversight once again, but the program is still rife with problems. While the government has been using the Iraqi Army and National Guard to crack down on fraudulent pharmacies, often corrupt soldiers will simply burglarize the business rather than shut down its operations. Even legitimate pharmacists are at risk of this kind of racketeering, often seeing their shops raided and robbed by the very police tasked with regulation. Cell phones and electronics, not counterfeit medications and drug dealers, are more often than not the target of these raids. In this episode of Alive in Baghdad we talk to some of these Iraqi pharmacists who have endured Police raids and a regulation vaccum all in the honorable pursuit of their tradecraft, bringing medicine and medical care to all those in Iraq who need it.
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Pastry Shops Thriving in Iraq
Mon, Jan 19, 2009
Even through the darkest days of the invasion and civil war, Iraq's candy and pastry makers have endured it all. Some see the profession as just another trade to provide for their family, but many also see it as a creative outlet. Their traditional Zonood Al-Sit and Baqlava draw Iraqis from miles around just for a taste. Iraqi pastry chefs not only put a lot of care into their creations, but some spend years developing specific specialties. The more unique their dish, the more their fame, and fortune, will grow. Sadr City in Baghdad is known especially for its unique creations, with Iraqis journeying from all corners of the country to sample its Zolabya Sha'rya, Kanafa, and Balorya. These dishes don't always come easy though. With Iraq's unpredictable security situation, often times the price of ingredients will rise sharply and suddenly. This not only causes the price of sweets and pastries to fluctuate wildly, but will sometimes even cause whole items to be removed from the menu. Obviously this can be a devastating blow to a sweet maker who specializes in that item. Fortunately for these sweet makers, security has been much less of an issue lately. With the threat of violence relatively diminished, more Iraqis are able to freely walk the streets at night and thus the bakeries are able to stay open longer, often late into the night. In this week's episode of Alive in Baghdad, we take you inside some of these pastry shops to talk to the chefs themselves about what it takes to be a candy maker on the streets of Iraq today. We only regret that it is only video and you can't taste the dishes yourselves. If you enjoy this episode, please feel free to support Alive in Baghdad, and don't forget to check out the latest from Small World News - Alive in Gaza.
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Ashura, A Sign of the Times
Mon, Jan 12, 2009
The Day of Ashura, which commemorates the slaying of Hussein ibn Ali, is one of the holiest days in Shiite Islam. Each year, millions of Shi'a pilgrims gather at shrines in Iraq to mourn the loss of Imam Husayn, a hero of Islam and a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. Although in recent years the holiday has been heavily disrupted by violence, this year many Iraqis have noted a dramatic decrease in violence. With the exception of a suicide attack on Iranian pilgrims in Kadhamiya, Shi'a in Iraq were able to celebrate 2009's Ashura Festival in relative peace. Iraqi security forces were on high alert after the pilgrims were killed in a Shi'a neighborhood across the Tigris from Adhamiya. Over 20,000 security personnel were deployed to protect the pilgrims and worshippers. The calm of this year's celebration largely escaped the notice of the media, as most attention has been focused on the events in the Gaza strip. For more, check out Small World News' newest project, Alive in Gaza. In this week's episode of Alive in Baghdad we take you back to the Day of Ashura in 2008. Hear direct from the Iraqis themselves what it means to celebrate this holy day under all the stresses of the ongoing conflict in Iraq.
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Iraq's Free Press?
Tue, Jan 06, 2009
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad - Newspapers in Iraq have a long history during Iraq's various regimes and government changes. These changes left a strong impact on writing, journalism, and educating the Iraqi population. There were very few newspapers or magazines in the 40s and 50s, and the number of news journals during the government of Abdul Karim Qassem was not more than five. After the invasion in 2003, and the fall of Baghdad, more than 200 newspapers were published, some of the newspapers were daily, and the rest were released weekly or monthly. The majority of these newspapers belong to political parties, very few of them are completely independent, or working independently. Newspapers such as Al-Sabah are demanded by Iraqis due to the government information they normally publish, and the people living in Baghdad is longing to listen to a true word and a guaranteed sources. Other newspapers belong to political parties which are not liked by Iraqis, some of those newspapers are distributed for free and some are not, such as Tareek Al-Sha'ab and Al-Basha'er newspaper. The Iraqi citizens now have a variety of newspapers, but it is still difficult to determine which are good or dependable and which are bad. It will still take time to see what direction Iraq's new journalists will take and whether the new government will allow a free press to grow. If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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After Saddam, Building Amarah
Mon, Dec 29, 2008
Iraq, Amarah - Deep in the southeast of Iraq along the border with Iran lies the Governorate of Maysan. Approximately 800,000 Iraqis live there, most followers of the Shi'ite Islamic sect. During the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s Maysan province was the site of some of the biggest battle fields. Because of the high Shi'ite population and their relation to Iran, the regime of Saddam Hussein viewed the people of Maysan as a threat. Saddam had the Ahwar, or marshlands, a major food source and the crux of many local livelihoods, completely drained. In addition, much of the local population was forcefully relocated to other areas of Iraq. Most of the people in Maysan live in the capital of Amarah. The city's infrastructure is especially poor, receiving negligible care and attention during the reign of Saddam Hussein, who viewed it as vengeance for the Shi'ite uprisings following the first Gulf War in 1991. The conditions in Amarah did not improve after the invasion in 2003 as the citizens suffered a lack of proper water infrastructure. British forces were in control of the city in the early days, and much of the city was besieged with regular bombings, kidnappings and other acts of violence. Though many citizens of Amarah turned out and participated in large public demonstrations, because of the security situation, the city's local council was unable to accomplish any social work or infrastructure repair. By 2005, Maysan's district councils began to accomplish some improvements. Working in tandem with the Sadr Movement and the Iraqi National Guard, the councils distributed plans for various reconstruction projects throughout Maysan. Factional conflict broke out briefly between members of the Mahdi Army and the Iraqi National Guard in early 2006 forcing a temporary suspension of the reconstruction projects, however it was quickly resolved and the community services councils were able to return to work again. Since 2007 the security situation in Maysan has largely improved. With a dramatically reduced threat of violence, the local services organizations and community services councils are able to rebuild much of Ammarah's infrastructure, including large road and bridge reconstruction projects.
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Journalists Still At Risk in Iraq
Mon, Dec 22, 2008
Just over a year ago, Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a journalist and correspondent for Alive in Baghdad, received a knock at his door. It was just after 11:30 at night, outside Ali was greeted with an Iraqi National Guard convoy. Hearing gunshots, Ali's neighbors frantically tried to reach him by phone, to no avail. When his cousin Amar finally arrived a few hours later, Ali was dead, shot to death in his own living room. Horace Greeley once wrote that "journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you're at it." No one understands this twisted fate more than the journalists of Iraq. From Saddam's police state through the American invasion and occupation all the way through the darkest days of the civil war, Iraqi journalists have endured all manner of peril and treachery in their quest to deliver truth to the people, and in some cases, truth from the people. After Saddam took control of Iraq in 1979, journalists lost all freedom to express their own views. Saddam's Ba'ath party dominated all media - radio, newspapers, television, everything. Behind his long winded speeches on personal hygiene and endless slide shows of exotic flowers, Saddam ruthlessly persecuted any journalist he suspected of treason. Many were imprisoned, tortured or executed. Even after Saddam's deposing in 2003 however, journalists in Iraq still found themselves on the wrong side of the powers that be. During the American invasion, coalition forces are alleged to have had an unofficial policy of targeting journalists who were unwilling or unable to report from Iraq exclusively through it's system of "embedded" reporters. While the US military viewed the process of embedding as simply one means of controlling battlefield information, many journalists questioned the ethics of siding so closely with one source, some even calling it propaganda. The response from coalition forces was not kind. Occupation forces weren't the only threat they faced however. With the invasion came the civil war, and journalists were exposed to yet new terrors. Though print and radio journalists were sometimes able to operate in relative anonymity, journalists in the booming satellite television news industry found themselves vulnerable to all manner of militant and criminal groups in Iraq. With their faces broadcast directly into the homes of millions of Iraqis, they quickly became a favored and convenient target for even the most unsophisticated militants in Iraq. Even without the exposure of satellite television Iraqi journalists still found little shelter from the violent chaos of the civil war. Ali is one such case. On this first anniversary of our brave correspondent Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi's passing, we offer you this week's episode in his memory. Hear the tales of just a handful of the Iraqi journalists fighting every day to report the truth from Baghdad, and in some cases, fighting just to stay alive in Baghdad.
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Mosques in Iraq's Civil War
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
VIDEO - Baghdad, Iraq - Al-Qa'eda used Islam as a way of drawing a wide base in Arab and Muslim countries, while in Iraq other militias manipulated local Imams and Muslim clerics. Both saw controlling mosques as a tactic for providing secure gathering points as well as a steady supply of new recruits. Many Imams chose not to go quietly along with Al-Qa'eda's and the other militia's plans, and they often suffered for it. Some were assassinated by Al-Qa'eda, who considered them non-believers or sometimes for being simply uncooperative. Others were killed in US raids on mosques suspected of harboring Al-Qaeda. There was also another kind of conflict occurring, this one between Sunni and Shiite. Many Sunni mosques were located in heavily Shiite territories and vice versa. Many of these Imams were displaced, or worse, tortured and killed. Most were at the hands of religious extremists for the purpose of sectarian control. Some, however, were targeted out of sheer ignorance. For instance, the Shiite have a type of mosque known as a "Husseiniya." A Husseiniya differs from a mosque in that it is made mainly for gatherings for Muharram, the mourning of Hussein ibn Ali, and not necessarily for holding prayers in jumaa'at or regular Friday prayers. This slight difference in attendance was used by many militias as justification for killing those seen as "disobeying" those Friday prayers. Car bombs, on the other hand, did not discriminate between Sunni or Shiite. Many mosques were closed or destroyed and the imams forced to relocate after spectacular, and deadly, car bomb attacks. For example, a car bomb in Khanaqin, a Sunni district, killed 70 people and injured more than 100, while in the Shiite region of Najaf, a similar attack left 95 dead and many hundreds wounded. The mosques are thus left between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, it's often too frightening for Iraqis to go to mosque under threat of car bombs and militia attacks, while on the other hand, Iraqis are used to meeting and gathering at mosques, an integral part of their culture. Because of the constant threat of Al-Qa'eda and militia attacks, Iraqis have sadly become accustomed to the sight of mosques brimming with armored vehicles and heavily armed gunmen there to protect the worshipers. This week Alive in Baghdad brings you inside one of these mosques to hear what Iraqis have to say regarding the sectarian conflict, Al-Qa'eda attacks, and the struggles they go through daily just to worship.
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Ramadan Brings Optimism to Sadr City
Mon, Dec 08, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad/Sadr City – Ramadan is an important religious event for the Muslim community all over the world. In Iraq it is special too, people in Iraq consider it as a family occasion, and a time for the family to meet. One of the Iraqi traditions is to play a game called "Mahibs" after the Iftar, or breaking of the fast. The game is based on a hidden ring and the basic idea is to find this ring. Due to the security situation it became difficult to find this game due to the difficulty in previous years of travelling and meeting at night. The prize for the winner of this game is a huge amount of sweets. Shopping for Ramadan is important, buying fresh vegetables, bread, and other ingredients in order to cook them before the Iftar time. It is an important tradition within Iraqi society, unfortunately shopping became difficult, due to the lack of security and the very meager incomes of many Iraqi families. Those things are a shared experience between the Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq. There are a few differences in traditions and religious details, such as Sunnis begin Iftar exactly when the sunset prayer call starts, while Shi'a begin Iftar when the first stars appear in the skies. In Sadr City, Ramadan became a very difficult time for families living there. In the past constant raids, military operations and seiges forced people to stay in their homes. It became difficult for those families even to travel to nearby markets in order to purchase simple groceries. Their fasting has become greatly increased, including not only food fasting, it became food, electricity, security, and many other things "fasting." However, in 2008, it appears optimism is returning. The streets of Sadr City were full of people this year, as residents travelled to special places for Shi'a such as the Imam Kadhim mosque, or just went to visit long absent family around Baghdad. Alive in Baghdad's Ali Le'abiy spoke with two Sadr City residents about their experience of Ramadan in 2008. If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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Still No Electricity Surge
Mon, Dec 01, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad – The electricity is the second greatest concern for the Iraqi people after security. Iraqis have suffered from a lack of electricity before the war and have been angry to see it continue after. The excuse most often given by Saddam's regime was the impact of the sanctions and the lack of spare parts. The new Iraqi government blames the security situation and the lack of funding for new electricity providers. Iraqi citizens have developed new ways to provide electricity to support their daily life. Diesel generators become a common piece of equipment to be seen in any neighborhood. You must open a membership with the generator's owner and pay 15,000 Iraqi Dinar, approximately $10,for each ampere used per month. Normally an average house in Baghdad will be allowed to take about 10 to 20 ampere per day. This is barely enough to run the family's fans, refrigerator, and a television. In better circumstances, the diesel generators provide power for 10 hours per day, but many Iraqi families cannot afford this luxury service. Other Iraqis depend on their own gasoline generators, gasoline is approximately $40 US dollars for a full tank. This tank is enough for approximately 5 operating hours, but even getting the fuel for the generators can be a problem. For example, you must wait in a 4 to 5 hour queue at a gas station. Furthermore, the cost of the generator alone ranges between $500 and $1500. Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has repeatedly made statements about the electricity improvements coming soon. However, the Minister of Electricity is considered by many to be one of Iraq's worst comedians due to large number of statements he's given about improving the electricity, yet there have been few major improvements in electricity since 2003. This week Alive in Baghdad brings you various interviews with Iraqis suffering the endless electricity problems in Baghdad. If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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100 Years Later, Iraq Railroad Still Runs
Mon, Nov 24, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad – The railroad in Iraq has a long history of wars and occupations, in the 1920s the railroads tracks were used by the British forces for transporting military supplies from London to Baghdad during the British occupation and it was well known with the name "Orient Express" The greatest era of the Iraqi railway was during the 1970s. Iraq imported new trains at that time and developed a new international schedule, with trains leaving Baghdad heading to Damascus, London, Berlin, Paris and other destinations in Europe. Iraqis and people all over the world used to dream of the chance to take a trip in the famous "Orient Express." In the 1980s the Orient Express was used intensely by the Ex-Iraq government for military purposes, to transport military equipment for the Iraqi Army during the Iraq-Iran war. The transportation of tanks and other heavy military equipment inflicted severe damages on the railroad tracks. Partly due to this reason, the passenger trains had nearly stopped during that era. During the 1990s the international sanctions regime prevented Iraq from continuing their international trains and the travel of trains across Iraq's borders. It was well known that the trains during Saddam's regime were used for transporting soldiers and construction materials. People used to prefer travelling in their cars rather than the trains, due to the poor service and deteriorating conditions of the Iraqi railway. When the United States bombing campaign began in 2003, many of the railroad tracks were destroyed, the train stations were looted and many key elements of the locomotives were stolen. The Iron used in constructing the trains provided a valuable commodity encouraging many thieves. Stations such as the Baghdad International Train Station were looted by individuals who stole everything down to the spare parts. That prevented the Iraqi Republic Railways company from fixing many trains and keep them in the stations without any news. Now the Iraqi Republic Railways company is trying to fix the trains and is working on improving the old Orient Express, hoping the railroads will be modernized and good enough for passengers to use regularly in the near future. This week our correspondent Nabeel Kamal visited the Iraqi Republic Railways company in Baghdad to see how the progress is going with this old company that is in fact older than Iraq itself.
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Sahwa, What Next After Al-Qaeda?
Mon, Nov 17, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad – The Sahwa Councils or what are also known as "Sahwa Forces" had a strong impact and important role in bringing stability to some areas of Iraq such as Anbar province, Ramadi, Fallujah, and some other areas in Baghdad. Those forces were created after Sattar Abu Risha suggested the idea of creating local forces recruited within the same area the forces will be responsible for. However, some Sahwa Forces succeeded in protecting their areas while others did not. There have been some rumors spread about cooperation between the Sahwa forces and Al-Qaeda, in some areas of Baghdad. Some Iraqis began to be afraid of the Sahwa Forces due to some accidents happening in Baghdad such as kidnappings and robbery under the Sahwa protection. In some cases the lack of training of Sahwa Forces has also caused problems. On other hand many Iraqis welcomed the idea of Al-Sahwa; they considered them their sons due to the fact all Sahwa members are living within the same neighborhood where they live. Some of the Sahwa members are relatives or friends of the residents they are responsible for, and it became something common to see the neighbors providing food and greeting the Sahwa soldiers constantly. The Iraqi government took control over the Sahwa forces recently, that garnered a strong fear among Sahwa members and pushed some of them to leave their work with the Sahwa, due to their belief that the Iraqi Government and Ministry of Interior is controlled by Shia militias. Despite this change, some of them stayed working with the Sahwa although the Iraqi Government technically controls the Sahwa now. Alive in Baghdad has previously produced shows about the Sahwa forces in Adhamiya, Taji, Hawr Rajab, and now brings you Iraqi opinions on the Sahwa's progress and its future form. If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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Iraqi Professors Demand Rights
Mon, Nov 10, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad – University professors are considered by many to be the leaders of Iraqi society. The professor was experiencing many dangers, such as death threats, car bombs, and gangs. Despite all these conditions many professors continued going everyday to their universities, transferring education, culture, and inspiration to their students. During the time of the previous regime Regime time suffered under strict budgets and some stopped teaching and began taking jobs such as taxi drivers, shop keepers, or others. After the invasion the salaries given to university professors were increased, but many felt they were not increased enough to match their efforts. Further, the problem of transportation, the heat in the summer, and the lack of security, forced professors to expend even more money than usual. With the help of some NGOs and the assistance of some professors the Iraqi government created the "University Service Law." The main purpose of this new law is to support the professors financially and provide them what they deserve as university professor. The first issue the law fixed, was to increase the compensation university professors receive. The raises ranged between 250 thousand Iraqi Dinar ($200) and 100 thousand Iraqi Dinar (90$) each month. Some professors found these incremental raises to be a joke when compared to the work they do while others believe it to be a good step toward developing the educational system in Iraq. Amar Al-Ha'arya, a professor at Baghdad University told Alive in Baghdad, "The new law is good and bad at the same time. It's good because it can show us a light at the end of the tunnel and it's bad because our salaries are still not enough to make us creative." The cost of life in Iraq in general is quite expensive compared to the university professors' income. Alive in Baghdad brings interviews with some professors commenting on the new law its impact, as well as other issues facing professors today. If you appreciate the insightful content, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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Who Would Iraq Elect, Obama or McCain?
Mon, Nov 03, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad - This week at Alive in Baghdad, with the United States Presidential election looming and Iraq coverage dwindling dramatically, we decided to combine the two topics. Correspondents Nabeel Kamal and Ali Al-Le'abiy hit the streets of Baghdad and interviewed several Iraqis as to their opinion of the candidates. Our sampling was done in a short timeframe and by no means represents a statistically accurate cross-section of the Iraqi public. However, we do feel that you will hear an array of different opinions, and begin to gain a little insight into how the Iraqi public views the American government and electorate, more than five and years after the invasion. Please leave comments regarding your own views of the presidential candidates, and how you think they will affect the war in Iraq and how they should respond to these and other Iraqi civilians. If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.
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How Do Young Iraqis Spend Their Free Time?
Mon, Oct 27, 2008
The education system in Iraq is well known as one of the best education systems in the Arab lands, most scientific departments give lectures to the students in English, for example in the medical departments most of the books are imported from famous universities in the United Kingdom. Today students are going through different difficulties that prevent them from understanding their materials, such as the constant shortage of electricity, the weak security situation and the financial troubles facing the students. The security problem remains the number one issue facing the students. Many explosions, militia attacks and security raids have targeted the Iraqi universities. Baghdad University has been attacked several times with car bombs and students were kidnapped on their way home from the university. Some students were forced to carry fake identification cards with different names in order to prevent being kidnapped by sectarian militias. On the other hand many students and young men in Iraq are not able to enjoy themselves or relax in sport clubs or go to cultural centers that help improve their education. The security situation in Baghdad has limited the establishment of cultural centers or students clubs, clubs that important to students because they allow them to exchange knowledge with other countries and mix with students from outside of Iraq. Unfortunately Iraqi students are not being provided scholarships or financial support from their government. Because of this, some students left Iraq, traveling to nearby countries with their families to finish their studies. There are a few projects adopting Iraqi students, for example the Iraq Student Project, to help them finish their education in the United States. Others were not so lucky and had to quit their schools and find a job. The financial situation and the constant problem of unemployment forced many students to leave school and take jobs that do not suit their age, for example in the industrial field or as car mechanics. One of the students, Muhammad, 21, is a student in the technical university in Baghdad, he said "I work for one year and my brother goes to university, then next year, my brother will work and I will go to university. Our father was killed in an explosion in Baghdad Jadeeda neighborhood, and we must work to live." In the end the Iraqi students are struggling to finish their studies under the stressful situation in Baghdad. Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with some of those students who are still studying and just looking for some free time to relax and see their friends.
