Iraqi American

2006-02-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone; I miss Blogging and I will do my best to write again.

2004-08-18T15:52:00.000-05:00

If you are following Muqtada’s story like I am you would know that according to all the news and most of the press out there he accepted the government position by disarming his thugs and leave the Shrine. However, if you read what Al-Jazeera wrote earlier on their website, you would think that Muqtada did not accept the deal. On the other hand some of the Iraqi press is saying that Iran had a lot to do with Muqtada’s decision about accepting the deal. Take the deal now and save your guys because we need you later.
My take on this whole thing is, it is wrong to let Muqtada or any of his thugs go free just because they put their weapons down. This was the biggest test for Allawi’s government and I feel they failed miserably. Falluja got away with murder, Muqtada got away with murder, and God only knows who is going to rise up in the future and do what Muqtada did. I feel that by sparing Muqtada’s life this government is inviting all the thugs in and all around Iraq to come in and bear arms. This is the wrong message to send to all the terrorist groups out there because they will be viewed as weak and indecisive government.
I realize it is easy for me to say all this because I am sitting in a nice air conditioned office in a nice peaceful environment. And they are in the middle of the fire but I think you can not allow these group to control your destiny in life other wise might as well fold now and go home. The more I speak with people in Baghdad they say the same thing and that is please get rid of Muqtada. I called Baghdad yesterday asking about the situation and how they are doing, my older brother said to me, we are sitting and watching a volcano; if it erupts we are finished. And if does not erupts, it will in the future but we don’t know when. The situation in Iraq is fluid and it is unsafe for everyone however, the government can do something about it by winning these young poor people before someone like Muqtada recruit them all.

2004-08-13T10:05:00.000-05:00

The People of Iraq;
Yesterday I was listening to Radio Sawa from Iraq and I listened to the daily press conference of the interior minister Mr. Shaalan. He said something that is interesting and that is “there is a conspiracy against the Iraqi people”. He did not say the Iraqi government, he said the people of Iraq is been targeted by other countries. He did not specify the others nor did he elute to whom he was talking about. However, one other minister was doing that and earlier Mr. AlNaqeeb the defense minister said Iran should stop supporting the terrorist. And he kept attacking Iran and everyone of us was wandering what information do they have that we don’t know about. Well, for those who can read Arabic, check this link out http://www.iraq4allnews.dk/viewnews.php?id=59968 ; it turns out to be an alliance between four groups to make sure Iraq never becomes a democratic nation. Iran’s mullahs, Wohabies, ex-Baathest, and Muqtada are united to bring Iraq into choas. Based on this article the head of the Jerusalem brigade of the Iranian revolutionary guards General Kassem Suleiman has been spending a lot of time in Iraq. He has given Al-Zarqawi as well as Anssar al Islam a free passage to Iran for money, support, and intelligence. Also the Iranians have made a decision it is better to have a choatic Iraq than a democratic Iraq. So someone asked General Kassem Suleiman the Iranian who is in charge of this mission, why does Iran want Iraq to go into chaos? His response was it is better for Iran’s long run to deal with chaotic Iraq than dealing with a democratic Iraq controlled by America. So the second question was how are you doing that and his response was, we are going to Arm Muqtada with weapon and men and let them fight all they want. Today listening to Iraqi officials from Najaf, they have arrested 1200 men from Al-Mahdi Army in the last 5 days of fighting, none of them were Iraqis nor do they speak Arabic. That is a big number for a city like Najaf.
I think the Iraqi government is well aware of what is going on and they are taking the fight to the enemy. And what is more important than that is they have the support of the Iraqi people. I know the media here shows otherwise, but believe me when I say this, the majority of the Shia, Sunni, Christians, and Kurds are in favor of this Iraqi government. However, the media here are well as in the Arab world are concentrating on the minority only.
For those who can read the article and would like to translate it word to word, I would be more than happy to posted in their name.

2004-08-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

It is Muqtada again
Last time Muqtada started the fighting it was the US Army in power and most of the Iraqi people did not agree with Muqtada but did not say anything because they are afraid of his people. Now we have an Iraqi government and an Iraqi face not to mention a prime minister who is a Shia. So my question to Muqtada is what is it you want this time? I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Muqtada. I sure hope it’s the end for this guy and all his army. I am also wondering if the Iraqi government is true to their words about what they said yesterday that they will not negotiate with Muqtada, which means they will either crush him and his thugs or arrest them all. Last time we had this saga, we had the Americans in power and they said the same thing the Iraqi government said, we either kill or arrest him and what happen they left him and his thugs get stronger.
I am sure Mr. Allawi is a smart individual and I am sure he is well aware of the fact that if he leaves Muqtada alone, he will always be a problem. When I speak to people in Iraq and specially the ones who live in Najef, the majority are saying the same thing and that is please get rid of Muqtada. I heard that from so many people on both side of the aisle Sunni as well as Shia. Please Mr. Allawi the sooner you clean Iraq from thugs like Muqtada the better Iraqis are. I am quite positive that Mr. Allawi is hearing this from so many people all around him as well as foreign governments, however, the same response and that is we are working on it. But I think they are not working hard enough to clean these places nor are they working smart enough to get the majority of the people on their side.
I realize there are so many challenges facing this young government however they need to involve the people. Crime is created from poverty and I believe you have the money to crush poverty, why not do it? Like Nike slogan says “JUST DO IT”.

