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
13 December 2006
Important Note Regarding Asialympics Final
The final match between Iraq & Qatar will be on Fri. 15 Dec. 2006, on the following times:
Iraq: 4 pm
Turkey: 3 pm
Egypt: 3 pm
GMT: 1 pm
EST: 8 am
CST: 7 am
PST: 5 am
At will be carried live (with Arabic commentary) on Al-Iraqiya TV, which can be watched live at:
http://66.199.250.34/imn.htm?reload
"Hayyou L-Iraqi" (= Salute the Iraqi!)
Iraq: 4 pm
Turkey: 3 pm
Egypt: 3 pm
GMT: 1 pm
EST: 8 am
CST: 7 am
PST: 5 am
At will be carried live (with Arabic commentary) on Al-Iraqiya TV, which can be watched live at:
http://66.199.250.34/imn.htm?reload
"Hayyou L-Iraqi" (= Salute the Iraqi!)
BBC Article: Iraqis hoping for football glory
Iraq have a morale-boosting chance of a gold medal at the Asian Games, when the national football squad faces the hosts Qatar in the final on Friday.
Celebratory gunfire rang out in the capital, Baghdad, when Iraq beat South Korea in Wednesday's semi-final.
It had been a day of bloody violence. Hours earlier at least 70 people died in a city-centre bombing.
"We will do our best to win the gold medal and dedicate it to every Iraqi," said goalkeeper Muhammad Khadum.
Iraq's 1-0 victory over the strong Korean side was clinched with a 24th-minute header by Samir Mujbel.
The young team - 90% of them are under 21 - have to endure some of the toughest conditions in world sport to train and play competitive matches.
Death threats
"Security is an issue," said coach Yahya Manhel, who takes his players back and forth to Jordan - along some of Iraq's most dangerous roads.
Three of his predecessors have resigned because of death threats, in a country gripped by a rampant anti-US insurgency and deadly sectarian strife.
In the 2004 Olympics, Iraq enjoyed a spectacular run of success in the football competition, but just missed out on the bronze medal, losing to Italy in the third-place play-off.
Iraq is participating in the Asian Games for the first time in 20 years. It's footballers had to pre-qualify and have played eight matches in the last three weeks.
Qatar beat another country at the centre of controversy - defending champions Iran - to reach the final.
A Fifa-imposed ban on Iran was lifted on the eve of the championship, but they lost 2-0 to the hosts in the other semi-final.
Celebratory gunfire rang out in the capital, Baghdad, when Iraq beat South Korea in Wednesday's semi-final.
It had been a day of bloody violence. Hours earlier at least 70 people died in a city-centre bombing.
"We will do our best to win the gold medal and dedicate it to every Iraqi," said goalkeeper Muhammad Khadum.
Iraq's 1-0 victory over the strong Korean side was clinched with a 24th-minute header by Samir Mujbel.
The young team - 90% of them are under 21 - have to endure some of the toughest conditions in world sport to train and play competitive matches.
Death threats
"Security is an issue," said coach Yahya Manhel, who takes his players back and forth to Jordan - along some of Iraq's most dangerous roads.
Three of his predecessors have resigned because of death threats, in a country gripped by a rampant anti-US insurgency and deadly sectarian strife.
In the 2004 Olympics, Iraq enjoyed a spectacular run of success in the football competition, but just missed out on the bronze medal, losing to Italy in the third-place play-off.
Iraq is participating in the Asian Games for the first time in 20 years. It's footballers had to pre-qualify and have played eight matches in the last three weeks.
Qatar beat another country at the centre of controversy - defending champions Iran - to reach the final.
A Fifa-imposed ban on Iran was lifted on the eve of the championship, but they lost 2-0 to the hosts in the other semi-final.
12 December 2006
AP Article: Iraqis celebrate after soccer team reaches final in Asian Games
An unidentified Iraqi player sits on the field and prays after 1-0 victory over South Korea in the Asian Games Soccer Men's semifinals in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) 
Iraq's Samer Mujbel (8) holds up an Iraqi national flag to cheering crowds as he celebrates 1-0 victory over South Korea with teammates in the Asian Games Soccer Men's semifinals in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) ---
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqis celebrated with gunfire and cheers in Baghdad on Tuesday after the national soccer team advanced to the final at the Asian Games.
Iraq defeated South Korea 1-0 Tuesday in the semifinal, and will compete Friday against host Qatar for its first gold medal in soccer in more than two decades.
Qatar upset defending champion Iran 2-0 in the other semifinal.
The victory offered some relief from the daily violence in their country.
"All of us gathered in one home to enjoy watching our team, such a result will make everybody happy, despite the hard security situation," Iraqi tennis player Akram Mustafa Abdul Karim said.
