Iraq is a saddening disaster, ripped apart by foreign powers, but despite all the misery, light can still break through the clouds, writes Mustafa El-Feki* One thing this region is not short of is a heart-rending scene. One such scene happened on the morning of Eid Al-Adha. I had just woken up when a Coptic friend called with the customary greetings. "I heard your interview about Saddam's execution several times this morning on the BBC," he said. It was an interview the radio recorded two days earlier, in case Saddam was executed. "But he has been, haven't you been following the news?" I rushed to the television and sure enough, Saddam's execution was being reported on every channel. The execution of a former president of a major Arab country was aired in all its horror and indignity. Granted, Saddam was a despot, but the timing and manner were humiliating to say the least. The second tragic scene I wish to recall here is that of the recent bombing in a major Iraqi university, where dozens of students died in an insane act of mayhem. The third scene, which happened months earlier, was that of a US soldier who not only raped an Iraqi teenager but also killed her and her entire family. These incidents tell us more about the third millennium than one would have hoped to know. Here are some thoughts that you may find relevant in this time of despair and moral depravity. First, violence is a vestige of humanity's crude past. One would have imagined that evolution and civilisation would bring better times. But somewhere along the line, something has gone terribly wrong. Is it that so much injustice has gone on undeterred? Is it still helpful to distinguish between violence committed for a cause and that committed for no reason at all? Second, Iraq is an ancient land with great civilisation, a land of knowledge and art. Now this country has gone down a destructive path with no foreseeable means of salvation. The US occupation started out with the looting of museums and then got worse. Iraq is but a shadow of its former self, a ghost shorn of identity and grace. Third, the Iraq of Al-Hajjaj Ibn Youssef Al-Thaqafi, with its eighth century horror, was a place where tolerance was gone, a land where Shia fought Sunni and no quarter was given. This is the Iraq that the Americans have brought back, a land of sectarianism and despair. The Americans claim to be helping out the Shias after decades of oppression. But what they're doing is not helping anyone, Shias or Sunnis. Fourth, I have been following the televised interviews in which Mohamed Hassanein Heikal recounts his memories of the 1950s onward. Now in his 80s, Heikal still impresses listeners not only with his photographic memory but also with his profound insight. In one of the interviews, the veteran journalist recalls a visit to Egypt by Iraq's Nuri Al-Said in 1955 and the latter's encounter with Gamal Abdel-Nasser. At the time, Said was a seasoned politician and Nasser a relative newcomer. Said talked of the need for Iraq to join the Baghdad Pact and how such a step would help stop Soviet infiltration into the region. The part that interested me was how Said explained that Iraq was composed of various ethnicities and doctrines and how different it was from Egypt, a country with a homogeneous population and cohesive government. What Said's words suggested was that Iraq needs a strongman to keep it together, someone like Al-Hajjaj, or Saddam. Fifth, the Sunnis suffered under Saddam just as everyone else did. And the Shias collaborated with Saddam's regime just as everyone else did. Of the top 55 most- wanted person list the Americans once posted, 30 were Shias, including the media chief, Mohamed Said Al-Sahhaf, and parliamentary Speaker Saadon Hammadi. Iraqi dictatorship was more ecumenical than sectarian. Iraq, let's not forget, is a country where leaders come to unhappy endings. The only exception to this rule was Abdul- Rahman Aref, who ruled very briefly, and Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr, who was but a figurehead. King Gazi died in a mysterious automobile accident. King Faysal II, his uncle Prince Abdullah, and Nuri Al-Said were killed and dismembered. Abdul-Karim Qassem faced a firing squad. And Abdul-Salam Aref died in an unexplained plane crash. Now Saddam has joined the club. Since Hammurabi, Iraq has given the world knowledge and inspiration. The Iraqis are now faced with turmoil and occupation, all of which come after years of blockades and war. But not all is lost. Here are three things that need to be done: First, a unified democratic country must be created, one that accords equal rights to all its citizens regardless of sect, creed, and ethnicity. Ethnic tensions, which the occupiers have fuelled, must end. Second, pluralism must be recognised, for citizenry is not a monolithic concept. Citizenry is not the antithesis of religious or cultural identity. It is the equality of all people before the law, regardless of religion, race or language. Third, Iraq is an Arab country and it doesn't need to prove it by negating Kurdish nationality in the north. Perhaps the presence of a moderate Kurd in the country's top post, and another in the Foreign Ministry, are good signs. Pluralism is the only way forward. Iraq is dear to the hearts of all Arabs, a country we used to look up to for inspiration and reassurance. Despite the mayhem and strife, despite the gloom and despair, not all is lost. * The writer is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the People's Assembly.