2004-07-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I wrote anything, I have been real busy here at work. I have been watching the convention and todayI got this email I had to share with you all.
Here it goes:
There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq during the month of January....In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq.
When some claim President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state thefollowing ... FDR...led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us: Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.
Truman... finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,334 per year.
John F. Kennedy...started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us. Johnson...turned Vietnam into a quagmire. Vietnam never attacked us. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.
Clinton...went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent,Bosnia never attackedus.He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions. In the two years since terrorists attacked US! President Bush has ... liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.
The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking, but.. It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51 day operation. We've been looking for evidence of chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find her Rose Law Firm billing records. It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick, drowning Mary Jo.

2004-07-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

Iraqis today
I am so happy about the news I keep hearing from Iraq because things are getting much better for them. Some times I am afraid to say that because every time I think things are improving, something bad would happen. But this time I am so optimistic because the good news is coming from all directions. Finally the IP is rounding up all the thugs and criminals, the surrounding countries are finally getting the message that deal with the new Iraq or there will be no trading in the future, and not to mention the insurgency is fighting among them about how to go about fighting who. I would like to consider few facts:
One would be that the US and the coalitions had an idea about how hard the average Iraqi were living and they were making it harder so when Allawi takes control and he starts cleaning up the country, take care of these issues, Allawi would look good (not physically, he needs to lose about 50 LB). In the eye of the Iraqis, he is elect-able again because he did something about their miserable lives. The other scenario would be that Allawi is really good, the US and the coalitions have nothing to do with his success. He is a good Iraqi patriot that is willing to do what it takes to clean house. Or maybe little bit of both, it does not matter anymore because something is being done about it. I am hopeful about the future of Iraq because once things go back to normal and people start working and making money, they will forget this hard period of their lives. In 1994 I went to see my family in Istanbul, Turkey because I could not go inside Iraq. When we got together and they were sharing their stories about the first gulf war, I remember it was a lot worst than it is now. But they have forgotten those days because they got other problems on their hands now. With time lives will improve for the average Iraqi and these days will be long gone “Inshallaha”.

2004-07-01T15:43:00.000-05:00

This morning waking up to the TV watching Saddam being arraigned is a great day in my life. However, he looked he resigned to his fate. The ultimate point for me the whole broadcast is when he asked the judge “Please if you allow me” and I thought since when did Saddam asks for a permission to do anything. I was telling my wife wait for the rest of the day and watch all the sympathizers will feel sorry because he looks so sad and innocent, he is going to play the cameras as well as the average person on the streets. I believe in justice and I believe everyone should get representation in court. But my friends let me tell you this man dose not deserve any justice and he should be shot in front of the millions of Iraqis. I am not going to get into why I think that because if you have been reading my blog, you would know my views in Saddam and his clans.
Great reviews from Inside Iraq, pretty much all the people in the south and specifically in Najef are so happy about today, they were given away sweets on the streets. I was listening to RadioSawa as well as other Iraqi news agencies and the majority of the people who were interviewed on the radio said the same thing and that is they want the death penalty for Saddam and his guys. Actually a lot of them said they would not accept anything less than the death penalty for Saddam and his clan.

2004-06-30T16:12:00.000-05:00

Big day
Tomorrow will be the day that every Iraqi is waiting for; we will get to see Saddam being led to his arraignment. I am hoping that they show us Saddam in more than just a picture.
Although, some people are writing about what Salaam Al Chaliabi said about his first meeting with Saddam today, the fact is I and I am sure millions of people are waiting to see the biggest criminal in Iraq’s history on TV. I am so anxious about tomorrow because I would like to see this monster being showed to the whole world and specifically on Al-Jazeera so all his supporters see him like the cowered he is.
The fact is no Iraqi had ever though that Saddam would be captured and tried in an Iraqi court. When they captured Slobodan Milosevic, some of my friends and I were laughing at that because we though that Saddam would simply put a bullet in his head and would never go through the humiliation. I hope and I pray that the court in Iraq would not execute him until every person in his cabinet gets executed right in front of him first.
I would like to see him more humiliated than anyone can ever imagine. I also, would like to see all his clans, ministers, family members to be humiliated too. What this person has done to Iraq and its people is unforgivable.

2004-06-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

New Day
Today is new day and it is a great day for all Iraqis and for freedom lovers. I have been waiting for a day like today for the last twenty two years I have lived here in the states. I as well as so many Iraqis thought we would never see a day like today. However, the day the coalitions decide to proceed toward Baghdad, I thought that is the beginning to a new era. Anyway that is that and we have to look forward and toward the future of Iraq. There are so much potential for Iraq as a country not to mention the people of Iraq. Now they have tasted some freedom they will never let go of it, I am certain of that. I am extremely optimistic about the new government and the new Iraq. I believe that Dr. Allawi will do something to defeat the terrorist and the ex-loyalist and that is because he has a plan (god knows what it is but I know he has a plan). I have spoken with people in Baghdad three times in the last two days and they are telling me, they already see changes on the streets of Baghdad, they are happier, they are optimistic, they are full of hope, and over all they are committed to defeating Al-Qaeda. I believe as long as the coalitions continue to help Allawi and his government, the future is bright and the end is near for Al-Zarqawi and his clans “Inshallaha”.

