Saut Al Iraq, Iraq
'Oh Politicians, Don't Tear Iraq Apart with Your Verbal Poison!'

After the American occupation, terminology that had been buried in the catacombs of history until history itself forgot them returned.


By Mahmoud Al Mofraji

Translated By Nicolas Dagher

December 21, 2006
Sotal Al Iraq [Voice of Iraq] - Original Article (Arabic)    



Moqtada al-Sadr, often described as a 'radical anti-American
cleric,' is at the center of Iraq's growing sectarian divide. His
decision to withdraw his bloc's support from the government
for cooperating with the U.S. has resulted in added turmoil.


RealVideo[LATEST NEWS PHOTOS: Iraq].

Iraqi Parliament Vice-President Khaled Al-Attaiya as he
leaves talks to woo supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr back into
Iraq's coalition government. Talks broke up without agreement
after al-Sadr insisted on a timetable for U.S. withdrawal.






Moqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi army on parade in Basra, Nov. 28.


Members of parliament from the Sadr bloc hold a press conference
to announce they are withdrawing support from the government as
retribution, after Prime Minister al-Maliki met with George W. Bush
on Nov. 30.






Representative of Muqtada al-Sadr, Dheik Rahim Al-Alaaq, center,
holds hands with members of one of the few Sunni families left in the
Shiite enclave of Sadr City, Dec. 10. The event was held to show solidarity
between Shiites and Sunnis, in the midst of what many have called 'ethnic
cleansing' of Sunnis from Shiite areas, and Shiites from Sunni areas.



[The Telegraph, U.K.]


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When many of our politicians took up posts in the legislature, they thought that the voters who elected them were unable to defend their country and land, and that only the politicians could provide such protection. That pushed politicians to openly and arrogantly incite people, as if the mandate given them by the voters went beyond matters of organization or defending the rights of the people. These politicians took upon themselves the responsibility of defining the social relations between people by giving old fashioned sectarian speeches.

From the time this pure land came into being, its warm and unparalleled social fabric distinguished it from other nations. Iraqis bridged all national, religious, ethnic and cultural differences to form an Iraqi state that melted away these differences. Thus, Iraqi Shiites took Sunni or Kurdish wives, and Sunnis married Shiite wives, as did Kurds, Sabeans, Christians and Yazidi, etc. Yes… The proud Iraqi knows what Parliament doesn't. It is a Parliament that seeks to disfigure the pure identity of Iraq by being ignorant of the great virtue that has hitherto characterized it, as though these politicians speak in one valley of the reality in another.

We must acknowledge that sectarianism has settled into the hearts and minds of many members of Parliament, creating a dreadful hostility toward the members of other sects and religions. We see them spewing poison over trifles in front of the media without any regard to the feelings of millions of citizens, imagining that his sectarian attack is a shield for the people in the community he represents.

After the American occupation, terminology that had been buried in the catacombs of history until history itself had forgotten them - returned. One of these terms in which politicians take pride is the word Safavid [Persians], meaning the Shiites. Their aim is to strip Shiites of their Arab and national identity and portray them exclusively as part of Iran. The politicians who use these terms try to portray this country as belonging to the followers of his sect alone, and that all others are not Arabs or Iraqis, that they don't deserve to live on this land at all, but in fact are occupiers.

When asked about this, the politician will usually say, "I didn't mean Iraqi Shiites but their agents who are associated with Iran.” The high-sounding rhetoric, sophisticated sense of culture and tact that he appears to embody don't give him the right to separate the Shiites of Iraq and those of Iran or the people of this nation into their religious affiliations. His sectarianism is not concealed be his carefully expressed words. What kind of message are you conveying, you smart politician? Who are you trying to convince with your poisonous comments?

To add insult to injury, he has refrained completely from his lie of opposing the occupier and his presence, as though it isn't the occupier that is occupying his land, but rather the sons of Iraq that have occupied it.

Yes I agree with the view that sectarianism does not exist between the sons of the Iraqi people, but rather is manufactured and spread from inside the Green Zone and broadcast around the country. To say this requires no further evidence, but the point is well-summarized by a true story involving an Iraqi family. This story is at the heart of the reality that is today's Iraq:

A Sunni man marries a Shiite woman and they have two sons, Umar and Haidar. This family lived happily and became part of the Iraq's social melting pot, unconcerned by the different religious affiliations of the mother and father. But it turned out that Omar felt an instinctual animosity toward Shiites and Haidar felt animosity toward Sunnis.

All of Iraq is embodied by this poor, simple family. This family is torn apart by speeches that are more akin to knives being plunged into the Sunni heart and in turn, into the Shiite heart.

In the end I can only say may Allah pity your people.

[Editor’s note: The author appears to have chosen symbolic names for the two sons in this Iraqi family, Umar and Haidar. Umar refers to Umar ibn al-Khattab RealVideo, the second Caliph of Islam. It is very rare to find a Shiite named Umar, though it is a common name among Sunnis.”

Haidar is a typical Shiite name. Alī ibn Abī-Tālib - nicknamed Haydar, was the nephew of the Prophet Muhammad, was the fourth Sunni Caliph and the first Shiite Imam. RealVideo].


VIDEO FROM QATAR: MUQTADA

Al-SADR WARNS U.S., ARABS

WindowsVideoAl Jazeera TV, Qatar: excerpts from an interview by Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Sadr, Feb. 18, 00:04:29, Via MEMRI

"All the talk and all the rumors that if the American forces leave - or even if they don't leave - Islamic or Arab forces will enter - they, too, will be occupiers."


Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Sadr

Arabic Version Below

ايها السياسي... العراق عائلة صغيرة لا تُمزق بخطابك الطائفي - محمود المفرجي

(صوت العراق) - 21-12-2006

ارسل هذا الموضوع لصديق

ايها السياسي... العراق عائلة صغيرة لا تُمزق بخطابك الطائفي
محمود المفرجي

almifarji55@yahoo.com

ان المناصب التشريعية التي حضي بها قسم كبير من سياسينا جعلتهم يتصورون بان الناس الذين منحوهم ثقتهم عاجزين عن حماية بلدهم وارضهم ، وان هذه الحماية لا تتحقق الا بوجودهم ، مما دفعهم الى اطلاق العنان لالسنتهم وامام الملأ باستعراض غرورهم وكأن تخويلهم من قبل من انتخبهم لم يقتصر على الامور التنظيمية والدفاع عن حقوقوهم ، بل ذهبوا بابعد من هذا بوهمهم وكانهم مسؤولون عنهم حتى بمشاعرهم ، وان لهم الحق حتى برسم علاقتهم الاجتماعية ، عبر خطاباتهم الطائفية المستهلكة التي اكل الدهر عليها وشرب.

ففي الوقت الذي صنعت هذه الارض الطاهرة النسيج الاجتماعي العراقي ورسمته باجمل وأبهى صورة وميزته عن باقي اوطان الارض ومدت الجسور والروابط الوطنية والدينية والعرقية والثقافية فيما بينهم حتى صنعت منهم الكيان العراقي المتكامل الذي ذاب في بودقته كل عرق وطائفة وملة او قومية ، فهذا العراقي الشيعي الذي ارتبط بزوجته السنية او الكردية، ليصنع المزيج الاجتماعي الوطني ، وكذا يفعل العراقي السني بارتباطه بعراقية شيعية، وكذا الكردي ، والصابئي والمسيحي والايزيدي ... الخ

نعم ... هذا العراقي الذي يعتز بعراقيته ويعرف ما جهله البرلماني الذي يحاول ان يشوه هذه الهوية الناصعة بعدم معرفته بالشرف الرفيع الذي يميزها . وكأن هذا السياسي يغرد في واد والواقع في واد اخر.
ويجب ان نعترف بان الطائفية قد استوطنت في قلوب وعقول كثير من البرلمانيين حتى استفحلت ووصلت الى مرحلة العداء الى الطائفة الاخرى ، فتراه ينفث بسمومه امام وسائل الاعلام بدون أي تحفظات او مراعاة لمشاعر الملايين من الناس من ابناء وطنه، متوهما بان هجومه الطائفي هذا هو درع لابناء الطائفة التي يمثلها .

فبعد الاحتلال الامريكي ظهرت بعض المصطلحات المستهلكة والتي قبرت ونامت في سراديب التاريخ حتى ان التاريخ نفسه قد نساها ، ومن هذه المصطلحات ، المصطلح الذي يتفاخر به بعض السياسيين هو (الصفويون) قاصدا به ابناء الطائفة الشيعية ، وقاصدا تجريد ابناء هذه الطائفة من عروبتهم ووطنيتهم وإلصاقهم بالجارة ايران ، حتى يصور للمتلقي بان هذا البلد هو لابناء طائفته وحدهم، وان ما تبقى هم ليسوا عربا او عراقيين ، وانهم لا يستحقوا العيش في هذه الارض، بل انهم محتلين.

وعند الاشكال عليه ، يجاوب باجابته التقليدية "انا لم اقصد الشيعة العراقيين بل اقصد عملائهم المرتبطين بايران" ، فالشهادة العالية والمستوى الثقافي واللباقة والمظهر الانيق المتجسدة به ، لم تعينه على التفريق بين شيعة العراق وشيعة ايران او بين الوطن والطائفة ، ولم تعلمه ان يخبئ طائفيته خلف لسانه . ماذا تريد ان توصل للعالم ايه السياسي المحنك ، ومن تريد ان تُقنع بخطابك المسموم هذا ؟

والطامة الكبرى في الامر انه عزف عزوفا كليا عن كذبة عدائه للمحتل وعن التنديد بوجوده ، وكأن هذا المحتل ليس هو من احتل ارضه ، بل ابناء الوطن هم الذين احتلوه.

نعم انا اتفق مع الرأي الذي يقول بان الطائفية لا وجود لها بين ابناء الشعب العراقي ، انما الطائفية تُصنع وتنطلق من داخل المنطقة الخضراء لتبث سمومها في ارجاء الوطن ، وهذا الكلام لا يحتاج الى دليل ، بل ساختصره برواية حقيقية جسدتها عائلة عراقية صغيرة ، وهي ليست من نسيج خيالي بل من صميم الواقع العراقي ، وتربطني بهذه العائلة صلة القرابة، وهذه مفادها:

رجل سني تزوج من امرأة شيعية ، ليرزقه الله بولدين اولهما (عمر) وثانيهما (حيدر) ، لتعيش هذه العائلة وتنصهر بالاجواء الاجتماعية العراقية الراقية ، غير ملتفتة الى المذهب المختلف بين الاب والام ، لتشاء الاقدار ان تنفطر فطرة (عمر) على المذهب الشيعي ، و(حيدر) على المذهب السني.

هذا هو الشعب العراقي المتجسد بهذه العائلة البسيطة والفقيرة ، هذه العائلة التي تحاول ان تمزقها وتقطع اوصالها خطابات هي كالسكاكين في قلب السني قبل ان تكون في قلب الشيعي ، واخيرا لا يسعني الا ان اقول الله الله بشعبكم.