In the early morning of February 13 1991, two American missiles were dropped onto an air raid shelter in Baghdad. The shelter was argued to be a military command centre, yet no military personnel were present. Instead, what remained of the attack were the corpses of an estimated 1,500 civilians - incinerated beyond recognition. Mostly women children and the elderly.
The events of the 1990s represent just one attempt on the souls of Iraq. The British bombing of Baghdad in the 1920s which marked the first air bombing of any city in history, the 8 years of deadly war with Iran during the 1980s, the 1991 sanctions which starved millions, the 1991 bombing campaign which purposefully targeted infrastructure necessary for providing clean water, and most crucially, the 2003 occupation and the rise of extremism. One event after another, the people of Iraq, who's resilience and defiance is beyond our comprehension, have grown estranged to stability and peace.
My experience of travelling to Iraq is impossible to sum up in one Article. Wherever I went, be it Baghdad, Babylon, Samarra and even Mosul, I was treated like a son. When asked if I was Muslim and fasting, I would always be greeted with warm reactions. I was invited to countless meals with locals, including Iraqi soldiers who pleaded me to accompany them. So much kindness is impossible for a nation who have known little but war. A 26 year old in Mosul told me "In England you can escape the trials of life with friendship and company - maybe you could go to the cinema or play outside, here...here we can only smoke to forget our problems". The poor chap, despite being 7 years older than I, had unfortunately skipped the entirety of higher education due to the war. An entire generation have been left behind and abandoned. We all should take lessons from the characters and lives of the Iraqi people. For this reason, I aim to develop multiple documentaries on Iraq's darkest chapter - including a 3 part Lecture series. My work aims to deconstruct the myths that were told and most importantly to answer the question of who really is to blame. This is no easy task, so I pray the Almighty honours me with the ability to convey their story, their pain, their tears.
During my Stay in Baghdad, as a journalist, I met up with Muntazer Al Zaidi, the man behind the iconic Bush shoe throwing. After telling him how kindly I was treated in Iraq he responded by saying: "Iraq was actually recorded as the second kindest nation in the world...this is not right! its wrong", I asked why and he said "Well, we are not number two, we are number one!". Muntazer recalled his time being beaten black and blue with several fractured bones following his arrest in 2008 after the incident which resonated amongst all across the globe.
When I asked him if he felt guilty about throwing his shoes at Bush, he confidently told me he would do it again, even if it meant death. I asked him about those very shoes. "I woke up that day, looked at my brand new shoes and thought, I can't throw this at him, he is not worthy! So I came back and changed my shoes to an old pair and threw".
A local Iraqi by the name of Omer was extremely kind to take me to the ancient kingdom of Babylon, more specifically - Saddam's former palace built during the 1980s. It remains one of few places where Saddam's face can be seen engraved. Tourism is currently non-existent in Babylon apart from the occasional local tours, so I was given the gift of an old 1980s tour guide brochure of Babylon from Saddam's era. Have a guess what the first page was...that's right, Saddam's official portrait.
So as Iraq begins to rebuild 20 years after the occupation and as we bury the emotions that this dark chapter has given us, let us unearth the invaluable lessons. Let us never forget the millions of lives lost. Whilst I make my way back to Britain, my heart will instead remain here in Iraq. I will forever remember their faces, their story and how the world failed them, how we failed them. Long live the spirit of the people of Iraq, may your struggles be motivation to strive for a better future, a better home. May your legacy and the legacy of the very few who stood up to what they believed was the truth, serve as a reminder that peace and freedom, is never cheap.
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