In the heart of the Middle East, just northwest of the Persian Gulf, lies a country that for many years has been the among the chief concerns of the rest of the world.
Iraq, the land of two rivers, the cradle of civilization. It lays claim to an almost mythical past of ancient kings and powerful dynasties. How painfully ironic that one of history’s earliest set of recorded laws-the Code of Hammurabi-should have come from the same land that now appears so lawless.
As a Canadian of Iraqi descent, I am haunted by the images and reports relating the news from across the Atlantic. The stories of car bombs and kidnappings-with dozens left dead or missing, day after day-are deeply distressing and sickening. It is impossible for a few sterile words written on newsprint to genuinely express the currently conflicted sentiments of Iraqis living in their native land or scattered in diasporas across the globe. Needless to say, while the official end of Saddam’s brutal regime has revived the once barren fields of hope for Iraqis, the daily tragedies that they witness make many wonder when salvation will arrive.
Personally, I have been very troubled by the persistent characterizations of the present conflict as an Iraqi “civil war.” Not a day passes by without another article or news story describing the “volatile” state of the region. The terms Sunni and Shia are now commonly associated with aggression and hostility.
Yet it has not always been this way in Iraq. Islam was introduced to the region in 636 AD, and since then, Iraq has been a part of the Islamic empire. In terms of its religious makeup, Muslims comprise 97 per cent of the population, of which approximately 65 per cent are of the Shia sect, and approximately 32 per cent are of the Sunni sect. Iraq is composed of a mosaic of nationalities-the Arabs and the Kurds are the most prominent, but there are also the Turks, Assyrians, Madeans, and many others.
With such a complex constitution, it may be easy to imagine that there would be much political and religious conflict between the various groups, since this is often the case, to some degree, wherever different cultures and ideologies intersect. What is essential to understand, however, is that the cultural landscape of the country has remained rather consistent for a very long time. That is to say, the Sunni and Shia Muslims, the Arabs and the Kurds, have all coexisted for many years-they have not been recently introduced to each other, nor are they viciously rejecting the arrangement now, though that is what current media reports would have the general public believe.
Of course, I cannot and do not claim that all ethnic and religious groups in Iraq have always lived together in unspoiled peace and harmony. Yet, I would like to stress that the animosity depicted in news reports from Iraq by no means reflects the feelings between native Iraqis.
Since the start of the war, terrorists (the so-called insurgents) have steadily entered the country from virtually all of Iraq’s borders. Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran have all allowed radicals to cross into Iraq to fuel the ire of the population and instigate ethnic clashes between the Iraqi people. In essence, Iraq’s neighbouring countries have seized this opportunity to fight their own turf wars and snatch whatever power and land they can from Iraq. The anger and violence that has erupted within the nation has been incited from without, not from within.
Iraqis are brave, hard-working people. They are scientists and philosophers, entrepreneurs and artists. Above all, Iraqis are incredibly resolute and resilient. Though four decades of severe dictatorship have resulted in endless destruction and misfortune, Iraqis still persevere and still hold hope for the future.
Saddam has been executed, with more dignity than he accorded his many victims. Yet his harrowing legacy of treachery and misinformation is far from being extinguished. It is nearly impossible to find an Iraqi who cannot readily relate an account of some tragedy that has befallen his or her close family and friends. The countless mass graves-it is unknown how many lie undiscovered-serve as but one reminder of an inhuman regime that for far too long clouded the minds and hearts of Iraqis around the world.
It is imperative that not only all Iraqis, but also all who wish to champion truth and justice worldwide, stay informed and follow reason when discussing the situation in Iraq. Let us firmly refuse to let Iraq become the unwilling platform for international aggression and power struggles.
