A Perspective From Over There

[Chewbacca]

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"Girl Blog from Iraq"
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Small excerpt from the 04-07-04 entry:


Teapots and Kettles...
Now it seems we are almost literally reliving the first few days of occupation… I woke up to the sound of explosions and gunfire last night and for one terrible moment I thought someone had warped me back a whole year and we would have to relive this last year of our life over and over again…

We haven't sent the kids to school for 3 days. The atmosphere is charged and the day before yesterday, Baghdad was quiet and empty, almost… the calm before the storm. The area of A'adhamiya in Baghdad is seeing street fighting: the resistance and Americans are fighting out in the streets and Al-Sadr city was bombed by the troops. They say that dozens were killed and others wounded. They're bringing them in to hospitals in the center of the city.

*SNIP*

[john]

And did you read about the japanese civilians who are being held? They were told that if the rest of the japanese don't leave the captives will be burnt alive!!And these people are there to help rebuild the water and power stations!!Its a shame there are so many good people (Iraq civilians) who are suffering for those few wacko zealots!

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by john: And did you read about the japanese civilians who are being held? They were told that if the rest of the japanese don't leave the captives will be burnt alive!!And these people are there to help rebuild the water and power stations!!Its a shame there are so many good people (Iraq civilians) who are suffering for those few wacko zealots!

I read about that. It is indeed a shame.

[Chewbacca]

The most recent entry from the link in the original post.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Media and Falloojeh...
There has been a lot of criticism about the way Al-Arabia and Al-Jazeera were covering the riots and fighting in Falloojeh and the south this last week. Some American spokesman for the military was ranting about the "spread of anti-Americanism" through networks like the abovementioned.

Actually, both networks did a phenomenal job of covering the attacks on Falloojeh and the southern provinces. Al-Jazeera had their reporter literally embedded in the middle of the chaos- and I don't mean the lame embedded western journalists type of thing they had going at the beginning of the war (you know- embedded in the Green Zone and embedded in Kuwait, etc.). Ahmed Mansur, I believe his name was, was actually standing there, in the middle of the bombing, shouting to be heard over the F-16s and helicopters blasting away at houses and buildings. It brought back the days of 'shock and awe'...

I know it bothers the CPA terribly to have the corpses of dead Iraqis shown on television. They would love for Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia to follow Al-Hurra's example and show endless interviews with pro-occupation Iraqis living abroad and speaking in stilted Arabic. These interviews, of course, are interspersed with translated documentaries on the many marvels of... Hollywood. And while I, personally, am very interested in the custom leather interiors of the latest Audi, I couldn't seem to draw myself away from Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia while 700+ Iraqis were being killed.

To lessen the feelings of anti-Americanism, might I make a few suggestions? Stop the collective punishment. When Mark Kimmett stutters through a press conference babbling about "precision weapons" and "military targets" in Falloojeh, who is he kidding? Falloojeh is a small city made up of low, simple houses, little shops and mosques. Is he implying that the 600 civilians who died during the bombing and the thousands injured and maimed were all "insurgents"? Are houses, shops and mosques now military targets?

What I'm trying to say is that we don't need news networks to make us angry or frustrated. All you need to do is talk to one of the Falloojeh refugees making their way tentatively into Baghdad; look at the tear-stained faces, the eyes glazed over with something like shock. In our neighborhood alone there are at least 4 families from Falloojeh who have come to stay with family and friends in Baghdad. The stories they tell are terrible and grim and it's hard to believe that they've gone through so much.

I think western news networks are far too tame. They show the Hollywood version of war- strong troops in uniform, hostile Iraqis being captured and made to face "justice" and the White House turkey posing with the Thanksgiving turkey... which is just fine. But what about the destruction that comes with war and occupation? What about the death? I don't mean just the images of dead Iraqis scattered all over, but dead Americans too. People should *have* to see those images. Why is it not ok to show dead Iraqis and American troops in Iraq, but it's fine to show the catastrophe of September 11 over and over again? I wish every person who emails me supporting the war, safe behind their computer, secure in their narrow mind and fixed views, could actually come and experience the war live. I wish they could spend just 24 hours in Baghdad today and hear Mark Kimmett talk about the death of 700 "insurgents" like it was a proud day for Americans everywhere...

Still, when I hear talk about "anti-Americanism" it angers me. Why does American identify itself with its military and government? Why is does being anti-Bush and anti-occupation have to mean that a person is anti-American? We watch American movies, listen to everything from Britney Spears to Nirvana and refer to every single brown, fizzy drink as "Pepsi".

I hate American foreign policy and its constant meddling in the region... I hate American tanks in Baghdad and American soldiers on our streets and in our homes on occasion... why does that mean that I hate America and Americans? Are tanks, troops and violence the only face of America? If the Pentagon, Department of Defense and Condi are "America", then yes- I hate America.

[promethius9594]

hate to tell you this guys: its unlikely this blog is real. Think think think: an iraqi against the american presence (ie, against american culture) who speaks PERFECT english?

I mean this person even uses the phrase "calm before the storm." and thats just looking at ONE post. Thats one hell of an english class if theyre teaching this girl the use of american cliches

[Ronn_Bman]

I've wondered the same prome, but I thought maybe I was imagining that this perfect anti-war sentiment piece was just a bit too perfect.

[Chewbacca]

I strongly disagree that this blog is fake and that it is propaganda.

