CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" dir="ltr" lang="en-US"> <head profile="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11"><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/","20120516020255","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1337133775"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 2.8.4"/>  <title>Gorilla’s Guides » alcohol</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/jquery-1.2.6.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/jquery.ui.1.5.min.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/js/neewee.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/blueprint/screen.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/blueprint/print.css" type="text/css" media="print"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/style.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/themes/neewee/color_scheme_blue.css" type="text/css" media="screen, projection"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Gorilla’s Guides RSS Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/"/> <link rel="pingback" href="http://gorillasguides.com/xmlrpc.php"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Gorilla's Guides » alcohol Tag Feed" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/feed/"/> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="http://gorillasguides.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd"/> <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="http://gorillasguides.com/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml"/> <link rel="index" title="Gorilla's Guides" href="http://gorillasguides.com"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 2.8.4"/>  <meta name="keywords" content="Baghdad, Mosul, Bombings, Summaries, Ninawa (Governorate), Kirkuk, Refugees, Basrah, Human Rights, Christians, بالمسيحيين, Religion, Sadrist Bloc, حركة الصدر, Features, KRG, Turkey, Water, Corruption, Najaf, Islam, الإسلام‎, Muqtada al-Sadr, Reuters, Wasit, Militia, Health, Photos, Elections, Militias, Torture, Basra, Electoral Commission, Mercenaries, reconciliation, WHO, Resistance, violence, bombing, Al Qaeda, Baghdad Markets, Analysis, prisons, Criminal gangs, northern iraq, human rights abuses, Saudi Arabia, drugs, kurds, invasion, Civilians, Egypt, occupation, Iraqi kurdistan, Blackwater, Jalal Talabani, Sexual Assault, sectarian violence, Team Members, Nissour Square Massacre, Christmas, Nineveh, Constitution, Depleted Uranium, Resources, Cancers, DU, Human Rights Ministry, Sadrist Protest Campaigns, Xinhua, Xe, Catholic Church, Talabani, southern iraq, Barzani, American invaders, Press, oil revenues, suicide bombings, Britain, Secular vs. Religious, Erik Prince, alcohol, invasion of iraq, Blackwater Security Consulting LLC, Islam Online.net, Xe Services LLC, oil exports, alcohol - ban on, iraqi refugees, Afif Sarhan, Students, christians in iraq, narcotics, commentary, tax evasion, Nisour Square, religious freedom, parliamentary election, Ahmet Davutoglu, security forces, drug smugglers, drug dealers, Economy, unemployment, Religious parties, Arms Trade, Saudi, Turkish foreign minister, oil production, Drug Addiction, central baghdad, iraqi parliament, Tariq al-Hashimi, Organised crime, music, election results - recounts, Somalia, Tharthar, reuters alertnet, alcohol shops - bombings of, Al-Ahram, Ammar al-Hakim, smuggling, kurd, drug abuse, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, fundamentalists, Festivals, Jeremy Scahill, Masud Barzani, political coverage, Sadr al-Din Qabbanji, iraqi cities, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, christian families, intimidation, Transparency International, iraqi refugee, parliamentary elections, Local Government, McClatchy, academics, national reconciliation, civilian deaths, Security, illegal drug use, iraqi economy, 2010, Mohammed Kinani, Husseiniyah, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, electricity, Mass bombings, iranian border, Maliki - military office, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, mental health, neighbouring countries, Anthrax, alcohol consumption, Carrefour, National Authority for Combating Drugs, liquor shops, islamic state, christmas services, civilian deaths in iraq, Basra University, walls, morals, security problems, Endowments, Ankara, iraqi state, vote recounts, ISCI (SCIRI), alcohol possession of, peace and stability, intoxication, Boyle Terrence, Ned Parker, Deborah Haynes, Judge Terrence Boyle, Zarqawi, hair dressing, Jesse Helms, drug enforcement, dysgerminoma cancer, Iraq/Saudi relations, collateral damage, Alison Banville, Kamal el-Saadi, MAF GRoup (Dubai), Reidar Visser, drinking alcohol, Hamdiya al-Husseini, Majid al-Futtaim Group (MAF), Embedded Journalism, liquor stores, Supermarkets, Baghdad provincial council, Westfall Act"/> <style type="text/css">.recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;}</style> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255js_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch.js"></script><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255cs_/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-content/plugins/advancedsearch/advancedsearch-lite.css" type="text/css" media="screen"/> </head> <body> <div class="container"> <div id="navigation"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/">Home</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-6"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/" title="Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed">Gorilla’s Guides For The Perplexed</a> <ul> <li class="page_item page-item-3589"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/gorillas-guides-for-the-perplexed/fatwas/" title="Fatwas A Brief Guide">Fatwas A Brief Guide</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="page_item page-item-2066"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/cholera-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7/" title="الكوليرا Cholera">الكوليرا Cholera</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-759"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/scenes-from-an-iraki-childhood-march-16th-2007/windowslivewriterscenesfromanirakichildhoodmarch16th2007-fd1720070316-crying-children-kirkuk-morgue-waiting-to-collect-fathers-body-250x325-72dpi6jpg/guide-to-the-samarra-bombing/" title="Guide To The Samarra Bombing">Guide To The Samarra Bombing</a></li> </ul> <div id="subscribe"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/">Subscribe to RSS</a> </div> </div> <div id="header"> <h1><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/">Gorilla’s Guides</a></h1> <h2>“The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and I’m about to introduce them to it.”</h2> <div id="search"><form method="get" id="searchform" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/"> <div><input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s"/> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search"/> </div> </form> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="content" class="span-13 append-1"> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-12078"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/03/a-pivotal-year-for-iraqis/#respond" title="Comment on A pivotal year for Iraqis">No Comments</a></span> Posted on January 3rd, 2011 by Khaled</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/03/a-pivotal-year-for-iraqis/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to A pivotal year for Iraqis">A pivotal year for Iraqis</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/2010/" rel="tag">2010</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/academics/" rel="tag">academics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-ahram/" rel="tag">Al-Ahram</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad-markets/" rel="tag">Baghdad Markets</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" rel="tag">Bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/catholic-church/" rel="tag">Catholic Church</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/central-baghdad/" rel="tag">central baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christmas/" rel="tag">Christmas</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christmas-services/" rel="tag">christmas services</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/elections/" rel="tag">Elections</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/electricity/" rel="tag">electricity</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/festivals/" rel="tag">Festivals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fundamentalists/" rel="tag">fundamentalists</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/invasion/" rel="tag">invasion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-cities/" rel="tag">iraqi cities</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-economy/" rel="tag">iraqi economy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugee/" rel="tag">iraqi refugee</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-refugees/" rel="tag">iraqi refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-state/" rel="tag">iraqi state</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islam/" rel="tag">Islam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islamic-state/" rel="tag">islamic state</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" rel="tag">Kirkuk</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" rel="tag">Mosul</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/music/" rel="tag">music</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/national-reconciliation/" rel="tag">national reconciliation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/neighbouring-countries/" rel="tag">neighbouring countries</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/occupation/" rel="tag">occupation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/oil-exports/" rel="tag">oil exports</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/oil-production/" rel="tag">oil production</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/oil-revenues/" rel="tag">oil revenues</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/peace-and-stability/" rel="tag">peace and stability</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/press/" rel="tag">Press</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reconciliation/" rel="tag">reconciliation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" rel="tag">Refugees</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-freedom/" rel="tag">religious freedom</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resources/" rel="tag">Resources</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sectarian-violence/" rel="tag">sectarian violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security/" rel="tag">Security</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-forces/" rel="tag">security forces</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/security-problems/" rel="tag">security problems</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/somalia/" rel="tag">Somalia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/suicide-bombings/" rel="tag">suicide bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/transparency-international/" rel="tag">Transparency International</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/unemployment/" rel="tag">unemployment</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/violence/" rel="tag">violence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/walls/" rel="tag">walls</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/who/" rel="tag">WHO</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>Even with a new government finally in place in Iraq, the country is still on the brink of disaster, writes <b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1029/re6.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Salah Hemeid</a></b></p> <p>Ordinary Iraqis expressed their relief last week at the fact that a new government was finally in place after nine months of gridlock, hoping that this will now be a step towards peace and stability in the beleaguered nation.</p> <p>However, while the breakthrough may have ended the governmental impasse, the crisis has only highlighted the fragility of Iraqi state-building more than seven and a half years after the US-led invasion of the country.</p> <p>The year 2010 did not start off well for Iraq as violence persisted and politicians’ bickering raised concerns about the country’s ability to get back onto its feet after the US withdrawal next year. </p> <p>Thousands were killed, including civilian bystanders, army and security officers and government officials, and thousands others wounded in a string of suicide bombings and attacks in Iraq throughout the year.</p> <p>The violence proved that the Iraqi security forces are not yet able to protect civilians in terms of numbers, equipment and training, while insurgents tied to Al-Qaeda continue to launch attacks, spreading an air of danger in many Iraqi cities.</p> <p>Critics maintain that the newly trained Iraqi armed forces are incompetent and sharply divided along ethnic and sectarian lines and that they cannot be expected to succeed in ending the violence, raising questions about whether the remaining US troops in Iraq will be able to exit the country as many Iraqis desire. </p> <p>The United States has reiterated that it will stick to plans to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by December next year, but Washington might have second thoughts if the new government fails to restore stability and insurgents continue their campaign to bring it down. </p> <p>In addition to the security problems, the newly formed government has to end the chaos in Iraq and deal with multiple political, social and economic setbacks.