2004-06-23T13:03:00.000-05:00

Al-Zarqawi Vs Allawi

Who will win this fight? They have been fighting for the last fourteen months however, this time the fight is different because it is between an Iraqi (powerful individual) and one big and bad terrorist. Maybe it is a hunch, maybe it is luck, and maybe it is wishful thinking on my part but I believe this time Allawi will win. I have a lot of faith in Allawi and I think he is going to mobilize everything against Al-Zarqawi. The fight between us and Al-Qaeda has entered a new front and next few months it will be crucial for the Iraqis to prove themselves. I believe Allawi has the ingredients to win this fight because the news coming out of Iraq are getting better by the day (I know the Us media does not show that), the ordinary people are feeling that Allawi might do something for them. Therefore, I believe they will work hard to help him, not to mention that there are more people signing up for the arm forces and police forces. I know the majority of Iraqis do not want the Wahabies to win this fight. And that is why I think Allawi will win this fight.

2004-06-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today I got approached by a friend of mine who has started an orphanage house in Iraq to help with fund rising as well as logistics. Because of the war and all the hardship Saddam created over the years, there are so many kids without parents and it is time for us to help them. I believe it is the best way to show the world and the Iraqis particularly the good deeds that is coming from this country. Our troops has done so much for Iraqis and they continue to do so, some of it will not be apparent for years to come and some of it will be forgotten right away. However, the fact is America has done a great deal of service to the Iraqis as a nation by removing Saddam and his clans from power. Not to mention all the economic help Iraq will receive from the US and its allies for next few years. But think about the kids who are forgotten because they don’t have anyone to help them. It is time to win the hearts and minds of the people and not worry about the politics. If you have any comments, suggestions, concern, and if you can help even if it was just an advice, please email it to me directly.

2004-06-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

IS FALUJA A HOME TO AL-QAEDA?????

I am sure you have heard about the missile attack that occurred over the weekend in Faluja. The US planes hit a house that was hosting some of the AL-Qaeda elements and maybe some of the ex-Baathest. According to the news coming out of Baghdad this weekend, someone notified the coalitions of a meeting that was going to take a place in this house. Al-Qaeda members trying to have a meeting and plan something when they got an un-expected visitor, this is exactly what we need to root these guys out of Iraq. What I find ironic is that AL-Jazeera TV network normally loves this kind of action and they would be all over it. However, this time there was little to almost none mention of the attack. No pictures showing of the individuals who got their justice. This is a big indication that the attack was not a mistake nor is the people who got killed are innocent civilians. Good job and thank you to whoever told on them, we need more of it.

2004-06-18T16:09:00.000-05:00

Al-Qaeda in Iraq?

Al-Qaeda has demonstrated that they can do a lot of damage among the ordinary people. Al-Qaeda continues to attack innocent, helpless, some times poor, and importantly only unarmed individuals. My proposal to the new Iraqi government is why don’t you create a group of lethal and ruthless punch of guys who can go after Al-Qaeda inside Iraq? I am sure the American has more than one group from the Special Forces that are assigned to Al-Qaeda however, these guys are not Iraqis and they would not be as effective as an elite Iraqi force would be. An elite Iraqi force can do the following better:
They would blend in with the public.
They speak the language without an accent.
They can disguise their appearance once they are among the people.
They don’t need to carry heavy weaponry but they need to be sophisticated.
They should have no loyalty to any party, region, ethnic, and/or any other affiliations other than the Iraqi government.
At the end of the day, we must eliminate this threat because it is not only a threat to the west it even a bigger threat to the Middle East.

2004-06-01T22:09:00.000-05:00

The New Iraq
The beginning for the new Iraq has started and the people of Iraq finally got a government they should be proud of. I was so happy this morning watching the new Iraqi government and the names of those ministers and of course the new president. There was one moment during the whole ceremony that equated to the moment when they announced the capture of Saddam and that is when they announced the new president of Iraq, to me that was a dream comes true. I believe most of us young Iraqis when we hear the phrase president of Iraq, we think of Saddam and only Saddam. Well, history was made today Saddam and his clans have no chance of getting the power or any position in the new Iraq. Iraq is changing and I believe it is changing toward a free and democratic Iraq. I spoke with my family in Baghdad twice today and they are so excited about the new government, my brother was telling me that we all are praying for these guys and Inshallaha god will be with them. I think this is a new era for us and for the Middle East as a whole. Listening to all the names that were announced today, you can not, but think that this new government is the most educated individuals among all the governments in the Middle East. Most of them have a doctorate in their fields of expertise not to mention a lot of them have lived and gained there experience in the west. With the help of the US and the rest of the world, I believe these guys will definitely get Iraq out of this mess.

