The sound of silence

“Happy women’s day” I said it over the phone to the few friends I have left in Baghdad.

F’s cheerful laugh echoed back as usual “I don’t believe you phoned just to say that, darling take me off your greetings list, I am in hibernation.”

“Have you lost hope completely?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but hope means expecting something to happen and get frustrated if it doesn’t. I am really fed up with this game, I prefer to get along with the idea that this situation will last forever and I have to live it as it comes. This is my new philosophy.”

Sensing her good mood I said “What about love? Are you still madly in love with him?” Another cracking laugh pierced my ear “Of course I am, and worse than ever! My heart actually still throbs when I hear his keys opening the front door."

She went on "Tell you what, in spite of all; I feel lucky I managed to fall in love. Look at this generation not only there is no way for them to live a normal life, but somebody is poisoning their brains and killing their future dreams. A programme on a so-called secular and liberal channel broadcasted last week, was implying that love is safer if it comes after marriage for young women! And pressed at least three times that men were born with the ability to love more than one!”

A, my other friend’s answer to my greetings was “You know what; all I dream of is silence. No bombs, no shooting, no sirens, no generators, no news and even no calls for prayer. I reached a point where I wish I could strangle my children just to shut them up."
"The day of silence would be my day, if I managed to live till it comes.”

S, a divorcee with two small children is still working because she has to. She still drives as well, “It is really tough, but I prefer it to sitting at home. My only problem is the guilt. If I got killed my children would have no one.”
“Do you remember how anti-men I used to be in the good old days? Now I am not. We are equals at last. Bombs and mortars do not discriminate, so probably they deserve a men’s day as well”.

The last call I made was to another A, the only one deeply involved in politics!
That is if women’s’ associations and orphanages are considered politics!
Actually I phoned in reply to her greeting e-mail which made me feel bad for not taking the initiative.

Her drained voice reflected her worries and defeat, but as soon as she recognised my voice she said “It is tough but we will get there. We have to compromise, bend and twist just to keep things going. There are constant clashes, and the hope to work as a team looks far fetched.
To be frank and direct, religion is our big obstacle; every little issue has to be channelled through its narrow tubes.”

“Is there any hope for women?” I asked.
There was a moment of silence then she said “Maybe when we manage to convince the nation that we are better. At least women are mothers first and there is no way they would allow these killings. You cannot imagine a woman running a militia can you?”

I laughed and said “I miss Baghdad” and her immediate reply was “Me too”.

The monster

“He is rich that is why” a very wise friend whispered in my ear; watching my puzzled eyes and fidgety movements.
Everybody was surrounding him laughing and cheering at his silly jokes, praising him for taking smart business decisions which sounded really dumb choices by any standards.

The amount of nonsense was unbearable and looking at all these people whom I respect and thought of as interesting and principled made it feel worse.
However, my wise friend’s comment said it all and managed to put a smile on my face…at least for a short while.

I remembered this gathering which happened long time ago while watching King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia sitting in between the Palestinian competing parties in an effort to bring them to reach an understanding. For sure this idiot has no wisdom to offer rather than money and more money to settle a matter he promised his masters to solve.

When I think of the contributions Saudis have made to the Arab countries let alone to the World, I find myself cornered with money for the wrong purpose.
Al-Qaeda and Salafis ideologies were the only product of their finance, and while exporting this idiocy to Iraq and Afghanistan and the rest, they sit there as their partners in the Gulf states safe and happy buying off these criminals and sponsoring them to keep their dirty hands off their cities.

They have been throwing money for decades to build up radical Islam and hate towards others. They actually succeeded in killing tolerance in one of the most stable societies like Egypt.

They shamelessly donated money to London zoo few years back and keep on pampering royals from all over with expensive jewellery.

The rest of the money they spend lavishly and disgracefully in Europe and America to enjoy what their own code of beliefs forbids!

We hear all the time of distinguished Arab doctors, scientists or engineers and professors working all over the world, but you rarely hear of any from this great Kingdom. We only hear of them as “dodgy business men” or suicide bombers.

As I watched the execution of 14 Iraqi police men by Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia hearing the Quran being recited in the background, all I could see was those Saudi perverts laughing and cheering their victory

And yet Saudi Arabia is considered the head of moderate Arab states that are fighting to stabilize the area against Syria and Iran extremism!

They even got away with not condemning the Israeli assault on Lebanon last summer, and in fact managed to influence what took place as only a Shia plot to take over Lebanon!

They act as if they are the protector of Islam and Muslims as well as backing democracies anywhere else but in their own land.

This is the power of money which makes black looks white for the people who can actually differentiate and this same power is able to completely blind those who are already clueless!

I read somewhere that corruption, injustice and religious fundamentalism are only the complications of one disease and that is dictatorship.

Those are the people who are ready to burn and kill the world in order to keep things as they are.
The balance of power which they fear has been disturbed in the Middle East is a myth of their own making. No balance is what they are really after.

Well done America please continue feeding the monster till it eats you up.
How clever of you to identify where the bombs and ammunitions in Iraq are coming from at last.
While you are at it, could you please check the source of the bombs that blew up a hundred pilgrims in Hilla earlier today?

Meanwhile beware where the next bullet is coming from!