neurotic Iraqi wife
February 08, 2007
Iraq, was, is, and will always be The Damned Nation...
A hundred Indian rupees is about $2.27. An Iraqi is now worth less than that. Yes, Iraqi blood has become so cheap that even haggling is not worth the effort. Bravo humans of the world. Bravo to everyone who talks about humanity and human rights. Bravo to you, the so called honourable neighbours of Iraq. Bravo to United States and Britian. Bravo to all of you for lending a helping hand.
To be an Iraqi today equates to someone carrying a fatal contagious virus. No body wants you, no body wants to help you, no body wants to be near you, no body wants to touch you. To be an Iraqi today, you have to get used to "friendly" neighbouring countries slamming their doors in your face. To be an Iraqi today, you have to fend for yourself, for you are alone, alone in a world that preaches human rights, yet do nothing, nothing to save you. Nothing to save you from a mortar, a rocket, a suicide bomb, a militia gang, a bullet. Nothing to save you from the savages that are eating your flesh while youre still alive. Nothing.
Our trip to India, opened our eyes to many things. India, the land of maharajas and kings. India, that country with its rich history and culture showed me one thing, and one thing only, with all the shocking poverty that I saw in my own eyes, India with its many different sects and religeons, India is indeed the best example of democracy. For no one, no one can imagine the scenes I saw afore me, nothing can actually prepare me for these sights. Yet you wander, how a nation so large, with almost everyone living in dire conditions are living in such harmony. Why? How come?
How come they dont kill each other, how come they dont kidnap and ask for ransoms? How come? Its a simple question, with an even simpler answer. Indians all live in harmony because they themselves as people believe in Peace. Indians, I found out are such loving and friendly people. Even their president, when we ask about him, their voices would immediately turn soft and the words humble and simple describe their so apparant respect for him.
Although our India trip was a disappointemnt to both HUBBY and I, it taught us one thing, no matter how bad we think our life is, there are people in much worse situation, yet they are happy. Our arrival in Mumbai was greeted by that rotten sulphur stench that everyone warned us about. We were still on the runway, and I had to gag from that smell. I immediately covered my nose with my shawl and inhaled as much of my perfume as I can. The way to the hotel, we saw hoards of people living on the streets. And I mean Hoards. They use the pavements as their homes, putting up some cloth to cover that area they live in. Yet they pee, shit, shave, shower with water buckets all out in the open.
Everytime the car stops on a traffic light, kids ages no more than 5 would tap our windows and make gestures with their hands to give them money. Not one child, but 4 or 5 just gather together and start begging. By the time we reached the hotel, I was already emotionally drained. The traffic in Mumbai is so dangerous that even the driver told us "to be able to drive in Mumbai, you need an extremely good horn, an excellent brake, a brilliant eye sight and good luck". Yup, and thats exactly true. The adrelanin rush you get just by sitting in the car on the streets of Mumbai is amazing. My immediate thoughts went to my colleague D, an American who loves to sky dive. D, forget sky diving, go to Mumbai and you will have the best adrelanin rush ever.
By the second day, HUBBY and I wanted to leave. We really did. The continious noise of beeping cars, rickshaws, buses, bikes, motorbikes and whatever else that was on the street made me crave for the helicopter noise that used to bug the hell outta me in Baghdad. After discussions etc, we decided that we are there, we might as well check out delhi, agra and jaipur. Delhi was much calmer than Mumbai, I managed to enjoy it. By the 6th day in India, we were craving for meat, not mutton as they call their lamb, nor dal or potatoes or lentils etc..., but real beef. So as we passed a mcdonalds, we immediately jumped at the driver and told him to stop. I could already imagine devouring that yummy big mac with its sauces dripping down my chin.
We go in, and I tell HUBBY to get me a Big Mac. After five minutes, HUBBY comes back with a tray filled with 2 veggie burgers. I became so mad and said "HUBBY, I thought I told you I want a Big Mac???" HUBBY just looked at me and asked very cooly, "Neurotica, where are we?" Huh??? what do you mean where are we? He asked again, where are we? I said we are in Mcdonalds. No, which country are we in? Country? I was like to myself, HUBBY has gone mad, what the hell do you mean? Just answer the question he said. Ok, we are in India, and it then struck me, but ofcourse, no beef in India. OH MY GOD. NO DAMN BEEF!!!!Again my thoughts went out to my colleague D, who is a vegetarian. Yup D, I think India is heaven for you!!!
We decided to go to Agra, the place of the famous Taj Mahal by car. The 5 hour journey, we drove along camels, cows, bikes, rickshaws, motorbikes, cars and people. You name it, it was on that street. A 2 car lane, was crammed with all the above. Many times we thought we were gonna die. Driving in India is no joke. The driver would keep taking hard brakes, and he beeped all the way long. Half way through our journey, I needed to pee. Not sure whether its because of the mass surges of adrelanin rush due to being in the car or simply because of the tiny drop of water I had to take along my panadol extra tablets. We stop in a place called a dhabba. A dhabba is basically a name they call Indian cafes along the way. Food is known to be unhygienic and causes many cases of food poisoning. But HUBBY was told by a good friend of his to go and try one, since you are in India, you have to go to a dhabba. Umm yeah. The driver showed me to the bathroom, which consisted of a hole in the ground, not a toilet but a hole. A hole with flies all over, flies and coackroaches. I stood there, staring, thinking to myself, there is no way, no freakin way Im gonna pee here. The driver after seeing the shock on my face said "madam, you ok?" Now what am I gonna answer this guy. I just asked whether there was another bathroom or a hotel close by, he just shook his head. So basically its either now or in another 3 hours. I succumbed to my misfortune and peed with a breaking record of time.
Agra I have to admit was the highlight of our trip. The Taj Mahal was just breathtaking. It made me forget about the outside for awhile and go back to the time of Shah Jahan who built this seventh wander of the world. The structure and architecture is beyond anything Ive seen. Yet the story behind it gives it even more of a magical touch. Shah Jahan, the ruler of the Moghul Empire, loved his second wife Mumtaz Mahal so much that he promised her on her death bed, that he will comemorate her memory and let people from all over the world remember her for eternity. And so the Taj Mahal was built. It took nearly 22 years with about 22000 workers. The grandiose of that place makes you feel sad, that his beloved wife did not manage to see and live its magic.
