"Are the Americans Going to Give Us a King?"

Journal of a Muslim U.S. Soldier in Iraq

Journal

By: Mohammed Omar Masry

Date: November 9, 2003

Source: "Are the Americans Going to Give Us a King?" as published on Islam Online.

About the Author: Sergeant Mohammed Omar Masry is a Muslim U.S. Army Civil Affairs Sergeant who served in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, a Civil Affairs Unit, out of Maryland. His unit was activated in March 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Born and raised in California, his mother was born in Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia and his father, whose parents are Lebanese and Armenian, was born in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION

The United States invaded Iraq with the stated purpose of eliminating the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The United States, Britain, and several allied nations, later known as the coalition forces, alleged that Hussein's regime aided operations of the al-Qaeda terrorist network and maintained stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. United States President George W. Bush had stated that Iraq was part of an "axis of evil," a cadre of nations that he asserted posed an imminent threat to global security requiring immediate intervention.

Ultimately, no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were located in Iraq, and the suspected strong and direct ties of the former Iraqi regime to al-Qaeda remained largely unsubstantiated. The United States then shifted its Iraq policy, stating a primary objective of bringing democracy to the nation.

After declaring an end to combat operations in Iraq on May 1, 2003, coalition nations did not immediately withdraw their forces. The United States-led coalition forces remained in Iraq to conduct policing operations and train Iraqi security forces. Troops still deployed in the region met with increasing hostility; terrorist attacks on coalition interests and Iraqi civilians escalated.

Iraqi nationals, as well as the international community, are divided in their opinions of continuing coalition intervention in Iraq. Some see the presence of coalition troops as a peacekeeping force, aiding reconstruction of the war-torn national infrastructure such as roads, communication networks, utilities, and schools. Others view the presence of foreign troops as an unwarranted occupation of Iraq. The most militant elements in the region, including Islamist extremists, view the occupation of Iraq—especially by U.S. and British forces—as not only hostile, but also as justification for terrorist violence.

PRIMARY SOURCE

Yesterday was another chaotic day in Baghdad, but in the midst of it all there was one moment, one statement that gave me a little hope things might work for the better. In the Al-Shula district of Baghdad, I was talking to a big group of children outside a school. After the children finished asking me for the 30th time whether I was Kuwaiti or Egyptian (Apparently those are the only two other countries in the Arab world to some kids here), a few asked me if I was fasting. When I told them I was, they were somewhat shocked and, just like with any subject in Iraq, didn't believe me until I stated it three times and declared wallah (swore to Allah).

When I first got to Iraq I asked one of the interpreters assigned to us if maybe Iraqis would assume I was lying to them because I was a soldier. The interpreter told me, "No, Omar, they're used to being lied to all their life so they don't believe anything till you tell it to them over and over again."

While I was talking to the young boys, a little girl slowly made her way to the back of the group. One of the other soldiers pointed out how adorable she looked in her track-suit and rose print hijab (veil). As soon as we looked at her, one of the boys holding a palm frond smacked her in the face with it; she began crying and ran to the other side of the street. I turned to the boy and said, "Are you a haywan (animal) or an Iraqi? If you are an Iraqi, you'll go and tell her sorry." Little Ali got mad and refused to. The other boys started chiding him and he then sat down, lowered his head and began sulking.

My attention got distracted though by another boy walking up towards me. He carried books in one hand and a full book bag, one of the school kits passed out by USAID, in the other. As I noticed how smartly dressed he was, even though his slippers were repaired with duct tape, I couldn't help but think that he exuded a lot of pride and class regardless of how poor his family may have been. Mustafa was 12 years old. He held up his notebook (adorned with a picture of the late Ayatollah Hakim) and asked me to write my name for him. After I handed the book to Mustafa he asked me, "Are the Americans going to give us a king?" I told him, "No, the Iraqis will write a constitution first with all the rules and ideas of Iraq Jadeed (a New Iraq)." This news made Mustafa so puzzled that he asked me three times if Iraqis would write it. Then I asked him what he wanted as the new rules. Mustafa, with the determination etched onto his face one would never expect from a child, said, "No more people missing." Mustafa's uncle had been in Dawa Party, a political party persecuted by Saddam, until he went missing one day. The moment he said the word Dawa, all the other children hushed.

By then it was time for my unit to leave. As we began to mount up and drive off in our humvees, the kids caught a glimpse of our Taiwanese driver and began yelling "Yabanee" (Japanese) and "Jackie Chan." The little boy stopped sulking, got up and said asif (sorry) to the little girl still hiding behind the man who I presume was her grandfather. I looked at him. We both said "ma'a salama" (peace be with you), and, as we drove off, the children kept running for a few blocks holding thumbs up and waving, with two little girls yelling "where's my backpack (the USAID school kits being given out to all the schoolchildren)?"

I can't help but wish, in sha' Allah (God Willing), that every child in every school in Iraq will learn about a constitution and speak up for what they want it to say.

Masry
09 Nov 2003
Baghdad, Iraq

SIGNIFICANCE

Before the invasion, the U.S.-led coalition forces underestimated the magnitude of insurgent resistance in post-war Iraq. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair assuaged skeptics by asserting that coalition troops would be welcomed as liberators as they entered Iraq. Even Iraqi citizens who applauded the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime, however, were unsure of coalition intentions for the rebuilding of Iraq.

The Iraqi insurgency is comprised of many factions. All insurgent groups target coalition military forces, but some also target private contractors and Iraqi citizens of opposing religious and political sects. Former regime loyalists, extremist religious militants, international Islamist groups, foreign jihadists, ethnic nationalists, and ordinary criminal groups all operate within the nebulous insurgency. Many insurgent groups fight each other, vying for power in the postwar state.

In January 2005, Iraq held its first post-war national elections. However, the insurgency continued in Iraq even after the establishment of an elected government. Many members of the international community also allege that global terrorist networks, such as al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad, have proliferated in postwar Iraq.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Books

Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq. London: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Web sites

alt.Muslim.com. Masry, Mohammed Omar. "Opportunity as the Seas Recede" <http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1376_0_25_60_C> (accessed July 12, 2005).

American Moslem Perspective "Ferial Masry is the Democratic Candidate for CA State Assembly." <http://www.ampolitics.ghazali.net/html/ferial_masry.html> (accessed July 12, 2005).