Monday, August 20, 2007

A story of an Iraqi

An iraqi male born in Baghdad in 1987 in a well-educated family.
At his early years of life he suffered blockage in his bowels and had to go through a
surgical opeation in order to continue his life.
As a kid he was very naughty, he almost got himself killed several times, once by drinking
some pure oil by mistaking it with water, once by burning his leg in an accident during the
second gulf war, and another time by having his tongue almost cut into 2 pieces while
playing in a place not proper for kids to play in.

This iraqi kid grew and opened his eyes to the world and witnessed the modern history of his
country and the stupid policies that destroyed his country and made his fellow countrymen
flee the country.

As a kid in the primary school, this iraqi kid was taught to glorify his president Saddam
Hussain because he was the guard of the Arab homeland and he was the hero of the Qadissyia
(First Gulf war), this iraqi boy grew innocently and followed what he was told from his
teachers in school, this iraqi kid feared wars very much, so during the American attacks on
Iraq in 1998, he was very frightened because of the bombing and killing that took place in
his country in that time, so at the early years of this kid's life, he knew the taste of war
and pain, and knew what its like to live under planes shelling.

After finishing his 6th grade of primary school, this kid made a score of 98% in his
studies, and he wanted to apply to the best secondary school in Iraq, which is called
Baghdad college, he applied and went through a qualification exam, he passed the exam but he
didn't qualify to enter the school because of the increasing number of the student who got
private qualification to the school because some of them were sons of Bathies or ministers
or their fathers were friends of saddam, so this kid lost the chance to enter the best
school in iraq, anyway the kid went to another school which was famous of the bad behaviour
of its students, this kid had to go through many fights with his classmates and arguments,
because if he don't prove himself in a fight, he won't be respected in the school and he
would become the biggest loser that gets his ass kicked everytime.

this kid graduated from that school at the year 2003 and went to the Alnidahmiyah high
school which was one of the respected schools in Iraq, this kid lost most of his friends in
the school before this one, because he went to a school far away from his home, and most of
the students of his previous school went to the nearest high school to their houses, so this
kid went to this high school with having absolutely no friends at this school.The kid made a lot of friends at his first year and was happy with his new high school and the life he was living, until the end of his first year at that school, the kid had to leave school and stay at home because the war was on the doors, the Howasim war as how it was named by his president.
The war took place and the kid stayed in his house with his family and several of his relatives that came to stay in his house until the war ends.The kid was very delusional, he dreamed of a new iraq, new progressed iraq, he dreamed of Iraq having freedom and prosperity. The war began and the kid had several talks with his older brother who was the source of wisdom and advice for this young kid, his brother described to him what could happen to iraq if iraq can lose Saddam Hussain, he told him that a new government would be formed, and an election would take place, and Iraqis would elect the proper government, that would take up this country from hell and bring back the dignity of this country and its position between the world.
this kid had long nights of darkness, and sitting on the lights of candles talking to his
brother about the future of his country, and what will happen while gambling and playing
poker for what he and his brother had saved of snacks and drinks, because all the stores
were closed and there were no sources for those stuff.

After less than a month since the war started, The kid, his brother and parents were shocked
when they opened the tv with their hidden setelite and saw on the news that the American
forces had enterd Baghdad suddenly. they were the first people in their street to hear about
what happened, the kid went out to the street and saw the Bathies and the police still in
position and carrying their weapons and standing in the street, the kid thought that maybe
those soldiers still don't know that Baghdad was invaded several hours ago, he was afraid to
open his mouth and tell his neighbours about what has happened. so he decided to go back to
his home and see what will happen next day.

At the dawn of the next day, the kid was awakened by the sound of tanks and war vehicles
while roaming his neighbourhood, and witnessed the war that took place between the Americans
and some of the remaining Bathies and Arab fighters who were still in the neighbourhood, the
war took about 6 hours, and the kid was frightened by the sound of explosions and his house
was hit by some of the American helicopters which were shooting randomly, after this small
war has ended, The kid and his parents and the neighbours saw the American tanks and
soldiers in their street, and at that moment the kid knew that the eon of Saddam hussain has
ended.

The kid had several talks with his older brother about the siuation in iraq at that time and
what will happen, and he was shocked by his uncle reaction when this kid waved to the
Americans when they entered his street, his uncle shouted at him and said "how can you wave
to the occupiers, wait and see what they will do to our country and how will they rape our
women and kill our children", the kid neverminded to his uncle and continued dreaming of the
new iraq.

After few months of nothing changed in iraq, a group of resistance was formed in his
neighbourhood, and wars began to take place in his neighbourhood, the first roadside bomb
planted in iraq was planted in this kid's street against the Americans.
Days and days went on in this kid's life with his planted hope of a new iraq, but the fact
is that his dream is getting far away from coming true, the expolsions increased, the
innocent lives were killed for no reasons, but the kid's dream and hope was still in his
heart.

