24 February 2008

No War No Peace

Hi. These days I often get very confused when someone from outside Iraq asks me : "What's the situation like in Baghdad at the moment ?". Is the security situation on the ground in Baghdad getting better ?! Or is it still as bad as it used to be in the past ?! No one inside or outside Iraq can deny that the level of violence in Iraq these days is much much less than it used to be before. That's a fact. But the question that occupies the heads of most Baghdadis is "Will that last ?!". Nobody really knows the answer to that question. The thing that we are all sure of is that 'THEY' are still there, and that 'THEY' are still active and still can operate till now. Today 40 Iraqi civilians were murdered and 60 others were injured as 'THEY' targeted Iraqi Muslim Shiite pilgrims heading on foot towards the Iraqi city of Karbala to visit the Holy Shrine of Al Imam Al Hussein. May be in Iraq the rule is there's no rule. So I guess that I'll answer anyone who asks me how the security situation in Baghdad is "Fluctuating. No war but at the same time no peace !". With my love. Yours forever, Lubna.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

sweet, articulate lubna,

FLUCTUATING. what a diplomatic , palitable (but unpalitable in the truth of what it is) way to describe a situation that sounds like hell froze over. i say froze over, as in it sounds that the violence has gone from an active burning to a more indolent simmer, punctuated with unpredictable erruptions. so hell is not as hot, but no less evil--you wonder how long will the simmer last? will it go away, or take over completely? WHAT A TORTUOUS TEASE! it persists in a pressurized pot, ready to spew arbitray streaks of destruction, and in the meantime, baghdadi citizens wait, in a chilly, thwarted climate--who can thrive in an environment where anyone and everyone, the next beath, even, is suspect in taking you out or getting you there?!

lubna, you are my hero for telling us of the numbers, names, history--of electricity, muslim religious figures and iraqi journalists, the plight of the BRAINS being forced to extinction--all of this sweetie, "we," those who are not in harms way as you are, but are nevertheless in solidarity with you--we depend upon your words as we depend upon life, because they help keep us alive and will help shape our lives and words in a way that hopefully can help your world come back to a semblance of security and healthy community.

you deserve that. you do deserve 12 hours of electricity per day rather than 2!

you rock.

thank you.

i love you.

yours forever!

anita

Anonymous said...

Great posts Lubna, please keep up your work.

Paul