Iraq scored 24 minutes into the game, when Ahmed Mohammed slipped a long pass beyond Kim Chi-gon to captain Younes Khalef, who raced down the field and faked out the keeper only to have his shot blocked by defender Kim Jin-kyu.
Samer Mujabel picked up the deflection and headed it for the goal.
Salam Abdul Wahed owns a convenience store in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of the capital. He plans to follow through with a promise to treat his friends to lunch if the team won.
"It's hard to imagine my feelings, unbelievable," he said. "Anyhow, I shot several shots into the air with my pistol after my wife refused to let me use my rifle."
Iraq defeated South Korea 1-0 Tuesday in the semifinal, and will compete Friday against host Qatar for its first gold medal in soccer in more than two decades.
Qatar upset defending champion Iran 2-0 in the other semifinal.
The victory offered some relief from the daily violence in their country.
"All of us gathered in one home to enjoy watching our team, such a result will make everybody happy, despite the hard security situation," Iraqi tennis player Akram Mustafa Abdul Karim said.
Iraq scored 24 minutes into the game, when Ahmed Mohammed slipped a long pass beyond Kim Chi-gon to captain Younes Khalef, who raced down the field and faked out the keeper only to have his shot blocked by defender Kim Jin-kyu.
Samer Mujabel picked up the deflection and headed it for the goal.
Salam Abdul Wahed owns a convenience store in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of the capital. He plans to follow through with a promise to treat his friends to lunch if the team won.
"It's hard to imagine my feelings, unbelievable," he said. "Anyhow, I shot several shots into the air with my pistol after my wife refused to let me use my rifle."
Doha-2006.com Article: Iraq through to footy final
Iraq, who entered the tournament on the opening day of preliminaries, are through to the final of the men’s football competition after beating Korea 1-0 in a close-fought semifinal at Al-Gharrafa Sports Club.
Samer Mujbel scored the all important goal in the 24th minute to see Iraq to their first Asian Games final since 1982 when they won the title in Dehli.
Korea, winners in 1992 and bronze medallists in Busan four years ago, piled on pressure towards the end of the game but Iraq held on.
They will meet the winners of Tuesday (12 December) night’s later game between defending champions IR Iran and hosts Qatar at Al-Sadd Sports Club.
Samer Mujbel scored the all important goal in the 24th minute to see Iraq to their first Asian Games final since 1982 when they won the title in Dehli.
Korea, winners in 1992 and bronze medallists in Busan four years ago, piled on pressure towards the end of the game but Iraq held on.
They will meet the winners of Tuesday (12 December) night’s later game between defending champions IR Iran and hosts Qatar at Al-Sadd Sports Club.
Tears of Great Joy
Yes... We won!!!
We won!!!
We won against South Korea in the Asian Olympics soccer semi-final match, and Iraq has guaranteed either a Silver medal, or even better, a Golden one.
The match ended 1-0.
I am still at the internet cafe, feeling so happy i could fly, not walk!
The Iraqi Lions did it!
:)
We won!!!
We won against South Korea in the Asian Olympics soccer semi-final match, and Iraq has guaranteed either a Silver medal, or even better, a Golden one.
The match ended 1-0.
I am still at the internet cafe, feeling so happy i could fly, not walk!
The Iraqi Lions did it!
:)
Watching A Soccer Match...
As i was mentioning on my blog here, the Iraqi team is going on well in the Asian Olympics (Asialympics) held nowadays in Qatar.
One of their most decisive matches (semi-final), against South Korea is held now as i type. The match time, however, was rather tricky. It's 4 pm. A time in which we don't have electricity.
So, what i did to watch this big match was somewhat "exceptional". I went out to a nearby internet cafe, aiming towards watching the match on Al-Iraqiya TV website. However, it turned out that the cafe owner was actually watching the match on Kuwait TV. So i sat there and watched, or i am sitting there and watching.
Our team scored a goal, and we are approaching the end of the first half.
More soon.
One of their most decisive matches (semi-final), against South Korea is held now as i type. The match time, however, was rather tricky. It's 4 pm. A time in which we don't have electricity.
So, what i did to watch this big match was somewhat "exceptional". I went out to a nearby internet cafe, aiming towards watching the match on Al-Iraqiya TV website. However, it turned out that the cafe owner was actually watching the match on Kuwait TV. So i sat there and watched, or i am sitting there and watching.
Our team scored a goal, and we are approaching the end of the first half.
More soon.
11 December 2006
10 December 2006
Voices of Iraq Article: Unidentified Warplane Violates Sulaimaniya’s Airspace
Sulaimaniya-Warplane
Unidentified warplane violates Sulaimaniya’s airspace
Sulaimaniya, Dec 10, (VOI) – An official source at Sulaimaniya airport said an unidentified warplane violated on Sunday Sulaimaniya’s airspace.
