Iraq - Murder Land For Journalists?
01 July 2007
Mohan Nepali, Kathmandu:
With the murder of Sahar al-Haideri and Zeena Zakir Mahmoud, two Iraqi women journalists, the number of slaughtered
journalists so far in Iraq has reached 108. As a single journalist can represent millions of people, the murder of 106
journalists is similar to the murder of millions of people. Thus, Iraq has become a murder land instead of motherland
for Iraqis themselves. It has become a slaughter house for journalists as well. This prevailing situation in the country
raises a serious question about whether the Iraqi fighters under different stickers have a genuine intention of
liberating their country from foreign occupation. They may give a logic that they are doing well by killing thousands of
people who support foreign occupation. But generally ordinary citizens never support foreign occupation. Just because
they could not join armed groups for their own causes does not mean they are traitors. Ironically, ordinary people have
become the principal target of their attacks.
What is vitally worth considering in this context is the fact that the Iraqi fighters have been knowingly or unknowingly
making their own occupiers stronger by indulging in the blind path of finishing one another off. No other people than
the occupiers themselves can be happier with this situation. Especially American occupiers are to blame in the main
because they have brought al-Quaeda to Iraq and fertilized the soil for them.
A genuine ideology of liberation unites people against occupation. Those fighting without a liberation ideology are more
likely to end up with criminal activities that are not only dangerous to society as a whole but also highly
self-destructive. The ongoing violence in Iraq appears oriented to the further destruction of Iraq. People are the
greatest sources of power and wisdom. Should thousands of valuable people be misled like this, several generations of
Iraq will have to live under occupation. It is the people who have to brainstorm and find a better way to their
liberation. But the hot realities of the country have created so many psychological barriers even to communication of
what is good and what is bad for them. Lack of listening culture will not but keep the Iraqis aloof from one another.
Millions of people in the world oppose the foreign occupation of Iraq. Independent and sovereign nations must not
support any aggression or occupation. Even if slave-minded governments of many countries extend their support to the
occupiers, their own peoples are against it. While the majority of people are against the violation of other nations’
sovereignty, have the Iraqi fighters sought support from such justice-loving people?
Justice-loving people cannot support a movement without considering its nature and practical consequences. Of paramount
importance would be the nature of the Iraqi movement against occupation. If they base their political movement on a
genuine liberation ideology and win the hearts and minds of millions of justice-loving peoples within and outside their
country, their influence will definitely grow. But if killing unarmed civilians with heavy machine guns is misunderstood
as unique bravery, it will lead the fighters snowhere.
As far as the Iraqi fighters’ bravery is concerned, it should be admitted that they have not made any substantial impact
on the occupiers who have now got a pretext to penetrate deeper into Iraq. They say they cannot leave Iraq in chaos. In
fact, they must quit Iraq immediately if they respect international treaties.
But guns are not enough to make them quit Iraq. An ideology is vital for the Iraqi fighters. Those equipped with an
ideology have generally proved victorious in human history. Have the Iraqi fighters ever considered this? But religious
fundamentalism must never be mistaken for an ideology. Religion is a matter of interpretation. The essence of any
religion must be human wellbeing. Cruelties cannot be accepted as scientific prescriptions of religions.
Killing fellow citizens by purchasing the occupiers’ weapons is extremely ironical. As long as the Iraqis remain utterly
divided among hundreds of armed groups hunting one another, their vital agenda of liberation becomes overshadowed.
Journalists are precious public communicators in general. Killing them creates losses to society. Communication is the
blood circulatory system of society. Trying to disrupt the social process by killing journalists is against the movement
itself. As journalists’ vital duty is to inform people on current happenings, they must not be killed because of their
coverage of sectarian violence. Journalists base their work on humanity. Informing society about the abduction of fellow
human beings is natural. Just because of their informing role, killing them is not justifiable. Will the Iraqi armed men
stop to think over this for five minutes?
ENDS