(no subject)
Tonight I had the privilege of listening to Raghad Muhammed speak of her life in Iraq from 2003 until she sought assylum in the United States recently. This soft spoken, beautiful young woman told a tale that was both moving and disturbing at the same time.
She said that her people were told that the Americans were coming and that they would rape and kill thier daughters and they should dig trenches and barracade thier doors. My reaction to that, as I would imagine most patriotic americans would be, was shock at the thought of our soldiers doing such things. And she confirmed that the Marines who came into Baghdad during the initial assault did nothing of the sort. They were extremely helpful to the Iraqi people and polite and respectful.
Then things changed. The Marines began to be replaced with other troops and civilians. The 'green zone' became a place where Iraqi people were beaten and prostitution and drug use was prevalent. She was quick to point out that there were many who had good intentions, but the core of the problems seem to aggregate around the green zone. In fact a contact for Raghad arranged a position for her in the green zone with a sizeable salary, but she turned it down because of the things that go on there.
She told stories of the attempts to separate the Sunni and Shiite muslims where they put up concrete blast walls to keep them in thier respective "neighborhoods." But it was very common place for Iraqis to have several sets of identification so they could visit friends and family and they easily passed through the checkpoints.
Another story was one of american soldiers who raped and killed a young Iraqi girl. They then killed her family, burned thier bodies and bombed the house. The sentence for this soldier, who was proven guilty, ended up being 18 years conditional confinement and at that time, depending on behavior, they would be eligible for release. She said if an Iraqi had killed an american dog, they would have been killed on the spot. Therefore the Iraqis felt they were worth less than dogs to these americans. With stories like that, it is no surprise that there is continued violence agains american troops.
The problem she said, is that both the international forces and the Iraqi government is corrupt. They are interested only in making money and maintaining the status quo. The longer the occupation occurs, the more money will be poured into Baghdad and the people in control will continue to prosper at the cost of the common Iraqi. She held many positions within that corrupt government and whenever she tried to make a difference, she was threatened until eventually she and her family had to leave the country.
The question was posed that if the troops were pulled out tomorrow, what would happen. "No one knows," she said. But it's obvious that changes have to be made. Corruption is an unsavory bi-product of human greed. Our government suffers from it, corporate america suffers from it, but it has taken root in a fundamental way in Baghdad. The troop surge may have helped quell violence because of sheer numbers, but I question whether it really has solved anything. She didn't suggest a solution and I don't think anyone really knows, but to perpetuate the status quo by not setting timelines will only continue to support a horrible situation overe there.
She said that her people were told that the Americans were coming and that they would rape and kill thier daughters and they should dig trenches and barracade thier doors. My reaction to that, as I would imagine most patriotic americans would be, was shock at the thought of our soldiers doing such things. And she confirmed that the Marines who came into Baghdad during the initial assault did nothing of the sort. They were extremely helpful to the Iraqi people and polite and respectful.
Then things changed. The Marines began to be replaced with other troops and civilians. The 'green zone' became a place where Iraqi people were beaten and prostitution and drug use was prevalent. She was quick to point out that there were many who had good intentions, but the core of the problems seem to aggregate around the green zone. In fact a contact for Raghad arranged a position for her in the green zone with a sizeable salary, but she turned it down because of the things that go on there.
She told stories of the attempts to separate the Sunni and Shiite muslims where they put up concrete blast walls to keep them in thier respective "neighborhoods." But it was very common place for Iraqis to have several sets of identification so they could visit friends and family and they easily passed through the checkpoints.
Another story was one of american soldiers who raped and killed a young Iraqi girl. They then killed her family, burned thier bodies and bombed the house. The sentence for this soldier, who was proven guilty, ended up being 18 years conditional confinement and at that time, depending on behavior, they would be eligible for release. She said if an Iraqi had killed an american dog, they would have been killed on the spot. Therefore the Iraqis felt they were worth less than dogs to these americans. With stories like that, it is no surprise that there is continued violence agains american troops.
The problem she said, is that both the international forces and the Iraqi government is corrupt. They are interested only in making money and maintaining the status quo. The longer the occupation occurs, the more money will be poured into Baghdad and the people in control will continue to prosper at the cost of the common Iraqi. She held many positions within that corrupt government and whenever she tried to make a difference, she was threatened until eventually she and her family had to leave the country.
The question was posed that if the troops were pulled out tomorrow, what would happen. "No one knows," she said. But it's obvious that changes have to be made. Corruption is an unsavory bi-product of human greed. Our government suffers from it, corporate america suffers from it, but it has taken root in a fundamental way in Baghdad. The troop surge may have helped quell violence because of sheer numbers, but I question whether it really has solved anything. She didn't suggest a solution and I don't think anyone really knows, but to perpetuate the status quo by not setting timelines will only continue to support a horrible situation overe there.