Blogging Iraq
The New York Times has resumed a service entitled “Day to Day in Iraq” ($) in which three Iraqis and one Iraqi-American record their thoughts on the current situation and reflect on the past. It’s well-written, and, as intended, provides details of daily life that add clarity to the familiar headlines of violence and sectarianism. ...
The New York Times has resumed a service entitled “Day to Day in Iraq” ($) in which three Iraqis and one Iraqi-American record their thoughts on the current situation and reflect on the past. It’s well-written, and, as intended, provides details of daily life that add clarity to the familiar headlines of violence and sectarianism. Unfortunately, it’s hidden away in Times Select, so for those without subscriptions here are a few snippets:
The New York Times has resumed a service entitled “Day to Day in Iraq” ($) in which three Iraqis and one Iraqi-American record their thoughts on the current situation and reflect on the past. It’s well-written, and, as intended, provides details of daily life that add clarity to the familiar headlines of violence and sectarianism. Unfortunately, it’s hidden away in Times Select, so for those without subscriptions here are a few snippets:
I met my cousin, Omar, at a regular relative meeting Friday. After the salutations, he said, “Did you see my new college ID?”
…
He slipped me a printed paper in which he had switched his name from Omar to Ammar, which in Arabic characters are as similar as “floor” and “flour.” A nice choice as well, since Ammar is name that could be either Shiites or Sunnis. Making fake sectarian-safe ID’s like this became common practice amongst Iraqis recently after death squads were found to have killed more that a dozen men with the name Omar on their ID’s, and then threw them in a trash dump.
– Konfused Kid, also has a personal blog here.
and this one here:
On the eastern side things are a lot different. It is not exactly normal, because normal never existed in Iraq. Right now, normal in Iraq includes hearing explosions, and it also includes having fuel and electricity problems, but they are manageable to some extent. However, we Iraqis consider that to be normal, because believe it or not, people can live with those conditions — for a while.
…
What most people don’t know, is that it is not happening everywhere in Iraq. Some cities are better than others. Northern Iraq is a safe place to live in, with no terrorism or “freedom fighting” there. The same applies for areas the same city.I guess when you have never lived in peace your whole life, just a bit will make a huge difference.
– Hassan Kharrufa, also has a personal blog here.
Iraqi blogs proliferated after the U.S.-led invasion, and there are a number of excellent choices—my favorites include Iraq the Model and Healing Iraq–but “Day to Day in Iraq” is a welcome addition.
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