Muqtada Is All That Remains For Us
From Al Jazeera English - Archive:
House of al-Sadr
Most of Sadr City’s residents continue to follow the fatwas and religious declarations of Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr even though he is dead.
His memory, more than any other, is a touchstone for the community, a reminder of courage and collective loss.
And the emotion towards al-Sadr extends protectively to his son.
“Muqtada lived the tragedy of the people as did his father,” says Muhammad of al-Muhsin mosque. “The people who lived here and suffered, who were dispossessed and exhausted, who fought the wars, who were denied education and jobs and lost loved ones and everything during the time of Saddam.
“He is the son of the people. The father died and now we only have one left. When I think they could kill him, I see the fire of hell in my eyes.
“He’s the son of the revolutionary; the only one who stood up to Saddam Hussein,” echoes Aqil the police officer. “His family sacrificed and was killed off. Now, Muqtada is all that remains for us.”
I always have greatest difficulties communicating to Westerners who have never been to Iraq why so many of us are Sadrists. Sometimes it is good to be prepared! I knew that I would tired after taking part in todays ceremonies and writing accounts of them. I did some preparatory searching in the English language last week. May God be thanked for clusty.com. Happily I soon found the page I was looking for. If you still do not understand ask our host who is after all a westerner.
“G’night Folks :-)”
Ali
No tag for this post.
*POOF* !
Miserable wretch you disgrace us all!!!
You forgot to say *poof* :-)
Thank you Ali. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize the picture below. I won’t make that mistake again.
And really, I think many westerners might begin to grasp the allegiance to Sadr if they had the history. In our press, he is simply presented as the wild raving son (with a brutal murdering paramilitary force) of a dead cleric (and no one here really grasps what he did either.)
It is a cultural divide that cannot be crossed in the presence of such ignorance.
Being the author means I can claim precedence I believe :-) Now let us make some tea.
(Omar is my guest tonight)
Note to western readers. Omar is ex-Ba’ath and Sunni. I am Shia and was one of those who rose against Saddam.
We are united in Islam, we are united in being Iraqi, we are united in our hatred of the American invaders, we are united in our determination to drive the American invader from our home, we are united in our determination to wreak vengeance on any traitor collaboarators foolish enough not to flee like dogs with their American masters.
Bridging is a main part of this place Dairymaid - also the audience for here is mostly people living in Muslim lands. (Westerners are less than 5% of the visitors if the statistics programme is correct.)
Now really I must say goodnight it was a tiring day and I have a guest :-)
Thanks Ali for enlightening us all - Dairymaid makes excellent points. I hope you and yours are safe!
Ali,
Thanks for the information on Sadr. It is true what dairymaid says, he is presented as a loose cannon in the western press. One of the things that you all mention is concerning. That is, what of the thousands and thousands of Iraqi people who have not resisted the invasion? While I can understand your desire to punish them as collaborators after the departure of the Americans, the ensuing blood bath would seem to be counterproductive to eventual stability.
I’m not justifying their actions in any way, just trying to be realistic. Then again, there were reprisals against many in France after the Nazi defeat.
I do not understand your concern Dr. C. I said nothing of those who did not resist I said collaboraters. There is a enormous difference between those who out of fear either for themselves or their family do not resist and those who are collaboraters. To be a collaborater you must have actively helped the American invaders. Such people are traitors to Islam and traitors to Iraq.
We know how to deal with traitors and if they remain to pollute our holy soil instead of fleeing with their American masters they will be dealt with - as traitors - according to our laws.
Let me deal also with the “American” soldier still missing. The law is clear. He was born here, he is Iraqi, he has made war against Iraq.
American have repeatedly slaughtered civilians including a baby in their effort to find him. I believe that the legal term used by American government lawyers for Americans who mae war against America is “unlawful combatant.” I am no lawyer who am I to contradict such fine upstanding American lawyers as your attorney general Gonzales or such eminent professors as the conservative Yoo and liberal Dershowitz? If they agree on how “unlawful combatants” should be treated how can I contradict them?
I cannot, and neither can those Iraqi lawyers I have spoken to. They find it just difficult as I do to see how he could claim to be entitled to be considered as anything other than an “unlawful combatant.”
Indeed the legal status of all invader troops is difficult is it not?
They can hardly claim that they did not either actively participate in illegal violence against civilians with intent or if they did not actively participate actively assist. The American army is one big team is it not?
Perhaps your government should have thought of these things. Perhaps your soldiers should have thought of them also.
Ali,
I do not dispute the legal arguments that you present. Many of us believe that Bush and his administration were birthed in illegality and certainly have engaged in illegal acts almost from the word go. The invasion of Iraq was illegal, therefore the occupation of Iraq is illegal. Many of the actions of American soldiers in Iraq have been illegal including the ones that you list. What we once thought was a nation of laws (my country) has reverted to one of imperial power. Those of us who care about these things have been essentially powerless to change this since the whole of our government has been infiltrated by believers in this imperial presidency. I, personally, think that Yoo, Dershowitz, Gonzales and all their kin are traitors to the ideals that we hold. However, reading Noam Chomsky’s “Hegemony or Survival” I realize how culpable America has been in the last 60-70 years. Certainly there was Vietnam, Central America, Somalia, Indonesia, Iraq (in the 50’s), etc., etc., etc.
All said and done, though, I am still wondering how you are going to handle the large population that collaberated. I can understand that you feel they are traitors but I can also understand that you would not want a reprisal blood bath.
What large population? The numbers who collaborated actively are very small.
Laith,
I had assumed that the number of those in the government were not small. I stand corrected.
I read your post of today. Most of us never considered that the Bush administration and its lackeys would stoop so low. Unfortunately, the impetus to impeach him is not great enough to carry it through, yet. Give it time. If Rumsfeld is indicted on criminal charges, you could see a sea change in attitude.
On the other hand, why should these things insterest you. You just America out of Iraq and so do many of us. This time, though, the perpetrators are not going to enjoy amnesty.