</p> <p>One of the biggest problems is the deep schism facing the country, which needs to be bridged by national reconciliation. Reconciliation of Iraq’s ethno-religious communities is seen as a necessary precursor to stemming the country’s sectarian violence.</p> <p>There are dangers that the country is descending into a situation in which it is becoming less tolerant in terms of religious freedoms and human rights, as the government fails to deal with increasing fundamentalism.</p> <p>An intensifying campaign is putting more pressure on the government to go after religious fundamentalists, operating in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, who seek to impose their strict interpretation of Islam.</p> <p>There have been widespread reports that these groups have ordered social clubs, bars and alcohol shops to close down and that they are intimidating people who do not follow their version of Islamic values. </p> <p>The crackdown has included shutting music and drama departments in arts institutes, banning arts festivals and circuses, and imposing strict codes of behaviour.</p> <p>The moves have heightened concerns among academics and intellectuals that Iraq, now emerging from foreign occupation and war, is displaying all the tendencies of a Taliban-like Islamic state.</p> <p>The year 2010 was also among the worst for the country’s Christians, with thousands fleeing their homes and more leaving the country during 2010 than at any time since the US-led invasion. </p> <p>The latest exodus follows a massacre led by Al-Qaeda at a Christian Catholic Church in central Baghdad on 31 October, which left some 60 people dead, almost 100 maimed and an already apprehensive community terrified.</p> <p>Since then, the terrorist group has targeted Christians in their homes, including family members of those who survived the attack.</p> <p>In Baghdad, as well as in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Christmas services have been cancelled for fear of further violence. </p> <p>After more than seven years of war, the Iraqi economy is in tatters, with the country depending largely on imports for nearly everything from cars to tomatoes. Unemployment is among the highest in any country worldwide.</p> <p>The country also still lacks basic services. Electricity is in short supply, medicines are available mainly through the black market, and there are long lines for fuel in a country that has the third largest oil reserves in the world.</p> <p>Another serious problem is corruption, which is spectacular even by world standards. Iraq is ranked fifth from the bottom of the pressure group Transparency International’s list of 180 nations.</p> <p>Bribery and outright theft surround virtually every Iraqi government department, with some of the kickbacks being used by rival politicians to cement their power bases in order to perpetuate their hegemony in the country.</p> <p>Some two million Iraqi refugees are either abroad or displaced inside Iraq after being forced to flee their homes to safe havens because of violence and sectarian threats.</p> <p>Today, most of Baghdad’s neighbourhoods are shielded by high concrete walls from the rubble-strewn streets and are cordoned off by the security forces as residents are trapped in fear of a renewal of sectarian conflict. </p> <p>However, the good news in 2010 was that Iraq increased its oil exports. New Petroleum Minister Abdel-Karim Luaibi said on Wednesday that Iraq’s crude oil production had increased by 100,000 barrels a day to 2.5 million barrels. </p> <p>The ministry had announced earlier that sales from Iraqi crude oil exports during the first 11 months of 2010 had reached $46.9 billion. Last year, Iraq’s oil revenues reached $41.3 billion, compared with $60 billion in 2008.</p> <p>Iraq might have made other small advances in 2010, especially in avoiding civil war, but the country still has a long way to go. At the end of a long and exhausting year, it is hard to see a clear end in sight.</p> <p>Strengthening the Iraqi state will be hard, especially after the March elections that produced a government many Iraqis consider to be weak, fragmented and incompetent.</p> <p>According to some scenarios for post-2010 Iraq, next year will be crucial as it will see the withdrawal of the remaining US troops. The pullout will mean that the US will no longer have a large foothold in Iraq, leaving the country to local forces and interests as it absorbs the after- effects of the American-led invasion.</p> <p>One scenario is that the national partnership government will succeed in holding the country together and that a strong central government will emerge. This will be able to prevent violence escalating and erupting into all-out civil war.</p> <p>A second scenario would be that the instability in Iraq continues, with the growing confrontation between the country’s Sunnis and Shias over power and resources leading the country into chaos.</p> <p>Neighbouring countries will be fearful of the risk of contagion and will try to keep the chaos contained within Iraq’s borders. A proxy war could be the result, along the lines of what is happening in Somalia.</p> <p>Another scenario would be the collapse of the government because of sectarian fighting and the country descending into outright civil war. This would most likely lead to Iraq’s disintegration with instability spreading to the entire region.</p> <p>The year 2011 will be pivotal for Iraq’s future, and that future will be more than anything else determined by the fortunes of the new government. </p> <p>It is to be hoped that Iraq’s politicians will not repeat their previous mistakes and that they will stand together to end the people’s misery and start rebuilding the devastated country.</p> <p><strong>Source: </strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1029/re6.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | A pivotal year for Iraqis</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11951"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/15/is-free-iraq-becoming-a-more-islamic-state-reuters/#respond" title="Comment on Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? | Reuters">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 15th, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/15/is-free-iraq-becoming-a-more-islamic-state-reuters/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? | Reuters">Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? | Reuters</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/features/" title="View all posts in Features" rel="category tag">Features</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-ban-on/" rel="tag">alcohol - ban on</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad-provincial-council/" rel="tag">Baghdad provincial council</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christian-families/" rel="tag">christian families</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/endowments/" rel="tag">Endowments</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hair-dressing/" rel="tag">hair dressing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/intimidation/" rel="tag">intimidation</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/intoxication/" rel="tag">intoxication</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/isci-sciri/" rel="tag">ISCI (SCIRI)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islam/" rel="tag">Islam</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islamic-state/" rel="tag">islamic state</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/liquor-shops/" rel="tag">liquor shops</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/local-government/" rel="tag">Local Government</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/militia/" rel="tag">Militia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/militias/" rel="tag">Militias</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/morals/" rel="tag">morals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/muqtada-al-sadr/" rel="tag">Muqtada al-Sadr</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/music/" rel="tag">music</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/najaf/" rel="tag">Najaf</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/parliamentary-election/" rel="tag">parliamentary election</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" rel="tag">Religion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religious-parties/" rel="tag">Religious parties</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reuters/" rel="tag">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-al-din-qabbanji/" rel="tag">Sadr al-Din Qabbanji</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadrist-bloc/" rel="tag">Sadrist Bloc</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/secular-vs-religious/" rel="tag">Secular vs. Religious</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%e2%80%8e/" rel="tag">الإسلام‎</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1/" rel="tag">حركة الصدر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>(<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BE30N20101215?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20reuters/worldNews%20%28News%20/%20US%20/%20International%29" class="external" target="_blank">Reuters</a>) – A group of men recently ordered Siham al-Zubaidi to close down her Baghdad hair salon for two months for Shi’ite religious festivities. She had no idea who they were but complied because she feared for her life.</p> <p>"Can you just tell me who will pay the rent of my shop for these two months? What shall I do to support my family? What is the relation between hair dressing and religious events?" Zubaidi, 40, asked furiously.</p> <p>"This is a new dictatorship. They want Iraq to be an Islamic state. But this is not right. Iraq includes a variety of religious factions … These are alien ideas, not Iraqi."</p> <p>Recent efforts by authorities, clergy and unknown bands of neighborhood enforcers to police morals by shutting nightclubs, bars and other establishments has heightened concerns among academics and intellectuals that Iraq, now emerging from war, is displaying the tendencies of a hard-line Islamic state.</p> <p>Baghdad’s local government this month re-activated a federal order from last year to close down the capital’s nightclubs and liquor shops due to concern the venues were undermining morals.</p> <p>Last week, anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a strongly worded statement calling for Iraqis to take a stand against "corruption, intoxication and addiction."</p> <p>The crackdown in Baghdad was preceded by similar actions in some Shi’ite-majority provinces in the south.</p> <p>"What is going on are normal consequences when religious parties take over power. They start with such practices, and end the way the Taliban in Afghanistan ended, or other parties in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.reuters.com/places/iran" class="external" target="_blank">Iran</a>," Baghdad political analyst Hazim al-Nuaimi said.</p> <p>In September, local authorities in Babil province prevented an arts festival that has been held yearly since before 2003. Security forces told organizers a day after the festival started to end it because it included dance shows.</p> <p>In the southern city of Basra, the government shut down a foreign circus a few days after it opened last month. It was the first circus the province had hosted in decades.</p> <p>Basra authorities said the government department of Shi’ite endowments held that the land on which the circus was set up could not be used in a way that violated Islamic Sharia law.</p> <p>The new measures sparked protests by some Iraqis who said the government is trying to kill freedom more than seven years after the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and paved the way for majority Shi’ites to take power.</p> <p>RADICAL CONCEPTS</p> <p>"What is going on, in fact, is an attempt to impose the radical concepts of the Islamic fundamentalist parties who dominate the political scene in Iraq…that’s what we are afraid of," said Qasim Mohammed, a journalist who protested with dozens of others in Baghdad’s main square Sunday.</p> <p>Kamel al-Zaidi, head of the Baghdad provincial council, described the protesters in televised comments as "paid people who want to turn Iraq into a community of atheists."</p> <p>But the crackdown, alongside a series of attacks on Iraq’s minority Christian community, raised questions about freedom of religion and expression in mainly Muslim Iraq.</p> <p>In the worst of the attacks, dozens died after Sunni insurgents took hostages at a Baghdad cathedral on October 31. Hundreds of Christian families have since fled for the relative safety of the Kurdish north, and abroad.</p> <p>During Friday prayers last week, many Shi’ite clerics supported the Baghdad provincial council and called on the government to show more determination.</p> <p>"The decision of the government and the provincial council is right," said Sadr al Din al Qubanchi, a prominent cleric in the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a Shi’ite political bloc.