invasion Archive - Let me tell you

Changing History

Veröffentlicht am 5. März 202217. Mai 2022 von RanaSchreib einen Kommentar

In the middle of the Ukrainian crisis and all that’s happening in the world right now, I keep seeing a lot of parallels with what happened in August 1990. Back when Iraq invaded Kuwait under the leadership of Saddam Hussein.

A large country, economically exhausted, turning the eyes of the world towards it, by invading its much smaller neighbour country.

And although it was no surprise, it was a surprise.

What started as a power show-off turned into an invasion. An invasion like the invasions those same leaders were condemning days before.

To justify the occupation of Kuwait, a long list of reasons was presented: “Kuwait was originally part of Iraq”, “The people of Kuwait wanted to get back to the roots”, “The leaders of Kuwait threatened to ruin Iraq’s economy” and many more reasons.

I was raised in Baghdad since 1980, when I was 6 years old. I got the full Ba’ath education in school. I was a believer. I sang the national songs, I Saluted the flag every Thursday in school and I loved Baba Saddam. But on the 2nd of August 1990 everything changed. All that I believed in, in the provirus 10 years fall apart in few weeks.

After years of praising the Arabic dream of unity, brotherhood and the one united Arab nation from Morocco to Iraq, the Arab leaders started fighting on the media and uncovering all the hidden ugly sides of each other. Almost all were against Iraq, with some exceptions. Manly because of financial dependencies. Simulator to the political situation today. All against Russia except for some few real “good friends”.

Suddenly the leaders of the Arab countries were no longer respected brothers on the Iraqi news. President Hosni Mubarak was Hosni El-Khafif (meaning “loose Hosni”), the King of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the two holy mosques, toured into the custodian of the Americans and the prince of Kuwait was the sick man who wanted to marry his daughter because he didn’t know her, having to many wives and children to recognise all of them.

One of the defining events, that made me abhor my country’s politics, was, when the teacher asked us to go to the school library, open all the books, deleted the words “county of Kuwait” and replace them by the words “the governorate of Kuwait”. My friend and I argued with the teacher, that we should not change history. The time the book was published it was a country. Even if it is now considered a governorate, it is not a reason to change the past and maybe soon it will be a country again? (We didn’t add: Since the whole world is preparing for the war, to free Kuwait). Our teacher just said: “Stop talking. These are orders from the ministry. Just do it!”. “And use pens. The change must be permanent!”, she added. Our hidden protest was that we used pencils and just crossed out the words with a light line.

For me, and maybe a lot of other Iraqis, the world before the invasion of Kuwait was a totally different one, than the world I woke up to, on that black August morning in 1990.

The latest events have brought back this bitter feeling of disappointment.

I see a lot of similarities but differences too. The similarities in escalating the conflict internationally instead of diplomatic de-escalation. The world starts arming like crazy. The news split the fighting parties into the good guys and the bad guys depending on the channel one is watching. The UN make sanctions that mostly cause the poor to become poorer and the megalomaniac to get crazier. While the US plays the role of the hero that will rescue the world, even though they have poured the most oil into the fire the first place.

The big difference now is the fact that this time the villain is the mighty leader of Russia and not the leader of Iraq. When Saddam threatened to destroy the world, the world knew exactly what he possessed and how efficient it was. An Austrian, working for a German company in Iraq once said: “We can sell to Iraq every weapon we want, as long as it is missing some bolts, if you know what I mean!”. While Putin’s threat, of making the world see what it had never seen before, is real. Especially if 30 countries led by the USA would try to free Ukraine with a military act.

To mention here is that, when the US invaded Iraq with false reasons and committed one war crime after the other, Bush jr. was not represented by the media as the bad guy. No sanctions were made on the US, no boarders or airspaces were closed, and the international criminal court will never charge him.

I had a relative who used to say: “same, same but different!”. Maybe this brings it to the point.

Meeting Muhammad Ali Clay

Veröffentlicht am 14. Dezember 20117. Januar 2017 von RanaSchreib einen Kommentar

Of course we didn’t get the news from the New York Times back in Baghdad in 1990. I googled it today and thought it will make a good start for my story.
We heard about the visit of Muhammad Ali from the local television and we were so excited that someone as great as him was visiting Baghdad. My sister totally adored him. She used to watch his fights when she was a little girl. As for me, well; I have somehow inherited this love, although I never really cared for boxing.
We decided to go and meet him. We knew that it won’t be easy to find him but it’s a once-in-a-life-time chance and we had to take it. Several locations in Baghdad were provided to host the state visitors. We recognized the place when they showed an interview with Muhammad Ali on TV. He was staying in a small resort on the Tigris side called the Weddings Island (before becoming a resort it was called the Pigs’ Island; even though I have never seen a single pig in Baghdad, but never mind).

We started our mission on Friday morning. My sister, her two best friends and I. We drove to the resort without a plan, as if we were expecting Muhammad Ali to be waiting for us at the entrance! Reaching the resort, we noticed how difficult our mission was; the resort was surrounded by safety barriers and about 50 guards to keep unauthorized people out. „OK, that won’t be easy!“ we parked the car and headed to the checkpoint putting a big and helpless smile on our faces. The eyes of the guards were following us as we walked towards the one sitting at the checkpoint’s gate. We greeted the man but he didn’t even wait for us to end the phrase, he stood up and told us „You shouldn’t be here. The state visitors are staying in the resort and locals are not allowed to enter!“ We all cried out at once „Please, we want to meet Muhammad Ali.“ He just laughed and turned his back on us. But we didn’t give up. We followed him and started to explain how important it was for us to meet him and that we adore him. We were all talking at the same time that we sounded like a bunch of chattering chicken.