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Two Families Survive Iraq's Militias
Mon, Oct 20, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad/Saediya/Adhamiya - The sectarian conflict in Iraq was one of the main problems that has continued to limit stability and security in certain Iraqi provinces. Many people were forced to sell their house and flee to other neighborhoods or to leave Iraq entirely. In other cases they were not able to sell any of their property such as cars or furniture, and had to flee immediately. According to the International Herald Tribune, the highest number of casualties due to violence was in September 2006 when approximately 2600 Iraqis were killed. According to icasualites.org, more than 3300 civilians were killed in this period. At the end of 2006 the Iraqi Minister of Health shocked the world by announcing that 150,000 Iraqis had been killed during the war by October 2006, more than three times previous accepted estimates. Many of the casualties were because of the actions of Al-Qaeda and other Sunni militias or insurgents. On the other hand Shia militias such as the Badr Brigade and others were taking different techniques, for example kidnapping and assassinating Iraqis, and both sides created a great number of refugees and internally-displaced families. Sunni neighborhoods like Adhamiya in Baghdad found themselves hosting Sunni refugees who fled death threats from Shia Areas such as Khalis, Karbala, Najaf, and others. The internally displaced families were desperate to find shelter, some forced to live in tents in camps inside Adhamiya. Some local residents of the neighborhoods donated items like heaters, blankets, and food to help those families. Some families who were lucky were able to make a deal with a Shi'a family who was displaced form Adhamiya, and thereby find a home to shelter them during the worst violence. Shia areas like Sadr City have hosted Shia refugees from Sunni conflict zones like Abu Ghraib, Anbar province, and Falluja specifically. The Sadr movement has provided some of the help for these refugees, like food, blankets, and helping them by sheltering them in properties belonging to the Sadr Movement. Other families in Sadr City decided to host some of the families in their own homes. The common rumors in Baghdad are that the Badr Brigade is kidnapping Iraqi Sunnis, and the Mahdi Army is kidnapping Sunni Iraqi as well. On the Shia side the common belief is that Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Army's main purpose is the removal of all Shia from Iraq and to cut any kind of connection with Iran, and the Iraqi citizens find themselves confused whom to believe, the Iraqi government or a religious militia? Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with some of those Iraqi who are suffering all those problems everyday.
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Is There a Fuel Crisis in Baghdad?
Mon, Oct 13, 2008
VIDEO - Baghdad, Iraq – it's well known that Iraq has one of the largest reserves of oil in the world, so it is quite ironic that the Iraqi people are constantly having problems obtaining various products produced from oil such as gasoline, propane, diesel, and kerosene. Furthermore, the prices of these products, when compared with the average income of an Iraqi citizen are barely affordable. The average income of an Iraqi citizens is between $100 and $300 per month. The price of one liter of gasoline is 450 Iraqi Dinar, or approximately $.30. While on the black market the price of one liter of gasoline is nearly 1500 Iraqi Dinar or $1. These prices are not stable and depend on the current conditions, whether there is an oil crisis or electricity shortage. The prices could jump between 2000 and 5000 Iraqi Dinar, or between $1.50 and $4 per one liter. Reaching most any destination in Baghdad could cost you half to three quarters of your gas tank due to the large number of checkpoints, walls, and convoys causing traffic jams across the city. Another side of the fuel crisis is the price of the diesel fuel that most of the neighborhood generators depend on. You can generate 5 amperes per month of electricity for approximately $150. However, 5 amperes are barely enough to power the fans, lights and some other simple household appliances. It is certainly not enough for turning on the water heater or air conditioner. The price is also dependent on the availability of diesel. One barrel of diesel that contains 200 liters costs approximately $200 and during a crisis or shortage, it could reach $400 and this is enough to fuel the neighborhood generators for only three days. The minster of Oil Hussein al- Shahristani has blamed most of the problems regarding oil production and refining on the security situation and the lack of electricity. He has also specified that a part of the problem with lack of oil products is due to the lack of oil refineries. It has been a common occurrence in Iraq that the trucks transporting these products such as propane, gasoline, or diesel are regularly attacked by different militias and insurgents, due to the belief that the trucks are working for the US military. As if these difficulties weren't enough, gas stations have become particularly dangerous places themselves. Many stations have been attacked by car bombs, mortars, or gun fire. Normally the distribution centers for propane tanks are in the gas station, where people must wait for up to three hours to get one tank. If they decide to buy from the black market it will cost approximately 3000 Iraqi Dinar $2.50, and this tank is enough for just. one week.
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Baghdad Security Plan Burdens Residents
Mon, Oct 06, 2008
VIDEO - Baghdad, Iraq - The ongoing fighting in Baghdad pushed the Iraqi and US forces to establish checkpoints all over the city to secure the roads and neighborhoods. Controlling the cars inside the city and preventing them from distributing weapons or bombs was the first aim of these checkpoints. There are four main types of checkpoints in Baghdad, the checkpoints made by US forces those of the Iraqi National Guard, and finally those established by the Iraqi Police or the Ministry of Interior. There are approximately five hundred checkpoints deployed around the perimeter as well as inside the city. Most of the checkpoints are directed by the Iraqi National Guard or Coalition forces. These checkpoints are getting attacked repeatedly by IEDs, car bombs, and sniper attacks. Many Iraqis were killed because of these attacks, for example, they may be driving into a checkpoint or getting killed by stray bullets fired after a car bomb attack. On the other hand, starting several years ago, militias began using what are known as “fake checkpoints” in order to kidnap or kill people. The fake checkpoints generated great fear among the Iraqi people agains Iraqi forces whether they were military forces or police. It become something very familiar within Iraqi society that if someone was kidnapped or disappeared at one of the “fake checkpoints,” the family should go and look in the morgue looking for that person. Today, although security appears to have returned to much of Baghdad, blast walls and checkpoints continue to choke the city streets. These measures helped re-establish security in the capital, but today many people question them and have begun pushing the Iraqi government to take down the walls that block much of the city.
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Iraqis Teach Against The Odds
Mon, Sep 29, 2008
Video - Iraq, Baghdad/Adhamiya - The ongoing conflict in Baghdad has made a strong impact on the teachers and the education system in Iraq. A large number of teachers left their schools due to the threat of being killed or kidnapped by a gang to be ransomed. In other cases teachers and professors have been threatened or killed by militias or insurgent groups.Street blockades, checkpoints, curfews and the general lack of security affected the performance of teachers in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. Teachers began to fear attending their school, due to the increasing risk of being killed. In 2007, Al-Mustansariya University was attacked by a car bomb that killed more than 65 students and 10 teachers. This explosion was one of many attacks that have targeted this university in particular since the conflict began. All of these attacks have resulted in convincing many students and teachers to stop attending this university.Teachers also face another very different type of problem. Although it is certainly not serious in the same way, the lack of equipment and adequate textbooks are another factor in the deterioration of Iraq's once strong education system. During the spring and summer the temperature in the classrooms can surpass 110 or 120 degrees. Unfortunately, many schools in Iraq are not outfitted with air conditioning systems inside the classroom. Even if students and teachers might be lucky to have an air conditioning unit, in many districts they're unlikely to have electricity. In 2007 the Iraqi Ministry of Education initated a new program to assist repairing and rehabilitating the classrooms and rebuilding schools in different areas of Baghdad. The Ministry has recognized that rehabilitation of Iraq's schools is integral to improving the education system. Unfortunately, the workers who came to repair some of these schools were attacked by different militias, and its believed they considered them to be working for the American forces.Some teachers such as Maani al-Yasseri have raised yet another issue that causes difficulty for the Iraqi educational system, the high number of students in a single classroom. This causes the teachers great difficulty in delivering lessons to the students, and providing enough materials for each student.
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After Siege, Wall Sadr City's New Oppression
Mon, Sep 22, 2008
VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad/Sadr City – After the failure of many security plans proposed by the Iraqi government and US military strategists, a recent plan, hand-in-hand with the so-called "Surge," was designed. It was a desperate attempt by the US and Iraqi military forces to control the Sunni-Shia militia. At the suggestion of military leaders, the Iraqi and US governments decided to build walls to separate neighborhoods and to control militias and insurgents from entering or exiting any neighborhood without passing a checkpoint. The first wall was built in Adhamiya, in April 2007. Despite protests and opposition, United States military and Iraqi National Guard forces began to erect a wall surrounding the neighborhood of Adhamiya. The people living in the neighborhood engaged in several demonstrations against building the wall, and even Prime Minister Maliki, a Shi'a critical of the neighborhood, publicly protested the plan. Despite his intervention and public discontent, the wall was built and finished by late April 2007.These walls tend to be approximately 3 meters in height and made from concrete. In some areas the top of the wall is covered with concertina wire to prevent intruders from climbing over the wall. There are patrols set to guard the wall and they are present around the wall daily, and at all hours, to protract the wall from being attacked or bombed by insurgents.Another wall built at end of April 2007, but this time in Ameriya, this wall is approximately 10 kilometers in length and again 3 meters high. In September 2007 yet another wall was built in the Saidiya neighborhood. The wall surrounding that district was 23 kilometers, and by the end of 2007 there were over 50 different walls built around different neighborhoods across Baghdad.In May 2008 a wall was built in Sadr City after battles between the US military and the Mahdi Army. There are approximately two million citizens living inside the area now known as Sadr City, probably the largest single group impacted by one of Baghdad's walls. Previously they could come and go via nine major entrances. Many shops were force to close because of the wall, the shop owners found they could not complete there work anymore due to the wall sitting just in front of their shops.
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Getting to School in Iraq
Mon, Sep 15, 2008
This week we speak to parents, teachers, and children, about going to school in a conflict.>Video - Iraq, Baghdad/Adhamiya - Over the last five years violence, terrorism, and fundamentalism have a severe impact on the ability of Iraq's children to receive an adequate education. This week Alive in Baghdad's Isam Rasheed speaks with parents, teachers, and children about the issues facing the Iraqi education system.For many, simply the issue of travelling to and from school prevents them from attending their classes regularly. Roads and even schools are often closed for government military operations, or by insurgents or militias opposed to the idea of an unfettered education system.Some neighborhoods have been affected much worse than others. In particular, the impact has differed depending on location and ethnic make-up. For example Shi'a neighborhoods such as Sadr City seem to have felt more influence from fundamentalist militias than general conflict-related violence. Schools in Adhamiya, such as the Adhamiya Primary School visited by Alive in Baghdad, have primarily been affected by raids, street battles, and mortar or rocket attacks. There are similar stories in western Baghdad's Ameriya and Hay Al-Jama'a among others.Violence is not the only issue which limits Iraq's students. Incidences of communicable diseases have skyrocketed. Students with contagious diseases are understandably not permitted to mix with healthy students. The parents of sick students brought their children to school for exams and waited to take them home once they were finished. Other parents wait for their children simply out of fear for their safety.As the 08-09 school year begins, in Adhamiya, parents, teachers, and students are hopeful. Violence and crime appears to have waned in the neighborhood. Life has been stable, and reconstruction has begun. Reconciliation and effective plans for distributing aid and government funds are still absent. Without these, the success of the school year is far from certain.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word!
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What Happened in Sadr City?
Mon, Sep 08, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad/Sadr City – since the last few years Sadr City was the center of many battles between the Mahdi Army and the US military. Many homes, shops, and other buildings were destroyed in the first battles there in 2005, the conflict took place between the US forces and the Mahdi Army after a statement was released by Muqtada Al-Sadr commanding his followers to fight the "occupation forces" in order to liberate Iraq from the USforces.Another conflict took place in the year 2006 in Najaf were the Iraqi National Guard was fighting the Mahdi Army's militias. The US forces assisted the Iraqi National Guard with this battle in Najaf, and this influenced many of Muqtada Al-Sadr's forces based in Sadr City to fight the US forces and the Iraqi National Guard.The battle moved from primarily in Najaf to Sadr City, and more than 100 people were killed in the battles in Najaf and Sadr City. At this time, Muqtada Al-Sadr reached an agreement with the Iraqi government to arrange a ceasefire between the Mahdi Army and the US and Iraqi forces in order to stop what many expected to be certainly a bloodbath.Moqtada released a statement in early 2007 commanding all the Mahdi Army fighters to cease fighting the Iraqi forces and consider them as an equal part of Iraq to those who are loyal to the Mahdi Army and Muqtada Al-Sadr.There were ongoing minor and sometimes major clashes and operations in Sadr City throughout 2007 and leading up to the Spring of 2008, when a major operation was begun in Sadr City, to eliminate the influence and weapons of suspected Mahdi Army militants. In May 2008 the Iraqi National Guard were finally able to enter Sadr City, pushing deep into the district and taking control of the area. Alive in Baghdad's newest correspondent Ali Le'abi was with them, and interviewed a number of residents about their experience of the confrontation with US and Iraqi forces.
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Shanasheel, Iraqi Traditional Architecture
Mon, Sep 01, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad/Adhamiya – Iraqi society is quite proud of its different types of architecture and design. Their buildings have evolved and taken different shapes over Iraq's history. In the time of the Babylonian civilization, the City of Babylon was famous for not just its decadence, but also the manner in which the houses and other buildings were constructed. During the era of the Abbasid Dynasty the Caliphs built many sites that are still standing until this moment. Buildings such as Al-Mustansariya university and several mosques like Al-Malwiyah in Samarra, were built by the Abbasids. Certainly some of Iraq's most famous recent architectural marvels are the bizarre monuments built under Saddam Hussein's regime, ending with the unfinished "Great Mosque" whose minarets are shaped like Iraqi Scud missiles.The designs of houses vary widely across Iraq. You will find many different styles, likely there are more architectural styles than ethnic groups! A simple survey will uncover everything from houses made of mud and scrap metal to the most modern home designs. Most houses now share a similar design that is close to common Western designs. There are of course some differences in the way the houses look, and they have a certain Middle-Eastern flair of course. One of the rare architectural designs is called Shanasheel, "the hanging silk." This style of house was first found in the 1800s and early twentieth century. People first popularized this style in the city of Basra. This design depends greatly on wood and colored glass. After it became popular in Basra the design began to be used first in Baghdad and then in most Arabic countries. The Shanasheel design has been especially popular because it helps the house to stay cool in the Summer, while keeping warm in the Winter.Many Iraqi artists began including the Shanasheel design in their artwork, creating a specifically Iraqi traditional style. They included it in paintings or graffiti on the walls around Baghdad. Through this practice the art traveled to Europe and to other places far from Iraq. Due to the age of most of the houses, they are particularly susceptible to damage from bombings and mortar attacks. Because of this, many of the homes are particularly dangerous to live in today, due to a high risk of collapse.
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Selling Fuel in Baghdad
Mon, Aug 25, 2008
Iraq – Baghdad The gas and the fuel for cars has always been a problem for Iraqis inside Iraq, the irony that Iraq has one of the worlds largest reservoirs of oil is not lost on Iraqis.The problem started in the year 2003 after the invasion, when the majority of oil refineries stopped due to the lake of equipment and spare parts. Iraq was left having to import its cars, fuel, and oil products from Jordan. These shipments were frequently left often open to attacks from insurgents which slowed things down even further.Most Iraqis need fuel not only for their cars but also for their home generators that provide them with electricity. This dual consumption helped create the Fuel shortage all over Iraq. The Iraqi government was left standing by watching, only able to make false promises of fixing it.The price for fuel multiplied 500 times after the war began. The price of one gallon of benzene can range from $70 to $150, the financial burden of this is almost unimaginable for the average Iraqi. The cost of fuel, and the waiting periods between availability are not the only problem.Many attacks have hit gas stations in Iraq. The Iraqi National Guards organize the lines in the Gas Stations, the ING’s arrive on a regular time to the Gas Stations in order to control the process of the Gas Distribution, and as we all know that the ING are targeted by many different militias, attacks were happing on some ING’s were taking a shift on a Gas Station and the random gun firing accused deaths injuries and sometimes car were exploding, the biggest attack was happing ever was the one that targeted “ Abu Ja’afar Al-Masnor Gas Station” 17 Iraqis were killed 6 ING’s were burned to death and 70 were injured, a bomb were exploding there that day and two snipers started to attack the ING’s the ING’s started to shot randomly and that accused the biggest number in deaths and injuries Some oil refineries returned to work again after the year 2006, but still did not solve the problem of Gas, one day you can see no one in the Gas line, next day you go and you find 200 cars waiting in the gas line in front of you , and this is the situation since 2003 the people started to store gas in there houses and that accused some accidents that happened and kills some people because of getting burned in their house.
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Rebuilding Samarra
Mon, Aug 18, 2008
Iraq, Samarra- the City of Samarra is in the governorate of Salah Al-Din, 135 kilometers north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra lies on the east side of Dejla River, the city occupies an important place in Islamic history, due to the shrines that have been in the city for centuries.The two important shrines in Samarra are the shrines of Imam Al-Hadi and Imam Al-Askary. Those two shrines are considered as two of the most important shrines for Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, you can also see in the city the Malwiyyah which is one of most important historical figures in Iraq, the Malwiyyah is a part of the mosque that was bulled in the year 895 and it was built during the time of Imam Al-Ma’amon, and the mosque is still standing today in Samarra.The two shrines in Samarra were destroyed by a bombing in the year 2006, this bombing exacerbated many of the problems between different militias, and lead to different battles between militias and between militias and the US military. The situation in the city of Samarra was at the worst in late 2006 and early 2007 the Mahdi army was trying to take control of the city, Al-Qaeda was trying to take control of the city as well, but without success. However, the destruction of the Imam Al-Askari Shrine helped Al-Qa’eda succeed in their stated goal of civil war between Sunnis and Shi’as, and has been considered the spark for sectarian battles everywhere in Iraq. A few weeks after the bombing, unidentified dead bodies started to show up in the streets of Baghdad and in other areas in Iraq. Some of those bodies were related to Sunni and some to Shi’a people, some of those bodies were related even to former police officers. There were many rumors going around the blast that targeted the Shrine of Imam Askary, the most famous rumor was spread everywhere in the city of Samarra and elsewhere. This rumor said, “There were Iraqi National Guards vehicles entering the Shrine of Imam Askary in hours before the blast.” There is another rumor that says, “Al-Qa’eda bombed the shrine and kidnapped the workers and the security guards in there.” These rumors and others lead to many doubts within Iraqi society, and encouraged many people to join different militias under the guise of “defending their sect.” The Iraqi government tried to move quickly to save the situation by releasing a statement declaring that Al-Qa’eda was responsible for the destruction. Unfortunately this was not enough, many Sheikhs and Imams working in the mosques around Iraq were killed. Many students were kidnapped from their colleges, tortured, and found dead later. Until now, no one has definitively found the real reasons behind the blast of the Imam Al-Askary shrine, but what is well known, is that the blast moved the Iraqi security situation to the worst that it had been since 2003.Now many Iraqis are working on rebuilding the Shrine of Imam Al-Askary, in order to avoid any more sectarian conflicts. Also the Iraqi government is working on securing the road to Samarra and the places around the shrine to prevent any further attacks from happening, by installing checkpoints, security cameras, and deploying forces around the Shrine and other shrines all over Iraq.
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Iraqi Children Fight on All Sides
Mon, Aug 11, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad - The international media broadcast news of the creation of a new tribal force in Iraq, the Al-Sahwa, or “Awakening” Forces, with much fanfare. It has been repeatedly said that they are the newest, if not last best, hope to repair the security situation in Iraq generally, and Sunni areas particularly. However, one thing the international media has not paid much attention to is the age of the Fighters in the new Al-Sahwa Forces.Many towns around Al-Anbar and Baghdad Provinces as well as others have witnessed the creation of “Al-Sahwa Councils.” The aim of this force is to protect the people living in these areas and to force Al-Qaeda out of their areas by working side by side with American forces, and according to tribal traditions everyone from any tribe taking part in the council should participate in this force. Some interpretations of Islamic tradition consider individuals as young as 15 to be an adult. Sources have told Alive in Baghdad that they have witnessed children between the age of 12 and 17 taking part in the Al-Sahwa forces, particularly in Adhamiya and Taji. These children are not believed to have any military training prior to joining Al-Sahwa, but are now paid up to 300 US dollars per month to carry a gun and take shifts at checkpoints or on various patrols, depending on the area.In other areas like Najaf and Karbala where you can see a great existence of “Al-Mahdi Army” , you can also observe a high number of young age fighters, those fighters were trained by the hands of the Mahdi Army on using the Russian Rifle (AK-47), the age of them is between 13 and 18 years old, the Mahdi army named this forces “ Aosood Al-Hussain” witch it means the lions of Hussain, the aim of this brigade is to protect some neighborhoods and some religious areasBoth of Mahdi Army and the Sahwa force considers those kids are heroes protecting their country and helping their families finicality, some families of those kids are thinking the same way, unfortunately they don’t look to the risk that is surrounding them from the car bomb attacks of being killed by other militias, any teenage joining the Mahdi army receive a salary that is between 150$ and 300$ depending on their position or what do they work and the same amount for the Sahwa forcesAlive in Baghdad brings you some interviews with those kids, and the questions Is dose 300$ worth to work in a risky place instead of getting educated and going to school
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Iraqi Refugees Forced into Prostitution
Mon, Aug 04, 2008
Damascus, Syria - The situation in Iraq forced many Iraqis to flee to nearby countries such as Syria and Jordan. Many of them fled between the years 2003 and late 2007. When a family flees to one of the nearby countries, often part of the family will remain in Iraq to provide money and financial support.Many families send the father or a brother back to Iraq to help them collect money and support their life in Damascus or Amman. The reason behind that is Iraqis are not allowed to work in those countries, the only visa the are permitted to apply for is the tourist visa, and if you will look at the visa stamp which says “Not allowed to work.”Unfortunately, some fathers and brothers returned to Iraq and they never came back, either killed or kidnapped or detained somewhere, families were forced to return to Iraq because they cannot afford living in Syria or Jordan any more, and some remained rather than returning to the potential dangers in Iraq.Some families were lucky and found a job “under the table” that helped them to remain in their new country and to afford living in the lowest life standards. Others were forced to take difficult or unappealing jobs that do not cover all their expenses. Iraqis without sponsors were forced to do work that no human would wish to do, such a working in drug trafficking or prostitution. Some of the sex workers are under the age of 16, those sex workers are afraid of being hunted down by their families in Iraq for the work they performed in Syria or Jordan, and at the same time they are afraid of being deported from their new country. Some sex workers committed suicide, and a number of them began to consider doing the same.In Damascus the average payment for sex workers is approximately 500 Syrian Pounds (10 US dollars) to 1000 Syrian Pounds (20 US dollars) per night. The customers are from all different nationalities, others get paid much less, even just 100 Syrian Pounds (2 US Dollars) to 250 Syrian Pounds (5 US Dollars) which is barely enough money for food.Alive in Baghdad has been informed that in several cases a sex worker has been killed after returning to Baghdad. Many militias such as the Islamic Army decided on killing some of them because they consider prostitution to be a great sin and the punishment is death.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word!