We saw many amazing temples, Sikh and Hindu. We also managed to see one of their famous Mosques. The architecture all in all, spoke a story of all religeons and ruling eras. It spoke of wars and rich history. Yet you look at India today, and apart from those astonishing monuments, you are only left with a memory of beggars tapping your shoulders, or street vendors annoying the hell out of you. The funny thing was, whenever they asked where we come from and we say Baghdad, their smiles disappear and sadness overwhelms their faces. Then the obvious words of Saddam was a good man and America is no good comes out immediately. As the language is a big barrier, we tend to leave out alot of our opinions and instead I would just say No Saddam was bad he kill many.
Haggling becomes second nature to anyone who goes to India. Once they see tourists, they multiply their prices by 5 or even 6 times. We just slash them by a third and see what they say. You get no mama, no baba, no good. This real leather, this hand made, no please, price no good. We walk away, and they come running after us. Needless to say we get what we want. In Jaipur, the pink city, we managed to ride an elephant which was fun. But by the end of our trip we were so so glad that it did infact come to an end. I think the poverty, the pollution, the dirt, the beeping cars, the traffic, and the beggars, made us appreciate what we had more.
Even funnier than all this, was in the airport in Delhi on our way back to Abu Dhabi, I see sports bags with the words Iraq written all over them. I nudged HUBBY and said, hey look. HUBBY then immediately approached them. A bunch of 5 boys maybe ages 17 or 18 were startled to hear us talk to them in Iraqi. Turns out they were there for a boxing tournament and they won silver medals. Their coach then spoke to us, and asked us what we were doing in India, I dunno why, but HUBBY said its our honeymoon. The coach immediately looked at me and said, you left the whole world, the whole wide world, and you didnt find a better place to go to but India????And dont forget this is a man, who lives in baghdad, a man who gets showered with bombs and mortars on a daily basis. A man, who lives by the sounds of suicide attacks. I asked, ok, between India, and baghdad, where would you choose. He laughed and said, even if they give me millions, I will never come and live here.
I guess being under a stressed environment in Baghdad, I really wasnt ready for such a trip. I just wanted peace and tranquility. We got back, me with a terrible flu and fever and HUBBY with a swollen thigh and a blister, from a vicious insect bite. In less than a few days we will be back in Baghdad, and no this time of all times, I really am not looking forward to it. My partner at work sent me an email that he resigned and will be leaving in 2 weeks. I presume the incidents that took place a few weeks back threw him off. I cant say what these were, but all I can say, things are getting really really bad even in the so called heavily fortified green zone. Human value especially Iraqi human life value has plummetted, thanx to the government and to the so called saviours of our nation. Iraq, was, is and will always be the Damned Nation...
Pictures of India
To be an Iraqi today equates to someone carrying a fatal contagious virus. No body wants you, no body wants to help you, no body wants to be near you, no body wants to touch you. To be an Iraqi today, you have to get used to "friendly" neighbouring countries slamming their doors in your face. To be an Iraqi today, you have to fend for yourself, for you are alone, alone in a world that preaches human rights, yet do nothing, nothing to save you. Nothing to save you from a mortar, a rocket, a suicide bomb, a militia gang, a bullet. Nothing to save you from the savages that are eating your flesh while youre still alive. Nothing.
Our trip to India, opened our eyes to many things. India, the land of maharajas and kings. India, that country with its rich history and culture showed me one thing, and one thing only, with all the shocking poverty that I saw in my own eyes, India with its many different sects and religeons, India is indeed the best example of democracy. For no one, no one can imagine the scenes I saw afore me, nothing can actually prepare me for these sights. Yet you wander, how a nation so large, with almost everyone living in dire conditions are living in such harmony. Why? How come?
How come they dont kill each other, how come they dont kidnap and ask for ransoms? How come? Its a simple question, with an even simpler answer. Indians all live in harmony because they themselves as people believe in Peace. Indians, I found out are such loving and friendly people. Even their president, when we ask about him, their voices would immediately turn soft and the words humble and simple describe their so apparant respect for him.
Although our India trip was a disappointemnt to both HUBBY and I, it taught us one thing, no matter how bad we think our life is, there are people in much worse situation, yet they are happy. Our arrival in Mumbai was greeted by that rotten sulphur stench that everyone warned us about. We were still on the runway, and I had to gag from that smell. I immediately covered my nose with my shawl and inhaled as much of my perfume as I can. The way to the hotel, we saw hoards of people living on the streets. And I mean Hoards. They use the pavements as their homes, putting up some cloth to cover that area they live in. Yet they pee, shit, shave, shower with water buckets all out in the open.
Everytime the car stops on a traffic light, kids ages no more than 5 would tap our windows and make gestures with their hands to give them money. Not one child, but 4 or 5 just gather together and start begging. By the time we reached the hotel, I was already emotionally drained. The traffic in Mumbai is so dangerous that even the driver told us "to be able to drive in Mumbai, you need an extremely good horn, an excellent brake, a brilliant eye sight and good luck". Yup, and thats exactly true. The adrelanin rush you get just by sitting in the car on the streets of Mumbai is amazing. My immediate thoughts went to my colleague D, an American who loves to sky dive. D, forget sky diving, go to Mumbai and you will have the best adrelanin rush ever.
By the second day, HUBBY and I wanted to leave. We really did. The continious noise of beeping cars, rickshaws, buses, bikes, motorbikes and whatever else that was on the street made me crave for the helicopter noise that used to bug the hell outta me in Baghdad. After discussions etc, we decided that we are there, we might as well check out delhi, agra and jaipur. Delhi was much calmer than Mumbai, I managed to enjoy it. By the 6th day in India, we were craving for meat, not mutton as they call their lamb, nor dal or potatoes or lentils etc..., but real beef. So as we passed a mcdonalds, we immediately jumped at the driver and told him to stop. I could already imagine devouring that yummy big mac with its sauces dripping down my chin.
We go in, and I tell HUBBY to get me a Big Mac. After five minutes, HUBBY comes back with a tray filled with 2 veggie burgers. I became so mad and said "HUBBY, I thought I told you I want a Big Mac???" HUBBY just looked at me and asked very cooly, "Neurotica, where are we?" Huh??? what do you mean where are we? He asked again, where are we? I said we are in Mcdonalds. No, which country are we in? Country? I was like to myself, HUBBY has gone mad, what the hell do you mean? Just answer the question he said. Ok, we are in India, and it then struck me, but ofcourse, no beef in India. OH MY GOD. NO DAMN BEEF!!!!Again my thoughts went out to my colleague D, who is a vegetarian. Yup D, I think India is heaven for you!!!
