Ask an Iraqi...

[Aviator]

I friend of mine in Iraq started a post on another site. He allowed people to ask him questions to ask the Iraqis that he worked with. I'd post a link to the thread, but it is in a members area for the site. I will however cut and paste some of the questions and answers here in this thread.

Q I want to know how they really feel about us, minus the leftist spin we are fed from the press?

Hussein answers: American people are very smart, he thinks we have very good technology and we go to a lot of other coutries outside of our own to help people. He says Iraq is very behind the western world with regards to technology, they have only gotten computers here since 2003. He also thinks we are more adanced than other Arab countries in the region.

Q Who is causing the problems over there, from their perspective?

A Hussein answers: The problems in the country right now are caused by people from outside Iraq, he mentions Syria, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia by name, coming into the country unimpeded by border guards. People in this country working with them pay them money to plant explosives and that leads to most of the problems. That is his perspective anyway.

Q What in their opinion will make Iraq a free and prosperous country?

Hussein answers: The number one need is more time. He says between 3-10 years more and the country will be in much better shape. There are many corrupt and bad people in the government and it will take time to weed them out and replace them.

Q When do they feel they will be able to provide their own security for their country? (with out the help of the U.S.)

Hussein says maybe 4-5 years. It takes time to train new people and they are working towards that now.

Q What do they do for fun when not working? Is Cricket popular there?

Hussein is not a big sports fan, he likes to read newspapers, magazines, watch movies, and ride horses. He has a farm so he has sheep, horses, cows, goats, chickens, etc. to take care of too. That is both his hobby and his other source of income. He knows nothing about cricket at all. Most of the guys really like futball, but not any other sports.

Q What is the United States' greatest strength? What is the United States' greatest weakness?

Strength: Our strength is our people (we have many), our industry, and our large military. He says we are strong because of the many aircraft, ships, etc that we have and build.

Weakness: He says our biggest weakness is that China builds and duplicates many of the things that we and Japan build. He interpreted the question as an economic one and I don't want to "steer" his answers at all.


Q What is Iraq's greatest strength? What is Iraq's greatest weakness?

Strength: Iraqs greatest strength lies with the two great rivers here, the Tigris and Euphrates. Both are mentioned in the Quaran and all the way back as far as recorded history. In recent times, oil.

Weakness: No safety. Lack of security for the people.

Q If you had the opportunity to emigrate to the United States, would you do it? Why or why not?

He says yes, he would like to. He would like to see the people, the technology, the moutains, roads, cars, all the things that we basically take for granted I think.

 

[Aviator]

A few more...

Have you ever witnessed a fellow Iraqi/insurgant planting or making a bomb?? If so, what did you do to him?

My guys say they have never actually seen it, only hear it on the news or see the aftermath.

Do Iraqis argue with each other about if they like the Americans being there??

Yes. They say that outside, in the "normal" Iraq maybe 60% want us to leave, and the rest want us to stay. Obviously my guys want us to stay.

Ever been in a fight defending the Americans??

No. Even defending the US presence to strangers or distant acquaintances is enough to get you killed. With close friends or family members they have argued for us to stay but never got heated to the point of fistfights.

I know this has somewhat been questioned but do the Iraqi people truly feel they want to win this war on terror? Or do they not even see it as terror?

Abd-Al Wahab answers: Yes, he wants to see anyone from outside the country who is carrying out terrorist acts killed. They are a little unsure of the US definition of "terrorism". There really isn't an equivalent word for them. They do see these people as bad, evil, etc though.

How does he feel about Hezbollah and Iran?

Al doesn't like Hez, Iran, or Lebanon. He also doesn't like Saudi Arabia. They always make a lot of trouble, kill and shoot people. (he is Shiaa btw)

Does he have a wife and kids? (not trying to get personal but I'm sure we'd all like to hear a bit about him)

Yes, Al has two wives, and 7 children. Four with wife #1 and 3 with wife #2. His sister also lives with him. Al is 39.

