The safety of Baghdad

Mohammed Fadhil of Iraq the Model returned from a seminar for bloggers in Cairo where he found, along with reasons for continued hope, a reminder.  This is the kind of future that he and the rest of the Iraqis hope to escape.

Back in Cairo I was sitting in the hotel's garden reading a book when I was surprised by a man, who reminded me of one of Saddam's security guys, interrupting my quiet afternoon reading and telling me without any introductions "Don't believe them!".
"Who are they?" I asked "those people" he said pointing at the book in my hand and added "we have a very good system that is represented by the government and Islam. Maybe we need some minor improvements but those people want to blow up our culture, history and beliefs".
I could feel that these remarks would be followed by an informal interrogation with questions about my colleagues so I quickly ended the conversation and avoided going into details. However this came as a flashback from the dreadful era of dictatorship that I've forgotten over the past three years.

I could feel eyes following me and walls recording every word I say that for the first time in years I feel I need to watch my mouth in front a simple cleaning worker in the hotel who was cleaning up the conference hall after one of the sessions. He said "if you want to change know that we're on your side" it may sound like a friendly gesture but I got scared and my immediate response was "No, no! this is not about any change!"

I wouldn't worry about talking about a change when I'm in Iraq; pluralism is a fact here and every party is seeking a change of one sort or another but I was afraid to talk about a change in a place where only one opinion rules and dominates everything.

At that moment I felt the difference and wished I could immediately go back to Baghdad.

Comments

[Sissy Willis]

I think it's going to be okay, after all. This is wonderful news.

[ny patriot]

Freedom and democracy are surely two universal truths that all of mankind should not have to fight for. We should all be born with them. Unfortunately, in many regions of the world (like the middle east), these truths run head-on into religious fanaticism that, when couplded with a populace that is mostly uneducated and impoversihed, will almost always snuff out these idyllistic dreams of westernized rights. For example, take a look at Israel. The reason why democracy can thrive in this region of the ME has little to do with the Jewish faith but rather with the nationalized education system already in place qhich quid pro quo leads to a nation of wealthy (wealth in the sense of "not poor") citizenry. Now logic woould then follow suit that a wealthy and educated populace would recognize a need for defense and thus budget accordingly, like the Israelis certainly do. But it all started out with a culture of education and econmic success - 2 things completely lacking not only in Iraq but throughout much of the Middle East and not coincedentally, much of the un-democratic Third World.

[Tom Bowler]

Freedom and democracy are surely two universal truths that all of mankind should not have to fight for.

But throughout history, freedom and democracy have never been won without a fight. You can lose them without a fight but you can't win them.

[scorch]

it should come as no surprise that we have to fight for freedom, being a libertarian this is 2nd nature :)