“We did not receive any communication from the warplane crew and all we know that it is a warplane that continued flying over our airspace till now,” the source who asked not to be named told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq.
The source said “ we are making every effort to recognize the identity of this warplane.”
Last week, an unidentified warplane also violated the airspace of Iraq’s Kurdistan city of Sulaimaniya.
Unidentified warplane violates Sulaimaniya’s airspace
Sulaimaniya, Dec 10, (VOI) – An official source at Sulaimaniya airport said an unidentified warplane violated on Sunday Sulaimaniya’s airspace.
“We did not receive any communication from the warplane crew and all we know that it is a warplane that continued flying over our airspace till now,” the source who asked not to be named told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq.
The source said “ we are making every effort to recognize the identity of this warplane.”
Last week, an unidentified warplane also violated the airspace of Iraq’s Kurdistan city of Sulaimaniya.
AFP Article: Iraq marchs into Asian Games semi-finals
Iraqi players celebrate after winning against Uzbekistan during their quarter-final football match at the Al Gharrafa Sports Club Stadium at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, 09 December 2006. Iraq won 2-1. AFP PHOTO/KARIM JAAFAR (Photo credit should read KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images)
DOHA (AFP) - Iran shattered China's Asian Games football gold medal hopes in a marathon quarter-final penalty shootout while Iraq's dream continued with a 2-1 extra-time triumph over Uzbekistan.
Iraq had the perfect start at Al Gharrafa against Uzbekistan when Karrar Muhamed gave them a 10th-minute lead.
But Alexander Geynrikh, the 22-year-old Torpedo Moscow striker, levelled in first-half injury time to register his fifth goal of the Games.
Iraq were down to 10 men after just 54 minutes when goalscorer Muhamed was red-carded for kicking Marat Bikmaev in the head as the two tussled on the ground.
The tie went to extra-time where Uzbekistan were also reduced to 10 men with a red card for Asror Aliqulov.
The Iraqis took full advantage when Ali Alwan gave his side a 2-1 lead five minutes into the extra period before Uzbekistan went down to nine men as Nodirbek Kuziboyev was sent off seven minutes from the end.
South Korea scored twice in the space of three first half minutes against their northern rivals through Kim Chi Woo and Yeom Ki Hun. That became 3-0 on 57 minutes through Jung Jo Gook.
Qatar reached the last four with a 3-0 win over Thailand with Young Asian Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim scoring twice.
09 December 2006
AP Article: Planetary triple play on deck Sunday
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
Fri Dec 8, 8:14 PM ET
Stargazers will get a rare triple planetary treat this weekend with Jupiter, Mercury and Mars appearing to nestle together in the predawn skies. About 45 minutes before dawn on Sunday those three planets will be so close that the average person's thumb can obscure all three from view.
They will be almost as close together on Saturday and Monday, but Sunday they will be within one degree of each other in the sky. Three planets haven't been that close since 1925, said Miami Space Transit Planetarium director Jack Horkheimer.
And it won't happen again until 2053, he said.
"Jupiter will be very bright and it will look like it has two bright lights next to it, and they won't twinkle because they're planets," said Horkheimer, host of the television show "Star Gazer. "This is the kind of an event that turns young children into Carl Sagans."
The planets are actually hundreds of millions of miles apart, but the way the planets orbit the sun make it appear they are neighbors in the east-southeastern skies. They'll be visible in most parts of the world — in the Western Hemisphere, as far south as Buenos Aires and as far north as Juneau, Alaska, Horkheimer said.
The experts differ on just how to look at the planets. Horkheimer said naked-eye viewing is fine, but binoculars or a telescope are even better.
But if you are going to use a telescope, be careful because the planets are so close to where the sun will soon rise, if you linger you might gaze at the sun through the telescope and damage your eyesight, said Michelle Nichols, master educator at Chicago's Adler Planetarium.
Ed Krupp, director of Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory, cautioned it will be hard to see the event "with an unaided eye, particularly in an area that is highly urbanized."
The way to find the planets, which will be low on the east-southeast horizon, is to hold your arm straight out, with your hand in a fist and the pinky at the bottom. Halfway up your fist is how high the planets will appear above the horizon, Nichols said.
Jupiter will be white, Mercury pinkish and Mars butterscotch-colored.
"It is a lovely demonstration of the celestial ballet that goes on around us, day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium," said Horkheimer. "When I look at something like this, I realize that all the powers on Earth, all the emperors, all the money, cannot change it one iota. We are observers, but the wonderful part of that is that we are the only species on this planet that can observe it and understand it."
In ancient times, people thought the close groupings of planets had deep meaning, said Krupp. Now, he said, "it's absolutely something fun to look for."
