Menek$e ile Halil (Myrna wa Khalil) Original Soundtrack - Toygar I$ikli ((Ninni))

The Day I Went to Elections...

As many of you know by now, i've been in the Northeastern city of Sulaimaniya since the beginning of January, and couldn't get back before the local elections held in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces due to some business obligations. Just so you know, Kirkuk, Sulaimaniya, Erbil & Duhok provinces didn't get to vote in those elections.

Anyway, now there comes 31 January 2009, and only two days before, the Independant High Electoral Commission says that there is a center for people in Sulaimaniya from other provinces who didn't get to register in the period of time they were given to do so, from mid-July to mid-August 2008. I wasn't registered because i had my mind made up to vote in Baghdad, and i was kind of hoping to be allowed to vote here, since i am nowhere else but here.

So, on the relatively rainy moning of elections day, i went to this center, which was in Jawahiri Arabic School, opposite the Sulaimaniya Governor's offices, and stood on the line. I stood there for 30 minutes or so, and people were debating whether they were allowed to vote or not, since the line was not moving, and there were minibuses taking people someplace and binging others back from that place.

Seeing and hearing what the people on the line were discussing, i decided to go and check with any official there was in (or around) the center. I asked if there was such an official around, and i was told that there is a women sitting inside a tent outside the center. I took a walk around the center, and found that tent. I went inside the tent, and saw a middle-aged Kurdish woman who spoke very good Arabic. She met me with a wide smile. After i greeted her, i stood there explaining my case in brief; that i was planning to vote in Baghdad, but due to some business i had to stay in Sulaimaniya, and here i am trying to vote here. She smiled wider and said:
- "But sir, you are a guest here, and this voting process is only for Internally Displaced People (IDPs)."

I asked here if there was any chance at all for me to vote there, and she said that there wasn't.

I thanked her and left.

Later that day, an Arabic-speaking radio station spoke about how "the elections were great" and how "even mentally-disabled young people were allowed to vote with the help of centers officials."

Now; is a comment really needed on such news item?!?!

Can one really be convinced with the "Iraqi Democracy"?!

Perhaps the only condolence for me, being deprived of my electoral rights, was the outcome of the elections. Maliki's group got the lead. I sort of wanted him (or at least his group) to continue the clean-up they began in 2008. I really respected the man after he kicked both asses, Qaeda & Muqtada.

This is what we get on Yahoo!

This is how http://webmessenger.yahoo.com/ page looks like if you enter from Iraq.

The thing on the left is an ad for the upcoming Provencial Elections, due on 31 Jan. 2009.

Reuters Article: U.S. troops under Iraq's authority for first time

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. military in Iraq came under Iraqi authority on Thursday for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003, a milestone in the war-weary country's path to restoring sovereignty.

The U.S. force in Iraq, now more than 140,000 strong, had operated since 2003 under a U.N. Security Council resolution which expired at midnight on New Year's Eve. Starting January 1, troops are operating with authority granted by the Iraqi government in a pact agreed by Washington and Baghdad.

The pact gives U.S. troops three years to leave Iraq, revokes their power to detain Iraqis without an Iraqi warrant, and subjects contractors and off-duty U.S. troops to Iraqi law.

The new, tough terms of the U.S. presence here were secured by an increasingly confident Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, emboldened by a maturing democracy, military victories against Shi'ite militias and progress against al Qaeda militants.

U.S. and Iraqi officials were to hold a ceremony on Thursday morning to formally hand over control of the Green Zone, the heavily fortified Baghdad compound from which the United States governed Iraq directly for more than a year after the invasion.

"The role of the coalition forces (in the Green Zone) will be secondary, centered on training Baghdad brigade troops to use equipment to detect explosives and advising Iraqi forces," Qassim Moussawi, spokesman of Iraqi forces in Baghdad, said.

U.S. troops across Iraq remain under U.S. command but their operations must be authorized by a joint U.S.-Iraqi committee and they can detain Iraqis only with a warrant from an Iraqi judge. They are to leave the streets of Iraqi towns and cities by mid-2009 and withdraw from the country by the end of 2011.

Other U.S.-allied troops, including 4,100 British, are to leave Iraq within seven months.

