20 December 2006
Voices of Iraq Article: Iraqi women foot the bill for their nation's plight
By Monther Hamad Zahi
Baghdad, Dec 19, (VOI) – Thirty-year-old Malak Saleh has never imagined there would come a day when she has to support her family of 14, all of them unable to work, after their father was killed in one of the car bombings taking place in Baghdad on nearly a daily basis.
Malak has never thought that Iraqi women would become one day the victims of their country's tragic reality.
"We have never thought that the situation would become this bad or that the citizens of one nation would be engaged in sanguinary conflicts. Unfortunately the days brought about this appalling hell burning us all," Malak told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Umm Ali was shocked by the death of her son in clashes in the central Baghdad district of al-Kifah after he went out to buy some things for his wedding place as he was getting ready to tie the knot.
"Do the people involved in fighting realize that many innocent Iraqis are paying the price?" wondered Umm Ali, adding "most families are now thinking of leaving their houses to live in neighboring countries."
A report issued by women's rights organization in Iraq, a body advocating the rights of Iraqi women and releasing monthly reports in this respect, pinpointed "90-100 married Iraqi women are widowed daily as a result of acts of violence and sectarian killings."
"There are currently 300,000 widows in Baghdad alone and eight million all over Iraq, which means that widows make 35% of Iraq's total population, 65% of the total number of Iraqi women and 80% of married women," the report said.
Dr. Hoda al-Aanbaki, a women's rights activist, said "the main problem faced by widows in Iraq is poverty. Due to this tough condition, most families had to sell their furniture just to keep the wolf from the door, while others had their children drop out from school to work."
Aanbaki criticized the "brutal practices confronting Iraqi women."
"Occupation troops and even Iraqi security agencies tend to detain women in a bid to press their husbands for instance," she said.
Aanbaki appealed to "all humanitarian organizations concerned to intervene and force decision makers in Iraq to stop detaining infants with their mothers in Iraqi jails and refrain from arresting suspects' relatives, particularly wives, to press them." She termed this behavior as "shameful and has nothing to do with civilized human behaviors."
Miaad Ali, a widow mother of four, urged "the Iraqi government to provide jobs for the women who have lost their husbands in acts of violence and offer lucrative payments that would guarantee them and their families a decent life."
"I live with my four children on 75,000 Iraqi dinars (roughly 54 dollars), which is a scanty income to subsist on," said Ali, adding "there are much worse widows than me."
The women's rights organization report denounced "rapes committed against Iraqi women in American jails, the recent of which was the rape of a young woman after she was detained with her family in Kirkuk by U.S. forces in July. Released afterwards, the young woman was slain by her own family as a victim of honor killing."
The Iraqi woman's tragedy is really vivid and her sufferings augmented as a citizen, a woman and a mother responsible for supporting her family in a country where killing is thriving and the stench of death overwhelming all places to increase the number of widows every day, and even every hour.
Baghdad, Dec 19, (VOI) – Thirty-year-old Malak Saleh has never imagined there would come a day when she has to support her family of 14, all of them unable to work, after their father was killed in one of the car bombings taking place in Baghdad on nearly a daily basis.
Malak has never thought that Iraqi women would become one day the victims of their country's tragic reality.
"We have never thought that the situation would become this bad or that the citizens of one nation would be engaged in sanguinary conflicts. Unfortunately the days brought about this appalling hell burning us all," Malak told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Umm Ali was shocked by the death of her son in clashes in the central Baghdad district of al-Kifah after he went out to buy some things for his wedding place as he was getting ready to tie the knot.
"Do the people involved in fighting realize that many innocent Iraqis are paying the price?" wondered Umm Ali, adding "most families are now thinking of leaving their houses to live in neighboring countries."
A report issued by women's rights organization in Iraq, a body advocating the rights of Iraqi women and releasing monthly reports in this respect, pinpointed "90-100 married Iraqi women are widowed daily as a result of acts of violence and sectarian killings."
