BAGHDAD — Iraq is a funny place sometimes, not the least because of its people. For instance, they can be warm, funny and generous. And yet, get a group of, say, 10 men together, and they soon fall to arguing about the littlest thing. Hell, I've seen them argue even when they agree with one another. And I've seen a small group of men turn into a lynch mob like a light switch had been flipped.
But this is not a “look at the wacky Iraqis” post. This is a post about the hair-trigger temper of a populace under the twin pressures of occupation and random horrible violence. This post is about a people who, prior to the 1991 Gulf war and the subsequent sanctions, were warmer, more hospitable and more generous than they are now. And while Iraqis have always been suspicious of outsiders, they are now positively paranoid. Dangerously so.
The latest outrage to hit Iraq is the revised plan for the weekend. When I left on Feb. 2, Iraqis observed their own weekend: half a day off on Thursday and a full day off on Friday, the Islamic holy day. This was a little inconvenient for us westerners working here, since that meant we started work on a Saturday while our editors were taking these two days off. The only real overlap in the Iraqi workweek and the rest of the world's was Monday through Wednesday and that dratted half-day on Thursday.
Well, three weeks ago, the Iraqi interim government decreed that the weekend would henceforth be two full days: Friday and Saturday. On the surface, this makes a lot of sense. It means government workers won't be making the hazardous trip to and from work quite as often, and it will allow Iraqis to interact with the rest of the world four out of five business days. But college students, many of them belonging to organizations professing loyalty to populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, are outraged. They're demonstrating on university campuses all over Iraq denouncing Saturday-as-holiday as a “Zionist conspiracy.” Why? Because Saturday is the Jewish sabbath, and Jews are, well, the bad guys in Iraq. One of my staff here at the TIME house is furious with the idea of taking Saturday off, saying, “The Jews occupy Iraq and they want to take their day off.” (He also believes the Iranians occupy Iraq because of the Sistani coalition's victory in the Jan. 30 elections. He's Sunni.)
At any rate, it now appears the Allawi government will back down and make Thursday and Friday the “new” weekend, giving the Iraqis only three workdays in common with most of the rest of the world. But hell, that's OK. I'm a freelancer. I'm all in favor of setting your own schedule. [UPDATE: I couldn't find any independent confirmation on this, so I'm cutting it.]
On the surface this is silly. And some could point to this as just another example of the paranoid mindset of many young Iraqis. But there's a reason for this mindset: For years, Iraqis have had to eat and breath conspiracy theories because so often there were conspiracies to contend with. (You think totalitarian states operate with transparency?) And the damage of the United Nations sanctions over 12 years hardened Iraqis' attitudes toward the world, causing them to think, not unreasonably, that the world was out to get them. A people who already suspicious of outsiders because of their Bedouin/tribal heritage came to hate foreigners because the cause of many of their problems were foreigners meddling in Iraq. The list is long: The Americans who betrayed them in 1991, the Security Council that abandoned them in the years that followed, The Americans in 2003 to the present, and now the widespread belief that Syria and Jordan (among the Shi'ites) and Iran (among the Sunnis) are further meddling behind the scenes to destroy Iraq by supporting either “terrorists” or Persian cats paws.
It's not a coincidence that Iraq currently has tense relations with all three countries in some form or another. The Kurds' prickly relations with Iran and Turkey aren't helping matters either. Until the Iraqis are able to stand up to their neighbors, who really are meddling in many disreputable ways, they'll never be able to dispel their distrust of the outside world, workweeks will remain uncoordinated and the Jews will remain perpetrators of dark plots to undermine Iraq and Islam. Until the people's confidence returns, regardless of who runs this place, you're going to have a country that's not ready to play well with others.
That’s a very interesting cultural note, Chris. It tells us something about how far Iraqi perceptions may be from most of the rest of the world…we’re not even on the same workweek. The issue of cultural self-determination is a complex matter in an economically globalized world and there’s no doubt notions about use of time have an influence in people’s sense of self-control. Given their lengthy and rich history, Iraqis have SO much to contribute to world knowledge, probably more than many are aware, and it would be great if Iraqi society could become more integrated, at least on some level, with the rest of the world. Do you get any sense that life there is approaching normalcy, whatever that may be by Iraqi standards?
integrated with the rest of the world is a tall order given that Iraq is a country under occupation, 100,000 iraqis have been killed (although figures are uncertain because the U.S. refuses to count Iraqi deaths), the U.S. has hijacked the Iraqi economy, gross violations of the geneva conventions by the u.s. army…. the list goes on.
i’d offer a counter proposal, how about the integration of the u.s. (right now considered a major threat the world over, e.g., by 80% in Turkey, to name but one country). A good start might be U.S. integration into the World Court, adherence to the Kyoto Protocols, withdrawing the nominations of Wolfewitz and other neoconservatives for posts in international organizations —- again the list goes on.
Personally, I’d rather have Sunday and Monday off.
But what do I know? - I pretty much work 7-day weeks in George Bush’s America these days. Just to make my house payments. I wonder how that’ll work out when interest rates start climbing. Like under his daddy’s presidency…
hey ttj, or it’s how far out of touch the world is with perceptions in Iraq, huh?
And Chris, saying “because of our Bedouin heritage” sounds very strange to me. I have never looked at Iraq steeped in Bedouin tradition. Maybe because my family’s urban Iraqi. Most of us Urban Iraqis tend to look at the gulf states as the “Bedouin heritage” states.
Chris,
have you heard anything about the incidents Zeyad (Healing Iraq) is posting:
In Basra— Mahdi Army harassment of students (killing two) and the subsequent student strikes?
