Have we lost some 4.000 soldiers in Iraq since the beginning of the war? Yes, of course we have, but the numbers pale against the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that have lost their life over that same period.

These are good people that deserve a chance to live free. They deserve the same opportunities that we enjoy. They deserve to not live in fear. They deserve to not face death every time they go out the door. They deserve to have hopes and dreams.

Meda was telling me of how another member of her family was kidnapped and although that person was one of the lucky ones that was set free, it was only because the family was privileged and was able to pay the ransom. But what about the Iraqis that are not in that same sort of privileged position? We hear about people being kidnapped and beheaded all the time. In fact, not long ago we were seeing those acts on the Internet and sometimes in video. But just imagine having to live your life in fear of your own people doing that to you and/or a family member at any time. I know that we have criminals that do awful things, but that is isolated. In Iraq, it happens almost daily and in virtually every city.

I asked Meda about this practice of people slapping on bombs and walking into crowds and blowing themselves up – the suicide bombers. How could anyone condone that sort of act? She quickly informed me that Iraqis do not condone that and do not think it is an acceptable means of dealing with anything. They abhor it. And they especially don’t understand it when the Jihadists claim they are out to destroy the infidels and yet it is the Iraqi people that the suicide bombers are usually targeting. What sense does that make?

Although they abhor it, to speak out and such in public would only make them the next target either of a bomb or just being shot down in the street and they have their families to think about. Their only hope is to see their government and the coalition succeed and get the violent groups under control.

I found one thing very curious: I have heard it stated that the Iraqis are worse off today than they were under Saddam Hussein. She was quick to explain that although the statement may be true in one sense, it is not the complete story. When Iraqis say they were better off under Hussein, they are referring to the violence that is being perpetrated by their own people. Under Hussein, he would rise up and defend those in fear. And in Iraq that is a long standing custom where someone takes you into their family or tribe and you then are under their protection. In fact, they would often throw a party and then when you arrive, you would see only your enemies because they were invited to receive the announcement that you were now under the host’s protection.

The rest of that story, though, was that under that person’s protection you must live according to their rules so that you don’t bring them embarrassment or shame. So nothing ever changed. You were just now fearful of the person you were under the protection of. Would Meda or any of her family choose to go back to the country of Saddam? – absolutely not! There is now hope for a free society. Hope for all Iraqi people. They do not want to turn the clock back by any means.

I have talked with hundreds of soldiers that have served in Iraq and to a soldier, I have never heard anything but good about the people of Iraq. It was good to know that at least this Iraqi and her family felt the same way about us.

Kuwait, Jordan, and Iran’s dinar are not related to the Iraqi dinar in any way other than their name. The old Iraqi dinar was first created in 1931. Its value was tied directly to that of the British Pound sterling, and, in fact, was printed at mints located in the United Kingdom.

Prior to the introduction of the dinar, the official currency of Iraq was the Indian rupee which dated back to British occupation of Iraq during the world war period of 1931 to 1947. During this time the dinar was printed and circulated by the Iraqi currency board; although, the tie to the Pound sterling was still in place.

After the 1958 Iraqi revolution, or coup d’etat, the connection to the Pound sterling was severed and the dinar traded at a higher rate for a short time, then plummeted.

After the first U.S. invasion of Iraq in 1991, the Hussein government began printing a cheap paper note in unsupportable quantities. The pre-1991 notes, called the ‘Swiss Dinar’, because they were printed on high quality paper in Switzerland, remained the official currency of the Kurdish region of Iraq for a period of time.

During Saddam’s regime, Saddam decided to try and set the exchange rate himself to a little more than $3 dollars per $1 dinar. This of course was not accepted by the market and was only available to those close to Saddam.

Unfortunately, this is what most Iraqi Dinar Dealers try to play upon. They try and get you to buy into the lie that the Dinar was at one time openly traded at some incredible exchange rate and that it will be there again.

The value of the currency quickly plunged and free market support of the Iraqi Dinar collapsed.

iraqi dinar

The Iraqi foreign ministry has called for a United Nations investigation on the bombings as government officials are assessing the scope of the damage brought on by the attacks. This puts an additional tension to the political atmosphere of Iraq and more strain to its fledgling government.