</p> <p>"Those who condemn it must realize that the Iraqi identity is Islamic, and the government is responsible for practicing this identity," said Qubanchi in a speech in the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf.</p> <p>Sabbar al-Saeidi, the head of the legal committee of the Baghdad provincial council, defended the new measures.</p> <p>"The measures are aimed at fighting anything against moral and public discipline, whether it is a circus or not," Saeidi said.</p> <p>Overt and illegal acts of religious intimidation may have been worse three years ago, when Shi’ite militias and Sunni insurgents roamed Iraq freely.</p> <p>Now, bands of loosely organised, unknown men are carrying out threats quietly against liquor shops, schools and other establishments, and with groups like Sadr’s movement claiming a share of political power, critics say the government is closing its eyes to the intimidation.</p> <p>NAKED STATUES</p> <p>Residents of Baghdad’s mainly Shi’ite Shaab district say many alcohol shops have been attacked in recent weeks.</p> <p>At a government-run fine arts institute in Baghdad, unknown men showed up this week and ordered the removal of all statues from the yard, an official of the facility said.</p> <p>They said "it is not good to show such statues. Some of them are naked," said the official, who asked not to be named because he feared for his safety.</p> <p>The music program at the school was shut down. Students are not allowed to wear short skirts, short sleeve shirts or makeup, according to a female student.</p> <p>"(A school official) told us it is Haram (forbidden). Some teachers consider any girl who does this as absent," she said. "A top official once put an X on my classmate’s leg as she was wearing a short skirt."</p> <p>Protesters on both sides have taken to the streets. On Friday hundreds responded to Sadr’s call.</p> <p>"Stand against those who want to disseminate corruption, intoxication, and addiction (to alcohol), to make Iraq drift toward ignorance, degeneration, lewdness, to make our society rot like the West," Sadr said in his statement.</p> <p>Political analysts said the coming era could see an escalation of intimidation as Sadr’s fundamentalist religious movement plays a larger role in government.</p> <p>Sadr won 39 seats in a March parliamentary election and then pledged support for incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a key step in an agreement between political blocs that end a months-long political impasse.</p> <p>"What is going on is a new tendency of a new culture that wants to take us backward," said Haider Munaathar, a well-known actor and head of Iraq’s theater union. "We must not keep silent toward those who want Iraq to wear a robe of their choosing."</p> <p>(Editing by Jim Loney and Samia Nakhoul)</p> <ul></ul> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BE30N20101215?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20reuters/worldNews%20%28News%20/%20US%20/%20International%29" class="external" target="_blank">Is free Iraq becoming a more Islamic state? | Reuters</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11910"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/11/al-sadr-calls-for-ban-on-bars-nightclubs/#respond" title="Comment on Al-Sadr calls for ban on bars, nightclubs">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 11th, 2010 by Nabil</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/11/al-sadr-calls-for-ban-on-bars-nightclubs/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Al-Sadr calls for ban on bars, nightclubs">Al-Sadr calls for ban on bars, nightclubs</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-ban-on/" rel="tag">alcohol - ban on</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-possession-of/" rel="tag">alcohol possession of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/husseiniyah/" rel="tag">Husseiniyah</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/liquor-shops/" rel="tag">liquor shops</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/liquor-stores/" rel="tag">liquor stores</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/morals/" rel="tag">morals</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadrist-bloc/" rel="tag">Sadrist Bloc</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadrist-protest-campaigns/" rel="tag">Sadrist Protest Campaigns</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1/" rel="tag">حركة الصدر</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>BAGHDAD (<a title="Reuters" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/11/worldupdates/2010-12-10T233031Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-534926-1&sec=Worldupdates" class="external" target="_blank">Reuters</a>) – Anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Friday for the closure of bars and liquor shops in Iraq following a renewed campaign by authorities in Baghdad to shut down nightclubs and shops selling alcohol.</p> <p><a title="20101210_anti-alcohol_sadrist_demonstration_al-husseiniyah by Gorillas Guides, on Flickr" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5251074964/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="border-right: black 1px solid; border-top: black 1px solid; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 5px 10px; border-left: black 1px solid; border-bottom: black 1px solid" height="215" alt="20101210_anti-alcohol_sadrist_demonstration_al-husseiniyah" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/5251074964_50d061d8c2_o.jpg" width="350" align="right"/></a>Hundreds of Sadr’s followers rallied in the Husseiniya district of northern Baghdad, heeding his call to take to the streets after Friday prayers in support of a ban. Many carried Sadr’s photograph and held up banners which read "We call for the immediate closure of all nightclubs and bars".</p> <p>"Walk out after the sacred Friday prayers to demonstrate support for the closure of the bars and liquor shops," Sadr said in a statement.</p> <p>"Stand against those who want to disseminate corruption, intoxication, and addiction (to alcohol), to make Iraq drift towards ignorance, corruption, lewdness, to make our society rot like the West."</p> <p>Authorities last year ordered the closure of all Baghdad nightclubs and shops selling alcohol because of concern that the venues were undermining morals. The provincial council has renewed its efforts to close clubs and liquor shops.</p> <p>Mainly Muslim Iraq is a conservative society, where many women cover their hair and bodies and most men and women eschew alcohol, which is proscribed under Islamic law.</p> <p>However, Iraq’s stance on alcohol is still relatively liberal compared to its neighbours Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, where the possession of alcohol is banned.</p> <p>Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, legally allowed shops to sell alcohol, although bars and nightclubs were banned towards the end of his rule.</p> <p>The call by Sadr to shut down clubs and liquor stores throughout the country has angered some who say it is a move to turn Iraq into a more hardline Islamic state.</p> <p>"What is going on are attempts to turn Iraq into an Islamic republic similar to the one in Iran," an Iraqi writer and a member of the Iraqi union for writers said, declining to give his name.</p> <p>"They (authorities) said that they will close the stores and the clubs that do not have a valid licence. At the same time the relevant government departments are not issuing new licences," the writer said.</p> <p>Sadr’s political movement flexed its newfound muscle in talks to form a government when it emerged as a kingmaker after winning 39 seats in the March parliamentary election.</p> <p>Sadr’s decision to back Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was a turning point in an eight-month political impasse and put Maliki in the driver’s seat for a second term.</p> <p>(Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Alison Williams)</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/11/worldupdates/2010-12-10T233031Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-534926-1&sec=Worldupdates" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq’s Sadr calls for ban on bars, nightclubs</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11884"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/06/street-drunks-lead-to-ban-on-selling-cold-alcohol-in-kurdish-christian-area/#respond" title="Comment on Street Drunks Lead to Ban on Selling Cold Alcohol in Kurdish Christian Area">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 6th, 2010 by Harith</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/06/street-drunks-lead-to-ban-on-selling-cold-alcohol-in-kurdish-christian-area/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Street Drunks Lead to Ban on Selling Cold Alcohol in Kurdish Christian Area">Street Drunks Lead to Ban on Selling Cold Alcohol in Kurdish Christian Area</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-ban-on/" rel="tag">alcohol - ban on</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ankara/" rel="tag">Ankara</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" rel="tag">Christians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians-in-iraq/" rel="tag">christians in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-kurdistan/" rel="tag">Iraqi kurdistan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurds/" rel="tag">kurds</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" rel="tag">بالمسيحيين</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>ERBIL, <a title="Iraqi Kurdistan" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3342.html" class="external" target="_blank">Iraqi Kurdistan</a>: The authorities in the Christian district of Ankawa in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil, have imposed a ban on selling cold alcoholic beverages in all places, except bars and restaurants, due to a number of incidents involving drunken young men in the area. </p> <p>Farhad Mansour Marbin, head of the municipality of Ankawa, where most of Erbil’s liquor stores are located, told Rudaw that any store violating the ban would “face closure and termination of its business license.”</p> <p>The decree was issued on November 25th, giving liquor stores and cafes in the district 15 days to stop selling cold alcoholic beverages. </p> <p>But this has deeply concerned Ankawa’s alcohol merchants who say the prohibition will harm business.</p> <p>Raeed, 40, who did not want his full-name mentioned, owns a liquor store in Ankawa.</p> <p>“Nobody drinks warm alcohol,” he lamented. “This ban will adversely affect our businesses. We cannot give up our businesses, so we are very worried about this decision."</p> <p>Raeed said he believed the authorities would face difficulties applying the decision. </p> <p>“The municipality authorities cannot enforce this decree, because some liquor stores might sell glasses and ice with the alcohol or sell them secretly from their homes,” he said.</p> <p>Authorities in Ankawa say there are more than 100 stores and bars in the district selling alcohol.</p> <p>Marbin told Rudaw the reason behind the ban was because some stores sold alcohol improperly and people drank on the streets and inside liquor stores.</p> <p>“Many young people visit Ankawa on a daily basis to drink alcohol,” said Marbin. </p> <p>“They drink it in an uncivilized manner, throw the bottles down creating litter and then roam around the streets while intoxicated and start harassing women and men.”</p> <p>Asked about the local businesses’ disgruntlement with the ban, Marbin said the merchant’s criticism was “not fair because they are the ones who have caused this situation… After the issuance of this decree, anybody who violates the rules will have their health certificates and licenses withdrawn from them."</p> <p>In recent times, Ankawa has been the safest and most affluent place for Christians in Iraq. Over 500 Christian families have fled Baghdad and other volatile places to seek refuge in Ankawa in the last month alone, following the attacks on churches in Baghdad that left dozens dead. </p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3342.html" class="external" target="_blank">Street Drunks Lead to Ban on Selling Cold Alcohol in Kurdish Christian Area</a> by RAWA ABDULLA <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.rudaw.net/english/" class="external" target="_blank">Rudaw in English</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-11476"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/19/as-iraq-winds-down-u-s-army-confronts-a-broken-force/#comments" title="Comment on It is not only Americans who can say "Mission Accomplished"">2 Comments</a></span> Posted on September 19th, 2010 by Saba Ali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/19/as-iraq-winds-down-u-s-army-confronts-a-broken-force/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to It is not only Americans who can say "Mission Accomplished"">It is not only Americans who can say "Mission Accomplished"</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/analysis-briefings-commentary/" title="View all posts in Analysis Briefings Commentary" rel="category tag">Analysis Briefings Commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/american-invaders/" rel="tag">American invaders</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/collateral-damage/" rel="tag">collateral damage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-abuse/" rel="tag">drug abuse</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/illegal-drug-use/" rel="tag">illegal drug use</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mcclatchy/" rel="tag">McClatchy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/resistance/" rel="tag">Resistance</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sexual-assault/" rel="tag">Sexual Assault</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div style="padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; width: 300px; padding-top: 0px"> <div class="container"> <div class="shadow"> <div class="frame"> <p><strong>The Resistance’s Tactics Were Successful</strong></p> <p>This is the lesson of the Iraki Resistance’s war on the American invaders. The goal was not just to inflict death and physical wounds they goal was to drive American troops into mental and moral breakdown.