We decided to go to Agra, the place of the famous Taj Mahal by car. The 5 hour journey, we drove along camels, cows, bikes, rickshaws, motorbikes, cars and people. You name it, it was on that street. A 2 car lane, was crammed with all the above. Many times we thought we were gonna die. Driving in India is no joke. The driver would keep taking hard brakes, and he beeped all the way long. Half way through our journey, I needed to pee. Not sure whether its because of the mass surges of adrelanin rush due to being in the car or simply because of the tiny drop of water I had to take along my panadol extra tablets. We stop in a place called a dhabba. A dhabba is basically a name they call Indian cafes along the way. Food is known to be unhygienic and causes many cases of food poisoning. But HUBBY was told by a good friend of his to go and try one, since you are in India, you have to go to a dhabba. Umm yeah. The driver showed me to the bathroom, which consisted of a hole in the ground, not a toilet but a hole. A hole with flies all over, flies and coackroaches. I stood there, staring, thinking to myself, there is no way, no freakin way Im gonna pee here. The driver after seeing the shock on my face said "madam, you ok?" Now what am I gonna answer this guy. I just asked whether there was another bathroom or a hotel close by, he just shook his head. So basically its either now or in another 3 hours. I succumbed to my misfortune and peed with a breaking record of time.
Agra I have to admit was the highlight of our trip. The Taj Mahal was just breathtaking. It made me forget about the outside for awhile and go back to the time of Shah Jahan who built this seventh wander of the world. The structure and architecture is beyond anything Ive seen. Yet the story behind it gives it even more of a magical touch. Shah Jahan, the ruler of the Moghul Empire, loved his second wife Mumtaz Mahal so much that he promised her on her death bed, that he will comemorate her memory and let people from all over the world remember her for eternity. And so the Taj Mahal was built. It took nearly 22 years with about 22000 workers. The grandiose of that place makes you feel sad, that his beloved wife did not manage to see and live its magic.
We saw many amazing temples, Sikh and Hindu. We also managed to see one of their famous Mosques. The architecture all in all, spoke a story of all religeons and ruling eras. It spoke of wars and rich history. Yet you look at India today, and apart from those astonishing monuments, you are only left with a memory of beggars tapping your shoulders, or street vendors annoying the hell out of you. The funny thing was, whenever they asked where we come from and we say Baghdad, their smiles disappear and sadness overwhelms their faces. Then the obvious words of Saddam was a good man and America is no good comes out immediately. As the language is a big barrier, we tend to leave out alot of our opinions and instead I would just say No Saddam was bad he kill many.
Haggling becomes second nature to anyone who goes to India. Once they see tourists, they multiply their prices by 5 or even 6 times. We just slash them by a third and see what they say. You get no mama, no baba, no good. This real leather, this hand made, no please, price no good. We walk away, and they come running after us. Needless to say we get what we want. In Jaipur, the pink city, we managed to ride an elephant which was fun. But by the end of our trip we were so so glad that it did infact come to an end. I think the poverty, the pollution, the dirt, the beeping cars, the traffic, and the beggars, made us appreciate what we had more.
Even funnier than all this, was in the airport in Delhi on our way back to Abu Dhabi, I see sports bags with the words Iraq written all over them. I nudged HUBBY and said, hey look. HUBBY then immediately approached them. A bunch of 5 boys maybe ages 17 or 18 were startled to hear us talk to them in Iraqi. Turns out they were there for a boxing tournament and they won silver medals. Their coach then spoke to us, and asked us what we were doing in India, I dunno why, but HUBBY said its our honeymoon. The coach immediately looked at me and said, you left the whole world, the whole wide world, and you didnt find a better place to go to but India????And dont forget this is a man, who lives in baghdad, a man who gets showered with bombs and mortars on a daily basis. A man, who lives by the sounds of suicide attacks. I asked, ok, between India, and baghdad, where would you choose. He laughed and said, even if they give me millions, I will never come and live here.
I guess being under a stressed environment in Baghdad, I really wasnt ready for such a trip. I just wanted peace and tranquility. We got back, me with a terrible flu and fever and HUBBY with a swollen thigh and a blister, from a vicious insect bite. In less than a few days we will be back in Baghdad, and no this time of all times, I really am not looking forward to it. My partner at work sent me an email that he resigned and will be leaving in 2 weeks. I presume the incidents that took place a few weeks back threw him off. I cant say what these were, but all I can say, things are getting really really bad even in the so called heavily fortified green zone. Human value especially Iraqi human life value has plummetted, thanx to the government and to the so called saviours of our nation. Iraq, was, is and will always be the Damned Nation...
Pictures of India
Labels: Vacation
56 Comments:
7amdellah 3salemma :D
We've missed u
Awesome slide show! So sorry to hear you got sick towards the end of your vacation. But, after reading your account, it's not real surprising that you did. I didn't realize it was that bad in the streets. I don't think I would handle it very well. To see so many people living like that would be heartbreaking. Plus, I love animals, particularly kitties, and I'd want to rescue every kitten I saw. I'm sure I'd want to rescue every puppy, too, and the elephants. I doubt I'll ever see the splendor of the Taj Mahal, except in photos. However, I'm impressed by your description of the Indian people. I admire them for keeping a good heart and attitude, regardless of their living conditions.
Bamboo
ya hala!
elhamdilla 3al salame lal 3irsan :)
"I needed to pee. Not sure whether its because of the mass surges of adrelanin rush due to being in the car or simply because of the tiny drop of water I had to take along my panadol extra tablets."
sorry but this sentence cracked me up and took my mind off the sadness of both iraq and india. it's weird how your narrative compares two quite contrasting countries yet two places which most people (myself included) would find it difficult to live in.
speaking of Saddam.. we had a surveyor here in my site in England. The guy goes by the name of George. An Assyrian. He freaked the hell out of me when he said he used to be a driver for Saddam. He has a Masters degree in engineering and yet this. He now surveys on site, and I was told later that he was so nervous he messed up some calculations and checks. He was soon replaced.
One thing stuck with me. He was talking about Saddam and Iraq in general. He said people worry about this and that in Iraq. However just worry about one thing Saddam left behind. Apparently 400 tonnes of gold. yes 400 tonnes. If that ain't theiving then what is? Oil for food eh?
Anyway, I wonder where's that gold now. South Afria, Switzerland or Dubai?
Salametkom. I hope you're both feeling better! Did you catch the rain in Abu Dhabi? It's snowing here in the UK now :)
حمد الله على السلامة
يعني صدوك ما لكيتي غير الهند
مو كتلج الهند جايفة
همزين ما صار عندج دزنتري
الله ستر عليكم
الحمد الله على السلامة مرة لوخة
Welcome back!
