Iraq...torn between civil war, ISIS and preserving its Arab identity

I spent the day today on Baghdad’s streets.i just needed to see for myself this Arab capital that I had just heard of for more than decades. Needed to listen to Elias Khodher and Nadhem Ghazalis songs while driving around Baghdad

After all, these were the singers my dad used to listen and used to tell us how Iraq was beautiful. I needed to live art, culture and breath its air. I also needed to see the county once torn apart because of sectarianism that led to the death of more than half a million Iraqis .I couldnt help wonder how can a country where you see Christmas trees in its airport upon arrival can be the same country in which Sunnis and Shiite Muslims killed each other.How can the same streets on which Christmas trees and Santa costumes are sold be the streets where Muslims killed each other just because they differed over an issue that happened more than 1400 years,incidents that are misinterpreted and used by some political leaders under the umbrella of Islam to create rifts  in different societies for their own personal interests.

Unfortunately this rift in Iraq led to a civil war that cost the lives of more than 600,000 people including innocent children.

Its strange how welcoming, generous and loving the people of Iraq and how they’re the same people who one day killed each other. Its simply sad to see these fun loving people became victims of sectarianism also because of how rich they were and how some counties wanted to rip them off and put their hands on its wealth. Unfortunately this plan succeeded. Their wealth has become a treasure others benefit from. What just remains to be something they are holding on to is their Arab identify, regardless of the Iranian interference that is very clear.

On its streets, you see how friendly people are.I went into one store and while chatting with the sales lady I  asked her if she in any way was affected by the civil war.Her story was as short, simple yet extremely sad.She said her dad was a taxi driver and one night on his way back home he was stopped on the street and shot in the head by members of the opposite sect.

She was only 12 when she was orphaned. 

Imagine how many sad stories did the 600,000 people who were killed in the civil war have left behind.

Yes Iraqis have defeated ISIS.Yes they celebrated defeating ISIS and achieved unity, hopefully one with a purely Arab identity but the fact remains to be that you sense how this precious land is still bleeding. We lost Iraq as a protective armour for the Arab world.All we can hope for now is that its people become their own protective armour and atleast protect their land and the only greatness left for them, their Arab identity.