On Wednesday, U.S. officials finished vacating the marble Saddam-era palace in the center of the Green Zone that had been the seat of U.S. power in Iraq since 2003.

Some 15,000 prisoners held at U.S. military detention camps must now be charged with crimes under Iraqi law or, according to the security pact, gradually let go.

VIOLENCE DOWN

Iraqi forces take over a dramatically different Iraq from the one ravaged by sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007.

Attacks have dropped sharply, thanks partly to an increase of troops ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007 and also to newfound cooperation from Sunni Arab tribal leaders.

Militants continue to strike, especially with bomb attacks that frequently target civilians. According to official health ministry figures, 5,379 civilians were killed during the year, less than a third of the 16,232 killed in 2007 but still an average of nearly 15 a day.

In December, the monthly toll was just 238 killed. The monthly tolls ran close to 2,000 at the height of sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shi'ites from mid-2006 to mid-2007.

This month will see provincial elections that U.S. and Iraqi officials bill as a milestone toward democracy.

But Iraq remains deeply scarred by the war. Baghdad neighborhoods are divided by checkpoints and concrete walls. Millions of people who fled violence have yet to return home.

Many Iraqis still resent what they see as a U.S. military occupation. They are also hungry for basic services, jobs, and lasting peace. Majid Mola, an engineer, dismissed as meaningless the handover billed by Maliki's government as a major victory.

"Where are the government services? Where is the electricity? People want practical things," he said.

In what could become one of the most enduring images of the U.S. military adventure, Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi won applause across the Middle East when he threw his shoes at Bush and called him a "dog" at a recent news conference with Maliki.

His trial for assaulting a head of state is pending.

Highest and Lowest Temparatures Recorded Inside & Outside Our Baghdad House During 2008

Highest temperature recorded outside the house = 44.8 C (112.6 F)

Highest temperature recorded inside the house = 36.6 C (97.9 F)

Lowest temperature recorded outside the house = -1.7 C (28.9 F)

Lowest temperature recorded inside the house = 9.3 C (48.7 F)

"Iraqi & Proud" turns 3 :)

Isn't that something?!

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The Day The Shoe Flew

When important news break in our World, i always tune in late. But it is not always my fault if i didn't learn of the story as it unfolded. For example, we had no electricity for about eight hours when i heard about the Baghdad news conference shoe incident. However, i heard Bush's helicopters take him back from the Green Zone to the International Airport.

It took me until 3:30 am local time to see it, when we finally got electricity. There was a channel that kept repeating the incident time after time in an endless loop.

I sat there, alone, at that late hour, and thought...

Some might have thought that what the Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zeidi did was great. They say that because they believe that he did what he should've done to the no. 1 arrogant in the whole World!

While the best thing that Muntadhar would've done, and still be "elegant", so to try to discuss with Bush, or even yell at him till his heart's content! He would've been respected and respectful at the same time. However, it is somewhat understandable if he came from a background of people who had first hand negative experiences with the occupation forces; or if his father or older brother or next of kin was stepped on by American soldiers sometime during the past 5 years or so.

What if he made a mistake, and hit Maliki, or an Iraqi flag in the background with one of his rocket-shoes?

How disgraceful for Iraq (or the Iraqi Government) would that have been?

Now the funny thing about the Arab stations, or those who cheered for the shoe-thrower to be precise, and how they said that they're ready to buy these shoes with millions of Dollars! Why didn't they ever thought of giving this money to the children of Gaza or Iraq or any other place?! Yet, they are so ready to buy a pair of shoes with millions of Dollars!!!

And they, themselves, say that the shoes of Muntadhar brought back Arab dignity!

They don't say, for example, that the Lebanese steadfastness in the 2006 war brought back Arab dignity, or the Palestinean patience, but they see a pair of shoes hurled at Bush as the ultimate restore of that Arab dignity.

Dignity is not restored by shoes, guys!

However, it is worth noticing and mentioning, that what had brought Bush to be subjected to such maximum insult (at least as seen from this side of the World), was nothing other than the deeds of Bush himself.

