Staking in Baghdad vanwege Fallujjah

[lennart]

Baghdad on strike against Fallujah offensive

Most of Baghdad closed down yesterday after a prominent religious leader called for a strike to protest against the US military's bloody offensive against insurgents in Fallujah.

Most shops, banks, government ministries and schools across the capital kept their door closed, particularly in the Sunni Muslim neighbourhood of Aadhamiya, in sympathy with the restive town where hundreds have died.

The neighbourhood's main Mustansiriya University was deserted.

Across the city, traffic moved easily along roads which are usually jammed throughout the day.

During his weekly sermon yesterday, prominent Sheikh Harith Sulaiman al-Dhari, a prominent Sunni Mulsim cleric, called for a three-day strike to protest against US army offensives.

His sermon -- which also marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad -- further branded Iraqi politicians serving on US-appointed bodies as "traitors" siding with the occupation.

"Fie on every traitor, and to everyone who pushed towards occupying this country," said Dhari, head of the influential Committee for Islamic Clerics and is also the imam of the Sunni mosque of Um-al-Qura.

Dhari's angry sermon was mainly meant to condemn the US military's siege of the Sunni town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, sparked by the killing of four American civilian security contractors.

Muslim fighters in the area have been waged a fierce resistance for the past six days, but hundreds of Iraqis have died and the US-led coalition has offered a temporary unilateral ceasefire.

AFP

[lennart]

One of Those Countries...

We've taken to sleeping in the living room again. We put up the heavy drapes the day before yesterday and E. and I re-taped the windows looking out into the garden. This time, I made them use the clear tape so that the view wouldn't be marred with long, brown strips of tape. We sleep in the living room because it is the safest room in the house and the only room that will hold the whole family comfortably.

The preparations for sleep begin at around 10 p.m. on days when we have electricity and somewhat earlier on dark nights. E. and I have to drag out the mats, blankets and pillows and arrange them creatively on the floor so that everyone is as far away from the windows as possible, without actually being crowded.

Baghdad is calm and relatively quiet if you don't count the frequent explosions. Actually, when we don't hear explosions, it gets a bit worrying. I know that sounds strange but it's like this- you know how you see someone holding a rifle or gun and aiming at something, ready to fire? You cringe and tense up while waiting for the gunshot and keep thinking, "It's coming, it's coming...". That's how it feels on a morning without explosions. Somehow, you just *know* there are going to be explosions... it's only a matter of time. Hearing them is a relief and you can loosen up after they occur and hope that they'll be the last of the day.

The hostage situations are a mess. I watch television and it feels like I'm watching another country. All I can think is, "We've become one of *those* countries..." You know- the ones where hostages are taken on a daily basis and governments warn their civilians of visiting or entering the country. It's especially sad because even during those long years during the blockade and in between wars and bombings, there were never any attacks on foreigners. Iraqis are hospitable, friendly people who always used to treat foreigners with care... now, everyone is treated like a potential enemy.

The case of the Japanese hostages is especially sad- I'm so sorry for their families and friends specifically, and the Japanese people in general. We keep hearing conflicting reports about their situation. This morning I heard that the kidnappers agreed to free them but someone else told me that it was just a rumor... it's so hard to tell. It's heart-breaking to see them on television and I wish there was something that could be done. Will the Japanese government pull out the troops? Not likely... three people won't matter to them. I hope they come out of this alive and well and I hope they don't hold a grudge against Iraqis. There's hostility towards Japan because of the fact that they sent soldiers... Japan became one of 'them' when they decided to send over troops and these are the consequences. I'm so sorry... in spite of the fact that dozens of Iraqis are abducted and killed each day, I'm really sorry.

They say around 600 Iraqis were killed in Falloojeh- 120 children and 200 women... it's an atrocity and horribly sad. They have let one or two convoys in and the rest were sent back. The refugees from the area are flowing into Baghdad and it's horrible to see them. Women and children with tear-stained faces, mostly in black, carrying bundles of clothes and bottles of water. The mosques are gathering food and clothes for them... one of the storage areas for the refugee stuff was hit by an American tank today in A'adhamiya and the scene is chaotic... scattered food, medication, bandages, blankets, etc.

The south is a bit calmer because of the 'Arba'een' of the Imam Hussein which will last for a couple of days... no one knows what will happen after.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/