Saddam Hussein denied US suggestions that he was linked with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who he calls a “zealot”.
When asked whether he had ever used “doubles” as discussed in books and other publications, “he laughed and stated, ‘This is movie magic not reality’.”
Jul
03
Saddam interview tapes released
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Jun
28
“I paid $800 to get my job,” says Ahmed , a technician working for Karada municipality in Baghdad. “People know this is wrong, but there is no way round it.” In Iraq corruption is pervasive at every level.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/how-bribery-became-a-way-of-life-in-iraq-1722466.html
May
14
CNN) — Israa, a 23-year-old college student, said she’s worried about the job market she’ll find when she graduates this year from Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, Iraq.
“It is going to be hard,” she said, citing concerns about prospects of finding a position in her field, English translation. “Because in Iraq, it is so hard to find a job, especially nowadays.”
For Israa and her classmates, the recession and job prospects are top worries, pushing aside concerns about the sectarian warfare and the raging tension that once coursed through Iraq’s capital.
She and other soon-to-be graduates in English translation were interviewed on the campus about their hopes and dreams for the future. Three of the four did not want their last names to be used.
May
13
Weekend Edition Sunday, May 10, 2009 · While the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, are gone, a much more recent ruin has become an attraction in Iraq. A palace that Saddam Hussein built near the ancient site of Babylon has been opened to the public
The palace overlooking the Tigris River has never had so many visitors. Saddam had a garish mansion in nearly every city, and he may have only visited this one once or twice and probably never even spent the night. But in 2003, some unwanted guests arrived.
Apr
20
Gone, for the most part, are nighttime curfews, religious extremists and prowling kidnappers. So, inevitably, some people are turning to illicit pleasures, or at least slightly dubious ones.
Nightclubs have reopened, and in many of them, prostitutes troll for clients. Liquor store, once shut down by fundamentalist militiamen, have proliferated; on one block of busy Saddoun Street, there are more than 10 of them.
Abu Nawas Park, previously deserted for fear of suicide bombers seeking vulnerable crowds, has now become a place for assignations between young people so inclined. It is not that there are hiding places in the park, where trees are pretty sparse; the couples just pretend they cannot be seen, and passers-by go along with the pretense.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/world/middleeast/19baghdad.html
Apr
13
“Enduring hardship for what else shall we do?”
by Kloie Picot
(This photo essay is part of an ongoing project I started in July 2008 photographing and documenting the lives of Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.)
Kidnap, murder, soldier, explosion, army, militia, ambush car; these words are the pattern of vernacular of Iraqi children and their parents in the mayhem of Iraq.
Apr
03
a young guy was staring lasciviously at a pretty girl on a public minibus.
An older man, indignant at the youth’s shameless behaviour, but not knowing how to intervene, called out “Allahu akbar” (God is great) in an attempt to bring the youth’s mind back to more pious thoughts.
Of course, all the other passengers drew the natural conclusion, that the old man must be a suicide bomber and the shout of “Allahu akbar” meant he, and they, were about to meet their maker.
The bus driver pumped the brakes and the passengers fled screaming in all directions.
Should we laugh at their discomfort? I don’t know. But what else can you do?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7976381.stm
Mar
18
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad wear masks as they celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad are dressed as Scottish men while they celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
An Iraqi student of the University of Technology, Baghdad is dressed as a pirate while he celebrates the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad pretend to drink alcohol as they drink soft drink during a celebration of the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
An Iraqi student of the University of Technology, Baghdad is seen as she celebrates the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
An Iraqi student of the University of Technology, Baghdad is seen as she celebrates the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad are dressed as witches as they celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad are dressed as witches as they celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq
Iraqi students of the University of Technology, Baghdad wear masks as they celebrate the day of their university on May 4, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Mar
14
Americans can get a taste of the chaos and danger of Baghdad after the U.S. invasion, thanks to “Baghdadi Bath,” a play opening on Thursday at a small theater in New York’s East village. “It’s very important that Americans understand the size of the pain and suffering caused by the occupation inflicted on Iraq,” said the play’s author, Jawad al-Assadi, who fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraq 25 years ago, via a translator.