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Al-Sahwa Mistakes in Adhamiya
Mon, Jul 28, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad - Neighborhoods in Baghdad such as Hay Al-Jama'a and Ameriyah had some stability and security side after the Sahwa took control of those neighborhoods, others were not that lucky and still face problems with security. There have been many rumors circulating about the Sahwa Councils, in particular, many Iraqis have begun to believe that some of the Sahwa members were previously members of Al-Qa'eda. These rumors have begun to increase suspicions about the Sahwa and Iraqi civilians have begun wondering whether they are really trying to help make neighborhoods safer or are just working for money.The US military were has blown up some house in neighborhoods such as Hay Al-Jama'a, a house sitting next to Baghdad Highway was blown up by the Sahwa and US forces. One neighbor living next to the destroyed house, who requested to remain anonymous, told Alive in Baghdad that the owner of this house were traveling abroad to Amman, Jordan and the house was destroyed without his knowledge. There were also rumors that this particular house was being used by Al-Qa'eda, although neighbors have said they were unsubstantiated. Another blast took place in Baghdad Al-Jadeeda, when US military blew up a building that belonged to a merchant who was traveling in Syria when his building was demolished, this according to a neighbor who asked to be known only by his first name, Abbas.Neighborhoods like Adhamiya face similar doubts about the Sahwa Councils as well. Although Adhamiya residents overall seemed to be generally happy about the appearance of the Sahwa and the re-establishment of security, there have been some mistakes. In Adhamiya the Sahwa found some suspicious cars in a parking lot next to an important medical clinic in Adhamiya. This clinic served much of Adhamiya and provided treatment to many patients with chronic diseases. According to the caretaker of the parking lot, some members of the Sahwa came to take the cars, which are believed to have been left by members of Al-Qa'eda. He asked them to check the cars first to see whether they belonged to someone, and after searching the cars they found many of the cars wired with bombs or storing weapons. When the Sahwa and US troops demolished the cars, there was an accident with destroyed much of the clinic as well as two generators belonging to local residents. Alive in Baghdad spoke with the caretaker of the lot and the director of the clinic to get their perspective on the impact of the Sahwa in Adhamiya.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word!
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Speaking with Sahwa Leaders in Taji
Mon, Jul 21, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad / Taji – Another neighborhood in the north of Baghdad named Taji is suffering from weak security since the beginning of 2004. Taji was a very dangerous area and overrun by militias. Further, one of the largest joint US/Iraqi military bases in Iraq is in Taji. Because of this there have been many attacks on the convoys coming in and out, attacks on the trucks and drivers delivering supplies to the Taji base.Lots of raids and firefights were happening in Taji in order to control the security situation. Until late 2007, if you will ask a cab driver to take you to Taji they would refuse because it's too dangerous for them. If they were Shi'a they may reasonably be afraid of being kidnapped by one of the Sunni militias and found dead a few days later.The Iraqi Ministry of I established more than 100 police checkpoints in the area of Taji along with checkpoints from the Iraqi National Guard in order to control militias and unknown groups. Another well known problem in the area of Taji were the gangs. It is very common in Iraq that if you are driving a modern car and you are driving in a dangerous area such as that around Taji, there is a high possibility that you will return home on foot, if you were lucky and not killed.Tribes in Taji such as Al-Tammimi decided to fight Al-Qa'eda and all groups that were related to them. Sheikh Nadeem Hatem Sultan Al-Tammimi, the head of Al-Tammimi tribe in Taji, asked all the sons of the Al-Tammimi tribe to fight Al-Qaeda and to join Al-Sahwa Council in order to restore security in the area. One of the first things this tribe did was to establish checkpoints to search the cars coming in and out of the area around Taji. These new checkpoints were established because there were doubts about the checkpoints belonging to the Iraqi MOI. There were many rumors about the MOI checkpoints not interfering with the work of Al-Qa'eda or stopping cars that were laden with guns or explosives.Shops and some schools were closed due to the lack of security, students were killed as well as headmasters and teachers. Many families living there decided to stop sending their children to school in Taji in order to keep them alive. Families became especially worried after 50 students were killed on a road near Taji that lead to the area around the Taji military base. Even for students coming from colleges like Baghdad University or others used to be stopped at fake checkpoints and asked for their identity to know if they were Sunni or Shi'a. If they were found to be Shi'a they might be taken to an unknown area and killed the next day, something that happened many times frome 2006 to 2007.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word!
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Evangelicals Celebrate Another Christmas in Baghdad
Mon, Jul 14, 2008
BAGHDAD, IRAQ – When members of the National Evangelical Baptist Church in Baghdad celebrated Christmas at the end of 2007, they were also closing their fourth year of existence in Iraq. While many news stories today focus on the dissolution of Iraq’s 2000-year old Christian communities, today there are few articles examining the activities of evangelicals.A recent report again denominated the many dangers facing Iraq’s Christians, death, kidnapping, extortion, and torture among them. However, the nearly complete absence of mention of Christians other than Iraq’s traditional Chaldean, Assyrian, and Syriac sects is telling. Although it is clear to any observer that these communities are the largest and thus those most at risk, it is also clear that there continues to be underlying conflict between Iraq’s traditional Christians and newcomers, evangelical or otherwise.One report gave a 100% breakdown of Iraq’s Christians that included only the three main groups in its numbers: “Of the remaining 800,000 Christians, 65 percent are Chaldeans, 25 percent Syriacs, and 10 percent Assyrians.”Statements such as this, and the vast disparities in total population of Iraqi Christians quoted by the many reports and articles about the dangers they face further muddy a complicated situation. The estimates of Christians remaining in Iraq since the American invasion range from 800,000 to less than 300,000. Even more dramatic, numbers of Christians living in Iraq prior to 2003 range from 800,000 to 1.35 million or slightly more.Although there have been many articles in 2008 examining the ongoing struggles of Iraq’s Christian minority, they focus almost entirely on the largest portions of the minority, Assyrians and Chaldeans, as well as examining almost exclusively their future in Iraq’s north and the potential for a protected autonomous area for Iraq’s historic Christians. It appears that Evangelicals and other newcomers have not been investigated in depth since early in the war, between 2003 and 2005. This hole in reporting on Iraq’s Christians is made even more dramatic given the veracity, if infrequence, of reporting on the repression of Iraq’s larger Christian communities.Alive in Baghdad’s depiction of Iraqi Evangelical Baptists celebrating Christmas mass and discussing their hopes and difficulties does not aim to provide a wide depiction of Christian life in Baghdad or Iraq, but will hopefully provide further insight into one of Iraq’s newest Christian minorities.
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Militias Still Threaten Security
Mon, Jul 07, 2008
Damascus, Syria - The Mahdi Army, is an army that was created by the Sadr Movement in Iraq and the name "Mahdi" refers to the Imam Mahdi whom the Shia Islamic texts expect will return before Judgment Day. The Mahdi Army consists of more then two hundred thousand fighters all over Iraq. They are distributed around Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, and Basra, as well as elsewhere in the country. The main purpose for the creation of the Mahdi Army is to support Imam Mahdi when he appears. The Sadr Movement established offices all over Iraq and in most of Baghdad's neighborhoods, the main purpose of these offices is to recruit young Iraqis to join the Mahdi Army, in order to increase the control of the Mahdi Army within the capital. Many Iraqis have been found dead after being tortured, they were found without identification. Many Iraqis have accused the Mahdi Army of killing these Iraqis. The reason for these accusations came after the blasts that destroyed the Imam Askariya Shrine. Many Shia militias related to the Mahdi Army threatened to avenge those explosions, and withing days of the attack, many Sunni Iraqis were kidnapped and found dead. Some eyewitnesses claimed that the kidnappers wore a black uniform that is similar to the uniform of the Mahdi Army. Muqtada Al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadr Movement and the Mahdi Army declared in early 2007 that the Mahdi army is clean from killing any Iraqi Sunni in Baghdad or elsewhere in Iraq, and there are groups taking the name of the Mahdi Army that have been recruited by a separate force from outside Iraq to keep the security situation unstable. However, many families in Baghdad living in areas such as Al-Khadar'a, Ameriya, and Karrada have received death threats from groups such as " Al-Hussein Brigades," or "Sraiya Al-Imam Ali " asking them either to leave theor house and move to another neighborhoods or face death, and both of these groups have been connected to the Mahdi Army. The Iraqi government in the year 2007 asked the Mahdi Army to drop there weapons and become a non-armed group. The Sadr Movement refused to give up their weapons and they asked the Iraqi Government forces to remove their weapons from Basra in early 2008.
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Neighbors Invite Shia Back to Adhamiya
Mon, Jun 30, 2008
Baghdad/Adhamiya, Iraq - It became common in Baghdad that if a Sunni family lived in a Shia neighborhood they may be forced to leave and vice versa. Many families were forced by militias to leave their homes if they lived in a neighborhood that was predominantly made up of the other sect. Some of them lost a family member by the hands of militias which pushed them to leave their neighborhood or fled to a nearby country such as Syria or Jordan. The Iraqi government has been working on assisting some of these displaced families to return to their houses either by providing them an amount of money, or utilizing the growing Iraqi military and police to provide security in the neighborhoods they used to live in. So far the efforts of the Iraqi government have yielded only small results. It remains to be seen whether the current security situation will remain stable. Due to ongoing worries about their security, thousands of families are still living far from their neighborhood and many continue to reside outside of Iraq. One of the many areas hit hard by internal displacement is Adhamiya. More than 1000 families have been displaced from this neighborhood under the threat of death. Most of them were Shia but some of them were Sunni. The Shia families there were given the choice to become Sunni or die. For some Sunni families the reasons were different. Perhaps one of their family members worked with the Iraqi government or the United States, in some cases simply working with any foreign NGO may cause displacement. Organizations such as the Muslim Scholar's Association and the Sahwa or "Awakening" councils are endeavoring to find their own solutions to the problem in Adhamiya. The Sahwa Councils are attempting to provide security and eliminate the control of other militias or insurgents within Adhamiya, in order to provide a safe place for displaced or threatened families and encourage them to return home. The current situation in Baghdad appears to be better than it has been between 2006 and 2007, but continues to be haunted by the worries of its residents. After years of violence and uncertainty, it seems that many people simply don’t have much faith that their government or other groups, whether the United States, Sahwa Forces, or others will be able to keep the peace. *** If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word!
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Brigadier General Discusses Triangle of Death
Mon, Jun 23, 2008
Lutufiyah, Iraq - Although there are competing theories about Iraq’s current status, rarely does the public hear from the soldiers or officers themselves. This week Nabeel Kamal speaks with Brigadier General Ali Al-Furaiji, a spokesman for Iraq’s 25th Brigade of the 6th Division of the Iraqi Army, formerly known as the 4th Brigade of the 6th Division.Al-Furaiji discusses his frustration with Arab media’s portrayal of the Iraqi Army, despite what he considers to be many huge successes during 2008. The army has been accused of being involved in massacres and complicit in violence against civilians. Although it appears few if any detailed accounts have surfaced which clearly demonstrate the complicity of the army, rumors have a long life in Iraq.In the US media the portrayals of Iraqi soldiers are no more detailed and complex, but primarily that is because they are few and far between. Although there has been a resurgence of Iraq coverage in line with the resurgence in violence, it tends to focus on statistics and death tolls, with the personal stories of military life generally focused on the experiences of American soldiers. Admittedly, it is difficult to interview Iraqi soldiers about their personal experiences, and dangerous to travel with them on patrol. This week we have brought you an interview with the spokesman, which carries the weight of potential propaganda. We have endeavored, however, to provide a personal look at one high-ranking officer of the Iraqi military, and hope it will provide an insight which might otherwise be missed.Just as we have begun to bring you more accounts of the Sahwa forces than are easy to find elsewhere, we hope also to begin shedding light on the personal stories of Iraqi soldiers working to defend and rebuild their country. For another recent interview with Brigadier General Ali Al-Furaiji, you can read this recent article from Time Magazine.
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Displaced Iraqis Face Eviction
Mon, Jun 16, 2008
[Editor’s Note: We are happy to announce the marriage of Brian Conley, the founder of Alive in Baghdad, to Eowyn Rieke. As they are currently celebrating their recent union, we ask that readers and viewers please excuse any delays or website issues over the next two weeks.]Mujahideen Khalq Iran (MEK) is an organization that was established in 1965 by educated Iranians after the fall of the Shah government. In the year 1979 the Islamic Revolution Movement (IRM) became the ruling government of the country. IRM executed many leaders of MEK inside Iran, and the conflict between the Iranian government and MEK became worse. By the year 1980, many of MEK’s members were executed and the remaining members of the organization were lead by Mas’od and Merriam Rajaowi.In 1980 MEK moved outside of Iran to surrounding countries, such as Iraq, in an attempt to fight back against the Iranian government. In Iraq, they established a military base in Diyala (north of Baghdad) and seized some buildings as offices.After the fall of Baghdad, MEK was afraid of being removed from Iraq or labeled as a terrorist organization. They left all the buildings and the places used during Saddam Hussein’s rule, and consolidated in Diyala. Families from all over Iraq moved into the vacated buildings to flee death and violence from the war.MEK has since been recognized as not being a terrorist organization, and wants to return to their buildings in order to reopen their offices again. However, the current Iraqi government did not approve the removal of families occupying the buildings, and there is no clear sign that the families will be moved out.Hyperlinks:MEK1979 1980Considered as a terrorist organizationSources:Muslim scholar association***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts or DVDs to spread the word!
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In Syria, Gay Iraqis Seek New Life
Mon, Jun 09, 2008
Damascus, Syria - Maybe one of the of most difficult situations that an Iraqi could be in is to be gay, the Iraqi society in general discriminate against the gay and transsexual people, normally they consider them as people who left their gender and changed for sexual want.Even though most gay people of Iraq have managed to live their lives, being born gay is almost the same as being born with an assurance of death. Most Iraqis don't accept that homosexuality is something you're born with, or which is assigned by your genes. Due to the Iraqi cultural and religious beliefs, homosexuality is forbidden and considered a mortal sin, and in many cases the penalty of death is assigned as the solution for it.Some of the Iraqi homosexuals used to live in the Karrada neighborhood, practicing there life normally but still in secret. Although before the war as well they could not show that they are gay, due to the risk of being attacked verbally by the neighbors or the people they live with.No Iraqi organization or NGO was taking care of gay Iraqis before or after the war. Many of them were killed by the hands of militias after the war, some militias were considering killing gay people as a great thing you can do to satisfy God. Because of this many homosexuals and transsexuals tried to leave Iraq, and some managed to flee to countries with less violence against gays, or to Europe.International organizations such as Amnesty International are working on helping the gay and lesbian Iraqi people, other Iraqis outside the country have created Iraqi organizations that are trying to help gay Iraqis like the Iraqi LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender), this organization used to have about 40 members in Iraq but after the attacks and raids on these groups in Najaf, Kerbala, and other areas by militias these organizations lost most of their contacts inside Iraq.The three Iraqis now living in Syria interviewed by Alive in Baghdad are just a few people affected by prejudice and hatred aimed at gay and transsexual Iraqis and those who dare offer them assistance.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts or DVDs to spread the word!
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Another College Year in Baghdad
Mon, Jun 02, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Some of the people among Iraqi society most affected by the war are the students; there are about five million students all over Iraq. These students are facing a great danger because they go out in the streets regularly, heading to their schools, colleges, or universities. The girls are facing the risk of being kidnapped or attacked if they don’t wear a veil or scarf, the boys facing the risk of being kidnapped by the militias controlling the area around their school. Unfortunately many accidents happened between the years of 2004 and 2007, such as the blast that took place in the Mustansariya University and killed 22 student and left more than 40 wounded, or the blast that took place at Al-Nahrein University and killed 15 and left about 50 wounded.The other problems facing the students is transportation. For some students living in areas like Abu Ghraib or Ghazaliya, it’s too difficult for them to get to Baghdad University or any other university in the middle of Baghdad, because sometimes the roads are blocked due to the constant problems happening in those neighborhoods, such as car bomb attacks or battles occurring between insurgents and the US military. When an attack happens, normally the US military or the Iraqi forces block the road or the neighborhood after a car bomb attack or a battle as a security and safety measure. In this situation, the students have to wait until the road is open again in order to continue on theri way to school. It became normal for a student to miss the first and the second class of the day due to the difficulties of the transportation and the road blocks.Some students fled Iraq after they received death threats or were kidnapped by one of the militias. Some of them were lucky and have been able to continue their studies in Jordan or Syria. The majority were not because most of them could not afford it or lost their high school or college certificates. Some projects such as the Iraqi Student Project are helping Iraqi students to get full scholarships in the US in order to continue their studies in the United States.The security condition now in Baghdad appears to be much better than before. The Sahwa forces have helped with restoring security in some neighborhoods in and around Baghdad, and that helped the students improve the chance to go on with their studies. However there are still a large number of students whom cannot reach their school, due to where they live in Baghdad or what school they are attending now. For example the schools in Sadr City are still controlled by the fear of being attacked or the risk of explosions and ongoing operations there. Overall, the situation appears to be improving, and as this school year ends many are hopeful that the autumn will bring a more stable and comfortable learning environment.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts or DVDs to spread the word!
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Baghdad, City of Widows
Mon, May 26, 2008
Iraq, Baghdad/Abu Dsheer - This memorial day, as citizens of the United States, and perhaps elsewhere, are remembering the fallen soldiers of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as previous conflicts, Alive in Baghdad asks you to remember the civilian fallen as well. It's been estimated that 1.3 million women have been widowed in Iraq due to war, ranging from the Iran-Iraq war to the most recent conflict which is still going on today. Although its difficult to be certain if this number is accurate, or to know just how many have been widowed in the most recent conflict, Iraq's acting Minister of Womens' Affairs, Narmeen Othman, suggests that at least 70,000 women have been widowed due to the most recent war. However, these numbers are disputed widely, and while a government committee on women's affairs has claimed there are just 1.3 million widows in Iraq, others have reported drastically different numbers. One source in the Ministry of Women's Affairs told an NBC staffer in 2007 that there were 3 million widows in Iraq due to the various wars of the last two decades. Despite this already shocking number, the United Nations news service, IRIN, reported in 2006 that there are 8 million widows nation-wide, with upwards of 330,000 in Baghdad alone. To put that in perspective, if true, it would mean that as much as 6-7 percent of Baghdad's population may be made up of widows, suggesting that the number of children with only one parent left is likely to be double, or triple this, if not more. The primary cause for women to be widowed today is sectarian violence and terrorism. Areas such as Abu Dsheer, Hawr Rajab, and other tumultuous districts that have seen some of the worst internecine fighting understandably have some of the most prevalent populations of widows and orphans. Abu Dsheer has been considered one of the bloodiest conflict areas in Baghdad, due to the influence militias have held there. Abu Dsheer is located in the south of Baghdad near Al-Saha neighborhood. Since 2004, Abu Dsheer was controlled by Al-Qa'eda on one side and the Sadr Movement on the other side, Many people was assassinated due to their sect whether they were Sunni or Shi'a. The Iraqi government tried many times along with Coalition forces to restore security in Abu Dsheer with no success. In 2006 there were many bombings taking place in Abu Dsheer, in addition to the battles between the Iraqi or Coalition forces and the militias. The civilian casualties were very high in Abu Dsheer, and the families living there faced grave financial difficulties due to the bad security conditions which prevent them from going to work or looking for jobs within Abu Dsheer. There are NGOs trying to help the people living there, by providing them with medical and financial aid according to their abilities. NGOs such as Al-Tathamon Social Organization (Social Solidarity Organization) are trying to fix some of the problems in areas like Abu Dsheer. The Organization was created on the 10th of July 2007 in order to help families or individuals whom having medical or financial problems. They also help the families whom lost there provider, like the father of that family or the mother. The Social Solidarity Organization has offices located in several areas such as Kadhimiya, Sadr City, Al-Husseiniya and Al-Nahrawan, as well as Abu Dsheer. Due to the difficulty these organization have finding funding, many such as the Social Solidarity Organization and Al-Yateem Charity, which help the women interviewed by Alive in Baghdad, receive support from the Sadr Movement. Although they claim to have sought financial support from the Iraqi government, both the organization, and the widows interviewed by Alive in Baghdad say they have not received any support from the government. *** If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts or DVDs to spread the word!