The kid enterd his college life, and he was accepted at the pharmacy school in Baghdad, the
kid had dreams of being a pharmacist in iraq and that he would live in peace again, he was
still hoping that life can continue, even with the random explosions taking place everday
everwhere, but still life can go on and that the kid can still have his own dreams and plans
for his life until Feb. 2006 when Alaskari shrine was attacked in Samarra, the kid witnessed
what can religion do to his country, he witnessed how sunni mosques were burned by shiite
people as a reaction to the attack on the shiite shrine, and he witnessed the segregation
between his fellow countymen, the kid finished his first year at college and travelled to
Jordan hoping that when he come back the situation would be better.

In Jordan the kid was adviced by his friends that he should stay in Jordan, and that he
should forget about iraq and his beloved Baghdad, and that he should forget about the dream
planted in his heart. The kid refused and insisted on going back home.

In Oct. 2006 the kid went back to Iraq with his hopes of a better situation than the
situation before, but he was shocked of the worst situation than that when he left, the
situation was very bad, militias were everywhere, secterian violence became a very normal
thing, killing for secterian reasons became a habbit, mortar shelling has become a new
technique of militias to kill innocent people. The kid was very disappointed for what his
country ended up to, and how his united people were seperated and divided because of stupid
reasons and for stupid benefits, and the kid witnessed the foreign interferenece of the
neighbouring countries and their role in dividing the iraqi people, the kid couldn't stand
the situation and wanted to leave this country that he lived in for 19 years and that he
loved more than anything, the kid tried to get a visa to New Zealand with the help of his
new zealand friend but his pursuit didn't end the way he wished for.

The kid went back to his college and decided to continue his studies without taking into
consideration the dangers and threats of going to his school which was located in a shiite
nighbourhood and being an easily sunni target for militants to kill him, he wanted to finish
his studies.

Days went on, and the kid lived in a country dressed by death and smelled blood, the kid got
used to losing friends who got killed either by explosions or getting killed by militias or
died because of mortar shelling, The kid got used to waking up and finding unidentified
corpses lying scatteredly in the streets, The kid got used to the hatred planted in his
countrymen hearts, a sunni's hatred for shiites and a shiite's hatred for sunnis, The kid
grew angry and sad because of what war has done to his country, The kid couldn't wait until
he finishs his studying year and flee the country, the kid wanted to flee the country he
wished to return to, because it was impossible for him to continue living in this country,
even an animal would flee the country he was living in, the kid finished his studying year
and left the country the next day.

The kid travelled to Jordan via plane, the kid witnessed the humiliation of Iraqis in the
Arab countries, specially Jordan, he saw how iraqis where treated with disgust by Jordanian
authorities, and being sent back to iraq because the Jordanian intelligence didn't like
their looks or their names, shiites were nearly impossible to enter Jordan, and it wasn't
easier for sunnis either.

The kid saw the suffering of iraqis living in Jordan, they suffered of not having
residencies in Jordan, and they feared getting caught by the Jordanian authorities and
getting thrown on the Jordanian-iraqi borders, the kid saw the humiliation of iraqis in the
Jordanian ministry when they were trying to extend their residencies, the kid grew angry and
hated everything, and wanted to leave Jordan desperately but he was faced with the fact that
there's no place else to go to, the kid was very sorry for what happened to him and to
iraqis and was heart broken for what happened to his country, the country in which the first
civilization in the world was formed in to end up like this, he was sorry for his countrymen
that are not accepted anywhere in this world.

The kid was sorry because of the American policies that got him to this point, and that made
about 3 milions of iraqis vagabonds, the kid blamed everyone for what happened to him, he
blamed the American administration, he blamed the iraqi government, he blamed the Arab
countries, he blamed Iran, he blamed Syria, he blamed Saudi Arabia, he blamed Iraqis, he
even blamed Saddam Hussain for going through that war.
And the kid remained on blaming everyone, and on blaming the world for not considering
Iraqis as Humans.

The kid kept on Saying "We are not accepted anywhere in this world, we are not accepted even
in Iraq, where shall we go?????""
Pray for Iraq!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Confused!

Its been more than a month for me in Jordan and I don't know what my next step will be. The jordanian ministry of higher education has suspended certifying iraqi degrees, which means that they won't certify my degrees from Baghdad, and by that I can't continue my studies as I reached the third grade in Iraq, but I have to start all over again from the zero point.
I'm not willing to start again from the zero point, it took me too much of hard work to reach this point and it would be crazy to restudy the things I've already studied and passed.
too many students are suffering from the same decision, some of them came to Jordan last year and applied to universities in Jordan and continued their studies but they didn't bring their degrees with them but they were willing to bring it from baghdad this vacation, but with this decision the jordanian ministry won't give credit to their degrees which means they have to restudy the things they studied again.
some of my friends who are still in Baghdad and they wanted to come to Jordan heared about this decision and they decided not to come here but to stay in Baghdad and bear the risks of staying their only to complete their studies.
I'm really sorry for Iraqis, my heart bleed with every sad story I hear about an Iraqi family without shelter or Iraqi student who can't finish his studies, or an Iraqi worker who can't work to put food on the table, or a story about an Iraqi who got kicked out of Jordan because he didn't have residency...and with etc... of stories.