Tears of joy

Raeid Jewad returned to Baghdad at the turn of the year and he has now given an account of his visit at Open Democracy. Before I excerpt some passages from that account, here is some background about him, from an article by Mike Farquhar written last August:

"I didn't trust the US from day one," said Raeid Jewad, 27, who is a university student in London. "They brought Saddam into power and they fed him until he decided to turn against them."

Jewad's distrust of American forces is understandable. On a recent trip back to Baghdad he was shot and injured by an American soldier, apparently because he was using a video camera to film coalition troops in the capital.

Yet Jewad is broadly glad about what has happened since March of this year partly because, like many other Iraqis, he sees few practicable ways in which Saddam could have been toppled. His feelings on the subject are so strong that he recently resigned as vice-chairman of his university's Arab Society because of the group's opposition to the war and is currently in the process of setting up a separate Iraq Society.

About his visit to Baghdad in December Raeid Jewad writes:

I arrived in Baghdad on 13 December 2003, and slept heavily after the gruelling journey. The next day, I awoke to the sound of extremely loud, close gunfire from every direction. I was completely dazed; for a moment, I thought the house was under attack. Then I heard the sounds of women ululating and children screaming in the streets. I ran to the living room, where my aunt was in tears and my mother had the widest grin on her face. The al-Jazeera television presenter was broadcasting the rumour that Saddam had been captured.

I could not believe it, I thought it was a false alarm – even when Paul Bremer's press conference began. Then, completely unexpected, the picture of Saddam being medically examined by a soldier appeared on the screen. The reality hit me. I cried uncontrollable tears of joy; my body shook with excitement.

Baghdad erupted at the news. People were excited, buzzing with energy, congratulating each other in the streets and by telephone, throwing sweets at passing cars and pedestrians. The sound of celebratory gunfire continued the whole day. The joy was even more unconfined in the southern Iraqi cities, where the security situation is better and people more confident to gather in large numbers. By contrast, the mood in the "Sunni triangle" areas still loyal to the ex-dictator was sullen and bitter.
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There is still a huge problem with electricity supply. The telephone lines in some areas of Baghdad are still not working, though mobile phones are spreading. The shops are full of goods never seen or permitted under the Saddam regime, like satellite dishes. The latest household appliances can be found everywhere. Salaries have increased drastically. A primary school teacher now earns $50 a month rather than the pre-war $3; doctors earn over $300, rather than $4, a month.

Dozens of newspapers have appeared, covering every aspect of politics and free from censorship. There is also an influx of international newspapers and magazines. People can criticise the government without fear of being tortured and killed. Demonstrations and strikes are routine. During my stay, the students of Baghdad University demonstrated against a rise in fees; for a second, I thought I was back in England's Cambridge University!
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Serious crimes like theft, rape, hijacking and murder have decreased since summer 2003, although terrorism has increased. The terrorists who previously attacked US soldiers are now targeting civilians and spreading fear. No one knows where or when the next assault might come.
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This is not resistance. To call it so is to insult the Iraqi people. How can people "resist" occupation by killing their own people and detonating roadside bombs, bombs outside mosques, bombs that destroy United Nations and Red Cross personnel? A true resistance by the Iraqi people would not be conducted in this cowardly and pathetic way.

(Hat tip: James Conran.)