Iraq has undergone a series of governmental shifts punctuated by violence and unrest. Historical and political events of the past years have shaped this nation into its current shaky condition. Mazin Zwayne Al Ashraf explains these events in the self-published book The Fifth Iraq: New Beginning.

The Fifth Iraq documents the four regimes in modern day Iraq, while proposing a fifth one. Ashraf says that the next regime must be democratic, embrace the history of the region and provide representation for everyone.

Ashraf also dissects an interesting topic in the book — the English texts of fatwas on “hijacking and kidnapping” and suicide bombings.

The Fifth Iraq: New Beginning is a must-read for those who seek to understand the nation, the turmoil and the future of Iraq.

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Old Iraqi dinar

The Iraqi dinar was introduced into circulation in 1931 and was at par with the Pound sterling. The Iraqi dinar replaced the Indian rupee that was the official currency at the time of the British occupation in World War I. After the 1958 coup d’etat, the Iraqi dinar was dissociated from the Pound sterling, but continued to have a very high value.

After the Gulf War in 1991 and due to the economic blockade and unrestricted printing of banknotes by the government, the dinar devalued fast, and in late 1995, $1 equaled 3000 dinars.

Banknotes issued between 1990 and October 2003, along with a 25-dinar note issued in 1986, bear an idealized engraving of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Following the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq’s currency was printed using poor grade wood pulp paper (rather than cotton or linen) and inferior quality lithography.

Counterfeited banknotes often appeared to be of better quality than real notes. Despite the collapse in the value of the Iraqi dinar, the highest denomination printed until 2002 was 250 dinars.

Currency printed before the Gulf War was often called the Swiss dinar. It got its name from the Swiss printing technology that produced banknotes of a considerably higher quality than those later produced under the economic sanctions that were imposed after the first Gulf War. After a changeover period, the Iraqi government disendorsed this currency. However, this old currency still circulated in the Kurdish regions of Iraq until it was replaced with the new dinar after the second Gulf War.

New Iraqi dinar

Between October 15, 2003 and January 15, 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority issued the new Iraqi dinar to “create a single unified currency that is used throughout all of Iraq.

The Hampshire-based Company “De La Rue” printed the New Iraqi dinars, also known as the “Post – Saddam” dinars, in England, in six denominations: 50, 250, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 25,000 Dinars.

In November of 2004 the new 500-dinar note was issued by the Central Bank of Iraq to facilitate market transactions. The banknotes are beautiful and of “Swiss” quality with many security features rendering them very hard to counterfeit, features include, watermarks, metallic inks, security thread, ultraviolet images and raised lettering.

Value of the new dinar

Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the Middle East and the largest reserves of natural gas. The new Iraq will be able to take full advantage of exporting these resources with sanctions no longer in place.

As Iraq is welcomed back into the International Community the value of the New Iraqi Dinar should rise. How high? That is what you speculate on when buying Iraqi Dinars! (And nobody dares to predict!)

Until very recently, journalists from all over the world were targets and casualties in the Iraq war. This is a nation where press freedom, even before the conflict began, was suppressed by the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. Before the conflict, an Iraqi reporter’s words could get him maimed, if not killed.

“Before, no. They have limitation talking,” said Arabic media analyst Ubart Shaul. “Otherwise, their tongues were gone, will be cut.”

Right now it appears things have changed dramatically, especially in the once violent, Sunni-dominated Al Anbar Province in western Iraq. The media is flourishing here and covering major events. Take, for example, the Rule of Law conference this spring in Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar.

As Brig. Gen. John Wissler, the deputy commanding general of Multi National Force – West, pointed out, the fact the conference was held at all reflected a measure of significant progress.

“We have overcome those violent times,” he told conference attendees as an interpretor translated his words to Arabic. “And the rule of law is finally coming to the forefront, once again, in Anbar.”

As the general spoke several microphones bearing the Arabic names of their media outlets lined the podium in front of him.