</p> <p>The tactic was to attack American troops relentlessly —  to force the American invaders to live in a situation where they never ever had any respite.</p> <p>The American invader was never to be able to relax they must be denied any respite, they were denied meaningful rest. </p> <p>The resistance consciously set out to inflict constant tension,constant sleeplessness, constant mental pain, and constant uncertainty, and fear upon the American invaders. The idea was to do this until a large proportion of the invaders were worn out with fatigue, grief, horror and pain.</p> <p>The Resistance’s intent was to not just inflict pain and horror on the invading troops for the sake of doing, the object was to <em>shatter their minds</em> so that while they were still in Irak they turned on their comrades. And then after they returned to America that they turned on the American civilian population at large.</p> <p>This tactic was, one resistance commander told me, far more successful than they had dared hope.</p> <p>The American high command, and American civilians are only now beginning to appreciate what the resitance did to them. They are only now starting to realise that they are not the only ones who can inflict "collateral damage" and that there is more than one form of it.</p> <p>It is not just Americans who can say "Mission Accomplished".</p> <p>Saba Ali</p> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> </p></div> <blockquote><p>A 350-page report issued in July after a 15-month investigation into the Army’s rising suicide rate found that levels of illegal drug use and criminal activity have reached record highs, while the number of disciplinary actions and forced discharges were at record lows.</p> <p>The result, the Army found, is that "drug and alcohol abuse is a significant health problem in the Army." Where the Army once rigidly enforced rules on drug use, it got sloppy in the rush to get soldiers ready for the battlefield, commanders say. Officers who once trained soldiers on everything from drug abuse to financial planning had only enough time to get their troops ready for battle.</p> <p>The number of misdemeanors that soldiers committed — including traffic infractions, drunk driving and being absent without leave — rose to 50,523 in fiscal year 2009 — a sign, the report said, that "good order and discipline" were declining in the ranks. Five years earlier, the number was 28,388.</p> <p>No disciplinary action was taken in at least 15,074 of the 2009 cases, the report said.</p> <p>From 2001 to 2009, only 70 percent of DUIs and 61 percent of positive drug tests were referred to the Army’s substance abuse program, and drug testing became haphazard, as well: In 2009, 78,517 soldiers went untested for illegal drug use. Statistically, the Army estimated, that meant that 1,311 offenders probably escaped detection.</p> <p>Sexual assault more than tripled in the same period, from 302 cases in 2001 to 1,015 in 2009.</p> <p>The increase in drug abuse and bad behavior came at the same time that the Army enlisted thousands of recruits who in previous years would have been ruled ineligible because of drug or other criminal convictions. According to the report, nearly 20 percent of the soldiers who’ve enlisted in the Army since 2004 — perhaps as many as 10,000 — would "not have been eligible for entry into the Army before."</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/17/v-print/100771/as-iraq-winds-down-us-army-tries.html" class="external" target="_blank">As Iraq winds down, U.S. Army confronts a broken force | McClatchy</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-10646"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/22/22nd-may-2010-selected-english-language-coverage/#respond" title="Comment on 22nd May-2010 Selected English Language Coverage">No Comments</a></span> Posted on May 22nd, 2010 by Khaled</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/22/22nd-may-2010-selected-english-language-coverage/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to 22nd May-2010 Selected English Language Coverage">22nd May-2010 Selected English Language Coverage</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra-university/" rel="tag">Basra University</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/criminal-gangs/" rel="tag">Criminal gangs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-abuse/" rel="tag">drug abuse</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-addiction/" rel="tag">Drug Addiction</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-dealers/" rel="tag">drug dealers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-enforcement/" rel="tag">drug enforcement</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drug-smugglers/" rel="tag">drug smugglers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drugs/" rel="tag">drugs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/invasion-of-iraq/" rel="tag">invasion of iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iranian-border/" rel="tag">iranian border</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mental-health/" rel="tag">mental health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/narcotics/" rel="tag">narcotics</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/national-authority-for-combating-drugs/" rel="tag">National Authority for Combating Drugs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/organised-crime/" rel="tag">Organised crime</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/smuggling/" rel="tag">smuggling</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/students/" rel="tag">Students</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/team-members/" rel="tag">Team Members</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>I have selected just one article from today’s English language coverage of Irak. Nizar Latif’s article "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100523/FOREIGN/705229898/1002/rss" class="external" target="_blank">Basra becomes hub of drug abuse</a>". The use of drugs in the southern governorates is exploding. This new plague has several causes. The first is the systematic destruction by the invaders of the economy during the years of sanctions and of all the social institutions including the police, the customs and excise service, and the courts, after the invasion. The violence and the poverty of Irak especially since the invasion has engendered despair among many people my age or younger.</p> <p>Team members confirm the remarks made by Ulset al Idani of the drug enforcement commission in Basra that there are good grounds to suspect that some local officials participate in the trade. There is however, they say, no evidence of official Iranian Revolutionary Guard  involvement in the trade although it could very well be possible that corrupt members of the guard are involved in the trade.</p> <p style="padding-bottom: 1em; border-bottom: gray 1px solid">Khaled</p> <h3>Basra becomes hub of drug abuse</h3> <p>BAGHDAD // Drug abuse in the southern port city of Basra is spiralling out of control as efforts to fight addiction and trafficking fail, according to health and security officials.</p> <p>The situation is “dangerous”, said Aqeel al Sabar, the head of the city’s mental health department, a lead agency dealing with patients addicted to alcohol and narcotics. <br/>“It’s a very serious problem and I warn that it will spread to other parts of Iraq unless something is done to stop it here and now,” he said in a telephone interview. “At the moment you can easily buy drugs, they are easily available on the street.”</p> <p>Officials in Basra, 550km south of Baghdad and Iraq’s only trading hub with access to the sea, said the city had become a major waypoint on the drug route from Afghanistan to the Arabian Gulf, as a result of the security vacuum that followed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. <br/>With Saddam Hussein’s secret police gone, smuggling quickly expanded and with it trafficking of opiates and hashish, city officials said. Drug abuse initially remained low, although that has now changed, with a growing drug market in Basra.</p> <p>The city’s transformation from a drug trafficking centre to a centre for drug abuse is reflected in the experience of Salam Juma’a, a student of Basra University. <br/>He says he began transporting drugs in 2005 when he was in high school. He made a small fortune acting as a courier for the big businessmen running the trade. He then became a drug user and is now addicted to heroin. <br/>“It was a good business at first and in a few years I made enough to buy my family a home and myself a car,” Mr Juma’a said.</p> <p>The teenager would pick up packages brought in from the Iranian border and move them down to the frontier with Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, where he would hand them over to other couriers. His youth was a convenient disguise that let him slip past police and army checkpoints. <br/>Mr Juma’a then decided to try the drugs, and has since struggled with an addiction. <br/>“I used to transport drugs to earn a living for my family, and that was fair,” he said. “But since I started taking drugs, I work to pay for my habit. All the money I earn goes into paying for the drugs I take.</p> <p>“I’m not looking after my family anymore, I don’t think of them. I have a mother, father, and two sisters. What I have become is awful, I need help, I wish I could get help. I want to get my normal life back.” <br/>Many of his friends in university were also drug abusers, he said, failing in their studies and turning to crime in order to feed their addictions. <br/>“People get desperate and they’ll do anything to get money for their drugs. They’ll steal, they’ll kidnap or kill, they’d join a militia, anything is possible,” he said.</p> <p>These rapid developments are something that local and central authorities had failed to keep pace with, Mr al Sabar, the health official, said. <br/>“During the 1980s there was a problem with alcohol abuse in Iraq, but we worked very hard and learnt how to address it,” he said. “In the end we had some successes, largely through re-education programmes. But no one is working properly on such things with drugs today.”</p> <p>Although there are no published statistics for numbers of drug users, experts involved in the field in Basra said they were dealing with an increasing number of cases, mainly comprising young men and the unemployed. <br/>“Many of the students in college are using drugs,” said Shatha Abdul Latif, a social sciences professor at Basra University. “We are beginning programmes to educate them about the risks of drugs. This is something new for us.”</p> <p>An unconfirmed report from a source dealing with addiction cases in a Basra medical clinic said 800 students were registered as needing treatment. <br/>Although the city has narcotic abuse treatment facilities, including a government anti-drug centre, those close to the schemes doubt their effectiveness, however. <br/>“We’ve never seen anything like this before, it’s totally new for us,” said Mrs Abdul Latif. “There is a [drug addiction treatment] centre but it is not very active, not many people go there.”</p> <p>The security services are trying to stop smuggling of all kinds, including drugs. Yet officers complain about a lack of resources and legal guidance. <br/>“We are not achieving our goals to stop these drug activities,” said Ulset al Idani, a member of the drug enforcement commission in Basra. <br/>“There needs to be a clear national plan for this, there needs to be a law that gives our special forces [specialist army units] the authority to go after the drug smugglers and sellers.”</p> <p>Mr al Idani also said efforts to tackle drug trafficking and abuse were undermined by what he called “official” involvement. <br/>“I think some Iraqi officials here are linked to the drugs trade. They are making a good business for themselves at the community’s expense,” he said. “We also have good reasons to believe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are involved. That makes it very hard to go up against this. It will need a firm government decision, not just a local effort.”</p> <p>In addition to its well-equipped military units, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard controls a vast business empire worth billions of dollars and is widely suspected of involvement in smuggling by the US authorities and Iraqis. <br/>Although claims of Iranian security forces’ complicity cannot be verified and are denied by Tehran, one smuggler who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted it was the case. “The Iranian secret police is fuelling this drugs problem,” he said.