An Iraqi woman's dream

Perugia is an ancient etruscan town founded back in 600 BCE. It is also where I discovered the gut wrenching catastrophe within Iraq. Yesterday, September 7th, I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with four Iraqi people: a lecturer woman from Mosul, an electrical engineer/reporter from Basr, a Muslim Celine Dion fan from Falluja, and a journalist from Baghdad. Mosul is in the North towards Turkey, Basra is in the south near Kuwait, Fallujah is on the road towards Syria and Jordan while Baghdad is the Iraqi capital, in the central eastern part of the country, towards Iran.

The woman from Mosul told me the most horrific stories of how daily life is. Mosul is where she was born and raised. She remembers life under Saddam and confirms that now it is much worse. There is a curfew, meaning no one can go out of their homes, from 8pm until 6am. When I ask her "what is your dream [with your organization]" she replies without hesitation: "safety."

Though she is not a religious woman, she always covers her head when she goes out in public. There are at least 7 radical islamic groups in her neighborhood. Some know why they kill, many don't.

She emphasizes to me the kidnappings which have been occuring of Iraqi children for money.

Mosul is the third largest city in Iraq yet does not have an airport. The old airport has been converted into a jail. In Mosul, there are 3 or 4 random killings each day. Random Killings, meaning it could be anyone, even her. Every day. 3 or 4 random killings.

The south of Iraq, around Basra, is controlled by British troops and they are said to be less savage than the US troops.

When speaking with these Iraqis, they all seem so used to the dangers they shrug and smile when I ask if they are afraid. It appears one can get used to anything, even war.

Before parting ways, they sing a wonderful Iraqi song for us, with the lyrics "I love you sweetheart I love you."