My question: Do the Iraqis believe that we are there for any of the following reasons:

1. Oil

One says yes, one says no, we came here to take out Saddam.

2. Our own National defense

Yes from both guys. We are here to make sure no bad guys come from here to attack the US (their words, not mine).

3. To help the Iraqis

Yes from both. One says this is the first reason we are here even.

4. To fight the terrorists there instead of here

Yes from both. The bad guys from Saudi primarily have been "drawn out" here.

5. To fund haliburton and the industrial war complex in a deep rooted conspiracy to give ##### Cheney a better retirement check.

No from both. Companies can make more money in America.

Is the corruptness in the IA and law enforcement levels as bad as the media says it is? (I'm guessing no but one can never be to sure)

Al says yes, very very bad!

If he could come to America would he take the opportunity? (I'm not saying he would have to stay or go through the whole process of becoming a citizen...but if he could visit, btw if he did and you both were together I would take ya both out for a beer)

Yes, he would very, very, much like to visit. He would like to come for one month to visit, relax, take pictures. Al says he would like to have a beer with you, sometimes it is ok.

 

[Aviator]

Do they believe that Sunni and Shia could ever get along? That is, settle their differences for the common good of the people?

Yes, they think that they can live together with no problems. In fact they have been doing so for a long time, and intermarriage between the two sects if very common in Iraq.

How do they feel about insurgents using Mosques as cover? And is the no boots and socks rule in effect then? Are US forces justified in shooting back?

Hussein says that the best thing to do is use local IA or IP to talk to the leaders of the mosque and try to get them to give up the bad guys. If that's not possible then shoot at only the bad guys while trying to reduce the possibility of damage to the building. If all else fails he feels it is justified to shoot at them with heavy weapons to defeat the bad guys (this coming from one of my most religious and conservative Iraqi friends).

What type of infrastructure build-up would they like to see? (more plumbing, schools, etc.)

In order of importance they say number one is schools, second is power, and third is roads.

Would they be willing to take Nanci Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, and Carolyn McCarthy in exchange for 3 of their corrupt officials?

He says we could give them and get three good ones in the US in exchange, apparently the exchange rate is great


I will post more as they arrive.

 

[Aviator]

Do they believe the country is in a civil war?

Hussein says no, they are not in a civil war right now, but they are close to one.

Are they aware or heard stories of "Juba" ? he is suppose to be a mythical anonymous enemy sniper.

No, the three guys here have never heard of him. Might be a mistranslation of the name though.

Do some corrupt IA or IP rent out their uniforms?

Sometimes in Baghdad, but not in smaller cities.

What do they believe is the most useless gear or training they have gotten from the US?

My guys work on the lovely 1962 and 1963 model C-130s we gave them, so they say those are the worst equipment.

Are there other allied forces the iraqis do not like or do not get a long with?

The consensus seems to be heavily against the British (who knew!?) and the Turks. They love the Japanese though.


Do they have any ideas on how to secure their borders?

These guys aren't in the Army but in their opinions they need a lot more troops on the border (sort of obvious) and many more helicopters to patrol with.

Are they optimistic about their country's future? How about the population at large?

Hussein is optimistic about the future of the country, especially with our help. He also says the population in general is also optomistic, and they get more so with each year in which they see improvements in their daily lives.

Do the Iraqi's know about the internal struggle between the demoncrats and the repubs that is going on here in regards to continuing the American pressence there?? If so what do they think about that??

Hussein says he does know about the arguments going on there. He said of course he would like us to stay, but it is a decision for our politicians to make, not for him and his countrymen.

Also one of your guys said he thought they would need 3-4 years before they felt they would be ready for America to let them stand alone, do they realize that there are many in this country who if they had their way the Americans would be gone tomorrow??

Yes, Hussein does know about that feeling in the US. He says once again that it is our decision to make, and there isn't anything he can do to influence it.

What do they think will happen if you all have to leave prematurely??

Big problems. There will be a lot of fighting with shiaa/sunni and Turkey will invade kurdistan. There will be a lot more problems in the country.