This type of open news coverage was unheard of until very recently.

“Basically what people knew was what bad guys were saying on the Internet or what the Iraqi or Arabic stations were saying,” explained Mahir “Mike” Isho, the Arabic spokesman who works for Multi National Force – West aboard Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq. “Unfortunately, those TV stations and those media outlets didn’t have representatives in Anbar. It was too dangerous for anybody to work in the journalism field.”

Security, however, is still a concern and it was a major topic at the Rule of Law conference held in Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar.

“It’s big issue here, will always be big issue here because it will take time,” Shaul said. “That’s my opinion. It’s gonna take some time, but it’s much better than the way we are comparing, like in 2006. Now in 2009, it’s much, much, much better.”

If there is any doubt, however, as to the extent of progress made for the Iraqi media, all you have to do is turn on the television.

“Now journalists and reporters talk about any issue they can,” Shaul said. “I mean if they like any issue, it’s open.”

Shaul added it isn’t just television news that’s growing in Iraq. “I think Iraq now becomes the country that has too many newspapers,” he said. “The country is small to have a hundred, a hundred newspapers, maybe more.”

In a region filled with state-sponsored news, Iraq’s news media is evolving into an inspiring example of what could be in the Arab world.

“I like the freedom in the Iraqi media. I like it. I feel it. I’m very proud of it,.” Shaul said. “I believe most Arab media are very jealous of what level Iraqi media is.”

While Anbar appears safer for Iraqi reporters, the same isn’t necessarily true for other nationalities. Foreign media, like France and China, have set up bureaus in Al Anbar but use Iraqi stringers. Even American reporters who work out of Baghdad request to travel with the U.S. military before covering areas like Fallujah or Ramadi.

While there is more freedom for the press, and while there has been less violence against the media in 2009, Al Anbar Province, as well as the rest of Iraq, is still far from ideal. Perhaps in time, the power of the Iraqi press will pave the way for a safer environment for all journalists.

I learned of my neighbors’ contemporary views towards Middle Easterners while doing research online. My intention, as a journalist, was to write a piece about the terrorist acts that Iraqis faced in Iraq during the elections. That’s when I discovered the radical thoughts that exist in my own backyard.

Here are some of the comments people posted for an article published by the Macomb Daily about the out-of-country voting and the counting for 2010 U.S. Census: http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/03/10/news/srv0000007784980.txt

“I count them [Iraqis] everyday. With my high powered rifle scope. Mr. Fouts [mayor of Warren] contact me. I have the exact number. TOO Fricken” MANY! “

“iraqis are sub-human and need to be deported along with ALL middle eastern people including those nut jobs from former soviet block countries. “

“I dont care if they are counted or not. I just want them to go back to Iraq and never return. Let them fight for their own freedom, if they have the *alls. “

“Would some of you dam middle easterns please tell me why you want to live in a country that hates you. People may smile and act nice to you but deep down you are one of the most hated group of people in this country. Blacks hate you Whites hate you, Jews hate you and Chistians hate you. So, please tell us why you are still here. “

Honestly, I did not know that my country hates me. I thought that I am living in a democratic country where I need not fear the type of bigotry that led to the Holocaust, the genocide of Rwandans, and the one that Christian Iraqis are currently undergoing.

Furthermore, a true Christian should not hate me as I am of Chaldean (Christian Iraqi) descent. Chaldeans were the first people to embrace Christianity in the Middle East and today, they still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. I doubt that a true Jew would hate me given that their forefather is the same as mine, Prophet Abraham, a tribal leader who was born in ancient Iraq. Actually, Jews, Christians and Muslims all originated in the Middle East, so whether they like it or not, they are one big family.