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Refugees Return By the Busload
Mon, May 19, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - The number of Iraqi refugees in Syria and elsewhere surpassed 2 million refuges in the last few years according UNHCR statistics. They began to move to Syria and elsewhere after the security situation in Iraqi became exceedingly difficult to endure, beginning with the rising insurgency in 2004, and the number increased steadily until late in 2007. Although there have been claims by the Iraqi government that Iraqis are returning in large numbers, the latest report by UNHCR suggests that entirely the opposite is true. According to UNHCR’s report, only 4 percent of those interviewed are planning to return to Iraq.Most Iraqis were unable to find jobs to support their lives in Syria, due to the difficult economic situation that Syria is experiencing. Many of them decided to leave between the years of 2005 and in particular 2006 while Iraq was still undergoing a very bad security situation. Now many are returning simply because they could not afford to continue living in Syria without work. Given the reports that the Iraqi government was offering one million Iraqi dinars to any refugee family that returns to Iraq, it begs the question whether some returned to Iraq for a short period to collect the money, visit family, and immediately returned to Syria. Other reports suggested that Iraq was not yet ready for a massive repatriation of its citizens, and the UNHCR appeared to agree.In the middle of 2007 the Sahwa forces started to control some of the areas in Baghdad and the western governorates, restoring at least the appearance of security in many tumultuous and predominantly Sunni areas of Iraq. These events encouraged a great number of Iraqis to return to their homes and attempt to regain some semblance of their normal lives. Although the Iraqi government has claimed that many returned home, the UNHCR recently declared that there are still more than 1 million refugees in Syria, and that the Iraqi government is not doing enough to support internally-displaced Iraqis, much less those abroad.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts or DVDs to spread the word!
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Locals Bring Security to Adhamiya
Mon, May 12, 2008
Baghdad/Adhamiya, Iraq - After Al-Qa'eda controlled several places in Iraq such as Fallujah, Ramadi, and several neighborhoods in the west of Baghdad, there were many atrocities committed by Al-Qa'eda. This caused the people living in those areas to vehemently reject them. Some of the actions done by Al-Qa'eda were to ask the young men not to wear short trousers or colored T-shirts, or any other shirt with English writing. As for women in these regions, they demanded that they wear a headscarf, or a veil, and never go out of their houses without covering their head, and those who didn't obey the strict instructions were facing the threat of being beheaded, killed, or otherwise assassinated by the several militias that were controlled by Al-Qa'eda. The Sahwa Councils were first created in Anbar after some Iraqi tribes agreed to work together with the US forces against the actions of Al-Qa'eda, and in order to wipe out all the elements of Al-Qa'eda in their areas. The first Sahwa council was created under the leadership of Abu Risha. He claimed to organize the first Sahwa council in Anbar against Al-Qa'eda. After Abu Risha's example, other Iraqi tribes were inspired by his work and created Sahwa councils in their areas in order to eliminate Al-Qa'eda cells in their neighborhoods. Some of the areas where Sahwa councils were formed are Mosul, Kirkuk, Diyala, Tikrit, Hawr Rajab, and several neighborhoods in Baghdad, such as Ameriya, Adhamiya, Al-Khadra'a, and Ghazaliya. And what made those councils more dedicated to fighting Al-Qa'eda was the assassination of Abu Risha because they started to consider him a symbol of the fight Al-Qa'eda. The Sahwa Council in Adhamiya After assassinating a huge number of men in Adhamiya due to the things they wear or who they belong, few people agreed on creating a Sahwa council in Adhamiya in late 2007, the Sahwa council was lead by Reyad Al-Samarra'ie at the beginning, whom was assassinated by two suicide bombers in the north of Baghdad which killed 14 Sahwa members along with Reyad Al-Samarra'ie. After the murder of Al-Samarra'ie Abu Al-Abed was took the place of A-Samarra'ie as the leader of the Sahwa Council in Adhamiya, some families claimthat the situation calmed down in Adhamiya after the creation of the Sahwa council.
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Among Iraq's Children, Orphans Suffer Most
Mon, May 05, 2008
The number of Iraqi orphans increased in the last few years due to the war. According to official Iraqi government statistics released in December 2007, the number of Iraqi orphans had reached at least five million over the last three years. Many due to the Sunni-Shia conflict. There are several social organizations caring for a small number of these Iraqi orphans, such as Child Aid International. There are approximately 26 orphanages that Alive in Baghdad has been able to locate around Iraq. Eight orphanages are in Baghdad and another 18 are distributed all over Iraq and generally they accept kids between the age of 6 and 18 years old.One of the biggest scandals that happened in the history of the Iraq conflict is the one that happened in Al-Hanan orphanage. There were many pictures distributed online and by television of Iraqi orphans lying on the floor naked, with no food for weeks, sick and nearly dying. After this the Iraqi government began to show more attention for the orphans, there were many stories being reported regarding Al-Hanan Orphanage, like sexual abuses and bad treatment of the kids living there.Al-A'ssal House is one of the rare orphanages that still take care of the young children who have a dead father or who are orphans due to losing both parents. The house has a special method and it's opposed to the toy guns due to Iraq's situation and the reason behind it, which is the constant conflict that Iraq is undergoing. Another organization was also created by this house, and it's called the Sazan organization. This organization is taking in orphans for free, with no payment at all. Also this house employs Iraq widows in order to help the Iraqi women support themselves during the war. Despite all their hard work, this orphanage has not yet received any funding from the Iraqi government or sponsorship by a bigger humanitarian aid organization while other orphanages such as Al-Hanan orphanage received funds from the Iraqi government without oversight.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider making a recurring donation, or one-time donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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Neighbors Aid Refugees From Hawr Rajab
Mon, Apr 28, 2008
Baghdad/Abu Dsheer, Iraq - There are many Sunni Families living in Hawr Rajab, and a great number were attacked by people wearing black uniforms similar to the uniform that the Mehdi Army is known to wear, which is also considered similar to the uniform worn by members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Sahwa forces are gathered in Hawr Rajab trying to protect those families from being attacked during the night or the early hours of the morning. Several attacks happened to families living in Hawr Rajab occurring like raids. When men in black uniforms attack a family they often kidnap the father or the brother or sometimes the whole family, and it is normal to find the family member dead after several days.These actions pushed some families to flee Hawr Rajab and move to a nearby area called Abu Dsheer which seems to be demonstrating ongoing solidarity within Iraq society, as the families who spoke with Alive in Baghdad are Sunni families that fled from Hawr Rajab to Abu Dsheer, which is known to be a majority Shi'a neighborhood.Since the Sahwa force was established in Hawr Rajab there have been a number of massacres, demonstrating the ongoing instability that discourages many displaced families from returning home.Hawr Rajab was controlled by Al-Qaeda and used to be known as a major area under Al-Qaeda's control. In the beginning they targeted anyone who worked with the United States military, and after awhile, Al-Qaeda started to establish rules to be followed by the people living therem like men are not allowed to wear shorts have a short beard, and for all women they must wear a veil on their head when they go out of their homes.The people lof Hawr Rajab liked the idea of the “Sahwa Forces” and many people joined that force in order to get Al-Qaeda out of their area. Al-Qaeda decided to retaliate against this behavior of people living there and to show them that Al-Qaeda is still strong and still controlling the area. Members Al-Qaeda began to assassinate heads of the tribes that joined Al-Sahwa, and the young people that joined, in order to push them away from the Sahwa. One of the methods of assassinations was to behead the kidnapped person and put the victim's head on their chest, and leave the body in front of their family's ho,eBy early 2008 Al-Qaeda had burned and destroyed some houses for random people and killed people only for belonging to a certain tribe that agreed with the Sahwa method and that reason pushed people to flee to anywhere and made many go to a Shi'a neighborhood just to stay alive.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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Some Kurds Still Wait for the New Iraq
Mon, Apr 21, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - The Faili Kurds are one of the most oppressed groups of Kurds. Like other Kurds, they were abused during Saddam Hussein's regime. Statistics from the United Nations show that more than 450 thousand Faili Kurds were deported to Iran in the 1980s and nearly 10 thousand Faili Kurds between the ages of 13 and 30 years old are still missing until the current moment. A large number of this Kurdish minority fled out of Iraq to a number of other countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. They were fleeing the bad circumstances they endured under several governments that ruled Iraq. Now, despite the fall of Saddam Hussein and the work of many citizens toward establishing a democratic Iraq, the Faili Kurds still face several difficulties. Among others, until now, they did not receive the same rights as other Iraqis.The Charitable Liberated Faili Kurds Organization works in Baghdad to attempt to redress these wrongs. They work in particular to support displaced Faili Kurds to enable them to return to their homes in Baghdad and elsewhere. They also advocate for the approval of full citizenship for Failis. Due to the inadequate social services available to Failis and other poor Iraqis, they also run a medical clinic on Palestine St. in Baghdad which is available to all needy Iraqis.For more information about Faili Kurds, please see this site ostensibly run by Faili Kurds, or you can read a range of research on Wikipedia. Global Security also has a breakdown of differences between Kurdish groups, or you can read a discussion of Kurdish identity and the place of Faili Kurds. Lastly another Faili Kurd describes the meaning of being Faili.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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Refining Oil in the Doura District
Mon, Apr 14, 2008
The refinery in the Doura District of Baghdad was built in 1953. The refinery began operating in 1955. It is located in the south of Baghdad and specializes in refining oil into several products such as benzene, white oil, and cooking gas. The refinery receives oil from Kirkuk, Basra, Khana, and the south of Baghdad. The Doura oil refinery is regarded as the number one provider of oil products for Baghdad residents. The refinery also assists in water purification for Baghdad’s many residents. The Doura refinery was attacked by a mortar bombardment on December 11th, 2007. The attack caused a huge fire and destroyed nearly 40% of the refinery.The Doura refinery is located in Doura neighborhood which has been considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Baghdad. The workers in the refinery are constantly facing the risk of being killed by the extremist militias, the risk they are facing is not only the fake checkpoints, but also the blasts that are taking place on the road to the refinery.Most of the drivers who deliver the unrefined oil to the refinery are facing a great likelihood of being killed, due the belief that the oil is going just to the US, and not being provided to the Iraqis. Because of the violence against these workers, Baghdad has been going though several severe oil crises, and until now the Iraqi government is trying to provide security for the refinery.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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Reconstruction in Remote Parts of Baghdad
Mon, Apr 07, 2008
Baghdad/Sadr City, Iraq - Broken sewers continue to be an issue all over Iraq and Baghdad, and in many neighborhoods are in similar disrepair to those in Shama’iya. However, in some parts of Sadr City and elsewhere, citizens are getting support from local municipal councils to repair and replace the sewer system with something more modern.The project in Sadr City to improve the quality of their sewer system involves completely removing the old system, and performing a complete renovation. There were not only problems with the system do to damage from the ongoing conflict in Iraq, but previously there were long-standing capacity issues, and the sewer system is not able to handle all of the homes depending on it.The ongoing sanitation problems are exacerbating risks of cholera, among other diseases. Although at least one outbreak appears to have been successfully contained, with sanitation becoming more of a luxury as the conflict has dragged on. The Iraqi government has declared 2008 to be the “year of services,” unfortunately, Iraqi citizens seem to have their doubts about the extent to which the government can adequately improve services. ThinkProgress has a poll which paints a dark picture of Iraqi opinions about services of all kinds.At least in sectors 73 and 74, in Sadr City, the sewer system appears to be on its way toward complete renovation. If the Iraqis who spoke with Alive in Baghdad are typical, there is a strong interest and willingness to take the steps necessary to rebuild and improve Iraq’s flagging infrastructure.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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Steps Backward: Women's Rights in Iraq
Mon, Mar 31, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Women in Iraq are enduring great hardships. Since the fall of Saddam, despite attempts to improve women's rights, many feel their rights are slipping. Under Saddam women were considered to be equal under the law. With the collapse of the government after the invasion in 2003, militias have gained greater and greater ground.The militias have not only been involved in ongoing criminal activity, many have ties to Islamist groups, such as the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, or Al-Qa'eda in Iraq. These groups in particular have targeted women, preventing them from working, and enforcing strict dress codes. This week Hayder Kamal interviews an activist for women's rights who discusses her work improving women's knowledge of their rights. During 2004 and 2005 she worked to encourage women to vote and understand the constitution and the importance of voting and being involved in political life. She, like many members of civil society, reports being targeted repeatedly and nearly killed for her work. Today she is working secretly and her organization continues, but less publicly than before. This has become a necessity with the continuing presence of dire threats to women. The spread of democracy in Iraq has so far assisted the rise of Islamist groups, and has greatly hindered the progression of women's rights.For women to live with security, access to the same rights as men, and equal protection under the law, is going to take more than a new constitution, forced imposition of democracy, and a quota system in the parliament. As the ongoing insecurity and instability in Iraq enters its sixth year, the situation of women sees few signs of improving.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can now purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!
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After Al-Qa'eda, Life Returns to Hawr Rajab
Mon, Mar 24, 2008
Hawr Rajab, Iraq - If you’ve ever wondered what its like to live in a village under the sway of insurgents, criminals, or Al-Qa’eda, today you’ll hear about it from the survivors themselves. The criminal and terrorist gangs controlling Hawr Rajab imposed tight curfews and “justice” based on their regressive interpretation of Islam. Civilians told horror stories of being afraid to leave their homes for fear of retribution. According to one member of the Sahwa, those who smoked regularly could have their fingers amputated or their tongue burned. Many other residents, Sunni and Shi’a alike, fled the neighborhood to other nearby areas, such as Abu Dsheer and Mahmoudiya. Shekih Al-Ma’eini told Nabeel Kamal that the residents of Abu Dsheer and other areas deserved great thanks for their willingness to support the residents of Hawr Rajab with shelter and food.Once the situation had calmed, Sheikh Malik, the district representative of Hawr Rajab worked with Sheikh Al-Ma’eini and others to begin implementing a reconstruction plan for the area. Young men who formally fought against the United States or terrorized their neighbors are finding work clearing wreckage and paving main roads in the village.Many of the men working for the Sahwa Councils, or “Concerned Local Citizens” as the United States military often calls them, openly admit they once fought the United States and Coalition Forces. One of the most interesting things happening in Hawr Rajab is that animosity against the United States appears to have been subsumed by a desire to attain real reconciliation within their communities.Recently much of the media has focused either on the question of how long the “honeymoon” between Sunni fighters and the Coalition might last, or has provided a simplistic look at “brave Iraqis fighting the terrorists.” Nabeel Kamal provides another report taking a closer look at the hopes and struggles of the Iraqis themselves. To hear about how residents of Hawr Rajab and Iraqi Army soldiers worked together to secure the neighborhood, please check out last week’s episode.
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Solidarity Trumps Al-Qa'eda in Hawr Rajab
Mon, Mar 17, 2008
Hawr Rajab, Iraq - Hawr Rajab is one of the last villages before you reach Baghdad proper from the south of the city. It is a mixed area that was wracked by violence and sectarian conflict until late last year when a tenuous agreement was reached between the “Sons of Iraq,” an organization related to the “Sahwa Councils” or “Concerned Local Citizens” and the United States and Multi-National Forces.Sheikh Ma’eini spoke with Nabeel Kamal about how his tribe and others in the region banded together, with some support from the Multi-National Forces, to defeat Al-Qa’eda and other terrorists operating in the region. When Iraq’s 4th Brigade sent troops to support the Iraqis working to stabilize Hawr Rajab the improvement of the security situation seems to have become inevitable. Each Iraqi who spoke with Alive in Baghdad told of widespread cooperation between Sunnis and Shiites in the region. The solidarity among locals seems to have been an essential element in bridging divisions between groups due to recent or perhaps longstanding disagreements.This week we took a look at how the citizen forces, whom some have referred to as “militias,” are collaborating with the official security forces of the Iraqi Government, whether police or army troops. It seems that calm will reign in Hawr Rajab so long as the cooperation between local and national forces remains.With the 5th year of the war coming to an end this week, its more important than ever to take a closer look at the United States’ strategy for fomenting reconciliation and stability around Iraq. First we speak with the citizens, members of the Sahwa or Sons of Iraq, and Iraqi troops in the area about their efforts. In the coming weeks we’ll be examining how Al-Qa’eda was defeated in the area, and what conditions inevitably lend to the changes on the ground that helped the collaboration of Iraqis on all sides and elimination of terrorism in the region become a reality.Lieutenant Al-Attabi of the 6th division, 4th Brigade thanked the locals for their cooperation and support in locating and eliminating terrorists operating in the region. Ma’an Fadhel, one of the local citizens who is not a member of Al-Sahwa, spoke with Nabeel about how he and other citizens became fed up with the violence and terrorism gripping their region, leading to their collaboration with Iraqi Forces.Although the situation in Hawr Rajab seems to have calmed for the time being, and be trending for the better, it remains to be seen where the strategy will lead. If the Iraqi national government does not provide members of the Sahwa Councils with positions in the Iraqi Army or other security forces, the current calm may be just another footnote in a laundry list of ill-fated strategies for securing and rebuilding Iraq.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. We’ll soon be offering t-shirts for sale to help spread the word, and you can already purchase DVDs from our site!
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Corruption Fills Baghdad Passport Offices
Mon, Mar 10, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - It may go without saying that Iraq's passport offices are crowded and their employees overworked. With so many Iraqis leaving the country, passports are at a premium. In 2006 we reported on the difficulties Iraqis were having obtaining passports, and their desperation to flee the country. There are many issues affecting the availability of passports, from the machines and manpower to print them, to the corruption running rampant in the application processThe difficulties with Iraq's passport process are not new. Since 2003 there have been recurring problems with criminal influence in Iraqi passports. According to __ the Nationality and Passports Directorate is hard at work solving the capacity problems widely reported in 2007. Although Iraq is attempting to curb counterfeiters by upgrading Iraq's old passports, the changeover to the "G" series passports further exacerbated capacity issues throughout 2007.***If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won't find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. We'll soon be offering t-shirts for sale to help spread the word, and you can already purchase DVDs from our site!