"There are currently 300,000 widows in Baghdad alone and eight million all over Iraq, which means that widows make 35% of Iraq's total population, 65% of the total number of Iraqi women and 80% of married women," the report said.
Dr. Hoda al-Aanbaki, a women's rights activist, said "the main problem faced by widows in Iraq is poverty. Due to this tough condition, most families had to sell their furniture just to keep the wolf from the door, while others had their children drop out from school to work."
Aanbaki criticized the "brutal practices confronting Iraqi women."
"Occupation troops and even Iraqi security agencies tend to detain women in a bid to press their husbands for instance," she said.
Aanbaki appealed to "all humanitarian organizations concerned to intervene and force decision makers in Iraq to stop detaining infants with their mothers in Iraqi jails and refrain from arresting suspects' relatives, particularly wives, to press them." She termed this behavior as "shameful and has nothing to do with civilized human behaviors."
Miaad Ali, a widow mother of four, urged "the Iraqi government to provide jobs for the women who have lost their husbands in acts of violence and offer lucrative payments that would guarantee them and their families a decent life."
"I live with my four children on 75,000 Iraqi dinars (roughly 54 dollars), which is a scanty income to subsist on," said Ali, adding "there are much worse widows than me."
The women's rights organization report denounced "rapes committed against Iraqi women in American jails, the recent of which was the rape of a young woman after she was detained with her family in Kirkuk by U.S. forces in July. Released afterwards, the young woman was slain by her own family as a victim of honor killing."
The Iraqi woman's tragedy is really vivid and her sufferings augmented as a citizen, a woman and a mother responsible for supporting her family in a country where killing is thriving and the stench of death overwhelming all places to increase the number of widows every day, and even every hour.
19 December 2006
Voices of Iraq Article: Tattoos...Iraqis' post-death IDs
Mosul-Tattoos
By Ibrahim Zannun
Mosul, Dec 18, (VOI) – Naji Qassem revealed his shoulder to his cousin Salah with a grin of satisfaction on his face about what he has done.
Qassem went in the morning with a friend to have his shoulder tattooed with his personal data – full name, address and telephone number.
Salah did not feel well about this but he knows his cousin was afraid to be buried in a strangers' graveyard if he was ever found dumped in a street a headless corpse.
Qassem and others like him who became accustomed to scenes and news of slaughters and killings enmeshed the Iraqis – with bodies mostly found on the roads without heads or in refuse dumps – had no other way to avoid burial in strangers' cemeteries but getting tattooed so that their bodies would be easy to identify after death.
Abu Waddah, a simple employee in the city of Mosul, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI): "My family has been searching for my brother and three cousins for 16 months now after they went to Baghdad for some administrative paperwork."
"There was no word about them and we could not even find their bodies," he said, adding "all male members of the family reacted by having their arms tattooed with their personal data, which was the least we could do."
Osama Khalil, a day laborer, said there were bodies that were not decapitated but had their faces disfigured with nitric acid.
"The fear conquering our hearts made us think of tattoos to use as a means of identification," said Khalil.
Mohammed Basil, a seller of mobile phones, said the problem is "we abandoned all hopes for a peaceful life. We have got to admit that death is expected at any moment, but all that we wish is to have our lifeless bodies identified so that our folks bury us and visit our graves. Tattoos have become necessary these days."
Yassin Nejm, a merchant, said his wife begged him to get tattooed in light of the growing unstoppable killings.
"I have nine children, the youngest of whom is only four months, and I wish to have my grave known to them so that they may visit me, and that is why I resorted to tattoo," said Nejm.
Saeed Khalaf, a tattooist, said most of the customers asked him to have their names and the phone numbers of three or four relatives tattooed.
"Appointments are set for customers because demand is growing over tattoos and most of the customers want tattoos as a way to have their corpses easily identified," said Khalaf.
Dr. Maher Abdul-Aziz, a dermatologist, told VOI that tattoos pose a threat to man's health particularly with the use of those old-fashioned ways as needles used to make tattoos are poorly sterilized.