NIW,
Dang. I'm guessing you weren't necessarily in need of a new found appreciation for the bombs in Baghdad. Oh well. Next time go to Bali.
Glad you're back. How much worse can the situation be in the three weeks you've been gone? Seems to me that its been pretty ugly for a pretty long time now. How much longer do you think you'll stay?
Well I was going to invite ya'll here for an extremely enjoyable and relaxing time shoveling snow, but we ran out. We do however have all the beef you could desire, clean water, shopping til you drop, restrooms, and great scenery.(finally get to ride my motorcycle again!!!) Welcome back!
I actually thought about this before you left. I thought to myself: "I wonder if Iraqi Wife will see lots of poverty in India and be surprised that there is not a lot of violence." Because I find that many Iraqis automatically relate poverty to violence, yet I was aware that India is desperately poor yet reasonably peaceful.
Part of it may be the curse of oil. Indians probably realize that the government doesn't have some giant source of money that they are holding back from the citizens. Indians know that the country is poor and the government has only limited funds. In Iraq, the oil corrupts the society and expectations.
I am friends with more Indian nationals than any other foreign country, and I have tremendous respect. Indians also seem very compatible with the USA.
So, while it may not have been a relaxing vacation, you learned a lot! Thanks as always, Iraqi Wife. You are a true gem.
Your griping about toilets that are holes in the ground? Iraq is full of them!!! Get out of Baghdad and into the rest of Iraq. You'll find more holes than you'll find Western toilets!
I just get the feeling that you're never happy.
The driver showed me to the bathroom, which consisted of a hole in the ground, not a toilet but a hole. A hole with flies all over, flies and coackroaches.
Yep, sounds like the kind of toilet you would find all over Iraq, with the exception of some neighbourhoods of Baghdad and the Green Zone. Most Iraqis actually would have a reaction similar to yours if they saw a Western-style toilet.
TT needs to read this.
On a completely different note, NIW, your really growing as a blogger, I think this post is your best work to date. If you get any better, I'm going to be to embarrassed to comment here any more...
Hey alacoacoa, didnt think anyone would,lol...
Bamboo, yes thats the most amazing thing, the Indians are truely amazing people. My respect grew more for them after this trip. BTW, there are no kitties in INdia, well I didnt see any, there are many many stray dogs though. I guess I was distraught by these images, I mean really I was in shock...But yet you see them go on...
Hey BuJ, how are you??? Snowing huh, well yeah it rained a few times here, so much for sunshine...Well hidden gold???Im definitely sure that probably his daughter has already put her hands on it...For sure...
Lol Sa3ooda, wallah u make me laugh everytime I read your comment...Eeee shasawee, rajleee illa iroo7 lil hind, and now that he saw it, he says its good we did manage to see it, next trip he wants to go to Nepal!!!Gitla, shoof 7abeeby, you go ALONE!!!
Thanx DXB
Kris, HUBBY and I are really reconsidering of leaving. Not because situation is getting worse, but because we feel that what we are doing there is useless. Its not making anyones life better, and that was the whole point of us goin in the first place. And I think HUBBY is very unhappy with work since they are kinda giving him a hard time because he is an Iraqi American and not a pure American...Sad but true...
Lol Solo, next time I will take you up for it...As for umm snow, well maybe not...
OJ, thanx for calling me a gem, would that be a garnet?a ruby?an emerald? Lol, I learnt alot abt Gems in India...Yeah well, I not only think its oil curse, but its the way the majority, of which are hindu and Sikh, believe in peace and happiness. Their relegeon is just amazing. Islam is also a religeon of peace yet we have fanatics that spoil the whole meaning. Thats what both HUBBY and I came to realise...
Lol Anon, I know abt holes in the ground, Ive used one long long time ago (I was 4 or 5) when I used to visit my grandma, beebee, in Karbala. Infact, then I used to enjoy squatting, but umm now, I dont think so. It was the dirt and the flies that got me, more than the hole itself...
Lol Zeyad, actually they say the hole in the ground is more hygenic, moo??? But blv me I wouldnt have complained if it wasnt filled with dirt and flies and yucky insects!!!
Madtom, is that why you stopped commenting??? I always wander why you stopped visiting me...You were my companion in the good old days, you and Mr Ghost ;-( Who is TT btw???
By the way, I did not view your slide show the first time I saw your post, but now I did. Those were terrific pictures. But I think your word-picture of the toilet was my favorite :-)
"... HUBBY and I are really reconsidering of leaving. Not because situation is getting worse, but because we feel that what we are doing there is useless."
I am glad your HUBBY is considering leaving. I have deep admiration and respect for his desire to help Iraq. But I just have thought that waiting a couple years before going back would be the best option.
"... its the way the majority, of which are hindu and Sikh, believe in peace and happiness. Their relegeon is just amazing. Islam is also a religeon of peace yet we have fanatics that spoil the whole meaning."
How does this situation get fixed? That is like the biggest question of the next 50 years, unfortunately.
G.W. Bush thinks the way to fix it is to spread democracy. Freedom/democracy is the only force strong enough to defeat extremism--so the theory goes. Well, geesh, look what's happening. Theory does not seem to work in practice.
Then you have the question of how many fanatics there are. 6% of British Muslims felt that the subway attacks in London were justified. 13% sympathized with the motives of the attackers.