Don't they fear Iran or Syria making a run at them??

He thinks former Baath party members who are hiding in Syria now would make a power play for the government here. He thinks Iran would make a play for southern Iraq, especially Basra, since they think it belongs to them anyway.

 

[Aviator]

Let me know if this is helpful or interesting to you at all. I will continue to add them as they are added to t he other thread. This is from a more right leaning gun web site. So some of the questions are going to be gun/weapon related.

 

[greg334]

Aviator

Thanks for all of this, this is about the same I hear from the Iraqis in my area (dearborn mi).

The one thing that I learned about the terrorist that are in Iraq, is no one is reporting the facts behind some of the killings of people who are reporting what they see. We only hear how many are getting killed.

 

[terryandrene]

Thanx Aviator. Interesting viewpoints and appropriate that you mention the political bent of the respondent. I'd be interested in more of this exchange.

 

[Jayman]

Good post. Thanks for the info.

 

[Aviator]

I think the guys (Iraqi) that the Friend of mine works with are kind of all over the place as far as how they look at things. My friend is doing a pretty good job of describing each one I believe. Like I said, some of the questions might be a little too gun related, or military related for the average person, but he is taking questions from people on a gun related site.


Aviator

 

[Aviator]

What do they think of MREs (if they've had them)?

Hussein says he likes some of them, but not all. He loves the cake, and bisquits (cookies) and gum. Of course some of them are not halal and some of the stuff that is old he didn't like.

Al has two wives, and 7 children. Four with wife #1 and 3 with wife #2. His sister also lives with him. Al is 39.

I'd like to know how Al juggles all of this. More power to him. Do the married guys about the same things that we do?

I asked Al and Hussein about how they handle their two wives and multiple children. They said it isn't really hard as long as they follow the advice and teachings of Islam. They are required to treat both wives as absolute equals, if they buy one a gift, the other gets one of equal value at the same time, etc. They did say they have some complaints sometimes, mostly if the cooking is no good. Hussein said he would like to find a third wife in the states, he likes blondes.

Do they think that their country should be subdivided, similar to the way the British did it before? Would it make them stronger or weaker as a nation? Would it only invite the vulture neighbor countries to come and try and take a piece

They say it would be a bad idea to divide the country. They think the nation is stronger the way it is, integrated together. They also say that is a decision that would have to be made by the government and people at the voting booth.

Are they worried about the future?

Hussein is not, he is optomistic about the future. Al is a little more apprehensive, but he says things are good today. He says it is too hard to predict the future.

Do they try to shield their children from the everyday violence,
or do they try to teach them about it at an earlier age. I am wondering in context that if they are worried about future security of the state as a whole, do they try to "train" their children as early as possible.

Al says he does teach his kids from a very early age about the violence, guns, bombs, etc. He doesn't however "train" them at all, his oldest son is 11 and he hasn't taught him to fight or shoot or anything like that. Hussein doesn't have children yet.

Do they think that Saddam had good and bad points? Is it gonna take a "Saddam Lite" kind of leader to get things on track?

They don't have much good to say about Saddam personally, but do say that security was better, and the infrastructure was better under him. They are glad they have the freedom to speak out against bad leaders now though.

When can I go there on vacation? I want to visit the fertile crescent.

You could come to Kurdistan on vacation right now, it is a pretty nice and relatively safe area to visit. Also my guys who are from the south assure me I could visit them in Nasiriyah safely, but I would stay far away from Baghdad or Anbar province.

Do your friends think,looking in hindsight,that they would have been better off with Saddam in power ,or is everything that they are experiencing now worth getting Sadaam out ?

IOW...Do they fear the suicide bombers now more than they feared Sadaam's death squads ?

Both Al and Hussein say they are definitely better off now, even with the added danger.

They say that the threat from both is/was about equal. They aren't more afraid of one than of the other.

This might be a stupid or obvious question, (I mean most of the questions I've read are great), but what are the most common stereotypes Iraqis have of Americans?
I suspect their perspective would be interesting.

