|
Post by inatent on May 17, 2004 19:16:09 GMT -5
This is the response my son got when he asked an Iraqi friend who lives in Kut what the Iraqi people think about the abuse of their prisoners by U.S. Soldiers. His English isn't perfect, but you can get the idea.
" The prisoner abuses in Abu Ghraib have seen just by satalite while local TV didn`t show it. As u know, that Iraqi people suffered from Suddam regime for long time and it had faced a lot of incridable distresses like Iranain war and killing pisoners all over Iraq by ex-regime so Iraqi community dosen`t care and never pay attention to such issue. Also, a lot of people say that those prisoners were bad guys coz they think that Americans would never make like that unless the prisoners got huge mistakes like have homo-sex among them inside cells or talking in bad way...etc. Addition to that Iraq deals with critical circumstance which is al-Mahdi army and Moqtada al-Sadir coz there r conflicts in Najif necropolis with coalition forces, so Iraqi people pay attention to this issue. as u know, most Iraqis looking for peace and most of them find that in the hands of Americans. "
inatent
|
|
|
Post by no name on May 17, 2004 22:49:47 GMT -5
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 18, 2004 22:39:09 GMT -5
Nobody here knows what the typical thoughts of an average Iraqi is, if such a thing exists. To characterize one letter as such is unreasonable. That being said, whew, what a relief from the usual that we've been hearing
|
|
|
Post by no name on May 18, 2004 23:10:59 GMT -5
Nobody here knows what the typical thoughts of an average Iraqi is, if such a thing exists. To characterize one letter as such is unreasonable. The above letter is not the only such outlook I've seen expressed by various Iraqis in reports/interviews. The positive mindset of the majority of the Iraqis (based on polling data submitted) isn't headlined often enough.
|
|
|
Post by inatent on May 18, 2004 23:59:56 GMT -5
Nobody here knows what the typical thoughts of an average Iraqi is, if such a thing exists. To characterize one letter as such is unreasonable. That being said, whew, what a relief from the usual that we've been hearing I'd say the letter is very typical of several accounts I have heard from completely separate sources over the duration of the war. It is important, however, to note that the lack of concern over prison abuse is not to excuse the behavior, but to recognize that the Iraqi people under Saddam Hussein were abused many times worse than anything done in that prison, so that they consider these events inconsequential. It serves to put things in perspective - something in which the news media fails miserably. inatent
|
|
|
Post by Just Here on May 19, 2004 0:26:17 GMT -5
I'd say the letter is very typical of several accounts I have heard from completely separate sources over the duration of the war. This is atypical of many sources I have seen. If you get your news from Aljazeera or Abu Dhabi Television it will have a slant. On the other hand, the report at www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/051004_iraq_accomplished.pdf was not a paragon of accuracy. Ultimately it comes down to education.
|
|
|
Post by inatent on May 19, 2004 11:20:13 GMT -5
. . . . Ultimately it comes down to education. Education depends on the source. The best available education in one society may provide a completely different perspective from that of another society (or even a different time in the same society). There is not enough time in anyone's life to be educated on a vast array of subjects and still maintain an unbiased view of anything. More than any public news media or any government agency, I trust personal friends who are directly affected, but even that is only as good as the friends I accumulate. inatent
|
|
|
Post by no name on May 19, 2004 19:43:24 GMT -5
Well, now – that’s a euphemistic way of putting it The fact is, most Iraqis are glad Saddam is gone, since they no longer fear him and his thug henchmen and sons. Consistently, the Iraqis do want the coalition forces to leave their country, but this is not surprising – they want to govern themselves, and the U.S. holds the same sentiment. But I am doubting that the coalition will pull out until things are more stable there. So after June 30, the progress on getting the coalition out will be up to the Iraqi people. From CNN.com:Some 57 percent of respondents said life was better now than under Saddam, against 19 percent who said it was worse and 23 percent who said it was about the same.
Iraqi people appeared optimistic about the future, with 71 percent saying they expected things to be better in a years time, six percent predicting it will be worse and nine percent the same.USA Today PollBaghdad, Apr. 30 (UPI) -- A national poll of Iraqis published Friday indicates 63 percent are optimistic their lives will be better in five years, USA Today reported.
The nationwide survey, the most comprehensive look at Iraqi attitudes toward the occupation, was conducted in late March and early April. It reached nearly 3,500 Iraqis of every religious and ethnic group.
The poll shows that most continue to say the hardships suffered to depose Saddam Hussein were worth it. Half say they and their families are better off than they were under Saddam. And a strong majority say they are more free to worship and to speak.BBC Poll:A majority of Iraqis believe life is better now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
A total of 2,500 Iraqis were quizzed for a group of international broadcasting organizations including the BBC in a poll to mark the first anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion.
Almost half (49 percent) of those questioned believed the invasion of their country by U.S. and British troops was right, compared with 39 percent who said it was wrong, the poll commissioned by the BBC and other broadcasters found.
Some 57 percent said that life was better now than under Saddam, against 19 percent who said it was worse and 23 percent who said it was about the same.
Iraqi people appeared optimistic about the future, with 71 percent saying they expected things to be better in a years time, six percent predicting it will be worse and nine percent the same.
Overall, 70 percent said that life was good now, compared with 29 percent who said it was bad.
|
|