2004-05-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

How many of you like I was sitting watching the war in the early days of it and thinking oh my god Saddam is going nowhere because of the fights that happened in “Al-fao”, Nasria, Amara, and Alkufel. And many more like those fights as the marines were approaching Baghdad, most of us Iraqi Americans thought oh no… Saddam is going to use WMD and the Americans will pull out of this mess. We all were watching the war thought the eyes of the embedded journalist as well as the pictures that were coming out of Iraq 24 hours later. None of us (ordinary people) new the US had the republican guards in their pockets, the marines where in Baghdad two days before we knew about it. And I believe the majority of the war we watched was designed to draw our attention and draw some of the fighters to it. The reason I bring this up now is because the same thing is happening on the political seen in Iraq. We watch Ahmed Chalabi, Muqtada, and few others get slapped around but the real politics as well as major players are being chosen for the new Iraq. The Bush administration inherited a country that is divested, its infrastructure is divested, the people’s moral were shattered, and the economy was none existence. To build all of that, they would need a miracle and people that believe in building the country. I think the Bush administration has been working for a while on who is going to take control of Iraq once they turn the power over, however we don’t hear about it because we are pre-occupied with what we see on TV. If the names we are hearing on the news are true and they do manage to stay alive for a while, then Iraq has great future. I have been told many times that I am to optimistic because the way I think and what I think about the future of Iraq. I think we will see couple of good leaders coming up and they are going to take Iraq to the next level. I am excited about the names I am hearing because these guys are all educated in the west and share the same values and vision that I share about Iraq. Also happen to think that these guys would concentrate on important issues facing Iraqis, the lack of education, the bigotry that Saddam instilled in people, and how to live among the rest of the world without wars. Teaching people to love education, to love one another, and instill in the kids peace and not war. It is mission impossible but I think it is going to be done in the next five to ten years if these guys get the support they need and also a big if, if we can get rid of the Wohabies in Iraq.

2004-05-23T09:54:00.000-05:00

Ahmed Al-CHalabi
Cjean wrote this on the comments “Well, if Shia don't want a Sunni President (or whatever the head of the government will be called), and Sunni don't want a Shia, and a Christian is out of the question, then perhaps it needs to be an agnostic -- a believer in a supreme being but conforms to no one's rules of worship.”
Well, I think this is exactly what is going to happen in Iraq in the coming years. I believe (I am sticking my nick out there when I say this) but I believe the US is going to make that happen and the way they are going about it is by creating a leader through the eyes of the Iraqis. There is no way they are going to allow a person like Muqtada to advance his ideas as well as take control of any of the cities in the south. So, I think choosing a leader like Ahmed Al-Chalabi will do the job however Ahmed’s reputation among the Iraqi people is not good at all, for a lot of different reasons. So, by slapping Ahmed around couple of times as well as discrediting he is going to make him an elect able person in Iraq. Remember what happen in Germany about a year or so ago “Schroeder” ran on the fact he is apposed to the US and he won. I think the same think is going to happen in Iraq and whoever runs against the US and their occupation will win an election and become the leader of Iraq.

2004-05-20T14:19:00.000-05:00

Is it time to say the conflict between the Sunni and the Shia has started? Or is it time to evaluate the conflict between the Pentagon and the state department? How are these two issues even related to Iraqi politics? It does seem that the pentagon supports the Shia in the GC and the state department supports all the Sunnis in the GC. And because they are at odds with each other it is time to start shaking up different members of the GC according to their denomination in Islam. So the pentagon is going to be out in about 30 days and the state department is going to take over therefore we must change some of the people around and shake some of them around. The current president of the GC (Shia) killed, Dr. Chalibi is fired as an American confidant, fighting moving from Sunni Triangle to Shia areas, and the most of all is the announcement by Ibrahimi and that is the new Iraqi president must be a Sunni. It was very well played and designed schema because all the changes are happening at the same time and not only in Iraq but here in the states too. Leaking the pictures from the prison to the media and having Rammy testifying in front of all the cameras in the world. Off course I have no evidence of any of these theories other than trying to put the facts together and analyze why are these changes happening now. But since we are going to talk about conspiracy theories then here is my theory to the whole mess:
I think that since the US and specifically the state department was given the job of winning the support of the Arab countries. Mr. Powel went around and asked of the Arabs “what is it you want from us?” Off course the Arabs hate the fact that they lost their beloved boy “Saddam” and even worse than that is the Shia in Iraq because they are gaining grounds and might get the government. If you follow international politics, there are four players that don’t like these facts on the ground in Iraq and they are Syria, Jordan, Saudi, and Egypt. So, they started to mobilize their connections and meet among themselves and decide what should happen in Iraq for the Iraqi people. The reason I think that is because when you read Arabic press and watch the Arabic media you kind get the feeling that the Arabs are not happy with the way things are going in Iraq.
1. They lost Saddam (he used to take a lot of the heat from the USA) now it could be them.
2. They hate the fact that the Shia in Iraq might rule the country and if they ever join forces with the Iranians they could be dangerous.
3. Iraq might become the only country in the region that is prosperous, business orientated, good education, freedom in religion, and it could be a democratic society (God forbid).
4. What if the Kurds get there own country, they already fly their flag in Kurdistan.
Before the war started all the Arabs came out load and said, the region can not take all the changes and we are not used to freedom of choice. But that was before the war and now it might happen. So, they will do anything in their power to put a stop to it. This is my conspiracy theory and it is only based on reading the history of what I am reading.

