Six Years on, Iraqis See Glimmer of Hope

By Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD – Despite insecurity, displacement and lack of many basic services, Iraqis see a glimmer of hope six years after the US-led invasion of their country.
"Since 2003, I never took my children to parks or any other public place for enjoinment," Muminah Salam, a 37-year-old teacher and mother of three, told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, March 21.

"I was too afraid that someone would attack us."

Six years on, Salam took her kids and those of her relatives to the Jadriyah Park in Baghdad.

"It is true that life isn’t like before. We are still without basic services, however, at least today we can go out and show our children that there are much more than the market close to our home or their grandparents' home, which is the only place they visited in the past years."

Iraqis are marking the sixth anniversary of the US-led invasion of their oil-rich Arab country.

The US invaded Iraq in 2003 on claims of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and links to Al-Qaeda, claims later proved ungrounded.

Iraqis have seen their lives sliding from bad to worse since the invasion, as the country remains gripped by violence and lacks many life essentials.

Some two million Iraqis are believed to have fled the country to escape the violence.

Though violence has fallen in the past year, the anniversary was also marked by several deadly attacks, including a suicide bombing near Fallujah.

There are currently nearly 140,000 American troops deployed in Iraq.

US President Barack Obama has called for American combat troops to withdraw from Iraq by August 2010, with 35,000 to 50,000 remaining until the end of 2011 for support and training.

Security First

Mustafa Abdel-Fadel, 32, a pharmacist in the capital, is also enjoying the new relative peace and security.

"Day after day we see that security is improving and people are now going out to the streets, walking without fear," he told IOL.

Still, he recognizes that the country has a long way before returning to normalcy.

"Lack of essential services is a reality to all of us," explains Abdel-Fadel.

"We keep complaining and pressuring the government to take actions but we aren’t being heard so the best thing to do is live our lives and try at least to give our children some restful time in places that one day was sign of family union."

Zahira Mohammad Abdin, a professor at Mustansiriyah University and political analyst, agrees.

"If you had asked me a year ago if Iraq would improve living conditions, I would have said no but today it is comforting to see that people are returning to their normal lives, having some rest outside their homes and letting their children play with friends outdoor, an image that for long time we weren’t able to see," she told IOL.

"Basic services are overdue and might take time to improve, however, we cannot keep waiting and delay the course of our lives," she admits.

"But we should move on and keep pressuring the government but recognizing the security improvements and the ability that we have now to go to most places without the fear that a bomb might kill our loved ones as it was common in the past years.

Real Needs


Many Iraqis still lament the lack of basic services (Reuters)
Yet, some experts see security improvements as a very small step toward a better Iraq, accusing the government of using that as an excuse when money isn’t available to be invested in basic services.

"Being able to go to fancy and funny places won't feed or dress Iraqis," insists Kadar Malak, an aid worker with a local NGO.

"They might say that they are happy for being outside but when they return home and find no power, food, clean water or a warm place in the cold nights, than they will go back to reality and discover that such happy days in public places are just a way to cover their suffering for a few hours."

Less than 30 percent of all reconstruction projects have been started or completed since the invasion.

The funds have been re-allocated to security or the pockets of corrupt officials.

Safe drinking water has become a scarce commodity in Iraq despite the famous Tigris and Euphrates rivers that run the length of the country.

In Baghdad alone, half of the nearly six million residents have no access to clean water, and some families use bottled or boiled water.

According to UN figures, only one in three Iraqis has access to clean water.

Many Iraqis now regret the support they gave to the invasion.

"I was one of the Iraqis who went out to commemorate the end of Saddam’s regime and today cry for what I did," said Abu Hussein, 54, unemployed and displaced.

"Saddam was a dictator but he was also a man who gave us security, basic services despite sanctions and chances to work and earn our living," he explained.

"I lost my son and wife during sectarian violence, lost my job and my house. I have a sick daughter waiting for her cancer treatment and a heavy conscience that I had gone to celebrate the disgrace of someone," laments Abu Hussein.

"May be we were happy like we were before the invasion because today the only thing I have in life is suffering and pain."