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100523/FOREIGN/705229898/1002/rss" class="external" target="_blank">Basra becomes hub of drug abuse – The National Newspaper</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9888"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/20/19-04-2010-selected-english-language-coverage/#respond" title="Comment on 19-04-2010 Selected English Language Coverage">No Comments</a></span> Posted on April 20th, 2010 by Abdus-Samad</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/20/19-04-2010-selected-english-language-coverage/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to 19-04-2010 Selected English Language Coverage">19-04-2010 Selected English Language Coverage</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-ayyub-al-masri/" rel="tag">Abu Ayyub al-Masri</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-hamza-al-muhajir/" rel="tag">Abu Hamza al-Muhajir</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-musab-al-zarqawi/" rel="tag">Abu Musab al-Zarqawi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/abu-omar-al-baghdadi/" rel="tag">Abu Omar al-Baghdadi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ahmet-davutoglu/" rel="tag">Ahmet Davutoglu</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-qaeda/" rel="tag">Al Qaeda</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alison-banville/" rel="tag">Alison Banville</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ammar-al-hakim/" rel="tag">Ammar al-Hakim</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/analysis/" rel="tag">Analysis</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anthrax/" rel="tag">Anthrax</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/arms-trade/" rel="tag">Arms Trade</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" rel="tag">Baghdad</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/barzani/" rel="tag">Barzani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/blackwater/" rel="tag">Blackwater</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/blackwater-security-consulting-llc/" rel="tag">Blackwater Security Consulting LLC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombing/" rel="tag">bombing</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" rel="tag">Bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/boyle-terrence/" rel="tag">Boyle Terrence</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/britain/" rel="tag">Britain</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/cancers/" rel="tag">Cancers</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/carrefour/" rel="tag">Carrefour</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilian-deaths/" rel="tag">civilian deaths</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilian-deaths-in-iraq/" rel="tag">civilian deaths in iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/civilians/" rel="tag">Civilians</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/commentary/" rel="tag">commentary</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/constitution/" rel="tag">Constitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/corruption/" rel="tag">Corruption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/deborah-haynes/" rel="tag">Deborah Haynes</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/depleted-uranium/" rel="tag">Depleted Uranium</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/du/" rel="tag">DU</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/dysgerminoma-cancer/" rel="tag">dysgerminoma cancer</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/egypt/" rel="tag">Egypt</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/election-results-recounts/" rel="tag">election results - recounts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/elections/" rel="tag">Elections</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/electoral-commission/" rel="tag">Electoral Commission</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/embedded-journalism/" rel="tag">Embedded Journalism</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/erik-prince/" rel="tag">Erik Prince</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/hamdiya-al-husseini/" rel="tag">Hamdiya al-Husseini</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/health/" rel="tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" rel="tag">Human Rights</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-abuses/" rel="tag">human rights abuses</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights-ministry/" rel="tag">Human Rights Ministry</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqsaudi-relations/" rel="tag">Iraq/Saudi relations</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iraqi-parliament/" rel="tag">iraqi parliament</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jalal-talabani/" rel="tag">Jalal Talabani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jeremy-scahill/" rel="tag">Jeremy Scahill</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/jesse-helms/" rel="tag">Jesse Helms</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/judge-terrence-boyle/" rel="tag">Judge Terrence Boyle</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kamal-el-saadi/" rel="tag">Kamal el-Saadi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/krg/" rel="tag">KRG</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kurd/" rel="tag">kurd</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/maf-group-dubai/" rel="tag">MAF GRoup (Dubai)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/majid-al-futtaim-group-maf/" rel="tag">Majid al-Futtaim Group (MAF)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/maliki-military-office/" rel="tag">Maliki - military office</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mass-bombings/" rel="tag">Mass bombings</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/masud-barzani/" rel="tag">Masud Barzani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mcclatchy/" rel="tag">McClatchy</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mercenaries/" rel="tag">Mercenaries</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mohammed-kinani/" rel="tag">Mohammed Kinani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ned-parker/" rel="tag">Ned Parker</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" rel="tag">Ninawa (Governorate)</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nineveh/" rel="tag">Nineveh</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nisour-square/" rel="tag">Nisour Square</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/nissour-square-massacre/" rel="tag">Nissour Square Massacre</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/northern-iraq/" rel="tag">northern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/parliamentary-election/" rel="tag">parliamentary election</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/parliamentary-elections/" rel="tag">parliamentary elections</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/photos/" rel="tag">Photos</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/political-coverage/" rel="tag">political coverage</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/prisons/" rel="tag">prisons</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reidar-visser/" rel="tag">Reidar Visser</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reuters/" rel="tag">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/reuters-alertnet/" rel="tag">reuters alertnet</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi/" rel="tag">Saudi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/saudi-arabia/" rel="tag">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/southern-iraq/" rel="tag">southern iraq</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/summaries/" rel="tag">Summaries</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/supermarkets/" rel="tag">Supermarkets</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/talabani/" rel="tag">Talabani</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tariq-al-hashimi/" rel="tag">Tariq al-Hashimi</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tax-evasion/" rel="tag">tax evasion</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/tharthar/" rel="tag">Tharthar</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/torture/" rel="tag">Torture</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkey/" rel="tag">Turkey</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/turkish-foreign-minister/" rel="tag">Turkish foreign minister</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/vote-recounts/" rel="tag">vote recounts</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water/" rel="tag">Water</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/westfall-act/" rel="tag">Westfall Act</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/xe/" rel="tag">Xe</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/xe-services-llc/" rel="tag">Xe Services LLC</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/xinhua/" rel="tag">Xinhua</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/zarqawi/" rel="tag">Zarqawi</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p><strong>Secret prison for Sunnis revealed in Baghdad – latimes.com: </strong></p> <blockquote><p><a title="20100419_screenshot_latimes_malikis_secret_prisons" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/27086036@N02/4536503276/" class="external" target="_blank"><img style="border-right: silver 2px solid; border-top: silver 2px solid; display: inline; margin: 5px 0px 65px 15px; border-left: silver 2px solid; border-bottom: silver 2px solid" alt="20100419_screenshot_latimes_malikis_secret_prisons" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://static.flickr.com/4009/4536503276_f5a4e1c073.jpg" align="right"/></a>Hundreds of Sunni men disappeared for months into a secret Baghdad prison under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s military office, where many were routinely tortured until the country’s Human Rights Ministry gained access to the facility, Iraqi officials say. </p> <p>The men were detained by the Iraqi army in October in sweeps targeting Sunni groups in Nineveh province, a stronghold of the group Al Qaeda in Iraq and other militants in the north. The provincial governor alleged at the time that ordinary citizens had been detained as well, often without a warrant. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/africa/la-fg-iraq-prison19-2010apr19,0,4657710.story" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p> </blockquote> <h3>The Day In Quotes:</h3> <ol> <li><strong>Ammar al-Hakim on Allawi and Maliki</strong><strong>: </p> <p></strong>"We are talking about a person who should be accepted on a national level. This is the most important point because the prime minister is not going to be a prime minister of his own party or his political movement, but for all of Iraq … On such a basis, we find it’s difficult for Mr. Maliki or even Mr. Ayad Allawi to gain the needed acceptance." </p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq" class="external" target="_blank">Source</a></strong><strong>: </strong></li> <li><strong>Maliki on the killing of Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al Masri</strong><strong>: <p></strong>"I give the happy tidings of the strike, which targeted and killed Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al Masri, who were hiding in a hole in Tharthar area," </p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/19/92419/two-al-qaida-leaders-killed-in.html" class="external" target="_blank">Source</a></strong><strong>: </strong></li> <li><strong>Kamal el-Saadi on the Electoral Commission Ordering A Recount in Baghdad</strong><strong>: <p></strong>"We expect that this will change the results for the benefit of State of Law,". </p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE63I1AT" class="external" target="_blank">Source</a></strong><strong>:</strong> </li> </ol> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE63I12J.htm" class="external" target="_blank"> </p> <p> </a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE63I12J.htm" class="external" target="_blank"></a><br/> <h3><font color="#800000">Political Coverage:</font></h3> </p> <blockquote><p><strong></strong></p> </blockquote> <p> <strong>Iraq appeals panel orders manual ballot recount in Baghdad | Xinhua :</strong> </p> <blockquote><p>An Iraqi appeals panel ordered Monday manual recount for ballots in Baghdad after reviewing complaints by political blocs, an electoral commission official said. </p> <p>"The appeals panel tasked with reviewing the complaints of the political blocs about the parliamentary elections decided to carry out manual recount for Baghdad province only," Hamdiya al-Husseiny, a commission member told reporters. </p> <p>Earlier, several blocs, including incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law bloc, demanded manual recount, claiming that hundreds of thousands of votes have been manipulated in five provinces. </p> <p>On April 11, Hachim al-Hassani, spokesman of Maliki’s bloc said that his bloc demanded manual recount of five provinces, including Baghdad, but he added that his bloc would accept manual recount even if it is at least only in Baghdad. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/19/c_13258385.htm"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>: </strong></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Iraqi panel orders vote recount in Baghdad | Reuters: </strong></p> <blockquote><p>Electoral commissioner Hamdiya al-Husseini said the manual recount would begin immediately but she was not sure how long it would take.