Great question! Some of them are hilarious actually. They think that all Americans are rich (well Al says only 40% are) and we all live in huge houses. They think we all have multiple brand new cars, and that all American women are beautiful and skinny. They think that as a country we are very successful and prosperous so we must all have everything we need. They also think we are a generous nation, and spend a lot of time outside of our country helping others.

Before this war started did they have any idea what was about to happen? Or did Sadam keep that out of their media?

Good question, and an interesting answer. Saddam's security forces told all the guys in the Army and Air Force (these guys were in the old one) to turn off their radios, since the news was all lies. They say they all immediatley tuned in and listened basically non stop after that. When the security guys came they would turn off or hide the radio. After helicopters and aircraft or ground forces came they basically threw down their AKs took off their uniforms and went home.

 

[Aviator]

What is their view on being killed in combat? What sort of after life do they think of?

They are worried about dying, mostly because they are the sole bread winners for their large families and they would have nobody to support them. They say their vision of the afterlife is basically if you are bad you go "into the ground" in a hole, and that's it. If you are good you go live with God/Allah, but their interpretation is that it's nothing like life here, you don't see other people nor do they see you, it's basically just you and God.[/b]

Are 3-somes "kosher" if you have two wives?

Nope, Islam does not approve.


How has their opinion of the U.S. changed since the invasion and occupation? As in, over the years, has their opinion gone up or down?

They say that most Iraqis, at least the ones they know, wanted the US to come to Iraq prior to the invasion. They wanted to be rid of Saddam and change some things. They say a lot of people in the country want us gone now, but they (my guys) definitely think more highly of us than they did before we came. They basically said we are the best in the world in many ways, and they knew that even before we came here.

How well do they speak English? Or do you speak Arabic?

Their individual English proficiency varies, some are nearly flawless speakers, some can barely muddle by. I am not a trained Arabic linguist, and am limited to being polite, or small talk. I can't do much better than that unfortunately. We spend a whole lot of time with my trusty english-arabic dictionary.

Are they forced to serv or is it voluntary?

In Saddam's ere service was mandatory unless you paid somebody off. Hussein is not sure about the current situation. I know that in the current Iraqi Air Force they are all volunteers.

What are their plans after the mil?

Hussein says he plans to go work outside Iraq, maybe in UAE, or the US to earn money to support his family. The retirement pension he gets from the government here is not enough to live on (sounds familiar ). He hopes to have enough saved up that when he finally retires for good he can live out his days on his farm.

How do they feel about the new Iraqi Dinar? Will it be used once we are gone from Iraq?

Hussein is pretty confident that the NID will increase in value. I will tell you this though, our guys are paid in cash (Dinar) and they all immediately exchange it for US dollars, most of the business they do in this country occurs in greenbacks as well. You've never seen so many $100 bills in your life. I don't personally think that buying large quantities of Dinar is a great investment opportunity, but dabbling in a little can't hurt.

Did any of them fight in the previous Gulf War or the Iran/Iraq war?

Yes, I think all of them were actually.

What's their view on the death penalty? Abortion? Drugs?

Ahmed (Medo) says he thinks the death penalty is good, and Mustafa and Majid agree.
Ahmed has no problem with abortion, in fact he says he already has 3 boys and if his wife got pregnant again they would get one. The other two say it is never ok unless the mother's health is at risk.

Do they view Islam as a peaceful religion? Christianity?

Yes, all three believe that both religions are peaceful. In fact they say there is very little difference between the two.

Ask them: If they could control our foreign policy, what would they do regarding Iraq?

Mustafa says he would do anything necessary to assure safety for the people. He specifically advocates killing anybody causing danger, so pretty much just purge all the troublemakers.

Medo says we should change the Iraqi government, it is not strong enough and he thinks they need one strong leader, not many weak ones.

Majid wants to bring them into the present technologically, working mostly on infrastructure. He says the most important thing is electricity, roads, and that sort of thing.