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Sewage Problems Persist in East Baghdad
Mon, Mar 03, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Shama’iya - The Shama’iya district is in far east Baghdad, although considered a part of the capital, the sprawling metropolis is perhaps more accurately seen as a series of boroughs than one contiguous city. Shama’iya is a relatively new district, and, strangely in the crisis-ridden capital, has been relatively calm since the beginning of the invasion. Shama’iya is the home of a large mental hospital, and perhaps the only noteworthy element of the district for many Baghdadis.To Shama’iya residents, the most noteworthy element is the ever-present sewage water polluting the streets, filling some roads nearly completely. Although you might not know it on first glance, Shama’iya is not simply a neighborhood of the poor and indigent, forgotten by the capital and municipal government. Shama’iya is the home of doctors, engineers, and journalists, as well as more “mundane” peoples.Iraq is undergoing a cholera epidemic, exacerbated by the failing sewer system in the capital and excess of stagnant sewage polluting Baghdad and much of the rest of the country. While security may be improving, there seems to be little movement to improve access to basic necessities such as clean water and electricity.Despite being a calm district, which its residents claim has seen no major disasters, terrorist attacks, or other traumatic events, the Baghdad and 9th April Municipalities claim they cannot assist the residents in repairing the broken sewer system due to security concerns. The residents themselves told Alive in Baghdad the issues are due more to corruption and waste than any actual security issues at hand. While the government fails to rebuild even the calm districts, its left to question how more restive areas can ever hope to get back on their feet.***Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. Although we are receiving increasing support from monthly subscribers, we need many more of you to help! We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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Residents: Sadr City Raids Target Civilians
Mon, Feb 25, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Sadr City - In October 2007 the US Military claims it raided 3 locations in pursuit of a Shi'a masterminding a kidnapping gang. Iraqi civilians in the area claimed differently. The Coalition forces claim 49 criminals were killed and no civilians were injured in the raid. Iraqi Police and hospital officials reported only 15 deaths including three children. Another report from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior claimed there were 13 killed and 69 injured.In other reports, the shadowy "Task Force 88" or "Task Force Black" was cited as being involved in this raid. The report from Long War Journal suggested that they were involved due to the United States' claim that the raid targeted the so-called "Special Groups," off-shoots of the Mahdi Army who have defied Muqtada Sadr's ceasefire order and are being supplied by Iran. In Esquire, Thomas P.M. Barnett writes that Task Force 88 was sent into Somalia seeking Al-Qa'eda operatives, with orders to "Kill anyone still alive and leave no unidentified bodies behind."Iraqi civilians in Sadr City expressed anger, frustration, and confusion regarding the raid. Ali Al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the Iraqi Government, says that Prime Minister Maliki called General Petraeus to lodge a complaint, and attacked the United States for killing civilians and using excessive force. None of the civilians who spoke with Alive in Baghdad could explain the reason for the attacks, they claimed there were no fighters for the Mahdi Army in their area, and implored the international media to come and examine the neighborhood themselves. Alive in Baghdad correspondent Nabeel Kamal witnessed no evidence of militia activity in the area while producing this story. The US and Iraqi governments have agreed to investigate the incident further, but as this goes to publish, Alive in Baghdad could not determine any new details or information uncovered by the investigation.***Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. Although we are receiving increasing support from monthly subscribers, we need many more of you to help! We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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Challenges Face Youth Football in Sadr City
Mon, Feb 18, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Around Baghdad Iraqi civilians and United States and Iraqi security forces alike are trumpeting the apparent gains of the “Surge” or “Law Imposition Plan” respectively. Although Muqtada Sadr’s Mahdi Army has put down its arms for the time being, and Sunni insurgents have re-directed their weapons against Islamist hard-liners and Al-Qa’eda. While the air on the street is calm, Baghdad’s youth will determine the future of the city and the country at large. This week Nabeel Kamal visited a football game for Baghdad’s youth in Sadr City’s sector 74. Sector 74, like much of Sadr City, is a poor area of Baghdad, with great needs from the city government in all issues. Not only are they hoping for improvement of sewage pipes and electricity, they also dream of football fields with grass and goal nets.Although many may see this as a somewhat frivolous goal, given the adversity facing Iraqis in their everyday lives, the coaches of Sector 74 and other areas would tell you differently. Indeed Iraqis even have a term for this kind of person, a “Battran” is “someone who is dying and asking for ice cream instead of help” as one Iraqi colleague has commented. Yet in the case of Sector 74, questions remain as to what happens after the basic city infrastructure has been rebuilt.If the only outlets provided for Iraq’s youth are idleness, unemployment, or joining a militia, for many the choice will be clear, and not to the nation’s benefit. Although even Iraq’s football teams have been the target of violence, by and large it has been a uniting factor. Football is incredibly important to Iraqis across sectarian, ethnic, and regional lines. Today even the deaf in Iraq are getting a chance to enjoy the sport. As we reported previously, Iraq’s victory in the Asian Cup in 2007 was met with raucous celebrations all over the country.The young men of Sector 74 will continue rooting for their national team’s strive for greatness, and they’ll dream not just of goal nets and green fields, but their own chance to make their mark and have their name cheered by Iraqis at home and in the diaspora alike.***Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. Although we are receiving increasing support from monthly subscribers, we need many more of you to help! We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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In Baghdad, Iraqis Search for Employment
Mon, Feb 11, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - A few months back, Iraq's Ministry of Planning reported that Iraq's unemployment rate had dropped to the uninspiring rate of 20%. However, previous to this the rate was quoted at 60-70%, where it's been since 2004. Critics have suggested the rate was still approximately 60-70% as 2007 came to an end, yet still others suggest it is that high now. The website IraqUpdates.com reported in January that Iraq's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs hopes 2008 will be the year of reducing unemployment all around Iraq.Such hopes may ring empty to men like Mohammed and Ahmed, who are concerned not just with the difficulty of finding employment, but also the corruption rampant in the process. We reported in December about the difficulties for Iraqi refugees in Syria looking for work, yet it is perhaps nearly as difficult for Iraqis still at home to find work.Even those who can find work are still beset by the difficulties of security and stability. Those who must travel from their homes to look for work often feel they are taking their lives into their hands each day. Others such as Ahmed find it difficult to complete their work because of the lack of steady electricity or gasoline to fuel generators to make up for the lack of available power. Some Iraqis such as Ahmed, or these Iraqi teens we interviewed previously, have taken to working from home as much as possible, to limit their insecurity, particularly given the chance of traveling a long distance for work only to find their workplace lacks electricity or other resources necessary to operate.***Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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Baghdad Walls Divide Neighbors, Friends
Mon, Feb 04, 2008
In order to reduce the rate of violence between the Ghazaliya neighborhood and the Shu’la neighborhood, the Iraqi Government and Coalition Forces built a wall to separate these two neighborhoods. The Iraqi Government initially opposed construction of the walls, but later relented when the US and Iraq’s own Defense Minister made it clear that construction would continue. This was to prevent infiltration by insurgents and traveling between the two neighborhoods and planting IEDs and assassinating people from the opposing sect.The wall is one and a quarter miles long, measuring from the northern to the southern side of the two neighborhoods and the height of the wall is approximately three meters.Some rejection demonstrations was taking place around the Wall describing it as another method to separate the Iraqi society, and the crowed was contains both Sunni and Shia IraqisGhazaliya is considered as an expensive neighborhood for Sunni Iraqis, and Shu’la is considered an expensive neighborhood, primarily for Shi’a Iraqis. In Ghazaliya you can see a large building called the Muslim Scholar’s Association which is the head of the Sunni Organizations all across Iraq. On the other side of the wall, in Shu’la there are several offices for the Sadr Movement.In 2006 Ghazaliya was considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Baghdad, due to a high number of assassination and kidnapping operations that were taking places on both sides of Ghazaliya, the first side is near the Baghdad highway and the other side marks the border with the Shu’la neighborhood. Then mortar attacks became something very normal between the two neighborhoods, many Iraqis were killed by these attacks. Some people living in the two neighborhoods claimed that either Al-Qaeda or Shi’a extremists in Ghazaliya or Shu’la respectively, were responsible for those attacks. These witness claim they were not caused by regular people who lived in the neighborhoods.On September 11, 2007 hundreds of people participated in demonstrations calling for an end to building the wall in between the two communities. Similar demonstrations occurred in Adhamiya previous to the construction of the wall in Ghazaliya, as we have shown previously. Today the walls still stand, and it is unclear when or if they will be removed. Although Baghdad appears safer, it is only as a city divided.***Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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Basra Celebrates Ramadan With Security
Mon, Jan 28, 2008
Basra is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East, and it was well known as the city of knowledge and the city of poems, and that city was invaded several times and each time after a short while its residents returned to normal life.It was invaded by the British Military in the 1920s, and after that the people in Basra worked on returning life to the city, and now life has returned again to Basra after the many problems since the year 2003, the militias started to take over the place and some of the biggest problems occurred at the Basra University when one of the Iraqi militias attacked the students and prevented them from taking any trips outside the university considering these trips as something forbidden due to the rules of Islam, and since then problems in Basra began to be found everywhere. The markets were closed for a long time and citizens were afraid to go out to the markets after the problems that were happening in the streets. Many people were killed because of the attacks against the British forces, and most shops were closed because of the unstable security situation in Basra.The southern Iraqi tribes interfered to fix the situation in Basra, and there was a small improvement in the situation, but security and stability collapsed again in 2006 after the bombing of the Imam Al-Askariya Shrine. There were a great many demonstrations all over Basra and the markets were closed againSince 2003 the Basra was will known better in life then Baghdad the life at the night is lot better then Baghdad, in Baghdad the life ends at six or seven at night. In Basra the residents would only go home around 11:00PM and for the people in Baghdad it was a dream to stay out in the street till 11:00.It should be mentioned that in the last three weeks violence has returned to Basra, and more than 300 Iraqis were killed during these last three weeks because of the battles between Iraqi security forces and the militias.As the chaos and uncertainty in Iraq continues, we will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, we are in need of your support to continue our operations. You may have noticed our donations have stagnated since the beginning of the year, and we need your support to continue! Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above, via ChipIn, to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under difficult circumstances.
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Family Tells of Harrowing Kidnap
Mon, Jan 21, 2008
Damascus, Syria - Kidnapping in Baghdad became very common over the last 5 years. By 2004 more then 1000 Iraqis were kidnapped in Baghdad by criminal gangs demanding ransom. In 2005 kidnappings became so bad that white papers were written on strategies to combat kidnapping. Some of those who were kidnapped were released alive and some were killed even after a ransom was paid. Individuals on all sides of the conflict have been the target of kidnappings. Journalists have accounted for 51 of the thousands of kidnappings in Iraq, a far greater number than during the United States' last major conflict in Vietnam. Although kidnappings of journalists have dropped off since 2006, according to Reporters Without Borders, at least fourteen kidnapped since early 2006 are still unaccounted for.Kidnappings of foreign aid workers and journalists have largely dropped off due to these organizations instituting stringent security practices, all but preventing them from accomplishing their work, and nearly every foreign aid agency has now left Iraq, including the Christian Peacemaker Teams who left after four of their teammates were kidnapped in 2006, one of whom was killed. Iraqi civilians however continue to be targeted.In 2006 Baghdad became a nightmare, more then 200 being kidnapped every day in Baghdad by gangs and militias. The bad security conditions exacerbated the criminal activities of militias and gangs over the last few years. No one goes out late at night or drives expensive cars on the streets of Baghdad. It became normal not to see any modern cars in Baghdad, due to the dangerous situation and the control of gangs in many Baghdad neighborhoods. The Iraqi morgue has filled with unknown corpses over the years. Some families travel every morning to the morgue, looking for their fathers, brothers, or other relatives, because in many cases though the family pays a ransom to the kidnapper they never received their loved one, so they go desperately searching for a corpse, and there are many kidnapped people who, to this moment, have never been found.The Iraqi government is trying to stop those gangs and militias from kidnapping people, but there are some police patrols and military troops infiltrated by members of certain militias. In several cases they've been successful, but there are also many kidnappings still going on in areas outside Baghdad's control.***As the chaos and uncertainty in Iraq continues, we will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, we are in need of your support to continue our operations. You may have noticed our donations have stagnated since the beginning of the year, and we need your support to continue! Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above, via ChipIn, to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under difficult circumstances.
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Goldsmiths Still at Work in Baghdad
Mon, Jan 14, 2008
Baghdad, Iraq - Khadimiya is one of the oldest cities i the world to be involved with the gold trade. The craft of goldsmithing started to become famous in Iraq in the 1930s when Iraqi goldsmiths began to use the electric cell for painting the gold after finishing the preparation. Other Arab countries started to import gold from Iraq for several reasons, such as the purity of the gold and the nice shapes they could mold it to. Since then Iraqis began to name their gold in different according to the shape and the weight-for example the pound, and it indicated that it has a weight of a pound and the tear because it was in the shape of a tear, and so on. The primary markets in Baghdad for gold are Share’a Al-Nahr and Al-Khadimyia and those two markets consider by some to be the oldest in the world because since the Abbasid Dynasty these markets existed for the sale of gold and jewelry. Shara’a Al-Nahr witnessed some of the worst gang wars in all of Iraq and the gold robberies there were the worst in all of Iraq history. It even it contested with the worst and largest burglaries and lootings until 2004 when the Iraqi Government implemented strict rules to protect the goldsmiths and their gold.Now people in Iraq journey to Khadimyia to buy gold for several reasons, the safety of the place, the cheap prices they can get in therem and the quantity of the shops there. At the same time the market is close to the shrine of Imam Kadhim, which makes it an important place, not only for Iraqis but also Iranians, who come all the way fro Tehran just to visit the Khadimiya shrine, but tend to by a great deal of gold at the same time.The current security condition made people less active in buying gold from the Iraqi markets, because it’s considered one of the most dangerous items a person can buy in Baghdad. The chance of getting robbed is very high, and gangs are hanging around those areas as a routine. Many accidents have happened during the day time which is something that never happened here before the invasion of Iraq. So far Iraqi people have decided not to stop their life and they have continued to buy gold because gold is a very important element for any person wanting to get married, the Iraqi tradition states that a person should buy a certain amount of gold for any woman he wants to marry.***As the chaos and uncertainty in Iraq continues, we will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, we are in need of your support to continue our operations. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above, via ChipIn, to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under difficult circumstances.
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Iraqi Troops on the Iran - Iraq Border
Mon, Jan 07, 2008
Kut Al-Zein / Um Al-Rasass Border Posts, Iraq - The Shatt Al-Arab is the place where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, it also marks the border between Iraq and Iran. The banks of the Shatt Al-Arab have been witness to many things throughout the history of Iraq. It was a big battlefield during the Iraq-Iran War the first and second Gulf Wars, now the wars are over and the waterway has become a center of criminal gangs and smuggling.Several gangs work in smuggling cars, weapons, and drugs. The Iranian Government itself has also been accused of smuggling weapons into Iraq. Alarmingly, smugglers have even begun engaging in child-trafficking, although the border with Iran has not been cited as a specifically high area for this. Since being reconstituted after the occupation of Iraq, the Iraqi Police and National Guard have been in a constant battle to stop smugglers from bringing illicit goods into Iraq. These goods are being smuggled from Iran, Pakistan, India, and other remote countries. Smugglers are also known to be involved in financing insurgents cells in Iraq.The Border Guards are equipped with boats, helicopters, and other vehicles to stop smugglers, but one of the biggest problems those tasked with securing the border face are the much more advanced boats, weaponry and other vehicles possessed by the smugglers they’re trying to detain and eliminate.The most valuable product being smuggled or stolen is oil. The smugglers use large boats to smuggle oil smuggle out of Iraq and the Iraqi Border Guard are trying their best to stop those particular boats from leaving Iraqi waters, but usually these boats are not only highly advanced it is also believed that many of the gangs and militias involved in smuggling operations have contacts with corrupt officials in the Iraqi government or security forces.Although these issues are all enough to create concern about the capabilities of Iraq’s border security, there are still others recently surfacing. It has recently come to light that some of the United States’ “Concerned Local Citizens” or “Al-Sahwa (Awakening)” may have been involved in smuggling operations in the past. Also recently, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was quoted as saying that the Algiers Accord which includes agreement on the demarcation of the Iran-Iraq border along the Shatt Al-Arab needs to be renegotiated. An aid later claimed that the President had been misquoted and he did not “repudiate” the treaty.***The new year is upon us, and while we will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, we are in need of your support to continue our operations. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above, via ChipIn, to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under difficult circumstances.
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Saddam: One Year Later
Mon, Dec 31, 2007
[Editor's note: This is one of the first entries written almost entirely by Bureau Chief Omar Abdullah, please let us know what you think about the slightly different format!]Baghdad, Iraq - It was heard from many people in Iraq that they were tortured by the ex-Iraqi intelligence, or Mukhabarat, and what is really interesting is that some of the survivors are talking about their torture in those days. What the Iraqi Intelligence used to do is to take people under that name of interrogation so they would keep them in prison cells in unknown areas, and some of the those cells are still being found until today. They are distributed all over Iraq, along with the mass graves that are still being found until this day. Many people are still wondering what happened to the nameless corpses that were found in those mass graves. Some people were kept for over 20 years in prison cells underground. One of the most famous prisons was found after the Occupation. It was built beneath Tahrir Square(the site where Saddam's statue was pulled down on April 9th). The prisoners in there were kept for more then a decade and a half, when the Iraqi people freed these prisoners they thought at first that the Iraq-Iran war was finally over and the Iranians won the war and occupied Iraq!So many torture stories and so many illegal detention stories will be heard from Iraqis being captured by the ex-Iraqi government. This week we spoke with two of them, one of whom the father of correspondent Nabeel Kamal.The main Intelligence Department during the Saddam Hussein regime was near Al-Nasour Square, they used to keep many of the prisoner in that facility, and this number was very large. There were more than fifteen thousand prisoners, some of them were released before the Occupation and some of them were released afterward.Most of the detainees under the ex-Iraqi government were detained due to their different opinions or opposition to the government. For example, if someone said I hate Saddam in a public place, that person will get detained, tortured, or executed. There were also some other reasons like being in a different political party than the Ba'ath party, disagreeing with one of the people close to Saddam, or opposing the draft for military service, and many other reasons. In Baghdad there were lot of Iraqi detainees and most of them were Shi'as, due to the refusal of the ex-Iraqi government to allow them to practice their religious acts. This is the reason that many Shi'as in Baghdad support demonstrations in Baghdad and the Imams of many mosques were detained due to there speeches about Saddam preventing their religious practices.Despite all of these things, there are still many Iraqis who question the execution of Saddam Hussein. These Iraqis cite the problems of the trial, the sudden nature of the execution, and even the concurrence of the execution with the holiday of Eid Al-Adha.Isam Rasheed interviewed two men who spoke about their feelings and impressions regarding Saddam Hussein's execution, and this week we look back at his eventual end, and some of the acts that brought him to such an end.***Alive in Baghdad correspondents such as Isam Rasheed and Nabeel Kamal will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, as well as the difficulties of Iraqis living in surrounding countries. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under these difficult circumstances.
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Disabled Iraqi Athletes Still Struggle
Mon, Dec 24, 2007
Damascus, Syria - Today Iraq’s many survivors of car bombings and terrorist attacks have a great number of role models to look to. The Iraqi Paralympics Committee and Weightlifting Federation have come together to ensure that disabled Iraqi weightlifters/powerlifters have as great a chance to compete in the Paralympics as other sports, such as the swimming events.Hayder Fahad met up with members of the Paralympic branch of the Weightlifting Federation before they journeyed to Greece for the European Open Championship. Because of the violence in Baghdad, it has become more and more difficult for athletes of all types to train regularly in Baghdad. Those with disabilities find it even more difficult to navigate the dangerous and unpredictable streets.Because of these risks, the teams have been seeking training locations outside of Iraq. Under President Basher Assad, the Syrian Government has offered visas and facilities to many of Iraq’s athletes, including the powerlifting division of Iraq’s Paralympics hopefuls. Iraqi weightlifters and powerlifters have been making news not onlyafter the invasion of Iraq but since at least 1960.In the European Open, powerlifters from Iraq went home with three medals and seven qualifications for the Beijin Paralympics in 2008. Thekra Zakri, one of the fourth place finalists who will go on to the Paralympics was interviewed here by Hayder Fahad. She told them their one goal on the team was to win a “great achievement for our country.”With the vast number of injured and disabled Iraqis across the entire country due to the war, the sport of weightlifting, and particularly wheelchair weightlifting and powerlifting will not be going away soon. Gyms such as Sabah Talib’s will be a great asset to Iraqis hoping to train and excel in their own country as well as abroad.Although it is with great excitement that members of Iraq’s team will be going on to the Paralympics, they will unfortunately be without one of their beloved coaches. Hassan Ridha Ali, himself wheelchair-bound, recently died from a brain thrombosis.***Alive in Baghdad correspondents such as Hayder Fahad will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, as well as the difficulties of Iraqis living in surrounding countries. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation above to Alive in Baghdad, and support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under these difficult circumstances.
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Iraqi Refugees at Work in Syria
Mon, Dec 17, 2007
[Editor's note, As many of you already know, Ali Shafeya was killed on Friday night, December 14th, 2 days before his 23rd birthday. Details are still unclear, and we are working to investigate this story further.]Damascus, Syria - Although there are many reports of Iraqis returning to Baghdad, there are still hundreds of thousands of refugees and resident Iraqis struggling to get by in Syria. This week Hayder Fahad brings you some of their stories.There are so many refugees still in Syria, that the UNHCR has just begun distributing financial aid to refugees as of Sunday the 16th. Alive in Baghdad has written stories previously about Iraqi refugees in Syria, this week we focus not on the reasons why they have left, but how they get by. It is illegal for Iraqis to work in Syria, but the underground economy of Iraqi workers is thriving.Despite this, many Iraqis are still without work, and many more cannot afford to pay their bills even with the small incomes they do make. Iraqis are filling some of the traditionally least desired jobs, particularly that of janitors, and others are forced to engage in sexwork and prostitution. Many Iraqis are choosing to remain in a desperate state in Syria, despite reports from Baghdad that unemployment is down and refugees are returning.***Alive in Baghdad correspondents such as Hayder Fahad will continue to bring stories of daily life in Baghdad, as well as the difficulties of Iraqis living in surrounding countries. Please consider making a donation to support Ali's family, as well as becoming a paying subscriber or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad to support our Iraqi staff who continue to work under these difficult circumstances.