</p> <p>The capital accounts for 68 seats in the 325-seat parliament, making it a key prize, and Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law alliance had been seeking a recount after coming a close second in the election.</p> <p>"We expect that this will change the results for the benefit of State of Law," said Kamal el-Saadi, a senior member of Maliki’s coalition.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE63I1AT" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Iraq Shiite cleric doubts front-runners in PM race – Yahoo! News: </strong></p> <blockquote><p>The cleric who heads one of Iraq’s key Shiite political parties says neither front-runner in the March 7 parliamentary elections has enough popular support to lead country in the next government. </p> <p>Ammar al-Hakim of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council says he wouldn’t reject either candidate, if all sides jockeying for power since the inconclusive elections agree on one of them. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p> </blockquote> <p> <strong>Turkey on Iraq’s side in all conditions: FM: Xinhua</strong><strong>: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday that Turkey was and would be on Iraq’s side in all conditions. </p> <p>Davutoglu made the remarks at a joint press conference with the visiting Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi in the Turkish capital of Ankara. </p> <p>Turkey has good relations with all groups in Iraq, said Davutoglu, adding he is confident that all groups in Iraq would come together to build their country. </p> <p>Davutoglu said he discussed with al-Hashimi the post-election period in Iraq, adding Turkey views that the Iraqi parliament would possibly shape the next century of Iraq. </p> <p>For his part, al-Hashimi said the relations between Iraq and Turkey are "very constructive, successful and very clean." </p> <p>On his attitude towards the new Iraqi government, al-Hashimi said the most important thing in Iraq was to establish the new government according to the constitution. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/19/c_13258447.htm" class="external" target="_blank">Read in full</a></strong><strong>: </strong> </p> </blockquote> <h3><font color="#800000">Security Coverage:</font></h3> <p> <strong>Iraq says 2 top al-Qaida leaders killed — Maliki | xinhuanet: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki announced Monday the killing of top leaders of Qaida in Iraq network, Abu Omer al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Musri. </p> <p>"A cell from our intelligence killed Abu Omer al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Musri during operation in Thirthar area in north of Baghdad," Maliki told reporters in a news conference. </p> <p>Maliki said that the Iraqi intelligence was following the al- Qaida top leaders for long time and the Iraqi troops managed to capture some leading Qaida militants who led the Iraqi security forces to the whereabouts of the two most wanted Qaida leaders in Iraq. </p> <p>Maliki also said that his troops got support from the U.S. troops "by helping the Iraqi side in checking verifying the intelligence reports. </p> <p>He also showed the news conference pictures of the two killed Qaida leaders. </p> <p>Abu Omer al-Baghdadi is the head of the self-style Islamic State of Iraq, which is an al-Qaida-led umbrella organization of extremist Sunni militants groups. </p> <p>Abu Ayyub al-Musri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, is the top leader of al-Qaida in Iraq network, who replaced the former Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, when Zarqawi was killed in a U. S. airstrike on June 7, 2006. </p> <p>Zarqawi’s killing was expected to undermine the Qaida organisation, but the main blow to the terrorist networks came when their local Sunni insurgent allies turned on them, sickened by their indiscriminate bloodshed against both Shiite and Sunni communities.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/19/c_13258638.htm" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a>: </p> </blockquote> <p> <strong>U.S. soldier dies in raid that kills top al Qaida in Iraq leaders | McClatchy: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>Iraqi and U.S. security forces said Monday that they’d killed the two top leaders of al Qaida in Iraq in what the American military said could be the most significant blow to the militant Sunni Muslim organization since it was formed. </p> <p>Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki announced that the men known as Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al Masri were killed Sunday in a raid in northern Iraq. He displayed photographs for state television of the bodies of Baghdadi and Masri, both noms de guerre for leaders of the group. </p> <p>"I give the happy tidings of the strike, which targeted and killed Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al Masri, who were hiding in a hole in Tharthar area,” Maliki said at a news conference in Baghdad. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/19/92419/two-al-qaida-leaders-killed-in.html" class="external" target="_blank">Read in full</a></strong>: </p> </blockquote> <p> <strong>Al-Qaeda killing is a morale boost – but the fighting’s not over – Times Online</strong><strong>: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>The operation marks their biggest counter-terrorism success since the assassination three years ago of Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the previous leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. His demise was even more of a headline-grabbing triumph than the killing on Sunday of his successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who headed the Islamic State of Iraq, a shadowy, Islamist umbrella group linked to al-Qaeda. </p> <p>Al-Zarqawi was a better-known figure, deployed extensively as a propaganda tool by both sides, with al-Qaeda using him to instil fear in its enemies, while the United States made him the face of an insurgency that was spiralling out of control. </p> <p>His death, however, failed to reduce the tempo of the sectarian slaughter and mass bombings that escalated under the command of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, who is thought to be Egyptian. </p> <p>With that in mind, it is very unlikely that his death and that of al-Baghdadi will signal the collapse of al-Qaeda in Iraq, because others will take over. </p> <p>What it will do, however, is damage morale and put even greater pressure on an organisation that has already seen its ability to wreak havoc undermined since 2007, when the US-led military stepped up its efforts against it.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article7102312.ece" class="external" target="_blank">Read in full</a></strong><strong>: </strong></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>US soldier dies in non-combat incident in Iraq :</strong> </p> <blockquote><p>The U.S. military says an American soldier has died of non-combat related injuries in Iraq.</p> <p>A statement by the military on Monday says the United States Division-South soldier died of injuries sustained in southern Iraq on Sunday.</p> <p><em>[snip]</em></p> <p>The death raises to at least 4,392 the number of U.S. military personnel who have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. That’s according to an Associated Press count.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ_US_CASUALTIES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-19-07-57-15" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong> :</strong></p> </blockquote> <div style="border-right: silver 1px solid; padding-right: 5px; border-top: silver 1px solid; padding-left: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; border-left: silver 1px solid; padding-top: 5px; border-bottom: silver 1px solid"><strong>Reuters AlertNet – FACTBOX-Military and civilian deaths in Iraq: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>A U.S. soldier was killed and three were injured when their helicopter crashed in northern Iraq late on Saturday evening, the U.S. military said on Sunday. </p> <p>Following are the latest figures for soldiers and civilians killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003: </p> <p>U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES: </p> <ul> <li>United States 4,391 </li> <li>Britain 179 </li> <li>Other nations 139 </li> </ul> <p>IRAQIS: </p> <ul> <li>Military Between 4,900 and 6,375# </li> <li>Civilians Between 95,888 and 104,595 * </li> </ul> <p> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6371KB.htm" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a>: </p></blockquote></div> <p> </p> <h3><font color="#800000">Economic Coverage:</font></h3> <p> <strong>Carrefour leads the way into postwar Iraq – Times Online: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>Carrefour is set to become the first multinational retailer to enter the Iraqi market since the war. The world’s second-largest retailer will open a two-storey store in Iraq’s Kurdish north in September. </p> <p>Although Iraq has attracted natural resources groups, the country’s GDP of about £2,400 a head, coupled with political and military instability, has meant it has struggled to attract customer-focused companies. </p> <p>Carrefour’s store in Arbil, one of northern Iraq’s largest cities, will be run by Majid al-Futtaim Group (MAF), the French hypermarket group’s Dubai- based Middle East franchise partner. The store will anchor a development that will include an ice rink, a cinema complex and a bowling alley, according to the Arbil-based Kurdish Globe. </p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article7102270.ece" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a>: </p> </blockquote> <h3><font color="#800000">Health Coverage:</font></h3> <p> <strong>Cancer of the conflict zone: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>When my sister, 101st Airborne Army Capt. Chaplain Fran E. Stuart, returned from Iraq, she was forever changed. </p> <p>Not only had the desert sand, gun blasts and heat penetrated her psyche during her one-year deployment, but a carcinogen had made its way into her body as well. Unbeknown to her, the carcinogen was making a home in my sister’s body, along with the Anthrax vaccine, depleted uranium, burn pit smoke and contaminated water dished up at every meal. </p> <p>In March 2006, when my sister was 41, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, stage-IV dysgerminoma cancer, also called “germ cell” cancer, which is usually only seen in pregnant women and teenage girls. The cancer was advancing quickly, wrapping itself around her internal organs like an octopus and gathering fuel from her central abdomen. My sister was flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for immediate surgery and further testing, when a volleyball-sized tumor was removed from her abdomen. Fortunately, doctors were able to corral her cancer, but only after 10 months and 35 rounds of exhaustive chemotherapy. She wasn’t the only one undergoing such trauma. While visiting her at Walter Reed, I witnessed many soldiers returning from Iraq with cancer, unknown to the public and unacknowledged by the military. Walter Reed had two floors dedicated solely to the soldiers arriving daily with cancer. Their lives were spared on the battlefield, but the cancer was ravaging their bodies from within.