__
On the Net:
Where to look for the three planets: http://www.siennasoft.com/stargazer/1513.shtml
Fri Dec 8, 8:14 PM ET
Stargazers will get a rare triple planetary treat this weekend with Jupiter, Mercury and Mars appearing to nestle together in the predawn skies. About 45 minutes before dawn on Sunday those three planets will be so close that the average person's thumb can obscure all three from view.
They will be almost as close together on Saturday and Monday, but Sunday they will be within one degree of each other in the sky. Three planets haven't been that close since 1925, said Miami Space Transit Planetarium director Jack Horkheimer.
And it won't happen again until 2053, he said.
"Jupiter will be very bright and it will look like it has two bright lights next to it, and they won't twinkle because they're planets," said Horkheimer, host of the television show "Star Gazer. "This is the kind of an event that turns young children into Carl Sagans."
The planets are actually hundreds of millions of miles apart, but the way the planets orbit the sun make it appear they are neighbors in the east-southeastern skies. They'll be visible in most parts of the world — in the Western Hemisphere, as far south as Buenos Aires and as far north as Juneau, Alaska, Horkheimer said.
The experts differ on just how to look at the planets. Horkheimer said naked-eye viewing is fine, but binoculars or a telescope are even better.
But if you are going to use a telescope, be careful because the planets are so close to where the sun will soon rise, if you linger you might gaze at the sun through the telescope and damage your eyesight, said Michelle Nichols, master educator at Chicago's Adler Planetarium.
Ed Krupp, director of Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory, cautioned it will be hard to see the event "with an unaided eye, particularly in an area that is highly urbanized."
The way to find the planets, which will be low on the east-southeast horizon, is to hold your arm straight out, with your hand in a fist and the pinky at the bottom. Halfway up your fist is how high the planets will appear above the horizon, Nichols said.
Jupiter will be white, Mercury pinkish and Mars butterscotch-colored.
"It is a lovely demonstration of the celestial ballet that goes on around us, day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium," said Horkheimer. "When I look at something like this, I realize that all the powers on Earth, all the emperors, all the money, cannot change it one iota. We are observers, but the wonderful part of that is that we are the only species on this planet that can observe it and understand it."
In ancient times, people thought the close groupings of planets had deep meaning, said Krupp. Now, he said, "it's absolutely something fun to look for."
__
On the Net:
Where to look for the three planets: http://www.siennasoft.com/stargazer/1513.shtml
A New Techy Era...
Hello, Dear Readers,
Starting from today, 9 Dec. 2006, and after about 1 year of blogging, throughout which i moved from Blogspot to Yahoo! 360, i am happy to announce that after testing the new features that Blogspot has now; like embedding possibilities, ability to post through e-mail and mobile phone, e-mail feeds, and RSS to name a few.
I've also found out that if anything happens to me, and the Yahoo blog and account) is not signed into by me within 4 months, then everything would be deleted, and then my one and only fingerprint in this world would be gone forever.
Therefore, and after leaving Blogger for a long time, i've decided to come back here and restart the journey in a website that was originally created for blogging; and may this journey be successful and lasting.
All the old postings, since my first blogging day, will be available there. The new features (i.e. the difference between the old place and the new place begins from 1 Dec. 2006).
Starting from today, 9 Dec. 2006, and after about 1 year of blogging, throughout which i moved from Blogspot to Yahoo! 360, i am happy to announce that after testing the new features that Blogspot has now; like embedding possibilities, ability to post through e-mail and mobile phone, e-mail feeds, and RSS to name a few.
I've also found out that if anything happens to me, and the Yahoo blog and account) is not signed into by me within 4 months, then everything would be deleted, and then my one and only fingerprint in this world would be gone forever.
Therefore, and after leaving Blogger for a long time, i've decided to come back here and restart the journey in a website that was originally created for blogging; and may this journey be successful and lasting.
All the old postings, since my first blogging day, will be available there. The new features (i.e. the difference between the old place and the new place begins from 1 Dec. 2006).
http://iraqiandproud.blogspot.com/
If you'd like to subscribe in the e-mail feed from the blog, please let me know by an e-mail to my e-mail, which you know, of course! ;)
Also, i would like to announce the launch of 2 new services. The 1st one is the YouTube service, and in which you will find some videos and favorite videos, i hope that you'll like.
http://www.youtube.com/iraqiandproud
And last but not least, there's the open photo album, which contains (and will contain) pictures i take while i am here or there.
http://picasaweb.google.com/iraqi.and.proud
So, it's:
We moved
إنتقلنا
Taşındık
چوینا دةرةوة
Bidelna il-post tieghna
In English, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish & Maltese!
Sincerely,
The 13th Peacemaker (not warrior), Formerly known as Snoopy :)
08 December 2006
Reuters Article: Battle for Baghdad spurs 'sectarian' house market
(This is one of a series of stories on life in Baghdad issued on Dec 7)
By Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The fear of black-clad Shi'ite militia gunmen storming his Baghdad house haunted Abu Aya's nights for months.