Here’s another post:

First of all if they live here why in the hell are they voting for someone in IRAQ??? If that is where your vote goes then get out of this country. Secondly, I was driving through the 14 and Ryan area Saturday when the vote was going on. The rudeness of the drivers was unbelievable. They cut people off, give you the finger and do what they want. Go vote in your own country and be rude to your own people and speak your language in your own country. This is America, so act like an American!! “

.. to which someone respondedâ?¦

“Your last sentence,” this is America, so act like an American”, seems to me they were. i.e. being, rude, cutting people off, and last but not least ,the middle finger salute. “

My response is this. By going to the polls, what I and thousands of others have done is tried to contribute to the welfare of both Iraq and the United States. The majority of Americans are not aware of the fact that the United States has been politically involved with Iraq for over fifty years. A recent tour I was invited to at Fort Jackson military base in South Carolina emphasized that the relationship between these two countries will continue for many years to come, if not forever. That means that Americans will be influenced by the type of government Iraq has. So if we really want to show American patriotism and safeguard the future of our children, let’s start becoming as involved with both countries’ politics as possible!

The majority of Americans are also unaware that contrary to popular belief, Iraq is part of our heritage. It is the “cradle of civilization,” where literature, school, law, science, astronomy, a map of the world and the idea of dividing time and space in multiples of 60, the clock, was first found. The first writer in recorded history was Enheduanna, a woman from ancient Iraq. She lived, composed, and taught roughly 2000 years before AristotleAristotle.

Today, Mesopotamia, the biblical Garden of Eden, is a flat desert â?? thanks to inflation, overuse of agricultural land, and enemy invasions. The past is a warning of how our current civilization could destroy the environment of the future. Yet rather than use the East’s vision as a counterpoint to that of the West, Iraq’s rich history and contributions are being buried beneath ignorance, hate and discrimination.

The ultimate key to peace is in the West and East joining ideas.

 

That Line

By: Weam Namou

(Published by Acumen 59, a British literary journal â?? September 2007)

 

Who casts the vote on where the east and north end,

and the south and west begin?

Where is that line?

I search for it and wonder,

if it’s pink, gold, silver, charcoal or chocolate.

Does it feel like pebbles, sand, lipstick, chalk or rain?

 

I left Saddam airport, had my passport stamped in blue ink,

crossed over lands, jungles, farms, and oceans,

saw the Statue of Liberty before I flew into Detroit,

and drove on highway 94, passing up that big wheel

until I arrived to my new residence.

But nowhere did I detect a trace of that line.

 

Where is that line that is as perfectly drawn on the map

as the decorations of a wedding cake,

or the hem on my blouse and skirt?

If it’s not visible on soil and grass

how am I expected to grasp it in my head?

Should I force myself to pretend it’s alive, not dead?

 

Regardless of what is written or said,

lines do not exist in one’s soul.

They have no place in the heart.

They cannot bring other countries closer or push them apart.

 

 

 

I met Renda five years ago during my visit to Iraq. She loved school, and told me how she envisioned a great future for herself and her family. She had said, “I know life is hard now. But it will get better. When innocent people suffer, eventually they will rise.” She meant because the country had gone through wars and back then was under sanctions.

I watched as she brushed her hair, put ribbons on her braids, dressed in her blue uniform and carrying her back pack left off for school, walking. That spring night after we had supper, blankets were placed on the front lawn where I, along with Renda’s parents and younger brother, lay under a star filled sky. We shared stories and jokes until the middle of the night when we finally fell asleep. We woke up to the scent of grass and the sounds of birds chirping.

To walk to school or sleep in the front yard is no longer a luxury in Baghdad. All sorts of chaos lurks in the streets, from the insurgents who entered Iraq’s unprotected borders after the invasion, to the thugs who had been in jail during Saddam’s regime, to organized crime and the U.S. military who might mistake an innocent civilian for a bad guy and shoot – or who might just themselves be bad men and women behaving badly towards the Iraqis.

Renda had no idea that in a couple of years, matters would get much worse in Iraq – especially for her as a Christian. Since the invasion, many women have been executed, assaulted, raped or released only after their families paid considerable ransom money. Serious threats and deadly attacks have forced Christians and Muslims to wear the veil and quit their jobs, and to avoid makeup and education. My friend’s sister-in-law, at the start of the war, was stabbed in the heart simply because she was wearing a cross, which was ripped off her neck and thrown over her body.

