Iraqi
Fulbrights share their perspectives
By
Sally Acharya
(From American Weekly,
Nov. 14, 2006)
1 of 2 pages
Zina Abdul Latif was having a hard
time keeping back the tears. It may have been memories of her
brother, killed in Iraq last year at the age of 22. Or it may
have been all the memories combined—of her home in Baghdad,
of her life under Saddam, and of her relatives who are still
there, suffering.
“I feel the American pain when they say they want
to pull out. But if you’re losing one soldier, we’re
losing 100 in return,” said Latif.
It was the day before the Nov. 7 midterm election, in which
voters would deliver the Bush administration a sharp rebuke
over its Iraq policy. But Latif and her fellow speaker, Bilal
Wahab, were urging Americans not to abandon their home to
violence and chaos.
The two Fulbright scholars at the School of International
Service (SIS) shared a personal perspective at the SIS talk, “Thinking
about Iraq: A Discussion with AU’s Fulbright Scholars.”
Both expressed misgivings about elements of American policy,
but urged Americans to keep the U.S. troops in Iraq. “It’s
going to be a waste of all these human souls if we say we’re
just going to give up,” said Latif, who recalled life
under Saddam as “a prison.”
Coming from a secular Baghdad family, she described living
with “a sense of slavery,” in which “Saddam
used to say, ‘Saddam is Iraq and Iraq is Saddam.’” But
while she felt the overthrow of Saddam was worthwhile, she
painted a horrifying picture of life in Baghdad today.
Death threats for personal gain have become common, Latif
said. In her own family, a relative was threatened with death
unless he handed over his house to the blackmailer. “People
are greedy. They want free houses and whatever they can get,
and they’ll use whatever card they have,” she
said.
Fearing for their lives, Iraqis are turning for protection
to their own connections, whether it’s militias, tribal
groups, or anyone who seems to offer a safety net. And Latif
sees no sign of future harmony.
She said that the Iraqi government needs the U.S. troops
on the ground while the army and police are trained, although
she expressed doubts about the efficacy of training by Americans
who lack a deep understanding of the culture.
Wahab also felt it was worth the price to topple Saddam. “Saddam
was a dictator, a tyrant, a brutal murderer,” he said.
The invasion of Iraq by the United States was due, at least
in part, to an “awakening” after Sept. 11 that
led the United States to recognize the importance of spreading
democracy and freedom in the world, he said.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “there are signs
this noble cause is faltering.”
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