After receiving a tip from a Shi'ite friend that he was "next on the list", the soft-spoken Sunni fine art lecturer and sculptor has finally moved out of his home of more than 20 years in a Shi'ite neighbourhood and settled in a Sunni area across the Tigris river that divides the Iraqi capital.
"Every time a bomb or a suicide bomber struck Sadr City, I expected Shi'ite militiamen to break into my house and kidnap me or my sons and that we would end up being dead bodies dumped in the garbage," he said, referring to the Shi'ite slum and militia bastion that has been targeted many times by Sunni insurgents.
Fearful of sectarian reprisals that have killed thousands, families from the Shi'ite Muslim majority and the Sunni minority in Baghdad are quietly moving from their homes in mixed areas to relocate in religiously homogenous districts within the capital in a pattern that is consolidating a de facto division.
Baghdad, a city of 7 million, has been religiously mixed for most of its history since it was founded 1,000 years ago -- for centuries it was known as the "City of Peace."
But with death squads forcing many to flee, a new city is emerging -- one with a mostly Sunni west and mainly Shi'ite east divided by the Tigris, which acts as a kind of Beirut-style "Green Line", the front-line that divided the Lebanese city during its war in the 1980s.
The trend has sparked a "sectarian" house market in Baghdad, where demand to move to better neighbourhoods is not dictated by traditional real estate considerations such as local schools, transport or parks but by ethnic make-up, estate agents say.
"I have registered more than 50 Sunni families who have asked me to find houses for rent in Sunni areas like Amiriya, Mansour, Yarmuk and Khadhra. Those families left their homes in areas considered dangerous for Sunnis to live in," said estate agent Ahmed Husam al-Taie.
Taie said families living in areas where they are the religious minority are asking for "house swaps" with families from the rival sect also desiring to move to a neighbourhood where others of their kind live.
In many cases families who agree to "house swaps" even leave their furniture behind.
"I've concluded many rental contracts between Sunni and Shi'ite families. Both left their furniture because gunmen warned them to leave without it," said estate agent Ali al- Saadi, who works in Palestine Street, a major traffic artery that is a flashpoint between rival neighbourhoods.
Shi'ites and Sunnis have long lived together in Baghdad, a city which also had a significant number of Jewish and Christian inhabitants until the middle of the last century.
The peaceful Shi'ite-Sunni cohabitation has changed since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra unleashed a wave of sectarian revenge killings.
Close to half a million Iraqis have fled for other parts of the country, officials say, dividing the nation and Baghdad in ways resembling Bosnia or Lebanon during their conflicts. Many fear these divisions could pave the way for all-out civil war.
Another 1.6 million have fled Iraq altogether.
Saddam Hussein, a member of the Sunni minority that dominated Iraq until Shi'ites swept to power after he was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion, formed Sunni clusters in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad by rewarding military officers with villas and plots.
He also allocated real estate in newly developed neighbourhoods based on Baath party affiliation, and consolidated Shi'ite ghettos, where impoverished Shi'ite villagers were settled, such as Sadr City. Today, every spike in sectarian violence leads to a surge in demand for property in religiously homogenous neighbourhoods, real estate agents say.
Last month, car bombs planted by suspected Sunni insurgents killed more than 200 Shi'ites in Sadr City in the deadliest attack since the invasion. Shi'ite militias have responded to Sunni attacks by raining mortars into Sunni neighbourhoods such as Adhamiya.
After the attack on Sadr City, neighbours in the Sunni Khodhra district spent all night on their rooftops in freezing temperatures, keeping watch for raiding Shi'ite militias.
"We thought they would come at any time. We had neighbourhood watch groups patrolling our streets and we were constantly on our phones," said one person.
Some like Majid al-Khuzaie, a 35-year-old Shi'ite civil servant, left his house in Sunni Amiriya but still couldn't find peace of mind. In his new neighbourhood, while he is surrounded by Shi'ite neighbours, the nightmare continues with daily mortars and daylight shootings.
"I left my home and rented one temporarily in Amil district, which turned out to be worse," he said. "I don't know where to go because the whole country is a battlefield."
By Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The fear of black-clad Shi'ite militia gunmen storming his Baghdad house haunted Abu Aya's nights for months.
After receiving a tip from a Shi'ite friend that he was "next on the list", the soft-spoken Sunni fine art lecturer and sculptor has finally moved out of his home of more than 20 years in a Shi'ite neighbourhood and settled in a Sunni area across the Tigris river that divides the Iraqi capital.
"Every time a bomb or a suicide bomber struck Sadr City, I expected Shi'ite militiamen to break into my house and kidnap me or my sons and that we would end up being dead bodies dumped in the garbage," he said, referring to the Shi'ite slum and militia bastion that has been targeted many times by Sunni insurgents.
