The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Friends, The following is a very bitter letter from an Iraqi to Ali Ismael Abbas. The opinions reflect those of a large number of Iraqis... HZ ---------------------------- Ali: Did you understand the meaning of liberty? By: Buthaina al-Nasiry (Iraqi writer) Translated from Al-Quds Al-Arabi / 5 May, 2003-05-05 When America bestowed on us freedom and democracy, Ali Ismael Abbas became the symbol of the New Iraq. He was born 12 years ago in the first days of sanctions; he had a house, two parents and brothers, and the family had a car and a computer. Ali spent his sanction years playing computer games and dreaming of when his parents teach him to drive a car when he grows older. But Mr. Bush had another opinion: he had a different future for the boy. That is why he sent him his favorite toy: a smart bomb that burned the house with those in it. It was the moment of salvation that Bush had promised the Iraqis. And so Ali became a homeless and invalid orphan. His thin body was reduced to a trunk resembling a cross; Mr. Bush's cross of course. The ghost remains of two arms and a body half of which had burned, leaving intact the head and two large eyes exposing shadows of the palm trees of Iraq as they glimmer over Shatt al-Arab. In a moment of "historical change" Ali, the grandchild of the martyred Hussein whose people Bush promised to liberate, became the cross burdening our consciences. All were present in the scene of Ali's crucifixion: Israel, Judas and the spectators. Because Ali was moaning on Arabic satellite channels and his Iraqi eyes appearing on the pages of some western newspapers too, our brothers in the south volunteered to take Ali and treat him. For they are Arabs about whose generosity caravans talk, and it is said that their guesthouses could house a quarter of a million. The last we heard from Ali, before he entered the guesthouses of our brothers in the south and his news disappeared, were his questions: why did the Americans kill all my family? Where would I go when I return to Baghdad? How will I drive my father's car? How would I play computer games without fingers? Are you going to transplant arms for me? Because Ali is young, for his age does not exceed the sanction years, he might not understand that this is not the proper time to ask such strange questions, while everyone, states and nations, are busy installing governments, drawing up plans and maps, building bases and distributing contracts. And because Ali is young and doesn't understand games of adults, this is an attempt to answer him in a simple and understandable way, so that he may comprehend and stop asking questions at this improper time. Ali, try for a while to stop complaining and loosing your consciousness, and listen to me, for I will tell you the truth that you won't hear from others. What happened to you is something great and wonderful called "freedom and democracy". You have to be proud that Mr. Bush, the leader of the world's biggest state, has chosen you Ali to make you an icon of the New American Century. What does an icon mean? It means a symbol of something we are proud of. You have turned into a new entity, without arms, with a burned body and big head. You are the symbol of the Free Iraq. You can imagine all those sculptors making many statues of you to decorate our homes and squares, and tourists will flock to buy them. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Mr. Bush was very kind to you, you have to admit, for he saw that your father was sometimes very strict on you, so he rid you of him. And he saw that your mother was excessively protective of you, so he rid you of her. And he saw your younger brother quarreling with you over your games and messing your school books, so he rid you of him. And he saw that your home was old fashioned not suitable for the new age, so he rid you of it too. Here you are at last, absolutely free, with a wiped memory, ready to start a new life. Freedom has given you a family better than your old one: you now have uncle George, uncle Dick, Grandpa Donald, Auntie Condoleeza and uncle Colin. They are all civilized, good and cheerful people, and therefore they have promised to give you the freedom to choose which sidewalk of Baghdad's roads you want to live on to smell the free air of freedom. But you also have to admit that the best thing uncle George did was his efforts to give you full relief, so he rid you of the burden of your arms. How wonderful (as a friend shouted).. Now you don't have to stay up nights doing your school works. And when you grow up, you won't have to carry a sickle to farm, or a ruler to draw a road, or carry a stone to build a house or run a motor to pump oil. Uncle George's companies have taken care of all of these. More important, he has protected your dignity so that, unlike people with arms, you will not have to raise a white flag every time you need to go to the grocers, or lift your arms up at check points at every street corner. Do you see, Ali? You don't need arms. What would you have done with them anyway? Were you perhaps dreaming of holding your beloved one in some coming day? Calm down, for you will not find anyone alive in your new world. All the commandments of the new Bible scream: KILL... KILL... KILL... What were you really going to do with arms? Did you want to eat with them? Don't worry much, because our cousins in the south will take care of fitting two new arms, more civilized and more modern.. Two shiny hooks made from stainless metal, one ending with a curved fork that can easily be stuck into a MacDonalds´ hamburger, while the left hook ends with pincers that allow you to hold a Coca Cola bottle. Isn't that wonderful, Ali? At last, a real MacDonalds´ hamburger, and not the kind your mother used to fool you with. And real Coca Cola, not the cheap copy of the sanction years which Iraqis cheated you with.. Uncle George was truthful to his word: didn't he promise you prosperity? And as you sit on the sidewalk, with one hook in a MacDonalds´ and the other holding a Coca Cola, with ketchup dripping on your chin and shirt without a mother to reprimand you on your indifference, I hope that you finally realize the ....meaning of Freedom, Ali! Democracy means that you can sit on the sidewalk quite freely, eating MacDonalds´ and drinking Coca Cola, watching the new Iraqi TV. And instead of seeing only one person talking to you like before, you will now see your new family: George, Donald, Dick , Condy and Colin telling you about the happiness and the prosperity in which you roll, and they tell you in decisive words of what they doing and how they plan for you and your future and how they will plan your life for you and choose your friends and enemies.. And that, Ali, is democracy… Ali... Ali... You are loosing consciousness again!! __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk