The Love Hate relationship

I thought to myself why am I going to this place? I feel so down and this meeting will only agitate and distress me more. I am not mentally prepared for it today. A diversity of Iraqis put together, almost always we end up agreeing to disagree, if we are lucky, or a fight erupts causing embarrassment to the host.

In the end, I dragged myself and hit the road.

I went into a dark room; I thought what is going on? It is such a glorious sunny day outside! It took me few seconds to adjust and realise that there was a screen and someone was showing slides. I sat down and was taken by this woman architect speaking passionately about Samarra shrine, this invaluable heritage, how it was built and when, the values it holds to all Muslims around the world. When she finally finished, most of us were in tears. The architect was a Christian; the audience were a mixture of all sects and religions.

What happened next was extraordinary, the usual rivals sat together exchanging views, the eternal enemies prayed together and asked for God’s mercy on Iraqis.

Meanwhile I was recalling some clips from previous meetings; that man said; the Americans should leave and let us have our civil war; whoever wins rules. The other was really offended and answered back with another plan of letting the Shia take over and prove they are right or wrong for the next four years. Few old women who have their sons or relatives back home; were defending their presence in there; “they are fighting to build the new Iraq” (not sure about that), others (probably envious) replied that theirs will never go back to co-operate with the invaders.

The funny argument is always about intermarriages, someone would jokingly say all Sunnis are bad except my husband because he is married to me and I am a Shia! and vice versa. This could get really serious sometimes!

Probably our problem is that we are non-confrontational people, we go in circles in order not to say one direct word. We love giving different names instead of one clear definition.
Year after year I watched this matter accelerating and turn nasty. Some get aggressive for nothing, I sometimes feel ashamed when asked about what is the real difference between a Shia and a Sunni.

What shall I answer? Each is trying to prove a 1400 years old point of view?

Those past few days brought the awareness to how ugly a civil war could be.


On my way back home I thought of the first lesson we learned in History; “Divide and Rule” the policy practised in Iraq after the First World War.

Saddam excessively used the same policy until it reached our own households.

One way or another emphasis on sectarianism was there all the time, it took different shapes and forms, but it was there, a card in the hands of whoever ruled Iraq.

A six years old Iraqi kid knows exactly what the above means

Now, and for the first time in Iraq’s modern history we are facing each other.

However, each party is flirting one another and talking about brotherhood,
But once matters get tough, each put conditions and hides away and starts re-charging their followers with more hate and violence.

My friends and Family back home say people are protecting their areas by forming in groups to guard their properties and Mosques; on TV I watched how people are complying with the curfew by showing their readiness to suffer more and more if it will bring peace in the end.

The battle to avert a civil war has started, it reached our thresholds.

It is irrelevant who the enemy is anymore.

When I arrived home, I felt very proud and slept soundly.