Fearful of sectarian reprisals that have killed thousands, families from the Shi'ite Muslim majority and the Sunni minority in Baghdad are quietly moving from their homes in mixed areas to relocate in religiously homogenous districts within the capital in a pattern that is consolidating a de facto division.
Baghdad, a city of 7 million, has been religiously mixed for most of its history since it was founded 1,000 years ago -- for centuries it was known as the "City of Peace."
But with death squads forcing many to flee, a new city is emerging -- one with a mostly Sunni west and mainly Shi'ite east divided by the Tigris, which acts as a kind of Beirut-style "Green Line", the front-line that divided the Lebanese city during its war in the 1980s.
The trend has sparked a "sectarian" house market in Baghdad, where demand to move to better neighbourhoods is not dictated by traditional real estate considerations such as local schools, transport or parks but by ethnic make-up, estate agents say.
"I have registered more than 50 Sunni families who have asked me to find houses for rent in Sunni areas like Amiriya, Mansour, Yarmuk and Khadhra. Those families left their homes in areas considered dangerous for Sunnis to live in," said estate agent Ahmed Husam al-Taie.
Taie said families living in areas where they are the religious minority are asking for "house swaps" with families from the rival sect also desiring to move to a neighbourhood where others of their kind live.
In many cases families who agree to "house swaps" even leave their furniture behind.
"I've concluded many rental contracts between Sunni and Shi'ite families. Both left their furniture because gunmen warned them to leave without it," said estate agent Ali al- Saadi, who works in Palestine Street, a major traffic artery that is a flashpoint between rival neighbourhoods.
Shi'ites and Sunnis have long lived together in Baghdad, a city which also had a significant number of Jewish and Christian inhabitants until the middle of the last century.
The peaceful Shi'ite-Sunni cohabitation has changed since the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra unleashed a wave of sectarian revenge killings.
Close to half a million Iraqis have fled for other parts of the country, officials say, dividing the nation and Baghdad in ways resembling Bosnia or Lebanon during their conflicts. Many fear these divisions could pave the way for all-out civil war.
Another 1.6 million have fled Iraq altogether.
Saddam Hussein, a member of the Sunni minority that dominated Iraq until Shi'ites swept to power after he was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion, formed Sunni clusters in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad by rewarding military officers with villas and plots.
He also allocated real estate in newly developed neighbourhoods based on Baath party affiliation, and consolidated Shi'ite ghettos, where impoverished Shi'ite villagers were settled, such as Sadr City. Today, every spike in sectarian violence leads to a surge in demand for property in religiously homogenous neighbourhoods, real estate agents say.
Last month, car bombs planted by suspected Sunni insurgents killed more than 200 Shi'ites in Sadr City in the deadliest attack since the invasion. Shi'ite militias have responded to Sunni attacks by raining mortars into Sunni neighbourhoods such as Adhamiya.
After the attack on Sadr City, neighbours in the Sunni Khodhra district spent all night on their rooftops in freezing temperatures, keeping watch for raiding Shi'ite militias.
"We thought they would come at any time. We had neighbourhood watch groups patrolling our streets and we were constantly on our phones," said one person.
Some like Majid al-Khuzaie, a 35-year-old Shi'ite civil servant, left his house in Sunni Amiriya but still couldn't find peace of mind. In his new neighbourhood, while he is surrounded by Shi'ite neighbours, the nightmare continues with daily mortars and daylight shootings.
"I left my home and rented one temporarily in Amil district, which turned out to be worse," he said. "I don't know where to go because the whole country is a battlefield."
07 December 2006
AP Article: A message from Iraq's athletes: We made it
A message from Iraq's athletes: We made it
By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
December 5, 2006
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Iraqi athletes are hardly bothered by old equipment or few places to train. There are more pressing worries -- the fear of being killed or kidnapped.
In the face of such danger, Iraq ended a two-decade absence from the Asian Games. It sent 81 athletes to Doha, men and women exhibiting a will to carry on amid the chaos. Ali Adnan Amir is at enough of a disadvantage, even without the constant peril. He is competing in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. He is also all of 10 years old, the youngest swimmer in the competition at Doha.
Amir practices every day for about three hours after school, "but whenever there is a curfew I can't go to train so I wait for the next day" -- or the day after that.
And he's considered lucky.
Amir's home and nearby club are in Baghdad's Palestine Street, where the violence is not as great as in other parts of the city.
"We try to do proper training despite all the hardship in Baghdad," said Mohammed Sarmad, who is Amir's coach.
National air pistol shooting champion Dhiyya Hassan had to stop practicing at his regular club and set up a range at his house.