Also, "Is the average Iraqi grateful, or contemptuous of our efforts."

They say about 60-65% are greatful, and the rest are contemptous.

. What is a "fun" day for the average Iraqi? ( Did I spell that right?)

Al says he likes to have picnics, play some football (soccer), get drunk with his friends (in secret, like we did back in high school), or take his family shopping.

Mustafa says going shopping, or taking your girlfriend out on the town.

Medo says go to the park with his family, go to a theater to watch a movie, go out to dinner.

What is courtship like over there?

They say if you like a girl you can walk and talk with her, later even hold her hand. There is no need to be chaperoned. They say you may even be able to sneak a kiss, but never ever in public, only when in a house. Thats about all there is I think until you are married.

Did any of them have get large dowry?

The dowry here is from the groom to the wife's family, not the other way around. They say it is used to pay for the wedding dress, jewelry, and all the stuff. In some other Muslim countries it comes from the family of the bride to the groom, but not here.

Do they mind sharing what it was?

They say they give mostly just cash, but also gold (in the form of jewelry).

What is the common persons view of Israel?

Most people here (probably closer to all) hate Israel, they know that they kill Muslims and Palestinians so they don't like them. They said it would take a very long time to explain their feelings completely. They also showed me a word that means "sensitivity, allergy" to explain how they feel.

 

[Aviator]

Where did all the chemical/biological weapons go? Syria?

They say they think he sold them or gave them away to Syria, or back to Russia or China. Possibly also gave or sold them to Iran.

How do they like the M16 vs. the AK?

To be honest they aren't really well educated on the subject. Medo prefers the M-16 due to less muzzle rise when shooting on full auto, he has a FA AK at home. Mustafa likes the M-16 better because the US uses it, but he doesn't know much about them.

The one thing I'd like to ask, in what way, the most beneficial, has our involvment affected their lives as a whole. Monetary? Political? Personal or for the country?

Medo and Mustafa agree that the biggest positive change is political. They are very excited that they have free elections now, and that Saddam and his bunch are gone.

What is the average home like ?( two bedroom , brick structure with running water? What ?)

Yes, my guys say they are all brick or concrete, 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom is the average layout. Some use on bathroom for the women and one for the men, some shard both. I think they all have running water, most have a water storage tank on the roof from what I have seen.

What do they think of modern western music ?

Medo likes western music a lot, Mustafa likes only rap (they are the two youngest guys) but he also likes classical music (Beethoven, Mozart, etc.). Kareem is a little older and he only likes local music.

What is considered the classics of literature , theater , and music over there?

They say there aren't really any books that are "classics". They love American movies and certain ones are "classics" with them. They include Braveheart and the Last of the Mohicans. Their classic music is all from here or from Egypt. I'm not sure I could translate them even if I tried.

How are the schools as a child and or adult?

Children start school at age 6. They have 6 years of primary schools and 6 years of secondary schools. After that they may go to university for 4 years, or to trade or military schools, similar to our system.

Do they feel that Iraq was justified in taking Kuwait way back in the 90's?

The guys all said that the invasion was in no way justified. They said even with their differences they could have solved their problems diplomatically.

How do they feel about the in between times of Major US involvement in Iraq? ( From DS to a few years ago , there was the whole sanctions and no fly zone's business ?)

They said especially from 1991-1998 it was a terrible time in the country. There was no food, no money, the stores were all closed, huge inflation. Iraq basically slid back 50 years economically. After the oil for food program began things started to improve but were still nowhere as good as pre-1990, and still aren't.

Do they think Bush II invaded just to avenge his father Bush I as I have had people tell me here in the states?

They definitely won't rule out the possibility, but they also understand that the US political system doesn't give any one man the power to make such a decision on his own.

 

[Aviator]

Please ask them their favorite US President and why.

George Bush Jr. Because he got rid of Saddam.

Who was their least favorite and why.

Clinton. They said he was weak and all they remember about him is negative crap about the whole Lewinsky thing.

 

[Jayman]

Clinton is my least favorite too.