arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Hi all,

I made it safe and sound to Baghdad! The trip was smooth; Rania and Mazen took excellent care of me in Amman (so did Shelly :) )

The borders are a chaotic place where nothing seems right! The Iraqi soldier at the passport control did not know where to stamp on my passport until I told him!!! And the blood check I had to do was settled with a 5 Jordanian dinars bribe! Only one US soldier was visible... no heavy military presence. Just a long packed line of feul trucks heading away from Iraq! I wonder who is getitng payed for these!!!!!

My driver was lovely, an old man with amazing dignity and pride! The poor old thing was embarrassed every time I was asked to pay a bribe! I explained to him that things in Lebanon are not much better! He kept on asking me to sleep in the back seat... and I managed to so for a while, but was scared to do so all the way... Every time we were stopped by a check point, we'd freak out of getting robbed.. but things went on fine!

The road as I said was smooth, but the most scary part was when I got to Fellujah (after all what you see on the news), but I was lucky to cross it in calm weather except for few helicopters hovering low above our heads and few tanks on the road! It is a lovely town, with burnt tanks all over, and cut down palm trees (The US forces are now cutting down palm trees for security reasons thus cutting off a soruce of food and money for the locals)

The Tigris and the Euphrates !!! Everything is emotionally over charged... the driver and his refusal to eat from my nuts, taking one or two no matter how hard I insist, though he forced half of his cup of tea down my throat. The houses, the burnt tanks, the pointed guns, the long extending empty desert, the cars, the people, old fat women in black abayat trudging through sand... the sadness and fury.. the chaos.

Baghdad! Oh Baghdad! Palm trees, lovely primitive architecture, traffic jam that goes on for hours and hours (and NO Beirut is not worse when it come to traffic) Chaos all over, cars and vans driving on pavements and roads blocked all over by US forces!

As we were stuck in traffic jam, and American soldier got off from the tank behind us, and started screaming his head off on the cars to move (he was freaking out clearly) he started shouting on my driver Haj Ismaeel and banging on his car, I opened my window and tried to talk to him telling him we can not move simply and clearly cause the front of the car is hitting the back of the car in front of us - HELLLOOOO - yet to no avail... after I started repeating the same sentence in a mono tone "He can not fucking move, there is no fucking space, what you are asking for is impossible, hello??" over and over, he looked at me, then he went back to his tank, totally ignoring me!

Baghdad, you can not help crying while you drive around and see the destruction, though it is not total, but the beautiful building that are burnt down are shocking. The blockades they erected, the guns that are pointed at people and at you all over. There is a street that was built in the 20s and called Al Rasheed street... it is one of the most beautiful street I have ever seen in my life! Richness glows in all the buildings but misery prevails... a city that is such a giant one yet it is subordinated by occupation and oppression.

I arrived at Hotel Palestine (after having to detour more than six times due to road blockades) tight security, my bags had to be checked three times in the 20 meters distance leading to the hotel - though it is an only pedestrian zone packed with US soldiers and tanks. The hotel is shabby and packed with journalists running around! The guy who is supposed to pick me up is not there, I wait in the lobby - then try to call him - it fails - wait again - call again - fails -wait ... etc.. Till it works.. comes pick me up... safe and sound at the place I am to stay in!

It was 6 p.m. met few of the guys at al Muwajaha, and they are all young and sweet. So eager to talk, so eager to express themselves and so excited to hear what I have to say. Crashed immediatly in bed!

The next day I woke up and move to "Voices in Wilderness" where I met Eva and Ed... Eva is such a sweetheart, was with ISM in Palestine and now is volunteering in Baghdad against the occupation and human rights violations. We talked a lot, and agreed to hold some direct action in Baghdad as well!

There is a governmental building that is to be evacuated from its homeless squatters sometimes soon thus we are intending to peacefully block the US Forces from evacuating it! (hope we find enough people to do this) Also there is a demo taking place by the Union of the Unemployed, which Eva and I will try to do some work for and prepare some cool banners and direct action for!

Back home for a while, then off to a painter’s place who in spite of Ramadan had a party going with arak and beer, had a blast, and guess I am falling ;)

Second day in Baghdad, today, We woke up to an explosion that was very near to where I am staying... Just like Beirut in war time, everyone goes out and gather in the street asking where, who, what and how... Women in my neighborhood were running to get their children form nearby schools... Sirens, fire shots, tanks and ambulances scurrying around. Later on we learn there were five different ones around the city. It is outrageous, you can not but feel you want to stay more and be part of the struggle to try and make things better or even speak up against what is taking place. One hour later.. Life goes back to normal.

Then Wasef (part of Al Muwajaha group) drove me to meet Siham Bin Sidreen a Tunisian journalist and human rights activist, writer for an underground paper and member of human rights committee in Tunisia. She is such an amazing woman; we talk loads and agree to meet in Tunisia when I come in January! They operate something like Al Yasari, so guys we will have a twin soon!

Now I have to go do some shopping for food, guys... everything rocks about Baghdad except the food... it sucks... it is torture not food! So I am cooking (well making cheese spreads and eating fruits all the time)

Miss you all guys... I am taking good care of myself so do not worry! Sorry for not writing on regular basis but thinks are hectic here, thank you for your lovely notes of solidarity.

P.S. Raida, please call my Mom and tell her I am fine and not to worry, if she does not pick up try Elias my cousin!