Poll results
NIW/Original_Jeff, I am a regular visitor of NIW blog and would like to congratulate you for the great job of keeping me and a lot of other people hooked to this very interesting blog. I find it that you always manage to say what I would like to say/scream to the world. Anyway, I just wanted to comment on OJ’s (and that is original_jeff not OJ Simpson :D) question “How does this situation get fixed? That is like the biggest question of the next 50 years, unfortunately”. The one thing that George Bush and his team and in fact may be most of the Iraqis themselves is how deep is the effect of religion on the lives of people living in Iraq? I lived in Iraq till 1996 and I witnessed how the effects of religion on people’s lives was growing. Compared to all neighbouring countries, Iraqis are not religious people. At least if we look to the last century. For quite some time, I was trying to analyze why the influence of religion in Iraq is growing and was growing since the 1980 and I came to a simple conclusion; it is because of accumulation of the adverse psychological effects of a combination of fear, hopelessness, poverty (or quickly approaching it!), uncertainty, insecurity (and the list goes on, Saddam did not leave a lot out of this list!) that Iraqis had to experience and still do. The Iraq-Iran war caused a lot of emotional (but not much financial) damage to people having to see friends; family and relatives die one after the other for years. This was closely followed by years of brutal economic sanctions that absolutely crushed the middle class in the Iraqi society and, of course, further crushed the lower classes but not Saddam. In fact, it helped him better control Iraq as most people were fighting to survive, financially. That has also paved the way for the domination of religion into people’s lives. Iraqis were encouraged by religious leaders to believe that this is their fate, they have to accept it and the best thing to do is to look for a better longer life after death! People (hopeless, poor and insecure) had nowhere else but to further sink themselves into the dark caves of religion to where most of us have never even thought we’d go and were not supposed to if you ask me. Religious leaders/fanatics welcomed that (it was a godsend!) of course since they can now enjoy a much higher ranking and bigger influence in the society and most importantly to reap the economical benefits of people’s “monetary devotion to God”. I have seen so many examples of the religious extortion (excuse my wording but I couldn’t find a politer way to say it) and how it was being systematically promoted especially amongst the wealthy and mid-class families. Long story short, with toppling Saddam and with their much-elevated influence on Iraqis (whom are by that time much poorer, ignorant and also confused) those religious leaders/figures (Sunnis and Shiites) have realized how big the pie is! It’s the oil (again!) and what comes along with it. This was huge but what was even bigger than that was their greed and lust for power and money. I do not exempt anybody (Shiites and Sunnis) here. Driven by all of that, we see now poor, innocent and ignorant people killed everyday, families torn, a whole county being shredded in parts and these religious leaders (or their representatives!) are ready to do “anything” to gain the “full, uncompromised” control of this country (directly or indirectly, through democracy sometimes and through some sheikhs or Sayed’s fatwas in some other times). They just want it all, no parts, no bites but the whole damn pie. Iraq was not ready for the kind of democracy that other parts of the world were enjoying. Iraqis needed more time. Simply because they have not exposed for so long a time that we ended up with the current bunch of politicians that we have now and we've seen how corrupt and greedy they are.
How do we go about that? Well, I don’t think there is a magic pill but I think a few things will help. First is to give people hope in their lives. This can be through ensuring stability in Iraq and a better standard of living and education. If people are not hungry,they can think! Right now almost none of this is available. Also, something has to be done to stop Iran and Syria. I know the US has just started being a bit more serious about it but better late than never. These two countries (ands I mean leadership here) will do anything to keep the mess in Iraq ongoing. Simply because they believe that once Iraq is stable, it would be their turn and they are right! But at the same time, it took the US so long to do something about it and we’re just witnessing some action now, not sure how effective though! Iran, in particular, has the money and a lunatic president backed by fanatics to do whatever it takes to keep the fire burning in Iraq. The only ones whom are paying the price are poor Iraqis. Iran has been very successful so far with the help of their “friends and allies” whom Iran have helped getting elected to lead Iraq by al sorts of means. Much of this chaos was unfortunately avoidable if the US has acted in the early stages but let’s hope they can get it right this time. Sorry if that was a bit long and heavy but I hope it is of help, OJ. As for NIW, keep up the excellent work, ciao, Sam.
Hi NIW,
Glad to see you back posting again. :)
lol! I've heard about the holes in the ground in Iraq(as in India) from people who have been there. They also mentioned the lack of toilet paper. :( Thanks, but I think I'll stick to my western style.
I've never been to India but have heard of the conditions that you describe. All of the people from India that I've met have been very nice. They always seem so cheery and happy.
I enjoyed the slide show. Thanks for the pictures.
Oh and I think Madtom was referring to Truth Teller(Najma's father) when he said TT. At least that's what we always used to call him.
You keep blaming Bush,Blair,the Iraqi govt. for all the problems but what about the "great religion of peace" that keeps its'people living in the stone-age?s
Helloooooooooooooo NIW,
I've missed you and missed your marvilous lines...
Hey, the urinating part cracked me up...Thank you for this great post and welcome back.
Marsh
"You keep blaming Bush,Blair,the Iraqi govt. for all the problems but what about the "great religion of peace" that keeps its'people living in the stone-age?s"
Yes you are right .. what about the "great religion of peace that Bush,Blair,the Iraqi govt. call it freedom ..liberty .. democracy.."
Where is it!!is it like WMDs!! did they miss it this time?
Abu Greeab freedom ..liberty .. democracy..!! Iraqis Enjoy it!!
Is Abu Greeab freedom ..liberty .. democracy.. worse than people living in the stone-age?
NIW hala walla.. i'm good thanks! how ru? When ru back home? Or perhaps doing a spot of shopping in Dubai, hehe.. i miss that place.. inshalla going in May.
سعودة أم الطقص how have u been? shayfek 5ajlana shwy
vietnam hochiminh
vietnamhochiminh
i can't believe anyone living in such miserable conditions would find india a miserable place. did you not read the newspapers and see our economy booming? did you not see the billions of dollars we're making in our stock exchange? the rising middle class? our obvious progress?
we can improve our bathrooms but what are you going to do about your @#$%ed up religion?
So, you can't be sensitive to country that does not allow you to eat beef and order a chicken burger instead! And your ok with living in a Muslim country that treats a woman like shit ?
The history of perfume oils dates back to ancient Egypt when these fine scented oils were presented to royalty as gifts. In modern times, however, when the word "perfume" is said, most people think of department store fragrances, which consist mainly of the concentrated oil and alcohol solution. Nevertheless, as more and more people are finding out about them, perfume oils are experiencing great popularity. Here are some interesting facts about perfume oils:
It is not a hole in the ground in Iraq. It is called squat toilet,has a porcelain basin and a flash tank and functions in the same way as the western style. And indeed it is more hygienic. I wish they can use them in public places everywhere in the world.
It is called the eastern-style toilets and you get them all over Iraq from Mosul to Najaf to Basra.
We even have a toilet etiquette in Islam.
And Ms lynette we wash ourselves with water that is why we don’t need toilet paper, but as we are known for our hospitality and generosity we do provide toilet paper for our foreign visitors whom we invite, as for the ones who invite themselves they should be happy to find a toilet let alone toilet paper.
NIW,
India is an experience. But as you said you needed a relaxing trip and that is probably why you did not enjoy it.
"So, you can't be sensitive to country that does not allow you to eat beef and order a chicken burger instead! And your ok with living in a Muslim country that treats a woman like shit ?"
Reply:
Can you be kind to tell us how you treat women in your country?!
Can you also be specific by explaining in details what you mean by writing "living in a Muslim country that treats a woman like shit ?" ?
