Returning Baghdad to ‘blessed garden’
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WHENEVER we talk about Baghdad, it is natural to remember what history has preserved about it by comparing between the city of civilization and knowledge in the old world, and the city which is enveloped with fear and terror from bombs and control of armed militias planted by Iran who promoted it and expands its influence.
It is ironic for the grandchildren of invaders who were expelled many centuries ago from the ‘blessed garden’ or ‘God’s Gift’, as it was known in ancient languages, to return to it through the sectarian ratty Trojan horses.
Until 1958, Baghdad was one of the most cultured Arab cities. It was the city of light, knowledge, art and economy. From it came Ziryab (Abu l-Hasan ‘Ali Ibn Nafi’ or Ziryab who was a singer, oud player, composer, poet, and teacher born in 789 AD in Iraq and died in 857 AD); and a thousand of his kind.
From it came leaders of major conquests, such as Haroun Al-Rashid and before him Abu Ja’far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur (both are rulers during the reign of Abbasid Caliphate). Perhaps, Baghdad today is in need of the likes of Hajjaj bin Yusuf (Ummayad dynasty statesman) who was appointed by Ummayad’s ruler Abdul-Malik Al-Marwan to govern a province which was threatened by invaders.
Hajjaj’s appointment to govern Baghdad was aimed at returning it to its previous status before the killing by rebels took root, just like how it was with King Faisal and Nouri Al-Saeed or the mutilation of bodies which came with those who called themselves revolutionaries six decades ago.
They went on to spread destruction in Baghdad starting with Abdul-Karim Al-Qasim and it did not end with Nouri Al-Maliki, and before him Saddam Hussein.
This city, which was the destination of the old world – the capital of a country floating on sea of oil and mineral wealth, has witnessed unprecedented systematic looting for the past six decades. Today, Iraq appears like a miserable old person due to what its disloyal children have been doing to it.
‘God’s Gift’, which used to feed its neighbors with crops and alleviate thirst with its Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, is now starving. Thirst is about to kill it as a result of corruption widely spread by hordes of Iranian agents.
This happened after the flames of sectarianism were ignited in all corners of Iraq for these agents to assume power by force until the looted amount reached about $200 billion. If this amount was spent on development, Iraq would have been the Japan of Arabs and it would have restored its glory in the golden era.
In the past four years, despite the occupation of a vast land in Iraq by ‘DAESH’ with the indirect support of Iran to justify the existence of its militia agents who serve the Persian expansionism scheme, the Government of Hydar Al-Abadi has achieved some development which everyone in the region aspires to expand further.
This government is currently engaged in one of the fiercest reform battle. People hope it continues with its course and that the decision to confiscate the wealth of Baathist leaders should also include confiscation of the wealth amassed by sectarian militia leaders.
This is to ensure that the election in May will express the will of all Iraqis who suffered both the tyranny of corruption under the pretext of sectarianism and the tyranny of Iranian militias.
Perhaps, Haydar Al-Abadi can achieve landslide victory against the gangs of systematic looting, given that Iraq will not be able to gain stability as long as sectarian militias are imposing their will on the people.
The first step to attain stability is to gather weapons and limit them to the hands of the army and armed forces. Once that is achieved, Iraq can say it has regained some of its radiant past.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
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