2004-05-18T19:46:00.000-05:00

Wake up and smell the coffee:

When the Shia in Iraq is going to wake up and smell the coffee? They have been the target by all the countries around them including Iran for all these years. Al-Zarquawee came out load and announced it and others work covertly. Al-Zarquawee is working so hard to get civil war going between the Shia and the Sunni or between the Shia themselves. He has targeted a lot of the Shia head figures and their students. All the bombs and explosions are targeting either Shia members of the GC, police stations in a Shia neighborhoods, doctors, and professors. Al-Zarquawee documented that in a 17 pages document that was going to go to Bin Laden as of how, who, when, and where he is going to do all that. He started the whole mess in Faluja, they fought and they killed 100 GIs in a month but somehow some of the Arab countries as well as so called the Muslim Org (Sunni group) managed to get the cease fire and convinced the Americans to stop the fighting. Now Al-Zarquawee managed to get into Muqtada’s head and convince him that let us combine armies and fight the infidels in your holy city of Najaf and/or Karbala. The Muslim Org sends Muqtada 8 trucks worth of what (maybe weapons) and as soon as they arrived in Najef they attacked Al-Sistani house. It would have been a perfect senrio for Al-Zarquawee, let’s kill Al-Sistani and blame Muqtada and then kill Muqtada and say it was revenge from Al-Sistani's people. Every time I call Iraq and ask why is this happing? Or how is this happening? And so on and so forth, I get the same answer and that is “they are foreign fighters”. They penetrated the city of Najef and Karbala and that only happened since the cease fire they got in Faluja and moved all there arms into Najef and Karbala, they are fighting, killing, and effectively creating a big mess. I hope the Iraqis and specifically the Shia wakes up and smell the coffee, other wise it is the end for you.

2004-05-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

Watching the news and listening to all the news channels talk about Neck Berg and how he was killed, made me feel sick to my stomach, then I was thinking isn’t it why we are at war with the Al-Qaeda?. They are not representatives of Islam, they are punch of thugs, criminals use Islam to be out there and execute their plans.
I hope to God that the US army finds those five guys and behead them the same way they did to Nick. Also, I am so optimistic that Iraq will get a government and president that will change one law and that is capital punishment and clean out the whole country from those thugs (beheading them is fine with me). Few bad soldiers did what they did at Abu Grebe prison and the whole world gets bend out of shape about humanity, I don’t see any one from the Arab world voicing their opinion to condemn Nick’s killing or the inhumanity these Al-Qaeda showed on the video tape. Also where are the Imams, head of states, and Muslim leaders in the Arab world to say something about this crime? I did not see on Aljazeera much about the beheading of an innocent man just because he happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I am praying that the Iraqis stay away from this hypocrisy and tell the Arabs to leave us a lone because our lives are much better without your help. The life of the avargae person has improved tremendously, business has improved tremendously, and the future is better than what we had before.
It is incomparable between the Americans and the Al-Qaeda because the difference is day and night. And I know first hand that the people on the streets see that difference unfortunately they do not voice their views because they are afraid of the thugs. When I went to Baghdad last Aug and then this March, both times you hear it among the people saying, we did not have this when Saddam was in power. And every once in while you hear someone saying damn the Americans because of ………… and before you know it, few Iraqis reply back saying you should look around you, you can speak freely because of the Americans.
It is time to have an Iraqi leader who can take this country out of this mess by getting rid of the Wohabies and finish Al-Qaeda.

2004-05-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

It is the beginning of the end for Muqtada:

I talked with people in Najef today and I heard that the locals in Najef gave Muqtada till Friday to leave the city or they will kill him themselves. I also heard that the coalitions got a petition from 150 Shia leaders to finish Muqtada before the dead lines. The more Muqtada and his people speak the more it is evident that they are thugs who worked for the old regime and they want their jobs back. Their jobs were terrorizing the people of Iraq, stealing from the local population, and making sure Iraq and the Iraqis do not move forward.
On Radio Sawa (www.radiosawa.com) today they interviewed people on the street in Al Sadar city and from all the interviews they had, one person was extremely interesting in what he said, he said "we were about seven people in a van going from al-Sadar city to Baghdad city center we were six men and one woman. At a check point for an Al Mahdi army they stopped us to look inside and when they saw a young lady riding with us, they asked her where are you going, she replied that she is going to work, so they said to her step out and we will take you to work". He said we were stunned and no one can say anything because it is a perfect case for abduction and if you voice your opinion, you would be killed too. This is the Mahdi Army and there ethics.
I am sorry this is taking so long but the fact is Muqtada will be gone soon. I predict the next two to three night there will be some big fighting among the local people and MuqtadaÂs guys. If that happens, it will show one thing to the Iraqis as well as the bin LadenÂs people that we are not going to take this crap from you anymore. Also, it will send a message to anyone who is thinking about rising up in the future against the people to terrorize them in the name of their cause. Enough that we have to sit back and take this crap from thugs like Muqtada and Bin laden, in the name of Islam they kill, hurt, and terrorize people.

2004-05-07T16:33:00.000-05:00

Two traits a human being should not have because it leads to destruction. One is being stubborn and the other is being stupid. Saddam had both of these two traits and now Muqtada is on the same path. How stupid can Muqtada be if he thinks that he is going to fight the American forces? Actually yesterday afternoon the people of Kufa went out to the streets and started to throughing stones at Al Mahdi Army. So today Muqtada's Aids took to the big Shrine in Kufa and announced out load (That the People of Kufa are punch of hippocrates because they are not supporting Muqtada in his cause). According to the stories coming out of Najef that some of his army personal are fleeing their posts and giving up their weapons under perssure. I know it was a fact that when Saddam was in power, none of his aids can tell him the truth about the state of affairs in Iraq because they were afraid for their lives ( that is the way Saddam operated). I would like to know what are Muqtada's aids telling him about the situation on the streets and are they telling him that he being so stubborn and stupid. I am thinking that the only person Muqtada is missing on his stuff is “Baghdad Bob” Al-Sahaf.