The American citizens, and i am absolutely sure that they would, for they are a clever nation (the way ours used to be once upon a time, and before our nation was turned into a vocal phenomenon). The Americans need to think:

Why people hate our President?!

Why is he called a criminal anywhere he goes?!

Is this President really the successor of Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Linclon, and Franklin?! Is he?!?!

Before i go, i would like to quote a very good writer of our times; Haider Hamoudi, who usually writes about "Islamic Law in Our Times" among other issues on his blog. What he wrote commenting on a similar note i wrote there, was:

"I sort of view Muntadhar the Shoe Thrower like Joe the Plumber, not necessarily himself worthy of attention as an individual, but as a phenomenon quite interesting and revealing. So it's more the reaction to Muntadhar the Shoe Thrower than the person himself that I find worthy of investigation."

So, there you see. It is the Sarah Palin's of the Arab Nation who cheer for the Iraqi version of Joe the Plumber! No wonder!

BBC News Article: Iraq rally for Bush shoe attacker

Thousands of Iraqis have demanded the release of a local TV reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a Baghdad news conference.

Crowds gathered in Baghdad's Sadr City district, calling for "hero" Muntadar al-Zaidi to be freed from custody.

Officials at the Iraqi-owned TV station, al-Baghdadiya, called for the release of their journalist, saying he was exercising freedom of expression.

Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.

A statement released by the government said Mr Zaidi's actions, which also included him shouting insults at President Bush, "harmed the reputation of Iraqi journalists and Iraqi journalism in general".

Correspondents say the protesters are supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr - a leading critic of the US presence in Iraq. Smaller protests were reported in Basra and Najaf.

The Iraqi government has demanded an on-air apology from his employer.

An Iraqi official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the journalist was being interrogated to determine whether anybody paid him to throw his shoes at President Bush.

He was also being tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were being held as evidence, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV channel said Mr Zaidi should be freed because he had been exercising freedom of expression - something which the Americans had promised to Iraqis on the ousting of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"Any measures against Muntadar will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime," the firm said in a statement.
The programming director for al-Baghdadiya, Muzhir al-Khafaji, described the journalist as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man".

He said he was afraid for Mr Zaidi's safety, adding that the reporter had been arrested by US officials twice before.

"We fear that our correspondents in Iraq will be arrested. We have 200 correspondents there," he added.



'Proud Arab'

Mr Zaidi leapt from his chair at Sunday's news conference and hurled first one shoe and then the other at Mr Bush, who was joined at the podium by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

The shoes missed as Mr Bush ducked, and Mr Zaidi was immediately wrestled to the ground by security guards and frogmarched from the room.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog," he yelled in Arabic as he threw his shoes. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

Arabic TV stations have been repeatedly showing footage of the incident, which was also front-page news in many papers.

Correspondents say the journalist's tirade was echoed by Arabs across the Middle East who are fed up with US policy in the region.

"He [George Bush] deserves to be hit with 100, not just one or two shoes. Who wants him to come here?" said a man in Baghdad.

But his view was not expressed by everyone.

"I think this incident is unnecessary, to be honest. That was a press conference, not a war. If someone wants to express his opinion he should do so in the proper manner, not this way," said another Baghdad resident.



Courts criticised

Also on Monday, Human Rights Watch accused Iraq's main criminal court of failing to meet basic international standards of justice.

The New York-based group said torture and abuse of prisoners before trial appeared common, and legal representation was often ineffectual.

Human Rights Watch said some of the court's failings showed disturbing similarities to those that existed during the Saddam Hussein era.

The group called on Iraq to take immediate steps to protect detainees from torture, and ensure they had access to proper defence and received a prompt hearing.

BBC News Article: Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insult

By Martin Asser BBC News

Around the Arab world, if you want to escalate a situation, by saying for example "I'm going to thump you", add the words "with a shoe" and you're adding serious insult to the threat of possible injury.

It's that cultural significance that has added real sting to the assault by an Iraqi journalist against US President George W Bush at a Baghdad news conference.

In Arab culture it's considered rude even to display the sole of one's shoe to a fellow human being.

Certainly, crossing one's legs ankle-on-knee style should never be done in a public place for fear of offending the person next to you.