The guards started gathering and looking at us as if we were aliens. Trying to meet a celebrity is not a usual seen in Baghdad. We talked and argued with him but it seemed that he didn’t care. We were almost giving up when one of the guards (he looked important) came out of a van and told us to follow him. We walked with him towards our car, while the rest of the guards slowly went back to their position. When we reached the car he asked us: „What do you want from Muhammad Ali?“ „We want to take pictures with him and shake his hand!“ „That’s all? You were arguing for half an hour, just to take a picture with him?“ „Yes, yes!“ he smiled and said: „I’ll take you to him on two conditions: first you don’t tell anyone that I did and second you take a picture of me with Muhammad Ali too.“ He made a short pause then added: „and you bring the developed photo to me, OK? Or I will have to find you!“ Yepppiiii that’s easy, isn’t it? Ammm, but was the last sentence a threat? OK, we will bring him his photo for sure. Why would we keep it?

We all got in to the car; he sat on the front seat and gave a sign with his hand to the guards to open the gate. We were all silent as if we were afraid to say anything that might make him change his mind. We drove slowly through the resort. The place was full of security guards who looked surprised to see us. He told us to stop in front of one of the small houses. He stepped out of the car and went to a group of guards standing there. He talked to them and they all laughed out lowed (I’m sure they were joking about us). He came back telling us that Muhammad Ali was in the restaurant having lunch. We drove to the restaurant holding our breath „please let him be there“. Again lots of guards were surrounding the place. He opened the window and asked one of them: „Is Muhammad Ali inside?“ „Haaaaaa? Who is Muhammad what?“ the man replayed „The Boxer Muhammad Ali, is he inside?“ „Ah, the big one, yes, yes he just went inside.“

At last, we did it. We went into the restaurant and saw him sitting at the head of a large table with his delegation. Our companion was greeting the guards and freeing the way for us to get through. One of the gentlemen standing near Muhammad Ali came to us and told us: „don’t stay long. Say Hello; take your pictures and leave. Lunch will be served in minutes, OK?“ he turned back and told Mr. Muhammad Ali: „The girls came to meet you!“ Muhammad Ali turned his head and looked at us with a smile on his face and stood up. „God is he BIG!!!“ when I shook his hand my hand totally disappeared in his. You know I don’t remember what we said. I think we just kept repeating „hello, nice to meet you, blah blah blah…“ we were too excited to build a meaning full conversation. Never mind, we did it. We shook hands, took several pictures with him and of course took two pictures of Muhammad Ali with our guardian Angel. We left the restaurant with shining faces. We thanked our companion for his efforts and kindness and we promised to bring him the photos as soon as they are developed and he reminded us again „If you don’t bring them I’ll have to find you!“ „Hmm, OK, we will bring them don’t worry.“

We developed the film a month later. By that time the resort was emptied and the smell of war was filling the air. We didn’t search for him and he didn’t find us. I still feel guilty when I go through my photos and see him smiling next to Muhammad Ali Clay.

In memory of my lost country

Veröffentlicht am 2. September 20119. April 2019 von RanaSchreib einen Kommentar

I can’t believe that nine years have already passed since we left our house heading to our farm in a small village, about 60 km north of Baghdad. The house there was built in a way good enough to spend a day but not to host 36 people for almost one month.
It had four rooms and a toilet that we modified into a bathroom, but don’t ask me “HOW?”
We spent the whole war period there; a time full of hard work, fear and worries about the future.
Hard work in a way that we had to do things the way they were done 70 years ago: heating water on an kerosene heater for bathing, cooking and washing dishes. Washing our clothes in a big bowel sitting almost on the floor and then hanging them on the ropes we span on the palm trees. Digging holes to bury the sewage coming out of the WC and a lot more things I only knew from the stories of my grandmother. But still this was the fun part of that time. Now I’ll tell you about the second part: The feeling of fear. A feeling I knew well from the previous wars but I experienced it in a new way, having two little children.
I used to sleep between them trying to keep our heads close together, so in case that any thing happens it would happen to all of us. The fear of loosing someone or keeping someone behind was the greatest.
I still recall that moment when a loud sound came from the sky as if something was falling, a sound that could only end with a big BOMM tearing all of us in pieces. I was outside and my children were in the house. I only knew that I ran as fast as I could to be with them and put our heads together, but thank God nothing happened. The sound ended with nothing. On the next day we learned that this sound had a name; “Sound Bomb” as if the horrible sounds of the real bombs falling all over the country was not enough.

Well, should I really say something about the least part, the one about the worries? Actually it has never ended ever since. It has just changed: first they were about when the war will end, and when we will be able to go home and what will happen after. Now I know that what came after was just what we were afraid of at most.

We made our way back to Baghdad. “The war has stopped” they said, but the streets were saying something else; The burned-out military vehicle on the road side, the mud covering the streets, the damaged check points on the gates of Baghdad and the chaos were telling a sad story of a country that fell. Nothing looked the same, not even the people. Something was missing in their faces. They were all strangers. I never really went back home. A home is where everything is safe and familiar, and that was taken away from me the day Baghdad was killed. I left Iraq with eyes full of tears to offer my children a safe and stable life. But I’ll keep telling them not to forget that once our home was the land of one million palm trees and 25 million citizens, who were just trying to get up from a long history of war and embargo to start live in peace.