2004-05-06T13:22:00.000-05:00

It is ironic how all the explosion and the bombing came back to Baghdad since the Americans left Falluja alone. I have been reading on Iraqi’s websites and one American email had suggested that the best solution for Falluja is to nuke them. I though what a mean and ruthless way of dealing with the insurgent but is there another way to deal with these of low life scum bags. The reports out of Baghdad had suggested that since the siege of Falluja, there were law activities on the side of the insurgency in Baghdad. Well they are back because their only goal is to reap havoc and cause causality for the Iraqis and the coalitions. So people in Baghdad be ready the explosions, kidnapping, looting, stealing, and killing of innocent people are back to you (Ben Laden calls it MUQAUMA). It is the duty of every Iraqi living inside Iraq to start the trend of telling on the insurgency, where they hide, what are they doing, and what are they going to do.

2004-05-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

The news coming out Najef is the US Marines are fighting the Mahdi Army. This could be dangerous if it continues and if it gets messy like the fight in Falluja, a lot of inocent people can be killed for no reason. We saw that happen in Falluja and it was done carefully by the insurgents. I believe those fighters have succeeded in changing the views of the Iraqis about the American Army and all the good deed they have done. The stories coming out of Najef, is similar to the Falluja one because the same fighters are coming into Najef and trying to start the fight there. One incident happened last weekend, there were 40-50 fighters with heavy arms and unti-aircraft missiles coming into the city and wanted to go into the second biggest shrine in Kufa (where Muqtada is), the head of the Masque told them they could not go in and they are not allowed to carry arms inside the Masque. According to the story, the fighters told the people and the head of the Masque that “We are your brothers from Falluja, we are here to fight with you” and they went around the main gate and punched a hole into the back wall of the Masque just so they can get their heavy arms in the Masque. According to the story, their arms and the entire weapon they had would not go through the main gate. I don’t know what happen after that to this particular incident but the facts are coming out of Najef and there are a lot more stories about who is behind all the fighting that happen last month.
I believe it is time to pull the rug from underneath Muqtada. I think it is easy to do because there are so many Iraqis disgusted by Muqtada and his clans; they are willing to cooperate with the CPA as well as the GC. There are a lot of stories of harassment coming out of Najef by Muqtada’s army, the average person on the street is now remembering the Saddam days and they don’t want to go through the past. Thank you Muqtada for cutting your own throat, and now I hope the CPA takes advantage of this.

2004-05-04T23:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. President;
It would not hurt you if you come out on TV and say I am sorry and what happened in the prison will never happen again. You are dealing with Iraqi and Arabs and showing a sign of weakens is not a crime. No one is going to fined you responsible, you are the president and they are the soldiers and they committed a crime and that is it. Life goes on. People in the Arab world do not hate the American people or for that matter America. But it is a fact that your media project the fact that the Arab world hates you (this is so not true). The people in the Arab world hate the fact that you act like a cowboy.
And even a more powerful gesture and that is if John Abe Zaid the commander in the region if came out and spoke in Arabic and explained to the people that what happen in the prison does not reflect his views nor does it reflect the views of the arm forces and he knows that because is he the commander of these forces. He should speak to the Arab media as an American Arab commander.

2004-05-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

By now everyone has seen the pictures and the atrocities that were committed by the Six GIs in the prison in Baghdad. And I have found even more disturbing pictures than the ones they aired (they are so bad the site is off line anymore). I hope these guys get their punishment and I hope the pentagon makes an example out of them. I am not that old but I am sure that these kinds of incidents have happened before when we were in Korea, Japan, Germany, and all the other places before Iraq. I am not justifying their action but these six guys do not represent the majority of the 150,000 soldiers in Iraq. It is no different from the fact that some people looted in Baghdad after the fall of the regime however they do not represent the majority of Iraqi people. I am hoping one thing comes out of this ordeal and that is national patriotism among Iraqis. I have a problem with the way that most Iraqis feel toward the Americans and the coalitions and all of that is caused by the media mostly. The Al-Qaeda have bombed school busses, killed police men, killed innocent by standard, and attached our holy places. Yet I don’t see any Iraqis taken to the street demonstrating against all Al-Qaeda. I don’t see any GC member, Muslim clergy, and or and other newly formed party taken to the street against Al-Qaeda and their leadership. All the above I mentioned have condemned terrorism but I feel that is not enough. I think it is time for the CPA, GC, and every party in Iraq to start targeting the Al-Qaeda and specifically Osama Ben Laden. Where are the Iraqi voices when they bomb a hotel, school bus, and/or kill Iraqi Police? I think it is time for Iraqi leadership to rise up and I feel that is what we are lacking in Iraq. It is easy to blame the coalition and/or the GC but in reality we should blame ourselves and the way Saddam has the whole country thinking for all these years. I know it is hard to change the habits of thirty five years in thirteen months and also know it is easy said than it is done. I am an optimist and I feel that we should keep trying till we succeed. I hope the US and the CPA truly promote democracy in Iraq and that has to be taught to people. Also encourage leadership among the majority of people (by majority, I don’t mean the Shia only).