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2010/April/opinion_April116.xml&section=opinion&col=" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a>: </p> </blockquote> <h3><font color="#800000">Commentary and Analysis</font></h3> <p> <strong>Blackwater Officials Indicted for Weapons Violations: </strong><br/> <blockquote> <p>Last week, the Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury had returned a fifteen-count indictment against five current and former Blackwater officials, charging them with conspiracy to violate a series of federal gun laws, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Among those indicted were Blackwater owner Erik Prince’s longtime right-hand man, former company president Gary Jackson, Blackwater’s former legal counsel Andrew Howell and two former company vice presidents. Given Blackwater’s track record and the severity of other allegations against the company–including killing unarmed civilians–if the charges in this case stick, it would be somewhat akin to Al Capone going down for tax evasion. The one major difference being, the number-one man at Blackwater, Erik Prince, is evading prosecution and jail. Prince, who remains the Blackwater empire’s sole owner, was not indicted. </p> <p><em>[snip]</em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote><p>Meanwhile, as Blackwater officials face another round of attempted criminal prosecutions, the company continues to fight off the remaining civil lawsuits stemming from the Nisour Square shooting. Last year Blackwater settled with most of the victims, reportedly for a total of $5 million. The only remaining suit against the company over Nisour Square was brought by a small group of Iraqis, most prominent among them Mohammed Kinani, the father of the youngest known victim of the shooting. His 9-year-old son, Ali, was shot in the head that day and died shortly after from his injuries. Kinani originally sued Blackwater in state court in North Carolina, but last week a federal judge sided with Blackwater and took control over the case. That judge, Terrence Boyle, was a former legislative aide to the late Republican Senator Jesse Helms, who urged President Ronald Reagan to appoint Boyle, which Reagan did. For more than a decade, Democrats blocked Boyle’s nomination to the appelate court, characterizing him as an ultraconservative who opposed civil rights and was often over-ruled on appeal. It is hard to imagine a better judge for Blackwater to draw in this case. <p>As it has done in other cases, Blackwater has asked the Obama Justice Department to intervene in Kinani’s case and to make the US government–not Blackwater and the individual shooters in the case–the defendant. Legal experts have told The Nation that if the Justice Department did that, the case would be dead in the water. The Justice Department has not responded to Blackwater’s request. Blackwater, however, is not wasting any time seeking out alternatives. </p> <p>On April 7, lawyers for the six alleged shooters and Blackwater asked Judge Boyle to replace Blackwater and the shooters with the "United States" in the case, citing the Westfall Act, which was passed in 1988 "to protect federal employees from personal liability for common law torts committed within the scope of their employment, while providing persons injured by the common law torts of federal employees with an appropriate remedy against the United States." If Boyle were to do this, the case would likely be immediately dismissed. </p> </blockquote> <blockquote><p><strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100503/scahill2" class="external" target="_blank">Read in full</a>:</strong><strong> </strong></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Embedded war reporting cannot escape its own bias | Alison Banville | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk:</strong> </p> <blockquote><p>The boast of "greater reality" attached to embedding is a falsehood which actually clouds the vision of anyone attempting to make sense of a conflict. News channels showing reports from journalists embedded with British troops while failing to give equal airtime to reports from embeds with opposing forces or civilians qualifies not only as blatant bias, it is fertile territory for propaganda. So why are we so eager to accommodate embeds?</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/18/embedded-war-reporting-iraq-afghanistan" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Does Saudi Arabia Really Want a United Iraq? | By Reidar Visser | The Gulf Research Unit’s Blog: </strong></p> <blockquote><p>The list of Iraqi guests at the palace in Riyadh over the past weeks prompts numerous questions about Saudi policy towards its eastern neighbour. For several years now, Riyadh’s Iraq policy has been a lot more passive than that of Iran, characterised by more muttering than meddling, and with relatively few attempts to reach out more broadly beyond Sunni-oriented leaders. For a long time it seemed as if the Saudi leaders still held on to futile dreams of an Iraq where Shiites could be almost excluded, as indicated for example by reports that Riyadh played a role in scuppering the tentative but promising alliance between Abu Risha (the awakening leader of Anbar) and Nuri al-Maliki last summer.</p> <p>But with recent visits to Riyadh by ISCI’s Ammar al-Hakim and Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani and Masud Barzani, it is clear that the problem does not have to do with insurmountable ethno-sectarian barriers, but rather with the Saudi choice of guests. Between them, messieurs Hakim, Talabani and Barzani must take the lion’s share of the responsibility for the virtual wrecking of the Iraqi state through the design of the new, highly decentralising Iraqi constitution in 2005, as well as subsequent measures between 2005 and 2007 to consolidate the new order (including a law on implementing federalism south of Kurdistan). By way of contrast, Nuri al-Maliki, the Shiite leader who has made the greatest attempts at reversing some of the unfortunate results of the 2005 constitution, especially since 2008, was not invited to Riyadh.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gulfunit.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/does-saudi-arabia-really-want-a-united-iraq/" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a>: </p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Update:</strong></p> <p><strong>The Manual Recount in Baghdad: What Maliki Wants « Iraq and Gulf Analysis: </strong></p> <blockquote> <p>Prime minister Nuri al-Maliki and his SLA have been the driving force in demanding the recount. To better understand their aims it may be useful to revert to what a Maliki adviser, Ali al-Musawi, told media about their coalition visions back on 16 March, at a time when Maliki and Allawi were still neck and neck. He then said that SLA was looking to form a “political majority” with the “Kurds, parts of the Iraqi National Alliance, parts of Iraqiyya, Tawafuq and other small parties”. This would in many ways mean a return to the situation in 2007, after the defection of the Sadrists (November 2006, after the Maliki-Bush meeting) but before that of Tawafuq and Iraqiyya in the summer), though with Maliki in a relatively stronger position vis-à-vis the decentralisers among the Kurds and ISCI. It has also been suggested that the United States and Saudi Arabia would be happy with this kind of outcome, even though the ideological contradictions would still be much bigger than in a smaller, centralist Iraqiyya/SLA government, and to call it a “political majority” would be something of a euphemism.</p> <p> <br/><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gulfanalysis.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/the-manual-recount-in-baghdad-what-maliki-wants/#comments" class="external" target="_blank"><strong>Read in full</strong></a><strong>:</strong></p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9287"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/23/%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%ab%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ab-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%84-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%ad%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a9-%d8%ae%d9%84/#respond" title="Comment on تفجير ثالث محل لبيع الكحول في البصرة خلال العام الحالي">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 23rd, 2010 by Nur Hussein Ghazali</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/23/%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%ab%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ab-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%84-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%ad%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a9-%d8%ae%d9%84/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to تفجير ثالث محل لبيع الكحول في البصرة خلال العام الحالي">تفجير ثالث محل لبيع الكحول في البصرة خلال العام الحالي</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-shops-bombings-of/" rel="tag">alcohol shops - bombings of</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basrah/" rel="tag">Basrah</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <div dir="rtl" align="right"> <blockquote> <p>قال مصدر في قوات شرطة محافظة البصرة، الاثنين، إن محلا لبيع المشروبات الكحولية يقع في مركز مدينة البصرة تعرض للتفجير بعبوة ناسفة أدت إلى انهيار سقفه وتضرر محال تجارية مجاورة له. <br/>وأوضح المصدر في حديث لـ"<a title="السومرية نيوز" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.alsumarianews.com/ar/2/4518/news-details-.html" class="external" target="_blank">السومرية نيوز</a>" أن "مجهولين فجروا، قبيل منتصف ليلة الاثنين، أمام محل لبيع المشروبات الكحولية يقع في شارع الوطن ضمن مركز مدينة البصرة، مما أدى إلى انهيار سقف المحل وتحطم واجهته بالكامل إضافة إلى تضرر محال تجارية مجاورة". <br/>ولفت المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه إلى أن "الحادث لم يسفر عن وقوع أي إصابات كون المحل المستهدف كان مغلقاً أثناء وقوع الانفجار"، مشيرا إلى أن "قوة من الشرطة طوقت المنطقة عقب وقوع الحادث وشددت من الإجراءات الأمنية في السيطرات ونقاط التفتيش في المناطق القريبة". <br/>ويعتبر هذا التفجير الثالث من نوعه الذي يستهدف محلا لبيع المشروبات الكحولية في البصرة وكان قد ذكر قائد عمليات البصرة الفريق محمد جواد هويدي في مؤتمر صحافي عقده مطلع الشهر الحالي أن "حوادث تفجير محال بيع المشروبات معظمها ناجمة عن نزاعات وخلافات شخصية" من دون أن يعلق أكثر حول هذه الظاهرة. <br/>يذكر أن محل بيع المشروبات الكحولية الذي تعرض إلى التفجير هو واحد من أصل أربع محال ذات نشاط تجاري مماثل باشرت نشاطها بشكل معلن بعد منتصف العام الماضي على الرغم من التهديدات المتكررة التي تعرض لها أصحابها والتضييق عليهم من قبل الحكومة المحلية التي أصدرت أواخر العام الماضي قراراً يقضي بمنع بيع وشراء ونقل وتعاطي المشروبات الكحولية باختلاف أنواعها. <br/>ونص القرار الذي يعتبر الثاني من نوعه في غضون أقل من عامين على "إلزام المخالفين الذين يثبت تداولهم الخمور بدفع غرامة مالية مقدارها خمسة ملايين دينار وفي حال عدم قدرتهم على تسديدها يعاقبون بالسجن". <br/>كما شهدت البصرة  قبل إصدار القرار قيام قوات الشرطة في غضون السنوات القليلة الماضية بمصادرة كميات كبيرة من صناديق المشروبات الكحولية التي كانت مخزونة في أماكن مختلفة من ضمنها مرأب خاص للسيارات وغالبية المشروبات الكحولية التي يتم تداولها حالياً في محافظة البصرة نحو 590 كم جنوب بغداد هي تركية المنشأ وبعضها مصنوعة محلياً في محافظات شمالية. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.alsumarianews.com/ar/2/4518/news-details-.html" class="external" target="_blank">السومرية نيوز | امن العراق | تفجير ثالث محل لبيع الكحول في البصرة خلال العام الحالي</a></p> </p></div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-9167"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/16/%d8%ad%d8%b8%d8%b1-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%ad%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%b7-%d9%88/#respond" title="Comment on حظر تناول المشروبات الكحولية في واسط وبيعها ومصادرة الكميات التي يتم ضبطها">No Comments</a></span> Posted on March 16th, 2010 by Diya al din</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/16/%d8%ad%d8%b8%d8%b1-%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%ad%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%b7-%d9%88/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to حظر تناول المشروبات الكحولية في واسط وبيعها ومصادرة الكميات التي يتم ضبطها">حظر تناول المشروبات الكحولية في واسط وبيعها ومصادرة الكميات التي يتم ضبطها</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/health-crisis-iraq/" title="View all posts in Health" rel="category tag">Health</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/iraq/" title="View all posts in News" rel="category tag">News</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/religion/" title="View all posts in Religion" rel="category tag">Religion</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-ban-on/" rel="tag">alcohol - ban on</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/wasit/" rel="tag">Wasit</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p dir="rtl" align="right">قررت السلطات المحلية في محافظة واسط حظرَ تناول المشروبات الكحولية وبيعِها ومصادرة الكميات التي يتم ضبطها, في خطوة هي الثالثة من نوعها بعد النجف والبصرة .واصدر مجلس محافظة واسط قرارا يمنع تناولَ الخمور، وتم ابلاغ حواجز التفتيش منع ادخال هذه المواد الى الكوت . ويشار الى وجود متجرٍ للكحول في الكوت كان يبيعها في شكل سري, لكن السلطات اغلقته قبل شهرين. <br/>وكان مجلس محافظة النجف اتخذ قرارا مماثلا في تشرين الاول الماضي مبررا ذلك ب"خصوصية النجف الاشرف وتمتعها بالقدسية الدينية", كما قرر "احالة المخالفين الى المحاكم الجزائية لمعاقبتهم".كما اتخذ مجلسُ محافظة البصرة في اب الماضي, قرارا مماثلا ،فارضا غرامة قدرها خمسة ُ ملايين دينار عراقي على كل شخص يصنع او يبيع او يشرب الكحول في مكانٍ عام او يستورده الى المحافظة. </p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="post clearfix" id="post-7917"> <div class="postmetadata"><span class="comments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/14/alcohol-divides-basra/#respond" title="Comment on Alcohol Divides Basra">No Comments</a></span> Posted on December 14th, 2009 by Editors</div> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/14/alcohol-divides-basra/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Alcohol Divides Basra">Alcohol Divides Basra</a></h3> <p class="postmetadata">Category: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/category/english-articles/" title="View all posts in English Language Articles" rel="category tag">English Language Articles</a>, Tags: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/afif-sarhan/" rel="tag">Afif Sarhan</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/" rel="tag">alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-ban-on/" rel="tag">alcohol - ban on</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol-consumption/" rel="tag">alcohol consumption</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basra/" rel="tag">Basra</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/constitution/" rel="tag">Constitution</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drinking-alcohol/" rel="tag">drinking alcohol</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/drugs/" rel="tag">drugs</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/features/" rel="tag">Features</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/islam-onlinenet/" rel="tag">Islam Online.net</a></p> <div class="entry" dir="rtl" align="right"> <p>BASRA – The government’s decision to backtrack on banning alcohol sale and consumption in Basra drew mixed reactions from people in the southern city.