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Iraq's Royal Cemetery, The Graveyard of Kings
Mon, Dec 10, 2007
In Adhamiya there is a famous place known as the Royal Cemetery. Each of the kings of Iraq’s short-lived monarchy, Faisal, Ghazi, and Faisal the 2nd are buried here. Under the Ottoman Empire, this place was selected to be the location for an Islamic College in Baghdad. With the upheaval of World War I and the eventual collapse of the Ottoman Empire, construction was never completed.King Faisal I, the first king of Iraq, completed its construction years later, but after his death, it was chosen to be his burial place. From this point on, it was chosen as the burial place for the Iraqi Hashemites. Faisal I’s wife, Huzaima Bint Nasir, as well as his son Ghazi, and his grandson Faisal II are each buried here.With the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958, the cemetery languished in disrepair and was all but forgotten. In 1987, Saddam Hussein, in an effort to renew interest in Iraq’s monarchy, remodeled the Cemetery, improving its stark appearance. His efforts brought the Royal Cemetery to the beautiful monument that stands today.After the fall of Saddam’s government, in 2003, Shari Ali, the heir-apparent to Iraq’s monarchy, made his first appearance in Iraq at the cemetery, beginning an effort to re-assert the importance of the monarchy. This effort was short-lived.United States Military, and Coalition troops entered the Royal Cemetery shortly after the fall of Baghdad, and the marble stone covering Faisal I’s tomb was damaged while they were searching for weapons stockpiled by insurgents in the area. Although the monarchy seems to have finally been cast aside in favor of Modernity, it remains to be seen whether this symbol of Iraq’s past will hold any lasting influence upon its future.***If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber, to support the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!
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A Tour With Basra's Border Police & Marines
Mon, Dec 03, 2007
Basra, Iraq - As the British military prepares the handover of security of the entire Basra Province to the Iraqi Security Forces, a new focus is being placed on Iraq’s southernmost region. Nabeel Kamal traveled there to interview Basra’s Marines, Navy, and other security forces in charge of protecting Iraq’s borders from smugglers, pirates, and terrorists.Basra’s Shalamja Port is a major entry point to Iraq for many travels from the Gulf and other Arab countries, as well as Iran. It is also a major hub of activity from smugglers and pirates. Being Iraq’s only access to the sea, it’s stability is a strategic necessity for Iraq’s longterm security. Iraq’s Navy has in the past, and is now beginning again, to serve that purpose.Originally founded in 1937, primarily as a river force, it was not until after the Revolution of 1968 that Iraq began to constitute a strong naval force, with the ability to exert influence in the Gulf. Initially after the war, the Coalition Forces created the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, which in 2005 was renamed the Iraqi Navy. Some of Iraq’s reconstituted Naval force has come from far afield to finally begin duty patrolling Iraq’s waters.While General Al-Hassani and his marines are chasing smugglers and pirates, on the seas, men such as Major Amjad Hassan Jama’i are manning the offices of Iraq’s Border Police. The police at the Shalamja border crossing deal with 3500 or more visitors arriving daily during the summer holidays, and several hundred on average days.While smuggling and militia activity run rampant, these men have their work cut out for them. In Basra some reports say that the local security forces have taken over with minimal violence and instability. Others report that neighboring countries are still causing difficulties in Iraq’s southern metropolis. The men at the Shalamja crossing tell us that their border posts are far afield from the urban center of the city proper, and that some of their greatest difficulties lie in their lack of infrastructure. Away from the ports, on the open seas off Iraq’s coast, the US Navy itself said last month that they will maintain a presence to gurad Iraq’s oil exports for the foreseeable future. Men such as General Hassani and Major Jama’i will be left to protect the rest of Iraq’s valuable imports and exports, of material and citizens.***It is with great sadness that we report the most recent death of an Alive in Baghdad family member. Hayder Fahad’s sister was killed last week, in a shooting by US forces, involving bank employees traveling to work in Baghdad. If you’d like to send economic or emotional support to Hayder’s family, you can make a contribution via paypal or email to our contact. Please be sure to note the money is directed for Hayder’s family, or send a follow-up email. This is just one of the many difficulties facing our Iraqi staff, and why we continue to ask you to make a voluntary payment to support the Iraqi journalists behind this work.
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Iraqi Artisans Still Dedicated to Tradition
Mon, Nov 26, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - Iraq is famous for many things, including woodcrafts. Woodcarving in particular is something well-known in Iraq. Iraqi families such as those of Abu Mustafa Al-Rubaie have been handing their skills down from generation to generation. Iraqi artists are one of many groups who have been the target of violence, such as bakers, academics, and those seen to be connected with the Multi-National Coalition forces.The development of the craft has become rare as well-known artists and professionals of all variety with the means have fled the country. Today there is just one institute still teaching the skills of these Iraqi artisans. The Fine Arts Academy in Baghdad, where many artists have displayed work and taught, continues to provide lessons in woodcarving. Many artists are learning and developing their craft alone, displaying their work primarily in some of the remaining galleries of the Karrada neighborhood.This artform is displayed by Iraqis and Muslims all over, some for purely decoration, but many others for religious purposes. There are woodcarvings and paintings that display images of Imam Ali, the Ka’aba in Mecca, and various sayings from the Qur’an, among others.Abu Mustafa is most proud of his work creating images and paintings with the ay’at or verses of the Qur’an. He also takes pride in keeping true to the traditional methods of the original creators of these works, and makes each by hand. Other artists have begun using machines that enable the reproduction of facsimiles with a minimum of effort on the part of the artist, after the original is finished.…If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber and providing ongoing support for the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!
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Sadr Loyalists Reflect on Iraq Sovereignty
Mon, Nov 19, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - The Al-A'mel neighborhood has been wracked with as much violence and unrest as Baghdad's roughest neighborhoods. The Sadr office in Al-A'mel has been an important source of stability and security for many residents of Al-A'mel.As we've reported previously, the Sadr Movement, which is connected to Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army, has made a name for itself by providing aid and support to Iraqis living all over the country. The arrest of Sheikh Jassem lead to large demonstrations in the Al-A'mel neighborhood. These demonstrations targetted their anger not only at the US forces in Iraq, but also Prime Minister Maliki and the Iraqi government.Because the Iraqi prime minister has claimed to have control over where, when, and how the US forces exert pressure on Iraqi dissidents, insurgents, and militias, the residents of Al-A'mel directed their frustration at his apparent apathy regarding Sheikh Jassem's arrest.Witnesses gave different accounts of the arrest. Although all claimed that the Sheikh was injured by being pushed from the roof of the mosque after being detained, some claimed this was done by a soldier from the United States, while others claimed it was a member of the Iraqi National Guard. At the time he was arrested, the US claimed that he was wanted in relation to a spate of kidnapping, murder, and torture in the area.Residents told Alive in Baghdad that they were surprised by the charges, as he is well-liked in the community and has been involved with assisting Sunni as well as Shi'a families around Al-A'mel. Sheikh Jassem Al-Hasnawi has also received letters of thanks from prominent Sunnis, such as Dr. Al-Kubaisi, for his assistance in the construction of school buildings in the primarily Sunni Karkh region of Baghdad.Until now Sheikh Jassem Al-Hasnawi has been held by the US forces, leading many Iraqis to question the truth of Prime Minister Maliki's claims of Iraqi sovereignty. At the time of writing, it was unclear when Sheikh Jassem might be released, whether there was any truth to the claims of his injury, or whether he has been officially charged with any wrongdoing....If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber, to support the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!
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Iraq to Close Nahrain Printing House
Mon, Nov 12, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - Dar Al-Nahrain, or "The House of Mesopotamia," is a well-known printing and publishing house in Baghdad. It was established in 1980 and has printed everything from currency to passports and even many of Iraq's postal stamps. Like most of Iraq's Ministries and institutions, it was ransacked by looters after the fall of Baghdad.It was perhaps considered a target of special interest to some, as it printed Uday's periodical "Babil" as well as its more benign documents. It also may have been seen as just another emblem of Saddam's Ba'athist-era Iraq, having been established after Saddam siezed control of the country. The Nahrain printing presses ran throughout the Iran-Iraq War, and as far as Alive in Baghdad could determine, even survived the sanctions regime of the 1990s.Allegedly, the printing presses in the Baghdad institution even began printing official documents under contract with a number of nations on the African continent, but the exact details of this could not be determined.Furthermore, the printing house survived the war and the looting, as one of the first institutions to begin running again after the fall of Baghdad. Of course, Dar Al-Nahrain would not print Uday's paper again, but Iraqis found another similar use. It began printing Al-Sabah, "The Morning," a new state-run newspaper. Eventually it began printing passports and other official documents again, as the Iraqi Government began functioning regularly once more.There are many rumors surrounding Dar Al-Nahrain, such as accusations that it is run by the Mahdi Army, but these accusations could not be proven, and such rumors abound in Baghdad's current chaotic environment. Although these rumors could not be proven, its known that after the bombing, before the Iraqi Government was re-established, some criminal gangs were using the presses to print counterfeit money.Today Al-Nahrain employs 900 Iraqi employees, printing passports and other official documents, as well as the State-run newspaper, Al-Sabah. Because its office was originally located in the volatile Ameriya neighborhood of Baghdad, many of its staff members have been killed on their way to or from work, but the current employees assured Nabeel Kamal that they are a brave and noble group, more than willing to become "martyrs" to continue their work. They have been challenged by the Iraqi Government to produce a half million passports, as well as other official identification cards.Despite all of this, it appears that the Iraqi Government is now determined to close the printing house, despite ongoing unemployment of fifty percent or more. The employees expressed frustration and a little understanding for the government's actions. It's difficult to understand with the apparent success of the institution. According to one article released by the office of the Iraqi Presidency, the World Bank has demanded its closure. One may assume this is tied to certain loan guarantees, but Alive in Baghdad has been unable to determine what reasoning led the Bank to believe the termination of 900 Iraqi employees will provide an economic benefit to Iraq....If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber, to support the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!
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Iraqis Celebrate Victory in the Asian Cup
Mon, Nov 05, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - The history of Iraq’s football/soccer team has been almost as torrid as that of the country. The Asia Cup was founded just two years before Iraq’s 1958 Revolution. The ensuing conflict and chaos prevented Iraq from entering the Cup until 1972, when they only reached the first round. In 1976 they won fourth place, but they were not able to enter the Cup again for another 20 years. In the three cups preceding 2007, Iraq made it to the Quarterfinals, but not beyond.It was thus with great jubilaiton and excitement that Iraqis celebrated their victory over Saudi Arabia in the 2007 Asia Cup. Across the country, from the Kurdish Region south to Basra, Iraqis took to the streets defying the ban on vehicles and celebratory gunfire. Our correspondent, Nabeel Kamal ventured into the streets of Baghdad to capture some of the only video available of the Baghdad celebrations. Youtube carries many images of Iraqi celebrations around the world, but few of those in Iraq itself.The Asia Cup was won on July 29th 2007, and unfortunately we are just now able to bring you this short documentary of the celebrations. Despite the timing, this video is an important look at a happy time for Iraqis, despite the conflict. They celebrated in particular the heroes of the Cup, Younis Mahmoud and Hawar Mohammed, with many cheering in support of Hawar’s “great ardor.” One fan weighed in with his own special brand of support for the team, the Prime Minister of the UAE sent his own plane to pick up the team for their flight back to the Middle East.Unfortunately the happiness and celebratory air ended on a down note, as so many things have in Iraq’s history. Although the celebrations were relatively calm, they were not without incident. Ironically, it appears at least some may have been killed by gunfire from the celebrants themselves. Just days after the victory, Younis Mahmoud stunned Iraqi fans with the news that he would not return to his home country, out of fear for his safety.***If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber, to support the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!
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Man Attacked by Militia & Iraqi Military
Mon, Oct 29, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - Since the end of the Coalition Provisional Authority, and the establishment of the Transitional Government, and later the elected Iraqi government, there have been efforts to reconstruct Iraq’s security forces. The Iraqi Army was initially dissolved by Paul Bremer, as one of the first acts of the CPA. This has been repeatedly recalled as one of the biggest mistakes of the US administration in the post-war period. General Petraeus was one of the first US commanders to talk seriously about reconstituting the armed forces, after which the now famous phrase “as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down” began to take hold. Unfortunately the reality has been much less simple. There have been reports and follow-up reports, detailing the rise and fall of various divisions of the security forces, with the readiness of various units changing almost constantly.Today almost everyone in Iraq agrees that the Iraqi police and armed forces are rife with corruption and internal conflict. General At the same time, the actions of various groups referred to as the “Mahdi Army” seem to be equally destabilizing, while Muqtada Sadr claims that the actions of his militia are still frozen. Last week we spoke with members of the Facilities Protection Service, who detailed their work as security guards and defending various elements of the Health Ministry. This week Hussein Jassim, a man with connections to the Sadr Movement, details a very different experience with men from the Iraqi National Guard and other unknown men who attempted to kill him.According to Jassim, he was driving on one of the many highways around Baghdad when he realized he was being followed. Men in another car fired upon him, and he attempted to escape. When he came upon men in Iraqi National Guard vehicles he claims they also shot at him. He was lucky to make it to the Al-Bo’aitha checkpoint, where after losing consciousness, he was apparently taken to the Yarmouk Hospital, and was lucky to survive his wounds through the aid of several doctors there.Two of the men who are believed to have attacked him were detained later and confessed on Al-Iraqiya Television, the government television station. His story is one of many in the complexity of Baghdad’s ongoing violence. Although sectarianism is the most public element, the place of common criminals and gangsters have increasingly been responsible for much of the less-spectacular violence and attacks on men such as Hussein Jassim. ***Alive in Baghdad continues to search for funding to continue our work beyond the end of 2007. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber and sign up for a recurring payment if you are a regular viewer! If this is beyond you, think about whether you might be willing to make a one-time payment to show your support for Iraqi journalists who bring you the kinds of stories you can’t find anywhere else.
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Hospital Guards, More Than Protectors
Mon, Oct 22, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq - The Facility Protection Service has been the center of much controversy in recent years. We have profiled the bizarre security agency previously on Alive in Baghdad, interviewing a Sunni FPS guard who works in Adhamiya. Although at least some of the accusations against various individuals and sections of the Facilities Protection Service are no doubt true, they are not the whole story.The Facility Protection Service was created in order to fulfill the lack of security after the fall of Baghdad. Different important or historical buildings, institutions and government departments were each given money to hire their own FPS contingent. In 2006, in an effort to curb corruption, the FPS was brought under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior, in an effort to further organize it and root out insurgent and criminal elements. However, in early 2007 the US Military arrested the Deputy Health Minister and accused him of utilizing their FPS personnel in sectarian attacks.Lieutenant Colonel Mua’ayad, who is in charge of protecting the Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital in the Karrada neighborhood, took Alive in Baghdad inside the work of his men protecting the hospital. They are more than just security guards. Although there are many men involved in defending the hospital, who serve in various positions from searching visitors to defending the front gates of the hospital, this is not all they do. Mua’ayad and the others we spoke with described how they are often called upon to support the short-handed medical staff. In times of crisis the guards find themselves directing traffic outside the hospital, carrying injured patients to operating and waiting rooms, sometimes they are even given work preparing medicines or assisting in a “medical orderly” capacity.The potential for success of efforts to reform Iraq’s security forces remains to be seen. But with violence continuing, and the steady emigration of medical professionals out of Iraq, places like the Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital continue to require flexible security forces who are willing and able to meet the disparate needs of medical facilities in Iraq. ***Alive in Baghdad continues to search for funding to continue our work beyond the end of 2007. Please consider becoming a paying subscriber and sign up for a recurring payment if you are a regular viewer! If this is beyond you, think about whether you might be willing to make a one-time payment to show your support for Iraqi journalists who bring you the kinds of stories you can’t find anywhere else.
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Iraqi Teens Work To Help Their Families
Mon, Oct 15, 2007
Baghdad, Iraq: The population of Iraq is estimated to be at least 50% under the age of 18. These children and adolescents are in dire straits due to the war. This Eid was no exception, as 15 women and children were killed in an American air raid and a suicide attack near a playground killed at least 1 child and wounded 20 others. But the day after, Iraqi families visited to the Baghdad Zoo, as families might on a holiday in any modern country around the world.Despite the ongoing impact of violence and terrorism that affects all Iraqis, children must even risk their lives to get to school, and many have been forced to leave their friends and country when their families fled Iraq. Unemployment and desperation are leading many Iraqi children and teenagers to work to help feed their families.Although there are some favorable trends in Iraq, such as the increased productiving of Iraq’s oil industry and a decrease in inflation, unemployment estimates still hover around fifty percent. Iraqis are taking work wherever they can get it, which is part of what is leading the young to go to work. Three young men, including his brother, spoke with Nabeel Kamal about their work and the lives they lead as young men in Baghdad. Two of them work together with Nabeel’s father as painters and carpenters. The checkpoints and threats from militias have prevented them from continuing their craft at their workshop. They now work in the yard outside their home, but within the security of the walls around their property.Many youth aren’t lucky enough to find work, have families who care for them, or be able to go to school. Some of them have turned to crime or joined militias for work and support. Many of these are accused of being members of the Mahdi Army, but representatives of the Sadr Movement which oversees the Mahdi Army has told Alive in Baghdad that these men are rogue elements and not true members of the Mahdi Army or the Sadr Movement. This trend is no doubt contributing to the numbers of Iraqi teens in youth detention facilities across Iraq.But whether they are joining militias, braving violence to attend school, or going to work to help their family, Iraqi youth are in grave danger. One of the most widespread effects was trauma-related stress which is estimated to affect 70% of primary school students. The results were based on a study of 2500 kids surveyed in an area in north Baghdad. In some children the manifestation of stress is simply manifested by recurring and terrible nightmares.Until there is stability in Baghdad, and some semblance of regularity to employment, Iraqi families will continue to find money and employment where they can. Children and teenagers will go to work to assist their families, who may be debilitated by disease or terrible injuries from acts of terror such as car bombings.…Our correspondents in Baghdad are depending on you to support their work! Please consider becoming a paying subscriber to Alive in Baghdad, click here to choose a subscription amount now. If you have suggestions for stories or comments, pleaes feel free to contact us!
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US Military Destroys Iraqi Homes By Mistake
Mon, Oct 08, 2007
BAGHDAD, ADHAMIYA - Home destructions have been a tool of war almost as long as war has been around. According to Wikipedia, “It has been employed as a scorched earth tactic to deprive an advancing enemy of food and shelter, or to wreck an enemy’s economy and infrastructure. It has also been used for purposes of counter-insurgency and ethnic cleansing. Systematic house demolition has been a notable factor in a number of recent or ongoing conflicts including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Darfur conflict in Sudan, the Iraq War, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav wars and the Caucasian conflicts of the 1990s.”House demolitions in Adhamiya have been one of many tactics employed by the United States Military in its attempts to quell violence and insurgents in the troubled neighborhood. The tactic of house demolition has been a familiar one to the United States, used as early as 2003 to destroy the homes of suspected insurgents. This tactic was taken from the experience of Israeli Defense Force’ behavior in the West Bank and Gaza.It’s easy to believe the American forces were acting on what they believed to be noble intentions. In 2003 Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt told the USA Today, “If I saw that house go away, I’d feel more secure,” in reference to the destroying the home of a “terrorist across the street“.Unfortunately Brigadier General Kimmitt was not considering the impact of home destruction in dense urban areas such as Raghiba Khatoon in Adhamiya. In this neighborhood one empty house was demolished, according to neighbors, they were told by US soldiers that the house had bombs inside. Rather than searching the home and clearing the suspected ordnance, Iraqis in the area told Alive in Baghdad the soldiers detonated the home, severely damaging several others in the area.Adhamiya has been a difficult neighborhood for most of the war. Many important Baathists are from the area, and it is the neighborhood where Saddam last appeared as President of Iraq. However, despite the depiction in much of the media that Adhamiya is a haven of terrorists and insurgents, it is a huge neighborhood, and houses many Iraqis who are tired of the fighting and violence. The impact of the construction of a wall separating Adhamiya from the rest of Baghdad, the violent home searches, and now the apparently accidental destruction of buildings housing dozens of residents, are doing little to develop goodwill.*** Although we make Alive in Baghdad available every week for free, the show is expensive to produce, and we are asking that viewers consider making a subscription payment each month of 5, 10, or 25 dollars to support our ongoing work. Please make a contribution to continue our work, if you value the kind of on-the-ground news we bring you from Iraq.
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In Iraq, Carbombs & Terrorism Don't Discriminate
Mon, Oct 01, 2007
BAGHDAD - November 23rd, 2006 was the second deadliest coordinated attack against civilians to date. The media covered the death toll and impact on property with graphic imagery. Unfortunately as with every previous attack, the impact on civilian survivors has not only been ineffectively covered, it appears to have been covered not at all. A Google search for “carbomb survivors” nets only one story on the survivors of a car bombing that is easy to find. That is Alive in Baghdad’s story Car Bomb Survivors, No Longer Statistics, on November 26th, 2006, just 4 days after the carbombing discussed this week.Approximately 250 civilians are believed to have been wounded, but still alive, on November 25th, 2006. According to Reuters, via ABC News Online, “Doctors say many of the wounded have serious injuries and are unlikely to survive.” Three of these wounded include Shams, her mother, and her older brother Ghaith. Shams was just a year old when her family was driving through the Al-Hay Market on November 23rd. Her mother moved to protect her from the blast, her brother Ghaith was wounded with shrapnel to his back. Although Shams was saved, her mother wasn’t so lucky. She died from burns all over her body soon after reaching the hospital. Shams lived, but has been disfigured and has lost her sight. Her family has traveled to Iran, Jordan, and Syria seeking answers to her condition. Shams is luckier than most, as her family could afford this. However, she was not lucky enough to find an answer. Shams story, although perhaps particularly poignant, is one of many untold stories of daily life in Baghdad. Human Rights Watch produced a list of “major” terrorist attacks on civilians from 2003 to September 2005, this documents a short list of the attacks, but doesn’t tell what happened to the survivors. They describe the various victims of these attacks as well in their full report. Like most attacks, the information reported on the November 23rd triple bombing was disconnected and even contradictory. The death toll reporter ranged from 138 people killed, to 161 reported by MSNBC, to the confusing report of the Independent, which listed 140 dead in the title, but claimed 145 killed in the first sentence. The final accepted toll, was reported by the BBC as a much higher 202, but still 13 shy of the 215 eventually claimed as the correct number.*** Small World News’ show Alive in Baghdad is the only place to find personal coverage of Iraqi life, produced at the street level. CNN, Fox News, and ABC are all paid for through subjecting their viewers to advertisements. We have been looking for sponsorship, but because we will not allow sponsorships to impact our coverage, unlike the mainstream press, we have as yet been unable to secure an ongoing sponsor. We are asking our viewers to make one-time or ongoing subscription payments to support us. Without your donation, we may have to close our doors.