2004-04-29T10:20:00.000-05:00

Are the Americans occupying the Iraqis or the Iraqi insurgent occupying the Americans? Let us face it without the support of the majority of Iraqis whether Shia, Sunni, Christians, Kurds, and Turkmen’s the coalitions will not advance one inch with their reconstructions of Iraq. Without the reconstruction of Iraq, the US and its allies are in trouble. What I don’t get is that why the CPA is not involving the Iraqis and trying to pre-occupying them with things they have to think about, in another word make them busy. This is what Saddam did for so many years to the whole population. I will give you one example about involving people in the process (one out of many). It would have been a great idea to hold a contest on choosing a flag from 10 samples (or whatever # of samples). Let the people of Iraq choose something like a flag and that would have been the first listen to teach the people what democracy. The majority will win peacefully and teach them how to campaign among the students, tribes, women, and men. Sometimes I feel that the CPA does not like to make their lives easier, nor are they doing the right thing.
I was in Iraq about two months ago, and I saw for the first time and first hand the transformation of people and how they look at us in America (They loved the fact that Saddam is no longer exist and all his security men are gone). There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that all the descions are made inside the palace and the CPA has the final say on everything. This was my second trip to Iraq since the fall of the regime and I am convinced that the CPA is making it so hard for them that the ordinary Iraqi hates the seen of the Humvee on the street. The CPA needs to approach things much differently, they need to listen to the ordinary Iraqi, and they need to show them that they care about the people. Unfortunately the CPA listens to the top dogs like (Chlabi, Alaoi, Bachichi, and all the rest of in the GC) but you ought to take in consideration that these guys have not lived in Iraq for a long time and I don’t think they are in touch with reality, they have their own ulterior motives. The CPA makes the ordinary Iraqi’s life so hard because they don’t discriminate between the Saddam supporter and the Saddam haters. I believe the American troops were looked as a favorable force when they came in and the people of Iraq loved the fact that they got rid of Saddam, however, thanks to the GC and the stupid decisions from the CPA now the people hates the presence of Americans and anything is associated with the CPA. I never thought I would hear it from a cousin that his own brother was executed by Saddam’s people, and he said to me three days ago “I wish Saddam is back”. I think this is extremely dangerous for the CPA and the coalitions.
It is going to take a while to regain everyone’s trust.

2004-04-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

Any Predictions on Muqtada:
How long is he going to last?
Is he going to be killed by America or the new Iraqi government?
Is the CPA going to give him immunity like they are doing to the Ex-Baathest?
Finally today the Houza told Muqtada politely to leave Najef and Kufa. To leave and take his army with him, and told him you can fight out side the city if you want. I hope Muqtada does not think he is stronger than Saddam, how could he forget just a year and some ago the Americans gave Saddam 48 hours and then they unleashed on him. In a letter on the internet today, the Houza told Muqtada, you should not bring destruction and harm to the whole holy city of Najef. In the letter it even mentions imam Hussein when he left Mecca once he realized that he is going to get killed.
Why would Muqtada think that he is above and/or better than all the people and the Houza who stood aside to watch the coalitions help the people in the south?
Why would anyone think that Muqtada can take care of the Shia in Iraq better than the coalitions can?
Why would Muqtada think that he is any wiser than Ali Al-Sistani? Why didn’t the Houza issue a fetou to declare the Jihad against the coalitions?
I want to say to you Ya Muqtada, if you strap some bomb on your chest and go ahead of your army maybe and maybe someone like you will follow you.
Show us the way brother.

2004-04-27T10:37:00.000-05:00

Can the hole get any deeper for the CPA?
According to some of the resources inside Iraq, the CPA is negotiating with some of the Ex-Baathest in their jails to expel the top leaders from the party in exchange for their freedom and then a post with the new government. The leaders that have to be expelled are people like Saddam and his two sons, Tariq Azeez, and few other names that are either dead or captured (there is a list of names on the internet). Will this policy help the CPA in their mission to get control of the country? They worked so hard to get the hearts and minds of the people, but with a decision like this one, all the hard work is down the drain. I like many other Iraqis never joined the bath party just because I left Iraq when I was young, but there are a lot of people had to join because they had to. The Baath party is an ideology that a lot of people believed in and some of those people are kind, honest, and serious about serving their country, I don’t think that all should be punished because they joined the party. However, the top people are the bad apples and they were the ones that caused all the hardship among the majority of the people. They should be punished and they should pay the price for their crimes and there were a lot of them. Also there were a lot of middle layer that committed a lot more of the crimes than the top leaders did because that was their way of advancing to the top. Saddam inserted it in their minds that the more you kill, hurt, and cause problems for others, the more you were rewarded. The rewards could be a car, a house, and off course the ultimate one money. I say to the CPA and the pentagon, please don’t reward them again for their crimes. They will continue to cause you headache and hardship and they have you exactly where they want you.

2004-04-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

Today the GC chose a new flag for Iraq and new badge for the arm forces.
http://www.nahrain.com/d/news/04/04/26/kwt0426a.html

2004-04-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

Do you sometimes wonder what would have happened if the marines had come down from Turkey down to meet the Army in Baghdad like they were suppose to?
I am not a military man but I think it would have changed the outcome of a lot of things on the ground currently. The republican guards, fedaeen Saddam, the private army of Saddam, and all the other armies of Saddam, are all from that region called (The Sunni triangle). This is not to say that the Army is Sunnis only but the fact is the senior officers as well as the loyalist of the army are from that region. The coalitions (The US Army) advanced to Baghdad and that took those three weeks and at the end they librated Iraq and the Iraqis from Saddam and his clans. But in reality some of the war that was supposed to be fought a year ago is being fought now in Fallujah.
I believe is time to put the final touch on this project Mr. President and that is by doubling the troops in Iraq and using them effectively. I would close the borders with Syria, Jordan, and Iran for four weeks (No one in and no one out). I am sorry to say this but you are not going to win the hearts and minds of people by being a nice guy. You are dealing with a country that is used to an iron grip for a dictator and I believe it is going to have to be like that for a while.