The sensitivity is related to the fact shoes are considered ritually unclean in the Muslim faith.

In addition to ritual ablutions before prayer, Muslims must take off their shoes to pray, and wearing shoes inside a mosque is forbidden.

Shoes should either be left at the door of the mosque, or carried (preferably in the left hand with the soles pressed together).

But beyond the Islamic significance, the dirty and degrading implication of the sole of a shoe crosses all religious boundaries in the Middle East.




Following in the footsteps

There has been plenty of droll reaction in the wake of Sunday's shoe attack to experts who have informed the public that "throwing a shoe at someone's face is considered an insult in Islam".

The blog reaction (to articles not unlike the one you are reading) has been a sarcastic, "and in all other religions... it is a sign of affection, friendship, fellowship, and good feeling(!)" to quote chookie on democraticunderground.com.

But it is worth mentioning that there is quite a rich history when it comes to shoe-ing incidents involving Iraq and the Bushes.

The first was the floor mosaic at the front door to Baghdad's Rashid Hotel depicting the first President Bush.
Its location meant visitors to the hotel - frequented by top Baath regime officials and visiting VIPs - had to step on George Bush Snr's likeness, in revenge for alleged "war crimes" committed during the 1991 liberation of Kuwait.

The mosaic was reportedly dug up after the US military took over the hotel, following their overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In that year the Iraqi shoe was much in evidence during popular protests against the fallen Iraqi ruler, being used to hit the posters and statues dedicated to him around the country.



Boot on the other foot

As anger over Washington's policies in the Middle East has grown in some Arab circles, it has been posters of George W Bush that have received the shoe treatment.

His national security advisor and subsequent secretary of state has been given the particularly insulting first name Kundara - meaning shoe - instead of Condoleezza Rice.

Now history will record that Mr Bush's last presidential trip to Iraq, a country his government has left such an indelible mark upon, was greeted with a volley of shoes and cries of "dog" (another extreme insult in Arabic) from Iraqi cameraman Muntadar al-Zaidi.

Fortunately for Mr Bush, who leaves office in just over a month, he was able to duck out of the way of the two shoes Mr Zaidi threw at him - presumably the only weapon the assailant was able to smuggle through the tight security cordon at Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's office.

Many of Mr Bush's supporters will see it as a mean-spirited gesture against a man whose policies liberated the country from a vicious dictator.

To illustrate the point, in a previous age, the perpetrator would be facing a summary, and probably agonising, death if he had dared confront Saddam Hussein's regime in such a way. Instead Mr Bush has been praised for his dignified response.

But others have hailed Mr Zaidi as a hero, for striking a symbolic blow against someone they hold responsible for devastating wars in the Muslim world that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

Alsumaria.tv Article: Iraqi reporter throws his shoes at Bush

He thought that Iraqis will bid him farewell with heartfelt gratitude for bringing freedom and democracy into Iraq. However, US President Georges W Bush never expected to be sent off this way.

In a farewell visit to a nation for which he fully dedicated his second presidential term, US President Bush was put in an awkward situation, he was humiliated on television, in newspapers headlines and news agencies after an Iraqi reporter threw his hoes at him and uttered profanities against him.

In details, as the joint press conference between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki has ended by shaking hands, a reporter threw one of his shoes at Bush which missed him and hit the wall behind him. Yet, Bush had to duck to avoid the second shoe the reporter hit at him while Al Maliki tried to ward off the other shoe from hitting Bush.

As he missed the goal, the reporter was leapt on by Iraqi security officials and U.S. secret service agents and dragged from the room screaming and struggling

“It's like going to a political rally and have people yell at you. It's a way for people to draw attention. I don't know what the guy's cause was. I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it”, Bush said.

Iraqi journalist Montazer Al Zaidi, a reporter from Al Baghdadiya TV, has dealt with Bush his own way, expressing his personal point of view of the US war on Iraq. An employee from Al Baghdadiya said his colleague was an extremist national man who has behaved on his own. Al Baghdadiya called to release its reporter.

The consequences of such an incident are hard to be speculated as the shoe-throwing will have great impact on Iraq and US histories and will always be related to the name of US President Georges W Bush.