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An In-Depth Look at the Wall in Adhamiya
Mon, Sep 24, 2007
When they began erecting a wall in Adhamiya the public response was varied, in Iraq, in the US, indeed around the world. Some responded with shock, others with outrage, others wondered why it hadn’t been tried before. Most importantly, there was a reaction, it was widespread, and strong. The press covered the issue of the wall repeatedly, with many papers writing multiple stories on the subject, extending over a period of months, some more. Unfortunately the images of the wall are few and far between. A Google image search reveals only 1,020 results for adhamiya wall, many of which are repeat images and many more are irrelevant to the search. Why has such an important event of the war and most recently the Surge, received so little visual coverage?After the initial excitement faded, there was little coverage of the impact of the wall, or of the other walls to follow. The economic impact of the wall received this weak commentary on September 20th, in a longer AP article about the Sunnis of Adhamiya turning to US soldiers for support.This week, after much delay, Abdul Alaa brings us inside the new Adhamiya, speaking with community leaders, demonstrators, and the average citizens of Adhamiya. As a new wall emerges west of the Tigris, insight into the impact of the wall over the last months is even more important. The wall, allegedly there to protect Shi’a and Sunni from each other, has succeeded in walling a small Shi’a community inside Ghazaliyah, an area known to harbor Sunni militants. Iraqis are already demonstrating in Ghazaliyah and Shula, although its unlikely to make much difference.When the wall in Adhamiya began, the Prime Minister himself demanded that it be removed, only to be corrected by the spokesman for Iraq’s military and later recant his statement, there was even talk of “modifying the wall” although that idea appears to have been still-born.Today its unclear what the future of the surge in walls will be. It is uncertain how much success and stability they are providing. It is sure that they have been a rallying point for Iraqi nationalists and hard-liners alike. It is also sure that, if nothing else, they are putting dinars in the pockets of at least a few Iraqis.…Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. We depend on you the viewer for most of our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!
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In Hurriya, Shiites Protest the US Surge
Mon, Sep 17, 2007
It is contentious whether or not the US Surge has made Baghdad any safer. Many Iraqis have complained that the US’ version of security has led to vast divisions within Baghdad, and that sectarian violence has even further divided Baghdad’s already tense residents. Hurriya, a neighborhood on the western side of the Tigris was at one time a mixed neighborhood where Sunni and Shi’a lived together, married together, and existed peacefully, like any other neighborhood.In 2007 Hurriya became almost entirely Shi’a. Some blame the Mahdi Army for sectarian attacks and cleansing the area of it’s Sunni population, such as in this article from December 2006. Others say the cleansing couldn’t be stopped, holding Sunnis responsible for starting the violence. Parliamentarian Shatha Al-Musawi told The Scotsman that Shi’ites had no time to sift the innocent from the guilty because Sunnis were killing Shi’ites. Because of the cleansing, Hurriya has become mostly quiet, but because it is believed to be a haven of gangs using the name of the Mahdi Army, the Americans have been involved in numerous incursions into the neighborhood.Hurriya’s residents are unhappy with a recent turn of events which led to the death of Jawad Kadhim Al-Sultani, a well-known and beloved member of the community. His neighbors claim that Al-Sultani was an example of tolerance and brotherhood amongst Iraqis, and that he would help Sunni neighbors as well as Shi’a. Anecdotes such as these abound and are constantly referenced as examples that there is no civil war, or that Iraqis will succeed at eliminating sectarian conflict. Other anecdotes aren’t so positive, intermarriage is all but a forgotten fairytale in Baghdad today.One thing is certain, the US Surge itself has failed to reconcile the sectarian conflict. Death squads and militias are still prevalent on Baghdad’s streets. Iraqis in Hurriya have been quoted saying that these militia patrols are the only thing that allows them to feel safe. Murders are continuing, and they are leading many Iraqis, such as the demonstrators in Hurriya, to ask why the United States forces are there at all. During the demonstration they demanded that the US be forced to withdraw from Hurriya, and replaced with Iraqi security forces. Some might cynically claim that what they really want is the Mahdi Army’s protection.Throughout the protest many attendees expressed anger and frustration at the Iraqi Government as well. Its questionable whether the residents of Hurriya and other Baghdadis will put any more faith in the government’s security forces than in the politicians themselves. Across Baghdad, Iraqis continue to be embroiled in sectarian conflict, hoping some semblance of the ordinary will return to their lives. Now that Sunnis have been forced out of Hurriya, it is only the Americans that these residents worry about.… To all of you who have already opted in to paying subscriptions, thank you for your generosity! Please, if you have not opted in to our paying subscriptions yet, seriously consider doing so, you the viewers are our best hope for sustainability! If you value another insight into Iraq, please subscribe. You can do so for Five, Ten, or Twenty-Five dollars, that means for anywhere from the price of one beer, to a few dates, you can support Iraqi journalists on the ground in Baghdad. You can also buy the first volume of Alive in Baghdad on DVD, all the episodes from September through December!
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Baghdad Checkpoints and the Iraq Surge
Mon, Sep 10, 2007
On Tuesday General David Petraeus will be testifying before the U.S. Congress, and President George W. Bush will reportedly address the nation about the situation in Iraq. This week we continue to evaluate the progress of the surge over the last 6 months. Alive in Baghdad last reported on General Petraeus when he testified before the Congress back in January. At that time he suggested security contractors would be necessary to fulfill the duties left vacant by the lack of sufficient troops to carry out the surge.Alive in Baghdad has spoken with a number of Iraqis and spent an uneventful afternoon at one checkpoint in Baghdad to take our own look at how security is progressing. Despite the rhetoric on all sides, many are critical of the Prime Minister’s apparent failure to take steps to establish political reconciliation.Some cite the security forces themselves, and many of these same forces, in particular Iraq’s National Police, resent the charges from outsiders that they are incapable, when they have been given so few tools to work with.Others reacted with shock and disbelief that anyone would imply there were any successes from the security plan. Checkpoints are seen as little more than a nuisance by many Iraqis, while others feel the security surge is having some success and want the efforts to continue. Unfortunately, the control of checkpoints by sectarian groups continues to be particularly frightening in some areas of Baghdad and Iraq.Particularly controversial, the decision by the United States military to begin supporting certain Sunni tribes with money and weaponry, in exchange for fighting Al-Qaeda, has brought concerns of many shades. Some are quick to note that not only did this element being attributed to the surge begin months before the surge, it also has limited effect on the most important issue facing Iraq’s security, ongoing ethnic rivalry. Other critics worry the results could be much worse and that these Sunni tribes could, “become independent power centers in a fracturing Iraq or turn against the Baghdad government.”Above all of these questions sits one lurking in each Iraqi’s mind, “Do the setbacks outweigh the successes of the Surge?” The increasing presence of checkpoints and the fragmentation of Baghdad into communities gated behind blast walls and razorwire does not bode well for whatever will come after the surge.….. All this month we will be looking at the Surge and the current security conditions in Baghdad in “The Surge, a Citizen Perspective” where we will combine videos of events taking place in Baghdad since the Surge began, with our newest content, including testimonials written by our staff from their personal experiences and contacts in the field. We believe this report will further demonstrate the importance of Alive in Baghdad as one of the only resources bringing an unfiltered grassroots perspective of life in Iraq. Please consider a one-time or ongoing subscription donation to support our work. We are depending on you to keep us Alive in Baghdad.
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Iraq's Al-Aimma Bridge, A Memory Against Sectarianism
Mon, Sep 03, 2007
This week we look back at a tragedy that claimed more than 1000 lives. In 2005, Sunnis from the Adhamiya district saved dozens of Shia pilgrims from drowning in the Tigris. As the Iraq conflict is further cast in terms of civil war, it is important to remember the instances of unity among Iraqis.Although recently a bombing killed more than 500 people in an area dominated by Yezidis, a little known religious group in northern Iraq, the Al-Aimma bridge tragedy has been the worst single event in the war. Last year we brought you a story from Sami Rasouli, who told about Othman Ali Al-Obeidi, who is famous in Iraq because he had a Sunni name, but his father's name, Ali, is traditionally a Shi'a name. Othman was on the Iraqi swimteam and died saving Shi'a pilgrims from drowning in the Tigris. The second anniversary of the tragedy has just passed, so we are again remembering Othman and the other brave Iraqis who stood against sectarianism.Other media agencies are falling over themselves to discuss the onset of a civil war in Iraq. It is important to take these discussions with a grain of salt. That is not to say sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing, and general chaos, insecurity, and disorder are a daily experience in Baghdad, they are. But the violence may be more organized than now discussed. Just over a year ago, Der Spiegel reported on the experience of another man living near the Al-Aimma Bridge. He made it clear that the violence is not the crazed killings of madmen, but organized political violence.Othman Ali and many other Sunnis and Shias alike banded together to save their fellows. In just over one week General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will be brought before the US Congree for testimony about the progress of the "Surge." The journalists, pundits, politicians, and arm-chair diplomats have already decided what to say about Iraq. The country has descended into civil war and reconciliation among parties is unthinkable. But perhaps they don't know so much about Iraq. Glimpse of Iraq has very clearly demonstrated why Othman Ali Al-Obeidi provides such an important yet simple insight into the Iraqi experience.We'll be bringing you more stories from the other side of the Iraqi experience, in our own response to the Surge report, throughout the month of September. Please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly subscriber to support the important work of the Iraqi journalists who make Alive in Baghdad happen.
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Iraq Has No New Oil Law, and No Gas
Mon, Aug 27, 2007
While US officials on all sides criticize the Iraqi Parliament’s failure to pass an oil law, no one is asking a more critical question to the government’s local credibility and functionality, where is all the gas?Recently many officials in the US have been criticizing the Iraqi Government’s failure to meet certain benchmarks imposed by US officials. One such benchmark has been the passage of a National Oil Law. Although Parliament went into recess without passing such a law, it is not necessarily the most important issue for Iraqis when considering the strength or weakness, and failure or success of their government.These days much of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq is lucky to have even a few hours of electricity per day. Our sources tell us 1 hour per day is the average norm around the country, particularly Baghdad, where the large population center has greatly overstretched its resources and infrastructure are degrading rapidly.Iraqis are now left wondering not just about the daily violence and whether they will survive until tomorrow, they also wonder why they elected a government that seems powerless except in the area of internal squabbling. Over a year ago we produced a short piece about the gasoline shortages in Iraq at the end of 2005. As we near the end of 2007, those same problems still grip Baghdad, and as we’ve shown in recent videos, in the case of electricity and social services, many consider them worse than ever.Although we offer our work free to viewers, we have begun offering the opportunity for you the viewer to support our work by voluntarily subscribing at five, ten, or twenty-five dollars. Thanks for your continuing support and we hope you will return for more news about life in Iraq each week!
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SYRIA - Child Artist Dreams of Return to Iraq
Mon, Aug 20, 2007
As we’ve reported recently, children are having a tough time living with the war. This week Hayder introduces us to Sameer Muhammad and is father, Muhammad Rubaie. Sameer and his father are now refugees living in Damascus. They, like many Iraqis, have been forced to flee their country and taken refugee in Syria. They talk about their lives as artists, and how they are continuing their work despite the circumstances.For more stories of Iraqis in Syria, please watch this video about the Sadr Movement offering support to Iraqis in Damascus, or this video about the Saeda Zeinab neighborhood in Damascus.Although we offer our work for free, it is a struggle to get by each month, so please consider making a subscription donation of five, ten, or twenty-five dollars, or making a one-time donation of money or equipment here.
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Iraq Journalist Killed in Heavy Traffic
Mon, Aug 13, 2007
[We recently began offering voluntary paid subscriptions! Please consider donating five, ten, or twenty-five dollars a month to support Iraqi journalists.]Suhad, 36, wanted to go to college and become a journalist since she was young. Her parents, like many, tried to dissuade their daughter from going into the arts, pushing her to take more science and math classes. Instead she studied English and became ever more interested in the international community.She briefly held a job with the Washington Post, as well as Al-Atyaaf Radio, Al Iraqiyah, the state satellite channel, and when she was killed she had been working in the Green Zone at an office assisting with the distribution of social services to Iraqis.Her parents describe her as a caring activist who took care of her family and looked closely after her young diabetic brother. February 4th, 2007, the day she was killed, was like any other, she was on her way to work and waiting in line at a checkpoint for the Green Zone.The exact details are still unclear. Some reports claim there was a gun battle between US forces and militants near the checkpoint. Others accused foreign security contractors.Security contractors have a particularly bad name, and in 2005 were accused by the Interior Minister of Iraq of klling at least 12 Iraqis per week, as well as firing on US military. This video illustrates contractors firing indiscriminately on civilians in Iraq. According to a translation of Al Sharqiyah Television, “Iraqi police said that Suhad Shakir, an announcer in Al-Iraqiyah channel, was wounded when US forces opened fire on her car near the Foreign Ministry in central Baghdad. The US army said that it is verifying the truthfulness of the claim.”Another source claimed that a “Foreign Military Patrol” opened fire on a civilian vehicle in the Allawi district. Reuters also reported that US forces “wounded Suhad Shakir, an anchor working for Iraqiya,” however at the time of her death she was no longer working for Iraqiya.Suhad Shakir’s death is just one of many for journalists and civilians in Iraq. The confusing story surrounding her killing is illustrative of a daily threat to Iraqis driving around Baghdad. Journalist Chris Hondros provides more insight into the difficulties of Baghdad’s traffic in this blog entry from March 2007.
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Repairing Services in Iraq and Adhamiya
Mon, Aug 06, 2007
At the end of July Oxfam released a report detailing the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. It was only the international community that needed this report, Iraqis know well how their country is falling apart around them. Neighborhoods such as Adhamiya lack even the most basic social services.Social services, such as water, electricity, and sanitation have been on the decline since the fall of Baghdad saw widespread looting and a general collapse of Baghdad’s infrastructure. In areas that have seen ongoing fighting and a general lack of security, services have never fully recovered. Even in those areas that might have shown moderate repair previously, the flight of professionals and random destruction is removing any achievements.Now its been announced that Baghdad is again running out of water, but more desperately this time than ever before. Just days before this article, CBS reported on a “drop of good news� from American Steve Frost, who is helping to repair water pumps in one area of Baghdad but, by his own admission, once finished these pumps will only, “be able to supply water to approximately 20 percent of the local area full time.� In the baking summer heat, Iraqis take to sleeping on their roofs, electricity is too scarce to run air conditioners.Further highlighting the difficulties of life for men working on the garbage and sewage problems in Iraq, in July MSNBC described how, “Nearly 500 garbage collectors have been killed since the Iraq war began. Many are young. Some are just teenagers.�If that isn’t hard enough to stomach, according to this commentary in the Daily Star, “Dr. Abdul-Rahman Adil Ali of the Baghdad Health Directorate has warned about the serious consequences of a defective sewage system. “In some of Baghdad’s poor neighborhoods,� he said, “people drink water which is mixed with sewage.�Alive in Baghdad will continue to work for you, providing insight into all manner of living in Baghdad. But we can only continue if you give us your support. We must maintain an array of staff in Iraq and the region in order to bring you a wide variety of in-depth stories about the Iraq crisis. Please make a donation and help us to continue.
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Child Refugees from Iraq Desperate in Syria
Sat, Jul 28, 2007
Children are nearly always cited as the most desperate group in any refugee crisis. They are also, unfortunately, too often depicted in archetypal photos, too simplistic to depict the reality of the crisis. This week Hayder Fahad speaks with several Iraqi children living in Syria about their experiences in Syria and Iraq and their expectations for the future.Approximately half of Iraq’s population is under 18, and the age of the refugees looking for safety in Syria is representative. According to the BBC, Syria provides greater services to the Iraqis, but even there the UN says that only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugee children there are able to attend school.The troubles for Iraqi children range from difficulty adapting to the schools in Syria, to conflicts with their new classmates, to things far worse. Although we have not yet uncovered stories to reflect this, according to Forbes, Amnesty International released a statement suggesting that,some Iraqi refugee families have even resorted to forcing their daughters into prostitution to help the family survive. Child prostitution and trafficking of Iraqi children is said to be growing, Amnesty said.Further indicating the desperate and difficult nature of the crisis are conflicting reports about the availability of education to Iraqi refugees in Syria. We spoke with children who had no trouble getting into schools in Syria, and others who were denied entrance because they did not have the proper paperwork to verify their grade. As quoted above, the UN has stated that many of the refugee children are unable to attend school in Syria. However a week earlier, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone urged Iraqi refugees to send their children to school, stating, The Syrian government allows your children to register in public schools. Make the most of this opportunity; send your children to school.As the tide of refugees continues to increase, confusion and miscommunication are sure to continue. At Alive in Baghdad we will do our best to keep you updated on the difficulties facing Iraqi refugees. Please consider making a donation toward Hayder Fahad’s salary, and that of our entire Alive in Baghdad team. If you have comments or suggestions, let us know!
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Palestinians in Iraqi No Man's Land; Part 2
Mon, Jul 23, 2007
Last week we introduced you to the Palestinians of the Al-Waleed Camp, just a few of the millions of refugees from the war and ongoing violence in Iraq. This week we'll look a little more closely at life in this desert encampment, and hear a little bit about how the Palestinian Authority has performed in supporting their citizens who, until recently, were living quite peaceably in Iraq.The Palestinian citizens now trapped in Al-Waleed Camp accuse the Palestinian Authority of using their suffering to play political games with Israel. The Palestinian Authority announced that it would accept its citizens back in the West Bank.As the situation worsens, there is no immediate prospect of a solution. The only proposal thus far, an offer by the Palestinian Authority to take in the refugees, was rejected by Israel. However, the refugees express the feeling that the situation is not as simplistic as it seems. They claim that other states, particularly in Europe, have since expressed willingness to resettle them, but that the PA refuses to accept these solutions, preferring to leave their citizens in the desert, pawns in a political game with Israel.This editorial in Haaretz provides good background on the plight of the Palestinians in refugee camps on the borders of Syria and Jordan. Some of those refugees have since been provided resettlement options in Brazil. Given that development, and the lack of evidence of any other recent offers of resettlement, AiB could not verify the accuracy of these claims. Another overview of the situation, prior to April 2007, can be read in Z Magazine.The Palestinian Authority's potential complicity aside, it is also clear that the international community is still incapable of dealing with the small number of Palestinian refugees, much less the millions of Iraqis, displaced by the war. The Palestinians are finding great suffering in the camp, not only from the harsh weather, but also due to a lack of adequate water, food, and other necessities. As if their situation wasn't difficult enough, Palestinians and other refugees from Iraq are now being demonized with the possibility they might be a "regional security threat."Nowhere else will you hear the stories of Palestinian refugees from Iraq, from them directly. As we have expanded our staff and renewed our work to bring compelling stories from Iraq, that can be found nowhere else, we need you to keep supporting our work. Please make a donation today, tell your friends, and if you might know of a sponsor or other source of ongoing funding for Alive in Baghdad, please contact us!
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Palestinians in Iraqi No Man's Land; Part 1
Mon, Jul 16, 2007
As death tolls and temperatures rise in Baghdad, Iraqis are not the only ones suffering in Iraq, and may not even be the worst off. Each difficulty that has been experienced by an Iraqi Arab or Kurd, or Turkoman or Assyrian, has been experienced by a Palestinian living in Iraq. Unfortunately Palestinians in Iraq lack even the most basic necessities of life, much less representation in the government, civil rights, or most everything else one might expect a nascent democracy to protect. Today there are more than 1400 Palestinians stranded in a purgatory between Syria and Iraq. These Palestinians find themselves not only reviled and targeted in Baghdad, where many have lived for the past 60 years. Now they live in tents in the desert, left to wonder why none of the world's governments will give them safe passage. Furthermore, so they claim, when the rare offer of resettlement comes, they're left waiting desperately, hoping the government of "their country," the Palestinian Authority, will permit the move. Many claim the PA is using them as just another pawn in a shell game of victimhood, distraction, and deal-making. In part one of a two part series, these Palestinians (or are they Iraqis?) speak about desperate circumstances in Baghdad, and the reasons they fled the country they called home for generations. After they fled Baghdad, they found their circumstances still desperate, and perhaps in some ways worse. Syria has closed its borders to Palestinians, Jordan is closed to Palestinians and Iraqis alike. Militias and criminals, as well as the US Military, apparently have been involved in the disappearances and assaults of refugees in the camp over the life of the camp. Despite all the terrible events in the news about Iraq, the apparent lack of concern of the international community has even led some of the refugees to contemplate returning to Baghdad. Next week we'll discuss the specific difficulties of the camp in more detail, as well as the circumstances involving the Palestinian Authority's own response to their citizens' crisis. Nowhere else will you hear the stories of Palestinian refugees from Iraq, from them directly. As we have expanded our staff and renewed our work to bring compelling stories from Iraq, that can be found nowhere else, we need you to keep supporting our work. Please make a donation today, tell your friends, and if you might know of a sponsor or other source of ongoing funding for Alive in Baghdad, please contact us!