"This could cause viral hepatitis, psoriasis or skin cancer and in some cases tattooed people are threatened with toxemia and eventually had their shoulder, leg or any other tattooed body part amputated," explained Dr. Abdul-Aziz.
Despite all these risks, most Iraqis who resort to tattoos have nothing else to do. The tough conditions in their country brought them to think of post-death time for they believe that death is coming anyway and that tattoos could serve then as IDs.
By Ibrahim Zannun
Mosul, Dec 18, (VOI) – Naji Qassem revealed his shoulder to his cousin Salah with a grin of satisfaction on his face about what he has done.
Qassem went in the morning with a friend to have his shoulder tattooed with his personal data – full name, address and telephone number.
Salah did not feel well about this but he knows his cousin was afraid to be buried in a strangers' graveyard if he was ever found dumped in a street a headless corpse.
Qassem and others like him who became accustomed to scenes and news of slaughters and killings enmeshed the Iraqis – with bodies mostly found on the roads without heads or in refuse dumps – had no other way to avoid burial in strangers' cemeteries but getting tattooed so that their bodies would be easy to identify after death.
Abu Waddah, a simple employee in the city of Mosul, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI): "My family has been searching for my brother and three cousins for 16 months now after they went to Baghdad for some administrative paperwork."
"There was no word about them and we could not even find their bodies," he said, adding "all male members of the family reacted by having their arms tattooed with their personal data, which was the least we could do."
Osama Khalil, a day laborer, said there were bodies that were not decapitated but had their faces disfigured with nitric acid.
"The fear conquering our hearts made us think of tattoos to use as a means of identification," said Khalil.
Mohammed Basil, a seller of mobile phones, said the problem is "we abandoned all hopes for a peaceful life. We have got to admit that death is expected at any moment, but all that we wish is to have our lifeless bodies identified so that our folks bury us and visit our graves. Tattoos have become necessary these days."
Yassin Nejm, a merchant, said his wife begged him to get tattooed in light of the growing unstoppable killings.
"I have nine children, the youngest of whom is only four months, and I wish to have my grave known to them so that they may visit me, and that is why I resorted to tattoo," said Nejm.
Saeed Khalaf, a tattooist, said most of the customers asked him to have their names and the phone numbers of three or four relatives tattooed.
"Appointments are set for customers because demand is growing over tattoos and most of the customers want tattoos as a way to have their corpses easily identified," said Khalaf.
Dr. Maher Abdul-Aziz, a dermatologist, told VOI that tattoos pose a threat to man's health particularly with the use of those old-fashioned ways as needles used to make tattoos are poorly sterilized.
"This could cause viral hepatitis, psoriasis or skin cancer and in some cases tattooed people are threatened with toxemia and eventually had their shoulder, leg or any other tattooed body part amputated," explained Dr. Abdul-Aziz.
Despite all these risks, most Iraqis who resort to tattoos have nothing else to do. The tough conditions in their country brought them to think of post-death time for they believe that death is coming anyway and that tattoos could serve then as IDs.
18 December 2006
17 December 2006
16 December 2006
15 December 2006
DPA Article: Interminable Arabian nights as the sun goes down in Baghdad
By Kadhem al-Atabi
Dec 15, 2006, 17:04 GMT
Baghdad - When the sun goes down over Baghdad, it's a signal for the monotony of the interminable winter evenings to begin.
Although relieved that they and their families have survived another day, people feel the walls closing in as they are confined to their homes for the evening. For security reasons, nobody goes calling after 5 p.m. in winter.
'After sunset comes boredom and misery,' says Mustafa Hussein, a student who previously spent many of his evenings playing pool with friends or at a tea house. Like most of his contemporaries, the 25- year-old dreams only of emigration.
Many young men now spend their evenings on the street as voluntary guards for the neighbourhood's citizen watch.
They are out with their guns on the streets, which they block with tree trunks and junk. The communicate with each other by mobile phone and if a stranger is seen, they whistle a warning. Despite their efforts, almost nobody dares go out after dark, even to visit a neighbour.
Instead the whole family sits down and watches satellite television. The television is powered by a generator shared by several neighbours. The normal electricity supply is for six hours a day.