Today when you talk to Iraqi women they remember “the good old days” when Saddam was in power and women were able to safely go to work, participate in social activities, take part in politics or stroll outside in the middle of the night. During Saddam’s regime, women were free to choose whether to wear western-style dress and make-up or the black abaya. When I was in Baghdad, I wore the clothes I’d packed from America. No one in the streets blinked an eye.

Yet in October of 2003, at the Conference of the National Association of Women Judges, Mrs. Bush compared the women of Afghanistan to the women of Iraq, stating, “They too lived under an oppressive tyrant.”

Mrs. Bush, once a teacher and librarian, is the daughter-in-law of a former president and a wife of a current one, both of whom have had tremendous involvement with Iraq. Surely she knows that Afghan women and Iraqi women are so different it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Historically, Iraqi women and girls have enjoyed more rights than many of their counterparts in the Middle East.

Mrs. Bush further claimed, “One tragic legacy of Saddam’s rule is an overall adult illiteracy rate of 61 percent. And a staggering 77 percent of women – three out of four – cannot read.”

In December of 1979, the Iraqi government passed legislation requiring the eradication of illiteracy. Many of “literary centers” were run by the General Federation of Iraqi women. By 1987, 75% of the population was literate. In 1986, Iraq became one of the first countries to ratify the convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Under Saddam’s regime, there was compulsory free education in Iraq – universal free schooling up to the highest level. There was also free hospitalization. Iraq created one of the best public health system in the Middle East, earning Saddam an award from UNESCO. Saddam created a western style legal system and abolished the Sharia law courts, except for personal injury claims. Since the U.S.-led invasion, aside from violence, displacement is a contributing factor to student nonattendance.

“Today, I’m proud that this oppression has ended,” Mrs. Bush continued to say.

She is mistaken. The oppression is alive and well, has been since it began in 1991, when more than 142,000 tons of bombs and 350 tons of depleted uranium shells were used in the 43-day military war, thus killing, during and post-war period, over a hundred thousand people. Afterwards, it remained robust as millions of people – mainly young children – died as a direct result of the U.S.-led blockade. The lack of food and medicine, along with the deteroriating sanitry conditions caused one-fifth of the population to starve to death in Iraq (UN FAO report, 1995). Up to 95% of all pregnant women suffered from anemia, thus giving birth to weak, malnourished infants. Every month, according to the 1996 UNICEF report, more than 4,500 children under the age of five died from hunger.

At the 2004 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Mrs. Bush again compared Afghan women with those of Iraq. A whole year passed and she hadn’t learned the difference. “As they are making their voices heard, the women of Iraq are also experiencing the freedom that education brings.”

The Iraqi women were the most educated in the Middle East and had more freedom than other women of that region. In the years following the 1991 Gulf War, however, many of the positive steps that had advanced their status in Iraqi society were reversed due to a combination of legal, economic, and political factors. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as a result of the national literacy campaign, as of 1987 approximately 75 percent of Iraqi women were literate; however, by year-end 2000, Iraq had the lowest regional adult literacy levels, with the percentage of literate women at less than 25 percent.

“We have an obligation to help our sisters who face prejudice and injustice. We know that no society can prosper when half of its population is not allowed to contribute to its progress.”

In 2003, Iraqi women’s hopes for freedom and democracy were encouraged by George Bush and Tony Blair’s declarations of a better life with new opportunities. What they received instead were insurgents and religious extremists using rape, acid and assassination to force them into submitting to their extremist beliefs. Every day dozens of women are widowed, and a number of families struggle to cope without a wage-earner. Paid work for women is scarce and leaving home to find work puts women and children at risk.

Once the model of education in the Middle East, twelve years of grueling sanctions and three years of bloody occupation have left Iraq’s system in shambles, a generation of children both traumatized and, it seems, deprived of education. Pretty soon, Mrs. Bush will be able to correctly compare Afghan women’s prior situation with the Iraqi women’s current one.

Why does nobody seem to care at all about Iraqis who have been maimed or killed in this War?