Of course I have read more than one post.
Actually I have worked my way back through the archives a bit.
It seems the author, Riverbend, only feels safe sharing her thoughts anomynously.


Link

About Riverbend A lot of you have been asking about my background and the reason why my English is good. I am Iraqi- born in Iraq to Iraqi parents, but was raised abroad for several years as a child. I came back in my early teens and continued studying in English in Baghdad- reading any book I could get my hands on. Most of my friends are of different ethnicities, religions and nationalities. I am bilingual. There are thousands in Iraq like me- kids of diplomats, students, ex-patriots, etc. As to my connection with Western culture… you wouldn’t believe how many young Iraqi people know so much about American/British/French pop culture. They know all about Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt, Whitney Houston, McDonalds, and M.I.B.s… Iraqi tv stations were constantly showing bad copies of the latest Hollywood movies. (If it’s any consolation, the Marines lived up to the Rambo/ Terminator reputation which preceded them.) But no matter what- I shall remain anonymous. I wouldn’t feel free to write otherwise. I think Salam and Gee are incredibly brave… who knows, maybe one day I will be too. You know me as Riverbend, you share a very small part of my daily reality- I hope that will suffice.

Furthermore it seems Riverbend is a self-admitted Geek-
(from the same archive link above)

The story of how I lost my job isn’t unique. It has actually become very common- despondently, depressingly, unbearably common. It goes like this… I’m a computer science graduate. Before the war, I was working in an Iraqi database/software company located in Baghdad as a programmer/network administrator (yes, yes… a geek). Every day, I would climb three flights of stairs, enter the little office I shared with one female colleague and two males, start up my PC and spend hours staring at little numbers and letters rolling across the screen. It was tedious, it was back-breaking, it was geeky and it was… wonderful. When I needed a break, I’d go visit my favorite sites on the internet, bother my colleagues or rant about ‘impossible bosses’ and ‘improbable deadlines’. I loved my job- I was *good* at my job. I came and went to work on my own. At 8 am I’d walk in lugging a backpack filled with enough CDs, floppies, notebooks, chewed-on pens, paperclips and screwdrivers to make Bill Gates proud. I made as much money as my two male colleagues and got an equal amount of respect from the manager (that was because he was clueless when it came to any type of programming and anyone who could do it was worthy of respect… a girl, no less- you get the picture).

Oh and of course a "propaganda blog" is no good without a link to some of the author's recipes:

http://iraqrecipes.blogspot.com/

[johnny]

Originally posted by promethius9594: hate to tell you this guys: its unlikely this blog is real. Think think think: an iraqi against the american presence (ie, against american culture) who speaks PERFECT english? I mean this person even uses the phrase "calm before the storm." and thats just looking at ONE post. Thats one hell of an english class if theyre teaching this girl the use of american cliches

Did it ever occur to you that even Iraqi's can LEARN how to read, speak, and write English ? If not in school, then the internet might have been helpful, or perhaps she studied abroad, who knows. Calm before the storm is an expression that's used in a lot of different countries. Translated into English it becomes exactly what it says in that blog. If that's an American cliche, then my name is J. Edgar Hoover.

[promethius9594]

OH COME ON!!! are you too prideful to realize youve been had?!?!?!

she CLAIMS to be an iraqi? so what? I'M A FLIPPING IRAQI. do you believe me, i even wrote it in all caps. And yes, it occured to me that iraqis can learn to read, write, spell, and even speak english.

HOWEVER, she notes she is from a software company in bagdad. I figured, "heck, company has got to be online." being a computer scientist, i know a bit about programming. a google search for "software + engineering + bagdad" produced a bunch of firms offering jobs to go to bagdad (read: american companies) and ONE company with a location in bagdad. so, i looked at the webpage. conveniently enough "riverbend is anonymous, so i couldnt look up any employee records or software products produced by her. that would be what is called imperical evidence: it is verifiable through FACT which can be observed, not just by claim.

So i think to myself, well, she specialized in databases, so this company i have found must have some location on its site for databases. I went back and i searched "software + engineering + database + bagdad." this turned up a whole result of... nothing but foreign companies offering people jobs to go to bagdad for nation building. READ: the division she claims to work for in her company does not exist in bagdad.

Now, if that weren't enough, i know a little bit about the iraqi culture... being in the military and all we learn a bit about the cultures we have to fight. She claims to make more money than two male counterparts. that would NEVER be true in iraq. in saudi arabia that wouldnt even be true, and iraq is not even that progressive. If women are EVER highered in Iraq it is for much less money than their male counterparts make. assuming she makes more than her male counterparts, one could assume she is the project head out of the three. this is likewise impossible in iraq, as women there are NEVER placed in authority over men.

This character, riverbend, does a good job dodging the obvious accusations that she is a phony, but she just doesnt know enough about the culture nor provide enough prove to be imperically verifiable as any sort of real opinion from iraq.

[pritchke]

I made as much money as my two male colleagues

I think you read this wrong. She has two male colleagues whom she works closely with and she gets paid the same as they do. She didn't say she makes the same amount as both males.

Your assumption that anything can be found on the internet is also wrong. There are Canadian companies, even small IT ones that can't be found by doing a simple search on the internet. You may have a better chance going to Baghdad and looking up the company in the yellow pages.

[ 04-21-2004, 02:20 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]