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Little Baghdad in Damascus
Mon, Jul 09, 2007
[Editor's Note: If you didn't see Alive in Baghdad coordinators Brian Conley and Steve Wyshywaniuk on Good Morning America, check out the segment here! We'd like to offer our thanks to Bob Woodruff and ABC News for bringing Alive in Baghdad to a wider audience!]Iraqi refugees in Syria are settling in a great many areas of the country due to the sheer size of the emigration. However, many, perhaps the majority, have settled in a neighborhood in Damascus named Saeda Zeinab, after the daugher of Imam Ali, who is buried in the gold-domed shrine that dominates the area.The Iraqi dialect of Arabic is more common on Saeda’s streets than any other, and rumors abound about violence, kidnappings, and crime reminiscent of “Old Baghdad� taking hold in the neighborhood. The reasons for Iraqis preferring this area tend to be relatively simple. Especially devout Iraqis enjoy their proximity to one of the more holy places for Shi’as, who are the dominant sect residing here. Iraqis in need of assistance and extra support are close to the office of the Sadr Movement in Damascus, which we reported about here. Still other Iraqis, perhaps in the country illegally, or overstaying their visa, may find an extra layer of security here, able to disappear in the ubiquity of Iraqi habits, dialect, slang, and dress that is prevalent here. But all of these raise particular questions about why Saeda Zeinab became important in the first place, more than 1300 years ago. We spoke with a man who preferred not to give his name who has lived in Saeda for some time. He tells us a little about Saeda Zeinab, and why Iraqis have such an attraction to this area. This is the third piece produced by our new staff, all of whom have returned to Baghdad and are working on new stories we will be posting soon, from all different districts and on all different topics of life in Baghdad. To keep them on, we need your help with donations, our viewers are an important aspect of our funding, and without you we would have shut down our site months ago. Please continue to donate here!
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The Sadr Movement in Syria and Iraq
Mon, Jul 02, 2007
The US has again been stepping up actions against Muqtada Al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army. American soldiers, apparently searching for Iranian or Iran-supported militants, killed 26 Saturday in Sadr City. Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki has spoken out, condemning the kilings. Currently it seems that all the violence in Iraq not committed by Sunni insurgents is committed by Muqtada's Mahdi Army. The label "Shiite militias" has become a catch-all that is too often equated without question to Muqtada's followers. His followers are dedicated to him for two main reasons, the first is an alliance they feel to him as heir to his incredibly popular father, Muhammad Sadeq Al-Sadr, who is believed to have been assassinated on Saddam Hussein's order in 1999. The second reason is that Muqtada utilized the resources of the Sadr Movement's, as it was called under his father, to create stability and provide services to poor Iraqis when Baghdad's infrastructure collapsed in 2003. Today, although the Mahdi Army has been involved in controversial actions, kidnappings, killings, and other acts, the Sadr Movement claims it is purging its membership, and taking responsibility for its past. The Sadr Movement is more than just the Mahdi Army. They provided aid and security in 2003 when none existed, and even worked to stop looting and return stolen goods to their rightful owners. Today they still provide security and medical aid to needy Iraqis, even locating an office in neighboring Damascus. Alive in Baghdad spoke with the Sheikh who directs the Damascus office, and other Iraqis connected to the movement. This episode was produced by Hayder Fahad, one of our new correspondents. We have new expenses given our expanded team. Please consider making a donation to continue Alive in Baghdad's work.
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Arrests of Iraqi Women Provoke Protest
Mon, Jun 25, 2007
Cultural tensions and differences in social norms are a constant source of difficulty in Iraq. One of the major issues concerns treatment of woman in Iraqi society.Raids and searches of Iraqi homes, particularly when women, but no men, are present are contentious. There have been a variety of rumors and accusations of rape levelled at US troops. The United States has detained wives or daughters when their husbands or fathers were wanted by the Coalition, and suspected of working with the insurgency. In a 2006 article, Nancy Youssef wrote that this practice has been noted as early as 2004.Eventually such a cultural clash was bound to erupt. There have been innumerable demonstrations in Iraq, particularly in metropolitan centers such as Baghdad. This week we bring you one such demonstration, in Adhamiya, from early this year.The demonstrators are angry, and have a lot of controversial things to say, but they feel their anger is warranted, and that arresting women is unacceptable, even an affront to their culture. Please see these videos for a better perspective on some of what drives Iraqi opinion of US and Coalition forces: Muhammad Describes Torture in Iraq, Surging Around the House, Insecurity Breeds Distrust in Adhamiya, Man Killed in Samarra by American Troops.Next week we will again be featuring content from our new staff, looking at issues facing Iraqis in Syria. Please consider making a donation, as we expand our staff to bring you new stories and new perspectives, we are incurring previously unforeseen costs. As well, please check out our sister project, AliveInMexico.org.
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Sectarian Violence is a Daily Experience
Mon, Jun 18, 2007
Last week the revered Askariya Shrine was bombed a second time, and the mosques' two minarets were destroyed. This act has brought renewed fears of sectarian violence further damaging the already tenuous national fabric of Iraq. Yet some civilians are defying the curfew, in expectation of coming violence. However, this has produced a misconception of Iraq's security. Sectarian Violence has been nearly constant in Iraq since February 2006, and actually began to show a steady rise in December of 2005. While dead bodies and execution-killings grab the scarce space provided in our daily newspapers, these are only the most extreme conclusion of Iraq's problems with sectarian violence. This week we look at one day in Baghdad, February 1st, 2007, when a neighborhood's calm was ripped apart by a hail of mortar and possibly rocket-fire. These events happened just as the "surge" was beginning. According to FinancialTimes.com via MSNBC, General David Petraeus said there had not been any "real substantial achievements" in terms of political reform and progress. General Petraeus' assertion also fits with what we continue to hear from our correspondents and other contacts on the ground in Baghdad. Just last week, Bureau Coordinator Omar Abdullah reported chatting via Yahoo Messenger with friends who were hearing mortar-fire nearby at the same time. These events took place some four months ago, but similar acts are a daily experience for Baghdadis.The use of anonymous assaults by mortars and rockets are even more common than carbombs, death squads, IEDs, and the like. In certain Baghdad neighborhoods, such as Adhamiya and Hay Jema'a, a veritable rainstorm of mortars or rockets has been experienced. This issue appears to more often target Sunni neighborhoods, but certainly this violence goes both ways.The anonymity of such attacks results in yet another particularly difficult issue in a tribal society. When the aggressor or guilty party is not instantly obvious, collective punishment is too often deemed the acceptable response. With little focus on this type of violence, its difficult to see how reconciliation between Iraqis can be possible in the short-term.For previous videos depicting the dangerous impact of these weapons, please see Adhamiya Family Describes Katyusha Attack, Another Rocket in Baghdad, and of course most recently, Mortars & Rockets in Iraq.
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What Brings Iraqis to Syria?
Mon, Jun 11, 2007
The international press is again highlighting the growing Iraqi refugee crisis. There are at least 4.2 million Iraqis displaced from their homes, with 2.2 million now believe to be outside Iraq. The UN has now warned the number should be expected to rise to 5 million displaced Iraqis in the near future. Ian Mather writes in the Scotsman that this exodus now exceeds the displacement of Palestinians in 1948, and is the greatest exodus in the history of the region: The flow of Iraqis fleeing sectarian violence in their homeland has risen to more than four million - the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since the creation of Israel in 1948. Syria, with porous borders and greater openness to Iraqis than its other Arab neighbors such as Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, is believed to have the largest number. According to Paul Cochrane of the Independent: A major and growing refugee crisis is developing in Syria. More than 1.4 million Iraqis have fled there since the 2003 invasion, with about 30,000 more arriving every month. Although the primary reasons for Iraqis fleeing their country are violence and insecurity, many are also looking for better health care and the chance for their children to have an education without the daily risks of traveling between home and school in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. Ali Abu Teeba, interviewed by Alive in Baghdad, claims his son was diagnosed with diabetes, after the bombings in Iraq. More likely, this is due to the collapse of infrastructure. Diabetes and Thalycemia are two conditions that Iraqis repeatedly mention when discussing health problems that forced them to flee Iraq. Others need urgent and continuing care due to torture and other injuries they have received due to the war. According to the UNHCR, "Just over half of the 88,447 Iraqis who registered as refugees in Syria since the beginning of this year were in need of special assistance, including "many" torture victims." Refugees from Iraq continue to flee their homes, but with even Syria imposing tighter restrictions, and governments around the Middle East and internationally failing to effectively account for the crisis, smaller organizations will continue to play a key role.
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Despite War, Mawlid Still Celebrated in Iraq
Mon, Jun 04, 2007
In 2007, Mawlid was celebrated by Sunni Muslims on March 31st. It was celebrated by Shi'as on April 5th. In the Gregorian calendar, the standard calendar of Western countries, the date moves each year, because the Islamic calendar is lunar, while the Gregorian is solar. In Arabic, Mawlid means "birthday" and Mawlid An-Nabi is one of the formal names given to the specific day to celebrate Muhammad, or in Shi'a Islam, the family of Ali in particular.Mawlid is the day when Sunnis and Shi'as mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. In fact, the 12th of Rabi'ul'Awwal, or 17th for Shi'as, is traditionally believed to be the date of Muhammad's death. It was arbitrarily fixed as the date to celebrate his birth, in 1207, when Muzaffar ad-Din Gökburi, brother-in-law of the famous Saladin. This year Isam Rasheed documented some of the celebrations in Adhamiya, where the Abu Hanifa Mosque is located. Because of the location of the Abu Hanifa Mosque, or Imam Adham Abu Hanifa Mosque, Sunnis from all over Baghdad, and even many provinces in Iraq used to travel to Adhamiya for the celebrations.This year, due to insecurity and on-going sectarian violence, it has become difficult for even Sunnis in Baghdad to make it to Adhamiya. Despite all of these difficulties Iraqis such as Qusay Al-Adhamiy and Waleed Tarek would not let the celebrations occur without the proper festivities. They each helped pay for the festivities in their area of Adhamiya by donating time and money.Isam talks with them both about Mawlid and their hopes for Iraq's future. For more about Mawlid, see Wikipedia, the Britannica Encylopedia (you will need a subscription to read much about it), or the Encyclopedia of the Orient. There is some controversy about the practice of Mawlid, you can read about that here. For another video about celebrations in Iraq, see "Violence Can't Stop Traditions in Baghdad".This work is supported by sponsors and viewers such as yourself. We've recently hired two new correspondents, to broaden our coverage of life in Baghdad, particularly important areas such as Sadr City and Baghdad's Karkh region, west of the Tigris. We need your support to offset these new costs and continue our work. Please consider making a donation so we can continue.
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Baghdad Refugees Flee to Kurdistan
Mon, May 28, 2007
Arab Iraqis fleeing to Kurdistan have become an increasingly strong indication of the deteriorating situation in Baghdad. More than 30,000 Iraqis are believed to have fled their homes to Arbil in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region.This week Isam Rasheed takes us to Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region and one of many cities in Kurdistan now brimming with refugees fleeing violence in the south.The hardships expressed by two families in this episode are just a small indication of the difficulties Iraqis are finding in their new home. According to Ron Redmond, a spokesman for UNHCR, "Those who have fled are becoming increasingly desperate as they and their host communities run out of resources."Not only are resources scarce, it is increasingly difficult for non-Kurdish Iraqis to find employment in Arbil and elsewhere in Kurdistan. According to a report for Refugees International, drafted by researchers, Kristele Younes and Nir Rosen, people “who reach the Kurdish provinces must surmount difficulties in finding housing, shelter, employment and education for their children.”Brikha, a Christian Iraqi, told Al Arab Online, "I used to own a shop and now I'm begging people to let me work even as a servant or a laborer, but no one will take me because my foot is crippled."Despite these difficulties, some Iraqis are happy just to find a small shred of peace, a calm harbor in the storm of the ongoing Iraqi conflict. The Christian Science Monitor interviewed a man named Uthman Hassan who is “relieved to live in a city where his first name won't get him killed.”Later in the same article Jason Motlagh writes, “Since moving to Arbil in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq three months ago to start work at a new downtown motel, Hassan's constant anxiety has been replaced by the smile that he flashes to guests, many of whom also come from points south to find peace.”The Iraqis interviewed by Isam Rasheed also traveled to Arbil to find this peace, but hope to be able to return to Baghdad as well. Given the ongoing violence, it seems likely movement of people will continue toward Arbil, and away from difficult areas such as Baghdad.
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Challenges at a Girls School in Baghdad
Mon, May 21, 2007
On May 16, IRIN released a devastating report on Iraq's education troubles.But in Adhamiya, and all over Baghdad and the rest of Iraq, schools remain open if possible, dedicated to educating Iraqi children for a better life. The Safina Middle School in Adhamiya is a girls' school in a particularly dangerous area of Baghdad. Raids and mortar attacks such as this one in the Adel/Adil neighborhood last January are also common in Adhamiya.Violence against schools continues to be condemned, as it was after the January attack, but security is tenuous at best. Although the students interviewed by Alive in Baghdad are desperate to continue school against all odds, many Iraqi children are leaving out of fear for their safety.Teachers are also becoming increasingly difficult to come by, fleeing for their safety to other countries or leaving their jobs altogether if they cannot. Other teachers report being threatened by students with ties to Iraq's different militias.Despite all of these threats and difficulties, students at Safina say they will continue and urge their parents not to move them to a closer school, or one in a potentially safer area, even if security continues to deteriorate. The teachers at Safina pride themselves on continuing their lessons and helping those students to catch up who miss days.Students elsewhere in Baghdad are also desperate to continue their studies, but many parents refuse to permit their children to go, whether for cultural reasons, fears for their safety, or other issues. Other students continue their studies, despite some days being the only child in class.We hope to continue bringing stories about Baghdad's children and ongoing insight into the progress of Iraq's schools and universities. If you found this piece insightful, please consider making a donation to continue our work, subscribing to our videos, and telling your friends!
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Another Funeral in Iraq
Mon, May 14, 2007
Doctor Khalid Abd' Al-Hadi Al-Ghawas was killed in January. This video shows his funeral in Baghdad, just one of the thousands of Iraqis already killed in 2007 during the ongoing fighting. In the last month, there are believed to have been at least 234 murders in Baghdad during the first 11 days of May alone.Doctor Al-Ghawas had two sons and worked at Waqf Al-Sunni, the Sunni Endowment, an organization created to oversee Sunni Iraqi mosques and other important places. He worked at the Endowment for more than twenty years and was very famous in Iraq. Although he was a Sunni, he lived in the Al-Cairo neighborhood, east of Adhamiya, which is a primarily Shi'a district. When he was killed the news was broadcast by stations all over the Arab world, but we believe this to be the first time his funeral has been broadcast to the world.The circumstances of his death are still a bit mysterious, however it is believed he was kidnapped by a militia while leaving his house on his way to work last January. Witnesses have said that his car was hijacked with the intent to kidnap him, but the militia members' plan went awry when one of their tires was punctured. It is believed at this point they took him back out of the car and shot him dead in the street a few blocks from his house in the Cairo neighborhood.According to Iraqi Rabita[translated from Arabic]:Some eyewitnesses claim a Shi'a militia assassinated Dr. Khalid Al-Ghawas, an advisor of the Sunni Endowment and that three cars with armed men attacked him in front his house, which sits behind Al-Shuhada mosque with a rain of bullets causing him immediate death.Mr. Al-Ghawas was considered a famous man and he used to work as an advisor in the Sunni endowment, since the creation of the Endowment. He is an expert in the issues of the Endowment and its management, and his assassination is considered a new episode in the targeting of important Sunni men and educated people in the country.The assassination of academics, professionals, and educated people has been an ongoing problem in Baghdad, leading to the emigration of many prominent Iraqis to other countries. This is seen by many as one of the primary issues that must be solved, if stability is ever to be achieved in Iraq.For more about the assassinations of academics and professionals in Iraq, see this story written by Brian Conley and Isam Rasheed in 2006, and the Brussels Tribunal keeps an updated list of academics killed during the war.Finally you can watch this video of an Iraqi librarian for some of the difficulties faced by professionals, or for information about a cemetery in Baghdad, watch this video.
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Mortars & Rockets in Iraq
Mon, May 07, 2007
This week we bring you two stories in one. There are ongoing problems in Baghdad's neighborhoods of mortar and rocket attacks. This facet of Iraq's sectarian violence is not as massive in a single act as many of the carbombs, suicide attacks, and IEDs, but is just as important to understanding the nature of the conflict.Last year mortar attacks become more and more frequent, and now they are often referred to as one of the "weapons of choice" by Iraqis, in regards to the increasing sectarian conflict.They are not extremely accurate, but their range enables them to be launched by attackers from afar, with a much reduced chance of reprisal. The first video in this piece looks at an attack at the end of last October. Due to difficulties with translators and obtaining videos from Baghdad, sometimes it takes awhile for us to put these videos together.We decided this piece was still very relevant after an attack of a different kind struck our correspondent, Isam Rasheed's house in March. Isam's house was struck by a mortar, while he was working on a co-production between Alive in Baghdad and BBC's Newsnight.Mortar attacks are still happening even now, and despite the renewed security program, they don't seem to have receded. Even the construction of the controversial Adhamiya wall, which may be successful in deterring carbombs and other localized forms of destruction, will likely not defuse the risk of mortar or rocket attacks.
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An Iraqi Fighter Reflects on Saddam Hussein
Mon, Apr 30, 2007
This week, on the anniversary of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech, May 1st, 2003, we interview a member of the Iraqi resistance group, Islamic Army in Iraq. The Islamic Army of Iraq is considered a terrorist group by the United States and most members of the Iraqi government. Tareq Al-Hashemi however, while Vice President of Iraq, called them a resistance group.Some confusion about the exact nature and make-up of the Islamic Army exists because it was initially confused with Al-Qaeda. It has since been determined that they are two separate groups. That became especially clear early in April, 2007, as a war of words began on their opposing websites.Some of the first insight into the nature of the Islamic Army in Iraq came when he was interviewed by the Washington Post at the end of November, in 2004. I co-authored a piece with Muhammad Zaher, a special correspondent for Alive in Baghdad, about the Islamic Army for Inter-Press Service in May 2006. The magazine, Foreign Policy, has a detailed description of the Islamic Army here, published in mid-2006.For the Islamic Army's own website, translated to English, you can look here.We are aware that some may find this content objectionable or irresponsible, but we feel it is completely in line with our mission to detail facets of daily life in Baghdad. However, the only way we have to judge the viewer response is in your comments or emails. If you feel stories from this angle of teh conflict are important, incredibly offensive, or even just not particularly enlightening, please let us know.In other news, Brian will be traveling to Syria soon to meet new correspondents we're training, and soon we expect to have regular reports from Sadr City, as well as other areas of Baghdad. All of this has been due to the continued support of our viewers, enabling Alive in Baghdad to mature into a sustainable and evolving news agency from Iraq.
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The Iraq Refugee Crisis Continues
Mon, Apr 23, 2007
It was recently announced by the International Refugee Committee that the number of people displaced by war in Iraq is at least 4 million. This week you will hear from Um Sama, a woman who was displaced from her home in 2005 by violence in Iraq's "Triangle of Death."Although Um Sama was interviewed in late 2005, we are airing her story now due to the recent revelations about the magnitude of Iraq's refugee crisis. Um Sama, a Sunni, is married to a Shi'a. The death threats her family has received, apparently from Sunni insurgent groups, are an increasing issue for all Iraqis.While argument continues over the exact nature of the "civil war" or "sectarian violence" in Iraq, Um Sama and other Iraqi civilians are experiencing a hellish existence, many forced into refugee camps in Syria and Jordan where they are often tolerated at best.Iraqis who could not gain refugee status are in hiding all over Jordan and Syria. In Jordan they are especially fearful of being discovered and forced out of the country as Jordan's small population begins to feel the full burden of the crisis from its neighboring country.Beyond the crisis of Iraqis fleeing their country, there are thousands missing since the conflict began, and millions believed to have been internally displaced. The United Nations held a conference last week in Geneva to shed new light on Iraq's continuing refugee crisis.To hear more from Iraqis about the problems they face as refugees, see this story about a camp in Fallujah for internally displaced Iraqis, or hear from Iraqis who were stuck last summer in Jordan's Ruweishid Camp.
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