As Iraq gradually recovers from the recent conflict and law and order is slowly established, the country has the potential to become an energy powerhouse in the Middle East. To offset years of corruption, neglect and chronic under investment, skilled management of the nation’s oil assets is required. Involvement in Iraqi energy sector offers an unsurpassed opportunity for unprecedented growth and profitability.

This new study – now in its 2nd edition and completely revised and updated for September 2003 – examines energy sector redevelopment efforts and provides information for individuals or firms looking to participate in related projects. Current conditions and fundamentals of the Iraqi energy sector are explored in the context of the industry’s massive potential impact on global energy markets. This study offers:

Information on how to apply for and participate in redevelopment projects

Contact information for Iraq based sub contractors

The status of existing exploration and production contracts

A description of new Iraqi crude oil pricing and marketing practices

Updated short-term crude oil production forecasts

A preview of Iraq’s new oil policies and the country’s relationship with OPEC

Up-to-date descriptions of Iraq’s energy infrastructure and an evaluation of oil reserves

This study provides your organization with invaluable insight into rapidly emerging investment and partnership opportunities in Iraq’s energy sector. It is designed to provide corporate planners, financiers and energy traders with the knowledge and information required to:

Avoid potential risks and capitalize on the challenges and rewards of operating in the Iraqi energy sector Evaluate potential commercial and investment opportunities Analyze the long-term affects of Iraq’s oil industry revival on the global energy market.

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Iraq’s GDP

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As the post-war Iraq is shifting gradually toward full-swing reconstruction, its market with countless lucrative business opportunities is widely open to Chinese investors, Iraqi ambassador to China Dr. Mohammad Sabir Ismail said Wednesday.

“I take this opportunity to reiterate our invitation to all Chinese companies to explore the Iraqi market that lies in the heart of the Middle East region,” Ismail told Xinhua in an exclusive interview at his office at the Iraqi Embassy.

“Initial phase, absolutely,” Ismail defined current reconstruction process in the war-torn country, adding that its reconstruction process has a sustained growth potential of 20 years.

Listing the progress Iraq has made in recent years, Ismail said security condition has been improved in the country with violence dropped by about 80 percent, and the country’s inflation rate is down from 2000 percent in 2003 to the current 12 percent.

Iraq’s GDP has registered a 7 percent annual increase and monthly wages in some sectors have risen dramatically from just a few dollars to hundreds, Ismail said.

Iraq expects Chinese enterprises to join in its reconstruction process, he added.

Economic and trade cooperation between Iraq and China has great potentials for their bilateral cooperation shares a solid foundation, “especially in the fields of infrastructure, ” Ismail said, adding that Chinese enterprises have “plenty of experience” in this sector.

Ismail stressed the significance of constructing infrastructure which includes highways, hospitals, airports, railways, power plants, bridges and schools.

It provides firm foundation for trade and investment in Iraq, the ambassador added.

Iraq needs to learn from China’s experience in agriculture which has managed to feed its 1.3-billion population, Ismail said, adding that Iraq’s agriculture has been virtually paralyzed in the past two decades due to wars and international sanctions.

Sustained and substantial investment in such fields as fertilizer, seed, pesticides, forestry and livestock breeding will help the recovery of Iraq’s agriculture, he said.

In the two-hour interview, the Iraqi ambassador also listed dozens of areas that Chinese enterprise can invest in, ranging from banking, finance, information technology, tourism and petroleum exploration.

Iraq, whose oil exports accounted for about three quarters of its GDP, has surpassed Saudi Arab and become the world top oil giant after it revised its proven crude oil reserves from 112 billion barrels to somewhere between 320 billion and 350 billion barrels, Ismail said.

“We have just exploited 40 to 80 of the country’s total 500 oil

fields,” Ismail said, adding that the great potential poses opportunities for foreign companies, including those from China.

“We will reward every country who has offered help to Iraq,” Ismail said, stressing that transparent bidding for all international projects will be conducted by the Iraqi government to ensure fair competition.

Any country that enhances mutual benefits without interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs is welcome, he said.

Foreign and local investors have the same rights according to Iraq’s investment law, Ismail said. “As you can see, Chinese companies’ interests can be guaranteed through the investment law.”