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<br>
I think it is useful to listen also to an Iraqi voice -- a PhD student and
former journalist (who also worked for Al Jazeera) who left Iraq recently
to do her PhD in Malaysia She initially contacted me with technical questions
about her PhD but is now writing me about the situation in Iraq and her interpretation
of the events. She gave her permission to publish some fragments of her two
recent letters on the CRITICS-L list. <br>
<br>
Her (first) name is Ghayda, and she has the following to say (I shall not
change the style or grammar):<br>
<br>
========================================<br>
<br>
Message of March 30<br>
<font face="Arial" size="2"><br>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Watching the news on different channel…how
the same events broadcast from different angles. Speaking the same language
but different meaning.</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> I wish
your next case study on this war coverage.</font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"> Here in Malaysia people are watching Aljazeera
though they don’t understand Arabic.</font><font face="Times New Roman"
size="3"> They consider the war anti- Islam.</font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"> It sounds this is a long war….</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br>
Being Muslim Shia but none of my family support Anglo American invader. This
is almost all Iraqis opinion. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Ironically, These missiles don’t differentiate
who is friend if there is or foe.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Watching BBC world really makes me nervous,
how they focus on separate Muslim in Iraq being Suni or Shia, My sister
married to Sunni , many Suni anti Saddam, because he is secular ?? But this
is the media !!<br>
<br>
</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">I haven’t heard from my family in Baghdad
for since Saturday. I wish I were there.</font><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"> If<span style=""> </span>I hadn’t started
my Ph D, I would have been there home with those journalists.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Anyhow here I’m..I stopped doing my analysis
since the war started.<br>
</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br>
Message of March 31<br>
</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br>
</font><font face="Arial" size="2">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">I hope your doing well as usual.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Watching the news on different channel…how
the same events broadcast from different angles. Speaking the same language
but different meaning.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">I wish your next case study on this war
coverage.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Here in Malaysia ,people are watching Aljazeera
though they don’t understand Arabic.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">They consider the war anti- Islam.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">It sounds this is a long war….</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Being Muslim Shia but none of my family
support Anglo American invader. This is almost all Iraqis opinion. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Ironically, These missiles don’t differentiate
who is friend if there is or foe. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Watching BBC world ,really makes me nervous,
how they focus on separate Muslim In Iraq being Suni or Shia, My sister
married to Sunni , many Suni anti Saddam, because he is secular ?? But this
is the media !!</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">I haven’t heard from my family in Baghdad
for since Saturday. I wish I were there.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">If<span style=""> </span>I hadn’t started
my Ph D, I would have been there home with those journalists.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3">Anyhow here I’m..I stopped doing my analysis
since the war started.</font></p>
</font></p>
</font>
<div><br>
Message of March 31<br>
<br>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Of course I'll be honored if you do publish
any letters I send. I wish I can concentrate and write on this war.Recently,
I started using my name in anything I write,Idon't care anymore.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Anyhow I'm thinking to go to Iraq, I can't
stand anymore without hearing from them particularly today after I saw the
shopping center hit, it is about 15 minutes by car from home.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">If I go ,I'll try to join the journalists
there, I used to make TV programme for Aljazeera.I wish I could do now.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Really prof , journalists there in Baghdad
,they are biased, they focus to make differences among Iraqis. I told you
before ,I lost my father because he said no to Saddam followers, we are
shia but I had an uncle who was a minister during monarchy in Iraq. Honestly
,we don't address people being Suni or Shiai in Baghdad, may be those rural
in distance towns.Yes Saddam executed many Shia and shia clergymen.But we
all know who created and armed Saddam?</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2">Maybe you heard about Dr. Hussein Alsharstani
,a genius scientist in nuclear in Iraq, he is my mother's cousin. I haven't
seen him since 85 till a few days ago when I saw him on BBC world. Because
he is a shia scientist he suffered in Baghdad and put in jail because he
refused to improve Iraqi nuclear weapon.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Yes we all afraid if The USA and its allies win the war...but if
it does, I 'm sure it will be another war , Iraqis all are ready to fight
AGAIN.Personally talking my brother decided not to fight now but when they
get rid of Saddam, they will fight Anglo-American allied if they want to
occupy our land.</div>
<br>
<br>
<font face="Arial" size="2"></font></div>
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