Hi, Tilli— I know only what I’ve read in the various media about it. I just got back to Iraq on Monday, and I’ve never been to Basra. But stories filtering up are not good. I’d heard that Basra citizens were voting en masse for Allawi because of the fear of a religious government — which they had experienced already once SCIRI and Badr took over. But those reports were full of it, as the Sistani list won handily on Jan. 30.
Chris, how is the electricity, water and gas problems in baghdad and big cities doing?
If there is a schedule when lights turn off to save electricity whats that like?
im just curious how those little things we all take for granted except when we dont have them are doing. Not having dependable electricity and water alone would drive crazy, not to mention years…
Whats the situation like at this moment?
Better? Same? Worse?
thanks in advance.
are you saying the jews aren’t responsible for this total mess in the middle east?
or have you bought into it’s the oil?
john schmidt
Excellent post. I have always been struck by the interaction of Arabs in the ME, it’s as though they argue but more to talk, not to argue.
Outside of the moonbats in the comments section, this looks like a great site, keep it up and stay safe.
Hey Chris,
It must be over a year now when I saked you for the “man on the street” take of Iraq.
Your article today is exactly dead on of what I can’t get from all the ‘cookie cutter’ stories.
btw,
You did a story on an Iraqi artist and his exhibit of Swamp Arab art.
( I recall he was heavy into reds and oranges—-those “warm” colors were so overpowering and the heat looked / felt so repressive ) …so ,
whats he up to?
I would like to see more pics of his art,
has it changred over the past year.
If so, how so.
Is he OK ? ect.
You may have to provide a link to the exact day of the post I am talking about if any posters are the least bit interested.
“The Americans who betrayed them in 1991, the Security Council that abandoned them in the years that followed, The Americans in 2003 to the present”
Let’s see if I got this straight. They are angry with the Americans because we didn’t invade in 1991 and because we did in 2003?
This story reveals the depth and ‘irrationality’ of anti-semitism in the Arab world. Jews are blamed for everything, even when there is no logical foundation. If Israel treated Arabs/Palestinians with the same ‘respect’ that they are respected in the inverse situation, imagine the shock and horror of beheadings, desecration of Holy Sites, and mass-murder-suicide that would happen. (This is not to say either side is ‘lilly white perfect’ — Jewish extremists are no better than Islamic fanatics — but it concerns me the scale, depth, and irrational nature of hate on the mass Islamic side.)
Irrational hatred for Jews? Why, who would suspect that the neocons were partial to Israel at all, or that their first loyalty lies with a country other than the USA?
Paul Wolfowitz - Jew
Richard Perle - Jew
Douglas Feith - Jew
Lewis Libby - Jew
Elliott Abrams - Jew
Irving Kristol - Jew
Norman Podhoretz - Jew
Madeleine “we think the price is worth it.” Albright (referring to 500,000 dead Iraqi kids from sanctions) - Jew
Saddam Hussein — Jew?
Who are the despots and dictators and hate-filled enemies of liberty and freedom? I’m sure millions would blame it on the “international Jewish conspiracy” and would be happy to emulate Hitler. If that is the world you want, please feel free to live in Syria, Iran, or southern Sudan. (A rejection of anti-Semitism and recognition of Israel’s right to defend itself as a Jewish state, however does not justify hatred or hostility to Palistinians and others with legitimate national aspirations.)
i’m an american jew and find it problematic in the extreme that Israel insist on a definition as a “jewish state.” what about its citizens who are palestinian, arab, christian, muslum, and those who don’t profess a set of religious beliefs? what about all the people who are living under occupation? israel’s so called “settlement” policy is one of colonial expansion and the abrogration of human rights. I would much rather see a multi-cultural state of multiple religious backgrounds.
jews were subjected to the gravest of atrocities during wwII. this should serve as a reminder to accord full rights and respect to all, regardless of religion, culture, gender, sexuality, race, background…
unfortunately, u.s. and israeli policies of occupation and domination have long been intertwined. today, the occupation of iraq takes much from the israeli handbook on gaza and west bank occupation. and of course many of the neo-cons in D.C. seem to be driven by religious zealotry, interest in oil, global dominance, military might, extreme nationalism, and economic greed. I can see why the Iraqis might be distrustful given U.S. actions to date.
John Dunshee,
The betrayal of 1991 to which Chris is referring, occurred as a result of the duplicity of President George Bush senior in calling for a general Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein. Encouraged by this, many of the provinces rose up in rebellion but were subsequently crushed when the elder Bush failed to lift a finger to help.
A parallel to this occurred during WW2 during the Warsaw Uprising when the Russian Army, despite being being ideally located to offer help to the inhabitants, refused help, allowing the Nazis to slaughter the insurgents.
The conclusion that one draws from the two incidents is that both the Americans and the Russians wanted the removal of a local resistance force that might hinder their future occupation of a conquered country.
The other part of the ministerial order giving Iraqis all of Saturday off instead of half of Thursday provided for the hours of the half day lost to be reapportioned among the rest of the work week.
From my observation, Iraqis in government offices are still knocking off work at 2 pm.
To Liminal,
Yeah, you are right. I should have said how far apart Iraqi AND Non-iraqi perceptions may be from each other. As you are from an Iraqi family, I’m sure you could tell us more about that.
There’s no doubt integration is a two-way street.
Jose Valeras has given us a list of US government warmongering Jews. May we now have a list of the Christian warmongers, starting with George W. Bush and working our way down?
JudithW
How about muslim warmongers? Allawi, Abizaid? Black warmongers? Rice? Hispanic warmongers? Gonzales?
Farewell John Paul. Godspeed.
Icepick