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Freelance
journalist Felicity Arbuthnot writes a letter to US Soldier
Mohammed Omar Masry in response to entry#2
of his diary that IslamOnline published on January 12, 2004.
Dear
Sgt. Mohammed Omar Masry,
Might I respond I am sure you have your heart in the right
place. I am sure, too, you have been unleashed on Iraq’s
schools by the US military is a public relations exercise
because you have a Muslim name and do look so nice. It would be
interesting to know if you speak Arabic and/or majored in Arabic
studies: culture, history. You appeal for school textbooks
“preferably in Arabic.” Surely this hardly needs
underlining. Iraqi children speak Arabic. Were England or
America invaded and occupied by the Arabs, one would hope the
occupiers were more sensible than to appeal for textbooks
“preferably in English.”
Might I correct you on a vital point Iraqis have resisted every
attempt to take over their oil since its discovery. The Haifa
pipeline from Kirkuk was mooted over sixty years ago, actually,
by the British – the then occupiers – to supply oil to
Israel. As soon as the US invaded Iraq last March, the plans to
restore this disastrous idea, which will lead to explosion after
explosion and sabotage after sabotage, was stated as a US
policy. By the way, you talk of “smugglers stealing oil.”
March’s madness was an illegal invasion. The oil belongs to
Iraqis, not US and Halliburton etc. The complexities of Iraq’s
relationship with Israel, however, are outside the scope of
this, but look up Babylon’s fall in the Bible’s Book of
Revelations, and it will give you a starting point. Then leap
forward a few thousand years to a history lesson and the
formation of Israel - and there is quite a bit in between.
You have not taken on board
neither current events (with respect) nor modern history. The US is importing oil because of utter
incompetence to secure the flow, no knowledge of the precarious
state of Iraq’s oil production and sheer greed. To benefit
Halliburton, Kellog Brown and Root and others and make a quick
buck, they have also brought in foreign contractors, who knew
nothing of the complexities. To beneft Halliburton, Kellog Brown
and Root, Carlyle Group (in which both the Bush family and Bin
Laden family were in business), Bechtel and the like, you and
your friends are risking and losing your lives, day after day.
In spite of the draconian embargo on Iraq which denied it parts
of the oil fields for thirteen years (but via US funding gave
millions to NATO’s friend Turkey to update their oil
fields/installations - through which, it was demanded, Iraq
export and pay for that export - making the systems
entirely incompatible) Iraqi engineers nevertheless kept the oil
flowing. Might I suggest they get these experts back. A few more
employed, able to provide for those they love, might mean a few
less bitter and a few less American and “coalition of the
unwilling” deaths.
And Sgt. Omar, if you are allowed home on leave, go for it and
don’t come back. As I’ve written elsewhere, buy a history
book and see that this is a historically reckless and feckless
adventure. The Iraqis will prevail, whatever it takes. A little
after, the doomed pipeline to Israel fantasy failed, so did
British rule. The last British imposed Prime Minister was
dragged through the streets until there was so little left of
him. Many moderate, anti Saddam Iraqis, enraged at more
“disappeared,” shot, run over - with no accounting for
“some mother’s son” - daughters, children by the
“liberators,” are saying they will not rest until they do to
Viceroy Bremer what they did to the Prime Minister - Nuri
Sa’ad. I am sure your heart is in the right place, but
frankly, for you all, it is time to go. Your compatriots are -
literally - dying for oil. Oh and by the way, could you suggest
they stop stealing from the homes whose doors they kick down in
night time raids, repay the money and return the jewellery they
have stolen? What about also suggesting they knock?
And I have a last question: Why does your army put bags over
people’s heads, blindfold them in contravention of the Geneva
and many other treaties and conventions on Human Rights?
“Hearts and Minds,” democracy, is not going to come to Iraq
this way. It was, say Iraqis better even, before - and a few
school books in any language won’t tip the balance.
Yours sincerely,
Felicity Arbuthnot (white, middle class, middle aged and with a
bit of knowledge of Iraq.)
Felicity Arbuthnot has
written and broadcast widely on Iraq and with former UN
Co-ordinator in Iraq and UN Under Secretary General, Denis
Halliday. She was Senior Researcher for John Pilger’s award
winning documentary “Paying the Price - Killing the Children
of Iraq.”
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