Thank you
It's very interesting to read your impressions of India, and hope it wasn't too much of a shocker. The Delhi-Agra road is awful and it looks like you got stuck with the lousiest toilet facilities too, which is too bad. The concept of services like loos and "hygienic" restaurants on highways is relatively new, though dhaba food in North India is delicious, and fried in so much oil that it's unlikely to make you sick ;) On trains and in regular urban public loos, it's the squat toilet system with the pull chain too. I'd be put off by the kind of hole you described, too. Did you find the food similar to Iraqi food at all? I hear that Basra has similar foods, like amba. Were any of the film actors familiar?
It's funny but yes, many Indians do think of Saddam only as the guy who stood up to the US and not the guy who killed so many of his own people. There's a village in Bihar, I read somewhere, that has named all little boys Saddam following the "hero's" hanging.
I suppose everything pales by comparison to Iraq, but we do have political violence in India, unfortunately. Yet somehow the democratic system works and it's something to be proud of. The communal nature of Indian political interest organisation (by caste or religious community) has echoes in the growing sectarianisation of Iraqi politics too. I don't know if oil and the size of central state resources creates more conflict than the relatively limited but still important spoils of the indian state though (especially jobs and quotas); the less there is, sometimes, the more desperately peope fight over it. Iraq's longstanding zero-sum, repressive political culture has probably contributed more than anything else to the deep distrust between political factions.
sky:
Is that how you respect other peoples believes by writing
" we can improve our bathrooms but what are you going to do about your f u c k e d up religion?"!!!
What is the relationship between bathrooms and religion!!
Why you attack others believes for no reason (Argumentum ad personam)!!
Argumentum ad personam usually and most notoriously involves insulting or belittling one's opponent. This tactic is logically fallacious because insults and even true negative facts about the opponent's personal character have nothing to do with the logical merits of the opponent's arguments or assertions.
Well you need to improve your manners before improving your bathrooms.
Women are definately second grade citizen's in the a muslim country. In the name of religion, you have no rights and your happy to conform to the norm because your so fricken brainwashed! Besides, your men marry 4 times..:-) Wonder, why they don't just open a harem and put all thier wives there.
And you complain about a country thats a democracy and gives equal rights to every woman. You could not see below the surface. All you saw was a hole in the toilet. It's only a matter of time before India and China become superpowers and Iraq disappears.
It sounds like quite a trip, NIW! I'm glad you made it back in one piece. I hope things get better for you!
Reply:
"Women are definately second grade
citizen's in the a muslim country. In the name of religion, you have no rights and your happy to conform to the norm because your so fricken brainwashed! Besides, your men marry 4 times..:-) Wonder, why they don't just open a harem and put all thier wives there."
__________________________________
Firstly, the spelling "definately" is definitely.
If you are an Indian then that is OK to wright it in a wrong way "definately"..:-)
----------------------------------
I am using your gesture ..:-)
I don't mean to insult you in the above two paragraphs. I am only trying to show you how it is bad to use racist language.
I fully respect you and respect your spelling even it is wrong.
----------------------------------
Secondly, when you wright..
"definately second grade citizen's in the a muslim country"
You should supply us with some evidence to back up your claim, which you claim is definite.
Also, we need to know with which society or religion you are comparing it with, because your benchmark makes a big difference.
You wright...
"Besides, your men marry 4 times..:-) Wonder, why they don't just open a harem and put all thier wives there."
You are certainly concerned with marital ethics.
Can you be kind to provide us with the percentage of polygamous marriages in the society you are criticizing.
Also, we need to know with which society or religion you are comparing it with, because your benchmark makes a big difference.
We can find polygamous marriages in many societies. In the US you can look at the Polygamous Mormon Fundamentalists.
Also, we can certainly find in the west many examples of open marriages typically refers to a marriage in which the partners agree that each is free to engage in extramarital sexual relationships, without regarding this as sexual infidelity.
When we want to argue about marital morality we need to mention Swinging, sometimes referred in North America as the swinging lifestyle, is "non-monogamous sexual activity, treated much like any other social activity, that can be experienced as a couple."
----------------------------------
You also wright...
"And you complain about a country thats a democracy and gives equal rights to every woman. You could not see below the surface. All you saw was a hole in the toilet. It's only a matter of time before India and China become superpowers and Iraq disappears."
What is the relationship between ...a hole in the toilet ..and India and China become superpowers and Iraq disappears!!!!!!!
Sweetheart, Even if India and China become superpowers they will have holes in their toilets.
I had similar experience in India..China is the worse, in regards to poverty. In both places, religion does not take a central place in the county.
I pray that you will see the bright future that Iraq has to offer. I am not surprised to see so much hatred there. After-all, for the last 40 or so years the country was governed by force of fear and hate. What else can you expect from her people. We can't expect miracles when people had suppressed so much. Keep in mind, Germany and Japan had similar histories and similar experiences...look where they are now?
Lets see ... the estimate
of Iraqi dead which all the Bush haters raise is 650,000 !!!
And how many of those are due to direct contact with Coalition soldiers at most 20,000 If that many !!! And after hearing al-queda
operatives stating publicly
their intent to kill Shia and stoke
a sectarian war ... and at least one year or horrifying Death Squad
revenge attacks leaving over 50 bodies
per day dead in the streets ...
we have a genius commentator
bring up Abu-Ghraib an incident
involving 6 yes 6 Iraqi
all alive all paid off !!!
And do you know what everyone forgets ... the six Iraqi
who were "tortured" were chose
because they were involved with BEATING another
IRAQI prisoner ...
how absurd
are these comments equivicating
Abu-Ghraib under American control
with
1) Horrific Iraqi - Iraqi violence
of well over 1000 times the magnitude
2) Abu-Ghraib under Saddam ...
I ask you where are the Documentaries with eyewitness,
family member and former prisoner testimony about
Abu-Ghraib UNDER SADDAM
Hey lets hear about that.
Democracy is not killing Iraqis
Iraqi sects are killing Iraqis
GET THIS ALREADY
Simple question simple answers only
for all Iraqi who coment on this blog
Would you rather be
1)an insurgent
caught planting roadsides bombs
in Baghdad and taken prisoner by
American forces.
2) An professor in the past who
states in a fit of Anger to
students in class
"Saddam is a Fool he should be overthrown" and hence gets arrested
by Saddams police
3) A Sunni in Baghdad who
tears down and defaces a
picture of the profits grandson
Hussein - Ali and gets arrested
by the Mahdi Militia
Honest answers now ... if you lie
Allah strikes you down !!!!
Anonymous 7:52 AM
"bring up Abu-Ghraib an incident
involving 6 yes 6 Iraqi
all alive all paid off !!!"
Do you care about evidence, what is your evidence that they are only six?
Are you sure they are only 6 people!
How do you know they are only six?
Why not five or seven and a half?
From where did you get your statistics my clever friend?
Have you been there?
Are you trying to defend what happened?
Do you think what happened there is OK?
If you only look at one of many pictures you will see more than 20 faces.
Even if it involve one human being it represent something disgusting.
Sorry, I forgot you don't consider Iraqis as human beings.
Anonymous said...
8:01 AM
I am very sorry to say that..
Your question represents a severe lack of intelligence.
Anonymous 7:52 AM
"bring up Abu-Ghraib an incident
involving 6 yes 6 Iraqi
all alive all paid off !!!"
My answer is this:
LOOK
here
here
here
here
here
here
Warning
This slide show contains graphic photographs of violence and nudity; viewing by children or those who are sensitive to blood is not recommended.
thanx to the government and to the so called saviours of our nation. Iraq, was, is and will always be the Damned Nation...To this I say to you, you and your fellow country people you are living in a dark time, a time of transition with the end far from sight, but there will be an end to this, maybe not in this generation but in the next. Many of us here in the USA see and hear only points of views from the media here, I however have been to Iraq as a civilian worker for the coalition and have seen and heard first hand many of the disparities Iraqis face.
One may ask me at this point should President Bush have put the USA at war with Iraq, my answer is no.
Was there reason to invade Iraq, maybe, but for myself the reasons were not enough to justify making war.
Was Saddam a bad guy, yes. But again it was not for us to decide that for the Iraqi people.
Many of the common people have little or no voice in what are so called leaders get us into, then pit us against each other as they (leaders) and the wealthy get rich and continue to keep us subjugated.
While still others try to use religion and faith to further they're powers and again control the common folks.
Why does India have more peace even with all the 100+ sect's...it's how you are raised and what you are taught, if you are taught to be intolerant to differences then you will be swayed to more easily act or think (negatively) upon perceived intrusions upon your beliefs, when in fact some beliefs are or may be better than your own, at one time Iraq was the center of learning for the world, what changed that?
What beliefs or religions are better then yours?
I myself love the fact that in the Koran you are taught to give Zakat (charity for the poor), I as a person taught Christian values and beliefs also am happy to share that same belief in the Koran.
Now I can only guess that I may get verbally attacked by some brainwashed neurosis suffering fanatic as to what I believe in, what side of the line do I stand on, well I stand for myself, my belief are to gain more knowledge and understanding through learning and enjoying many ways of looking at things...to put the shoes on (hypothetically) that one must wear.
My whole point is learn, and understand that life is an unfair, I wish I could be more smarter, I wish I could have been taller, I wish I could have been more handsome, I wish I could have had a more stable home growing up, I wish I could be more wealthy, I wish I could have excellent health instead of just good, I wish for a happy home to have with a wife and kids someday...on and on and on, I wish we could have peace on this planet without all the insane people who seem to become leaders, yes I would give up all that I wish for if we could just have peace. And lastly, the USA is not your savior, only Iraqi’s can be that, that means even though you are feeling anguish about the invasion and Bush, now is the time for Iraqi’s to seize this moment to make Iraq a place of learning again, and regardless of how you and others may feel, because when Bush (the insane) leave office here Iraqi’s will be left completely on there own against the crazies who want the power there and they won’t be restrained by the MIGHTY U.N.
Reply to PPPPpeter
Many thanks ..
Article written in a fair and balanced manner.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Salam
My bad, I assumed you were a Shia, thought you'd be busy commemorating these days. I have heard that they put up huge banners/posters and quotes by Ghandi about Imam Hussain, did you witness any of those in Mumbai?
NIW, its unfortunate that you did not like India. Well, I guess you did not try to look for any good things. All you reported was congested roads, stink and beggers!!! Come on, give me a break!!
I wont comment on the differences in religion and your comments about the lack of beef in India. I live in a country that has strong First Amendment rights - freedom of speech and religion. And of course you're allowed to write however you feel. At the very outset, let me express my thanks for your comments about the Indian people. They are, as you rightly recognized, peace loving (despite their poverty). However, the rest of your comments about India are insulting at best, insensitive and ignorant at their worst. Perhaps this can be attributed to your own ignorance about the living conditions outside of Baghdad. Or your unwillingness to appreciate and understand that the poor (although not for long) of India make do with their conditions instead of complaining about them like a spoilt brat. Either way, i pity you because of your narrow mindedness and imperceptiveness. Perhaps one day, when you're willing view the real world that is not scented with the precious perfumes on your shawl or catered to your eating habits, you will visit India again and appreciate it for what it is, and what it is not.
Um al Taqs.. u cracked me up how you corrected that person.. are u an English teacher?
One can visit New York and fall in with its vivacity and Broadway (among other things), or one can complain about its crazy traffic (with a lot of honking and traffic jams), its (comparitive) lack of cleanliness and the danger in some of its quarters. Me, I chose to fall in love with the beautiful city that it is. Similarly, one can choose to love India for her cultural richness, warmth and amazing cuisine or one can choose to mock her for her poverty and her lack of hygience.
It is sad that you chose the latter. You are so much the poorer for it.
حبيبي أبو جاسم الورد لا عيني أني مرة مسكينة.. أني هم أكتب أنونيموس مثل الردود
Anonymous 3:18 PM
Anonymous 3:29 PM
Anonymous 5:14 PM
شكرا وردة على المجاملة الحلوة
بوسة لاحلى أبو جاسم
For all the anons etc that howled at me cuz I didnt find India pleasing to my taste, I wanna say this: I never "mocked" the poverty, on the contrary, what I saw depressed me, yet at the same time surprised me that these great people are living in harmony despite their dire state. I hate it when ppl OVER ANALYSE simple words. I also mentioned, (had you yourselves not been shallow enough) that had I not been in Baghdad and stressed out from work I would have probably enjoyed it more. I never mock any people, and just for your info, I have great Indian friends that are close to my heart.
And whats up with the "hole in the ground" thing. Jeez even that statement became a political/religeous arguement!!! If you dont like what you read here, then STOP READING ME, AND SAVE ME THE HASSLE!!! God...
As for the people that mock Islam, I wanna say thanx to Anon, who wrote amazing things abt it. Thanx for sharing that with us. Islam is a religeon of peace, whether ppl debate that point or not , I dont care. I know and I believe that it is a peaceful religeon, if only ppl can be more open minded and read it, they will see that it is. It is fanatics that tarnish that pure religeon, ppl like Bin Laden and the terrorists that use their own propaganda for the "naive" world to blv it!!! Infact all religeons are that of peace and again I dont care what others say abt that statement... As for women being treated badly, ummm thats a very man made action, because if you do read the Quran, you will know for a fact that women are held very high. If you read history and the stories of the time of Islam and our prophet, you will know that we had amazing heroines. Islam treats women on the highest pedestal, it is the ignorant men that abuse them...
As for Ashoura in Mumbai, yes I was there when they had pics of Imam Hussein, and their processions. I thought it was amazing. I never knew it happened in India too...But definitely more civilized than what we do here in Iraq. And yes I am a Shia, but I am Iraqi first and foremost....
'And yes I am a Shia, but I am Iraqi first and foremost.... '
I hope you don't mind, but thats the first time I've ever heard that in my life. Not necessarily specific to Shi'asm but to any faith. Usually one would find people concealing such feelings, even if they exist.
Whats in a nationality?
Jack.
Hi Jack..
We need to look at the context of NIW comment.
The comment ...
"As for Ashoura in Mumbai, yes I was there when they had pics of Imam Hussein, and their processions. I thought it was amazing. I never knew it happened in India too...But definitely more civilized than what we do here in Iraq. And yes I am a Shia, but I am Iraqi first and foremost...."
Was a reply to a previous question...
" Anonymous said...
Salam
My bad, I assumed you were a Shia, thought you'd be busy commemorating these days. I have heard that they put up huge banners/posters and quotes by Ghandi about Imam Hussain, did you witness any of those in Mumbai?
9:39 PM"
If we look at NIW reply (answer) context we can't see any inconsistencies.
This comment has been removed by the author.
You can get beef in India. Its just not very common because well .. most Indians don't eat beef. Ditto for Pork.
But you can get excellent lamb, goat, fish, chicken etc. And the nice spiced minced lamb dishes put any beef burger to shame.
And the Delhi Agra road is not lousy. Its not comparable to American freeways or even highways, but its good and getting better.
Yeah!!! This is India, meri jaan! The country of extremes, craddle of the oldest living religion.
The cartesian occidental logic doesn't hold in India. Your having oriental origins made me hope you would somehow understand the spirit of the country, or at least be accomodating to circumstances. But you went there with a western mind, and saw things with your western eyes. And visibly, you did get your dose of culture shock. This is what tourists look for in India, and some get too much of it. Do you know that the medical post of the French Embassy is reserved for a psychiatrist? You're shocked People in India don't eat beef. Then you should know how the G.Is fell about the non porc-eating Iraqis.
True, poverty exists in India. But you should know that Indians believe in karma: what you are and what you have is nothing but the result of your past actions and thoughts. So, what tells you it is not those slave-whipping colons or other criminals of humanity that are reborn as the street-dwellers of Mumbai?
True, these people are poor, but they are happy with whatever little they have. Poor materially. Not spiritually. You should have noticed the spontaneous smile and warmth of the Indians. Or were you too busy covering your nose with your shawl?
In India the people have that inner glitter of joy despite their harsh conditions, unlike the iraqi who have lost all taste of life, like you wrote in your last article. How come?
Maybe the problem is with the people itself. India has known 300 years of British colony, and now is emerging as a superpower. Only 3 years of American occupation were enough for the Iraqis to kill each other.
During times of controversy, India has produced Mahatma Gandhis, while Iraq produces Moqtadas and likes.
You only saw what your eyes wanted to see. And what you saw in India is not it's only reality. So darling, if your Iraqi fellow prefers his country with its terrorists, kidnappings, suiside bombers, then the Indians too prefer their country, despite its poverty.
neurotic_wife
Please do a search on the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots after Indira got killed in India.
What I remeber from that is people being forced into tires and then set on fire alive.
We humans seem to have a very brutal tendency within us, its just that something have to trigger it to come out.
I really don't like doing this, but I think you need to know this:
In November 1984 following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, mobs lead by Congress leaders committed murder, loot, arson and rape, across India for over a week, however the worst effected area was the capital of India Delhi.
Due to the large span of area the actual number of those dead is unknown, official figures of those who died are over 4000 and 60,000 were rendered homeless in Delhi alone, these figures to not incorporate those “missing”.
“India is ablaze with hate and anger. In city after city from one corner of the country to the other enraged mobs have gone and are going about systematically burning and looting Sikh properties and assaulting Sikhs without discrimination.” 1The Times of India
“Sikhs were sought out and burned to death. Children were killed, shops looted, cars burnt, markets destroyed, houses gutted. Trains were stopped and Sikhs were picked out and murdered.” Akbar M.J.
“Around 300 Sikh officers and men in uniform were done to death in the presence of non-Sikh soldiers, who stood as silent spectators.” 2 Economic and Political Weekly
Police officers “stood by and watched arson, rape, looting and murder, without making any attempt to intervene to protect citizens brlonging to the Sikh minority, without attempting to dissuade the attackers to call for reinforcements or other support, or even to inform the fire brigade.” 3 Independent Report
“Many people complained that, in some cases, the police were not merely hanging back, but giving active support.” 4 The Times
“We started from the foot paths after the 1947 Partition, now we get back to it in our old age” wept an old couple, they had been deprived of all their belongings and also a young son.
1 The Times of India November 2 1984
2 Economic and Political Weekly – Thapar, Ramesh.
3 Who are the Guilty? - Report PUCL and PUDR
4 The Times, 5 Nov 1984
http://www.searchsikhism.com/gal7.html
Final Solution - Massacres in India
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3829364588351777769
idgjilgdAs a Indian i have read the post of fellow indians and other nationals. any criticism of india seem to bring evoke extreme reactions with blogs highlighting the cultural and spiritual superiority of India. relax guys , we are not perfect , as a Indian journalist based in the middle east I look at my country with awe but also irritation at how we tolerate so much of nonsense from our politicians . Yes the economy is booming but we have a important task of making it work for millions of people at the bottom of the pyramid.
we may never erradicate poverty, sad truth but we can atlesat try.
I think we need to ease up as indians , relax and listen to criticsm , let me state this Indians living in India are more confident but Indians especially living in the middle east tend to get worked up pretty fast when some statement is made against India.
india does tend to bring on extreme reactions but then hey guys that s the way it is.
Anonymous 10:43 PM
I like your spirit
Hello NIW,
Are you OK??
I am too worry about ya!!!
We do love healthy criticism but yours is mostly induced by jealousy. It is understandable. We Indians always have great regard for Iraq and Iraqis.
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