Baghdad's cinemas, which used to show a large number of action films, have all closed. Piles of rubbish accumulate outside the theatre's doors. The National Theatre by day is the only place where you can still see a performance. They are not however well-attended, as large congregations of people are vulnerable to attack.
Restaurants in the rich suburb of Mansur are all closed in the evening. Also deserted are the tourist restaurants and fish places along the River Tigris, opposite the Green Zone, the area closed off by the US and the Iraqi government.
'Baghdad used to be so lively in the evenings, today it is just ruled by fear' sighs Walid Chalid, 59, who retired early.
He remembers the time before the war with nostalgia. 'Arab and foreign visitors went walking in the evenings. Those times won't be back for a long time.'
Shopowner Basil Mahdi, 64, also daydreams about the 'good old days'. For fear of criminal gangs and extremists, he closes his shop at sunset.
To his eyes, Baghdad is like a woman forced to 'swap her beautiful dress for rags.'
Dec 15, 2006, 17:04 GMT
Baghdad - When the sun goes down over Baghdad, it's a signal for the monotony of the interminable winter evenings to begin.
Although relieved that they and their families have survived another day, people feel the walls closing in as they are confined to their homes for the evening. For security reasons, nobody goes calling after 5 p.m. in winter.
'After sunset comes boredom and misery,' says Mustafa Hussein, a student who previously spent many of his evenings playing pool with friends or at a tea house. Like most of his contemporaries, the 25- year-old dreams only of emigration.
Many young men now spend their evenings on the street as voluntary guards for the neighbourhood's citizen watch.
They are out with their guns on the streets, which they block with tree trunks and junk. The communicate with each other by mobile phone and if a stranger is seen, they whistle a warning. Despite their efforts, almost nobody dares go out after dark, even to visit a neighbour.
Instead the whole family sits down and watches satellite television. The television is powered by a generator shared by several neighbours. The normal electricity supply is for six hours a day.
Baghdad's cinemas, which used to show a large number of action films, have all closed. Piles of rubbish accumulate outside the theatre's doors. The National Theatre by day is the only place where you can still see a performance. They are not however well-attended, as large congregations of people are vulnerable to attack.
Restaurants in the rich suburb of Mansur are all closed in the evening. Also deserted are the tourist restaurants and fish places along the River Tigris, opposite the Green Zone, the area closed off by the US and the Iraqi government.
'Baghdad used to be so lively in the evenings, today it is just ruled by fear' sighs Walid Chalid, 59, who retired early.
He remembers the time before the war with nostalgia. 'Arab and foreign visitors went walking in the evenings. Those times won't be back for a long time.'
Shopowner Basil Mahdi, 64, also daydreams about the 'good old days'. For fear of criminal gangs and extremists, he closes his shop at sunset.
To his eyes, Baghdad is like a woman forced to 'swap her beautiful dress for rags.'
BBC News Article: Qatar crushes Iraq football hopes
Qatar have beaten Iraq in the Asian Games football final.
Millions of Iraqis were hoping for a rare piece of good news, uniting behind their national team - but the squad lost 1-0 to the hosts.
Qatar dominated the game and defender Bilal Rajab headed home after 63 minutes to win a ninth title for his country at the games in Doha.
It was the first final the Iraqi team had reached in 24 years. They won the Asian Games title in 1982.
Football is Iraq's most popular sport.
The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says the final was perhaps the only thing bringing the country together.
People had been rushing to shops buy flags and the green and white national jersey.
Millions of Iraqis were hoping for a rare piece of good news, uniting behind their national team - but the squad lost 1-0 to the hosts.
Qatar dominated the game and defender Bilal Rajab headed home after 63 minutes to win a ninth title for his country at the games in Doha.
It was the first final the Iraqi team had reached in 24 years. They won the Asian Games title in 1982.
Football is Iraq's most popular sport.
The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says the final was perhaps the only thing bringing the country together.
People had been rushing to shops buy flags and the green and white national jersey.
14 December 2006
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