Weightlifter Harem Ali, a Kurd from the northern city of Sulaimaniya, had to switch his training base from Baghdad to the south. He won a bronze medal in the 170-pound Monday, Iraq's first medal of any kind at the Asian Games since it won five silver and two bronze in 1986 at Seoul, South Korea.
Hassan did not do well. He ranked 31st among 54 shooters, but neither he nor his coach were surprised.
"Before the war, I used to train at the club five times a week," the 44-year-old shooter said. "Now I train at home where there is no real atmosphere."
Tens of thousands of people have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Explosions, shootings and shelling are daily occurrences.
"Any fair person who looks at Iraq knows that it is impossible for the athletes to train," team spokesman Imad Nasser said. "There aren't enough clubs and there can't be reconstruction when there is war."
The Iraqi delegation arrived in Doha only two days before the opening ceremony because of a three-day curfew in Baghdad. It was imposed by the government after hundreds of people were killed last Thursday in a series of bombing attacks.
Iraq's soccer team was turned away from the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, which started seven weeks after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait's Sheik Fahd Al Sabah, the head of the Olympic Council of Asia, was killed in that invasion and Iraq was suspended by the continental authorities. With Saddam deposed, Iraq has been welcomed back.
Iraq's delegation in Qatar has hopes for medals in weightlifting, rowing and boxing.
"Every Iraqi who came to Doha is a hero even without winning," said Tiras Anwaya, head of the delegation. "Had the security situation been better, Iraqi athletes would have trained better and used better equipment. Now the athletes are here and their minds are in Baghdad thinking about explosions and killings."
Khudayer Abbas Basha, coach for the national weightlifting team, said planning has begun for some Iraqi athletes to train abroad. Such action is encouraged by the International Olympic Committee.
IOC president Jacques Rogge supports the return of Iraq's athletes to competition. The Iraqi soccer team rejoined international competition in the 2004 Asian Cup and made a surprising run to the semifinals at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Rogge used a meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia in Doha to again appeal for the release of Iraqi Olympic officials who were kidnapped in July. Iraq Olympic Committee chairman Ahmed al-Hijiya and 30 other people were taken hostage at gunpoint during a daylight raid on a sports conference in Baghdad.
The fates of other coaches and officials is not encouraging, given the spiraling sectarian violence. In the latest episode, the bullet-riddled body of the chairman of one of country's leading soccer clubs was discovered over the weekend. He had been kidnapped by gunmen three days earlier.
An Iraqi international soccer referee also was abducted this fall as he left the soccer association's offices. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a $200,000 ransom.
Days earlier, gunmen killed a former national volleyball player, Naseer Shamil, in his shop in Baghdad. Ghanim Ghudayer, a popular soccer player and member of the Iraqi Olympic team, was kidnapped in September and has not been heard from since.
Iraq's national soccer coach, Akram Ahmed Salman, resigned in July after receiving death threats against him and his family. The national wrestling coach, a Sunni, was killed about the same time in a Shiite district of Baghdad.
Harem Ali would like his medal in the weightlifting to bring "smiles to the faces of Iraqis."
Sisters Liza and Lida Agasi hope their mere participation in beach volleyball speaks volumes to Iraq and the rest of the world.
"We came here to say that Iraq exists," they said.
By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer
December 5, 2006
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Iraqi athletes are hardly bothered by old equipment or few places to train. There are more pressing worries -- the fear of being killed or kidnapped.
In the face of such danger, Iraq ended a two-decade absence from the Asian Games. It sent 81 athletes to Doha, men and women exhibiting a will to carry on amid the chaos. Ali Adnan Amir is at enough of a disadvantage, even without the constant peril. He is competing in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. He is also all of 10 years old, the youngest swimmer in the competition at Doha.
Amir practices every day for about three hours after school, "but whenever there is a curfew I can't go to train so I wait for the next day" -- or the day after that.
And he's considered lucky.
Amir's home and nearby club are in Baghdad's Palestine Street, where the violence is not as great as in other parts of the city.
"We try to do proper training despite all the hardship in Baghdad," said Mohammed Sarmad, who is Amir's coach.
National air pistol shooting champion Dhiyya Hassan had to stop practicing at his regular club and set up a range at his house.
Weightlifter Harem Ali, a Kurd from the northern city of Sulaimaniya, had to switch his training base from Baghdad to the south. He won a bronze medal in the 170-pound Monday, Iraq's first medal of any kind at the Asian Games since it won five silver and two bronze in 1986 at Seoul, South Korea.
Hassan did not do well. He ranked 31st among 54 shooters, but neither he nor his coach were surprised.
"Before the war, I used to train at the club five times a week," the 44-year-old shooter said. "Now I train at home where there is no real atmosphere."
Tens of thousands of people have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Explosions, shootings and shelling are daily occurrences.