2004-04-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

Crossing the red line:
Every Dick, Tom, and Harry told us crossing the lines into Najef would be wrong because we do not want to upset the Shia and mostly Syaid Ali Al Sistani. Let me tell you something about the Shia in Iraq, they are like a big family. Every family has one cousin that no one likes but God forbid he gets in a fight every one has to come to the rescue and defend him. I believe the situation in Najef is like that, no one likes Muqtada but as soon as he gets touched by the Americans, he is going to become the most beloved Mulla. I think if Muqtada was killed tomorrow, Syaid Ali Al Sistani will not shed one tear on his sole. However, the future with this situation is so unpredictable, it is very dangerous. By the way, every Iraqi I have spoken with in and/or outside Iraq has asked me the same question about Muqtada "When are they going to get rid of him". He is bad news and he must be dealt with sooner or later and everyone prefres sooner than later.

2004-04-25T19:28:00.000-05:00

The situation in Iraq is like a volcano, you can sit and watch the volcano, you can see it brewing, and you think it is contained but at any moment it can erupt. God forbid it does, it will destroy everything in its way, and that is the danger we face in Iraq right now. The CPA needs all the help they can get to control the situation in Iraq before the volcano erupts. I believe the pentagon based a lot of their earlier decisions on the wrong information that they obtained from their friends in the opposition whether it was the INC and/or others like them but the facts are the Iraqis are not accepting the American ideology currently. As much as you want to respect all the Iraqi opposition and what they worked so hard to achieve all these years (Contracts, Fame, Status, Money, and Politics) the fact is the Iraqi people are not accepting them as representatives. What surprise the hell out of me is that the pentagon had to know that these people had their own agenda and their motives for removing Saddam and his clans from power. Also, why is it so hard to accept the fact that these people are not giving us what we want to accomplish and it is time to start re-doing the plan or adjust to new implementations on the ground.
As much as I hate to admit the reality and that is we Iraqis who live out side Iraq have no idea about how things are running inside Iraq and how the people of Iraq has changed. I think we did not take in consideration the 23 years of the Saddam effects on the people and that is lawlessness, crimes, looting, un-organizations, bribes, and on and on and on.

2004-04-23T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have been writing about the situation in Iraq since the fall of the regime and I have been writing about different issues and what the people in Iraq have been saying on the street. I am the biggest supporter for this operation however things need to change on the ground for the situation to improve. Also the coalition’s philosophy toward the people must change and how they should be dealt with. I would like to share with you few points I believe it would make all the difference in the world for the troops, coalitions, and the new Iraqi goverment.
By now we all know there are three types of groups who are causing us all the headaches in Iraq and I believe these people need to be dealt with now or else the new Iraqi government will never move one step forward. The first group is the unemployed people who are between 20 to 50 years old. These people are joining all the different militias that are forming like a wild fire all over Iraq. I think this group is important and must be taken care of as soon as possible because they can cause a lot of problems in the future. My suggestion for this group is to open five to six centers all over the country; these centers will accept applications from young men between the ages of 20 to 50 years old. These people will have to apply in person, come up with two pictures (and/or have one taken on the spot and create an id can be used for different purposes) and have two forms of id. This process will bring all the young and unemployed people from all over the country to enter these centers (You must make these center secure and un penetrable by the terrorist) and spend some time looking up different positions that might be available soon, search the internet for opportunities that are available else where. By doing that, the people can see that we are going to start the reconstruction soon and when we start the reconstruction we have to use these applicants who have applied and ready to start working. I think an exercise like that will draw thousands of people to come and join the family of working folks, also that will get them of the street for a period of two to three weeks. These centers must be equipped with internet access as well as counselors that can talk with the applicants about different positions. This process will give the young people hope and vision for their future also it will create a sense of security for them that will keep them off looting, steeling, crimes, and gangs (I realize this exorcize will not stop some of these people from committing crimes but at least we are trying). We must get them involved, busy, and away from all the militias.
The second group is the foreign fighters, and this is a group needs to be routed out side the country other wise they will always create problems for the coalitions as well as the new Iraqi government.
The ex-Baathest group and/or fighters: In my opinion, these people are the hardest group to deal with because they lost the most and I believe they do not care about their lives and they are ready to die for their cause (they do not have one). This group can be formed into a strong battalion in the new army and if they are given immunity by the coalition, I hope some of them will come to realize that there is a better future for them and they will give up their weapons. If we can reach out to this group and they do come and join the new army that will break the link between the ex-baathest and the foreign fighters. This process will separate the two groups and eventually they will fight each other out. Not to mention once they are separated into two different groups, the ex-baathest will work with us to give them up.
Off course all these steps need money as well as coordination between the coalition and the Iraqis. I believe for these suggestions to succeed, they would have to be done in total secrecy and small of core personal that can over see these operations.