"Any fair person who looks at Iraq knows that it is impossible for the athletes to train," team spokesman Imad Nasser said. "There aren't enough clubs and there can't be reconstruction when there is war."
The Iraqi delegation arrived in Doha only two days before the opening ceremony because of a three-day curfew in Baghdad. It was imposed by the government after hundreds of people were killed last Thursday in a series of bombing attacks.
Iraq's soccer team was turned away from the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, which started seven weeks after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait's Sheik Fahd Al Sabah, the head of the Olympic Council of Asia, was killed in that invasion and Iraq was suspended by the continental authorities. With Saddam deposed, Iraq has been welcomed back.
Iraq's delegation in Qatar has hopes for medals in weightlifting, rowing and boxing.
"Every Iraqi who came to Doha is a hero even without winning," said Tiras Anwaya, head of the delegation. "Had the security situation been better, Iraqi athletes would have trained better and used better equipment. Now the athletes are here and their minds are in Baghdad thinking about explosions and killings."
Khudayer Abbas Basha, coach for the national weightlifting team, said planning has begun for some Iraqi athletes to train abroad. Such action is encouraged by the International Olympic Committee.
IOC president Jacques Rogge supports the return of Iraq's athletes to competition. The Iraqi soccer team rejoined international competition in the 2004 Asian Cup and made a surprising run to the semifinals at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Rogge used a meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia in Doha to again appeal for the release of Iraqi Olympic officials who were kidnapped in July. Iraq Olympic Committee chairman Ahmed al-Hijiya and 30 other people were taken hostage at gunpoint during a daylight raid on a sports conference in Baghdad.
The fates of other coaches and officials is not encouraging, given the spiraling sectarian violence. In the latest episode, the bullet-riddled body of the chairman of one of country's leading soccer clubs was discovered over the weekend. He had been kidnapped by gunmen three days earlier.
An Iraqi international soccer referee also was abducted this fall as he left the soccer association's offices. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a $200,000 ransom.
Days earlier, gunmen killed a former national volleyball player, Naseer Shamil, in his shop in Baghdad. Ghanim Ghudayer, a popular soccer player and member of the Iraqi Olympic team, was kidnapped in September and has not been heard from since.
Iraq's national soccer coach, Akram Ahmed Salman, resigned in July after receiving death threats against him and his family. The national wrestling coach, a Sunni, was killed about the same time in a Shiite district of Baghdad.
Harem Ali would like his medal in the weightlifting to bring "smiles to the faces of Iraqis."
Sisters Liza and Lida Agasi hope their mere participation in beach volleyball speaks volumes to Iraq and the rest of the world.
"We came here to say that Iraq exists," they said.
06 December 2006
05 December 2006
04 December 2006
AP Article: Iraq 2-0 Oman
Iraq's Asian Games soccer win greeted with volleys of celebratory gunfire
December 3, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's 2-0 win over Oman in the Asian Games' soccer tournament in Qatar Sunday was greeted by deafening volleys of celebratory gunfire in Baghdad, a city engulfed in violence that has not spared athletes and sports officials.
Iraqis, who traditionally keep firearms at their homes, are passionate about soccer and wins by the national team over the past three years have provided them with much deserved respites from the daily fare of death and destruction, bringing the ethnically and religiously diverse nation together.
"I do hope that sport will unify Iraqis in politics as well," said, Karim Jassim, a 35-year-old clothes salesman from Al-Rasheed street in Baghdad's old quarter.
The win came on the same day that the body of Hadib Majhoul, the Sunni Arab chairman of one of Iraq's leading soccer clubs, was found in Baghdad, three days after he was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad.
Ali Rehema and Khashen Alaa scored goals to keep Iraq's slim quarterfinals hopes alive. The result left both teams with three points in Group E, three behind leader China.
December 3, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's 2-0 win over Oman in the Asian Games' soccer tournament in Qatar Sunday was greeted by deafening volleys of celebratory gunfire in Baghdad, a city engulfed in violence that has not spared athletes and sports officials.
Iraqis, who traditionally keep firearms at their homes, are passionate about soccer and wins by the national team over the past three years have provided them with much deserved respites from the daily fare of death and destruction, bringing the ethnically and religiously diverse nation together.
"I do hope that sport will unify Iraqis in politics as well," said, Karim Jassim, a 35-year-old clothes salesman from Al-Rasheed street in Baghdad's old quarter.
The win came on the same day that the body of Hadib Majhoul, the Sunni Arab chairman of one of Iraq's leading soccer clubs, was found in Baghdad, three days after he was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad.
Ali Rehema and Khashen Alaa scored goals to keep Iraq's slim quarterfinals hopes alive. The result left both teams with three points in Group E, three behind leader China.
03 December 2006
02 December 2006
01 December 2006
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