</p> <p>"I don’t agree with the lifting after everything was smoothly working," shopkeeper Ahmed Obeidi, 43, told IslamOnline.net.</p> <p>"Drinking alcohol is common in western countries but not in Muslim ones.</p> <p>"It is true that many Arabic countries allow liquors to be sold anywhere but Iraq has an Islamic history and allowing alcohol is an offence," he fumed.</p> <p>Basra provincial council passed a decree in August banning the sale of alcohol in the southern city.</p> <p>But local authorities changed heart earlier in December after protests from non-Muslim minorities and NGOs.</p> <p>"For the first time the local government had done something in benefit of the future Muslim generations," said Obeidi.</p> <div style="padding-left: 5px; float: right; padding-bottom: 5px; margin: 5px 0px 5px 15px; width: 360px; padding-top: 5px; "> <p><strong>Related articles on Islamonline.net</strong></p> <li><b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503543370" class="external" target="_blank">Iraq’s Clandestine Alcohol Business</a></b> </li> <li><b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1209357158177&pagename=Zone-English-News%2FNWELayout" class="external" target="_blank">Alcohol Hinders Response to Threats</a></b> <ul></ul> </li></div> <p>"But the new legislation withdrawal takes away any hope with it."</p> <p>Mariam Hussein Ala’a, 41, primary school teacher and mother of three, is also critical of the ban lifting.</p> <p>"We are a Muslim country and drinking is a western heritage that isn’t part of our history," she told IOL.</p> <p>Islam takes an uncompromising stand in prohibiting intoxicants. It forbids Muslims from drinking or even selling alcohol.</p> <p>The general rule in Islam is that any beverage that get people intoxicated when taken is unlawful, both in small and large quantities, whether it is alcohol, drugs, fermented raisin drink or something else.</p> <h3>Mixed Reactions</h3> <p>Ala’a, the primary school teacher, is now worried about her three son.</p> <p>"I have youth at home who are willing to try new experience in life and they have colleagues who use to drink," she told IOL.</p> <p>"Every time my sons go out with them I pray for them to come back clean, without drinking alcohol which is against my religion."</p> <p>Alcohol consumption is reaching worrying levels in Iraq, especially among youths of different social classes and genders.</p> <p>Any person can buy the intoxicating products without being asked to prove his age.</p> <p>"If they had kept the ban, at least I will know that it is hard to be consumed and I will sleep better knowing that my sons are much more protected," fumed Ala’a.</p> <p>But Basra local authorities are defending their decision.</p> <p>"Although Muslims are the majority in the region, prohibiting the alcohol consumption now will hurt democracy and force minorities to look for unsafe options," argues Hashimi Aleiybi, a spokesman for Basra Governorate Consul.</p> <p>Authorities say they were forced to ban alcohol under pressures from religious politicians and groups.</p> <p>"We were pressured by religious entities and politicians to ban alcohol consumption," Khalid Abdullah, senior official in Basra Provincial Council, recalled.</p> <p>"We were the only province to ban alcohol and it is unfair for the minorities who run the business and were being forced to close their shops and move to other parts of the country."</p> <p>The sale and consumption of alcohol is authorized across Iraq, including the capital Baghdad.</p> <p>During Saddam Hussein’s regime, alcohol consumption in public places was forbidden.</p> <p>But in 2005, the Ministry of Interior abolished restrictions on alcohol, nightclubs and casinos introduced in the 1990s.</p> <p>Now bars, pubs and liquor stores are back to business and proliferating.</p> <p>"We have to be aware that any person has the right to use, buy or sell what he thinks is important for him, even if it is unhealthy under Islamic eyes," argues Abdullah.</p> <p>"If Muslims don’t want contact with alcohol, they just have to keep away from the shops, but forcing the total closure is unfair and unconstitutional."</p> <p>Salah Kareem Jassin, 38, agrees.</p> <p>"Everything that is prohibited is more interesting. If it is allowed, people will have the chance to decide what is better for them, rather than go after the curiosity that is drinking alcohol," he argued.</p> <p>"There are hundreds of ways to get a drink and the ban will just put people in danger by trying to get it from the local alcohol mafia."</p> <p>But for Ala’a, the primary school teacher and mother of her three, the argument is flawed.</p> <p>"I hope after a while the ban can be used nationally and not only in Basra, so Muslims in this country can be protected from bad influences and live a good and clean life."</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1260257951024&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss" class="external" target="_blank">Alcohol Divides Basra</a> By  Afif Sarhan, IOL Correspondent – <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/2009-12/14/index.shtml" target="_blank" class="external">IslamOnline.net – News</a></p> </div> </div> <hr/> <div class="navigation"> <div class="alignleft"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/alcohol/page/2/">« Previous Entries</a></div> <div class="alignright"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar" class="span-10 last"> <div class="span-10" id="tabs"> <ul> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#featured-articles">Featured Articles</a></li> <li class="ui-tabs-nav-item"><a href="#latest-articles">Latest Articles</a></li> </ul> <div id="featured-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/hezbollah-says-latest-bombings-in-iraq-thwart-mission-to-build-state/">Hezbollah says latest bombings in Iraq “thwart mission to build state”</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/22/malaysia-prepares-to-send-peacekeepers-on-humanitarian-mission-to-iraq/">Malaysia Prepares To Send Peacekeepers On Humanitarian Mission To Iraq</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/19/sadrists-flood-basra-in-million-strong-demo/">Sadrists flood Basra in million-strong demo</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/11/iraqi-refugees-return-home-from-syria-middle-east-al-jazeera-english/">Iraqi refugees return home from Syria – Middle East – Al Jazeera English</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/06/iraq-women-in-iraq-fact-sheet-reliefweb/">Iraq: Women in Iraq Fact Sheet | ReliefWeb</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/01/the-battle-in-homs-will-breed-more-battles/">The battle in Homs will breed more battles</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/29/iraq-protests-fail-to-make-impression-iwpr-institute-for-war-peace-reporting-p215/">Iraq Protests Fail to Make Impression – IWPR Institute for War & Peace Reporting – P215</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/27/iraq-film-festival-raising-human-rights-cawareness/">Iraq film festival: raising human rights cawareness:.</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/24/niqash-three-million-drink-from-mosuls-poisoned-river/">Niqash: Three million drink from mosul’s poisoned river</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/22/iraq-call-to-adopt-modern-irrigation-techniques/">IRAQ: Call to adopt modern irrigation techniques</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="latest-articles" class="widget"> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/15/%d8%ba%d8%b6%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%83%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%b2%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a5%d9%82%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%85-%d9%83%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7/">غضب الحكومة المركزية على إقليم كردستان يدعوها إلى سحب مشروع نفطي من الإقليم</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/14/%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%87%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%83-%d8%a3%d8%b1%d8%a8%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d8%af%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d9%84%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%af/">تيار الصدر: هناك أربعة بدلاء للمالكي لدى التحالف الوطني والجعفري أوفرهم حظاً</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/%d8%aa%d8%b3%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b6%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/">تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%ad%d8%b0%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d9%87%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4/">المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%b6-%d9%85%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b2%d8%b9%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83/">المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%ab%d9%88%d8%b0%d9%83%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9/">أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b5%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d9%85%d8%a4%d8%b4%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b6/">مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%b4%d9%81-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a1-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%88%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/">تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/30/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b1-%d8%a7/">الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/29/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%b1-%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84/">.نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية</a></li> </ul> </div> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"> $("#tabs > ul").tabs(); </script> </div> <div class="column span-5 append-1"> <div class="widget"> <h4>Recent Comments</h4> <ul id="recentcomments"><li class="recentcomments"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.4thmedia.org/2012/05/10/children-of-iraq/" rel="external nofollow" class="url external" target="_blank">The 4th Media » Children of Iraq</a> on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2008/01/16/medact-wmd-conflict-the-iraq-health-crisis/comment-page-1/#comment-11514">Medact – WMD & Conflict – THE IRAQ HEALTH CRISIS</a></li><li class="recentcomments">محمد الخشالي on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%81%d9%88%d8%b6%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d8%a9%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%ab%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-850-%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa-%d9%85%d9%86/comment-page-1/#comment-11500">المفوضية السامية:اكثر من 850 حالة عانت من العنف الجنسي بين اللاجئين العراقيين في سوريا</a></li><li class="recentcomments">I WAS A PASMARG SIDE BY SIDE WITH BARZINE on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/13/i-am-in-love-with-massoud-barzanis-daughter-a-poem-that-kills-by-sardasht-osman/comment-page-1/#comment-11480">I am in love with Massoud Barzani’s daughter, a poem that kills. By Sardasht Osman</a></li><li class="recentcomments">I WAS A PASMARG SIDE BY SIDE WITH BARZINE on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/13/i-am-in-love-with-massoud-barzanis-daughter-a-poem-that-kills-by-sardasht-osman/comment-page-1/#comment-11479">I am in love with Massoud Barzani’s daughter, a poem that kills. By Sardasht Osman</a></li><li class="recentcomments">عبدالستار on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/05/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%82-%d8%b6%d8%ae%d9%85-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%b9%d8%ac%d9%8a%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d9%81%d8%b7%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%82%d9%81-%d9%85%d8%b5%d9%81%d9%89-%d8%b5%d9%84/comment-page-1/#comment-11477">حريق ضخم في حقل عجيل النفطي يوقف مصفى صلاح الدين عن العمل</a></li></ul> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Gorilla's Guides On Flickr</h4><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6531857933/" title="talabani sadr hakim" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6531857933_2d2ce91e9a_t.jpg" alt="talabani sadr hakim"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6326224088/" title="20111108_screenshot_seale" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6019/6326224088_ace54d0721_t.jpg" alt="20111108_screenshot_seale"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6240548481/" title="Davutoglu_zebari" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6040/6240548481_0e21ae61db_t.jpg" alt="Davutoglu_zebari"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6137215134/" title="sadr_ceasefire" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6183/6137215134_4ff6756e22_t.jpg" alt="sadr_ceasefire"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/6130245209/" title="baha_moussa" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6181/6130245209_4c08ac7e03_t.jpg" alt="baha_moussa"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/><p class="flickrrss"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorillasguides/5905280973/" title="uk_independent_obama_withdrawal" class="external" target="_blank"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255im_/http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/5905280973_bcaa8dbfbc_t.jpg" alt="uk_independent_obama_withdrawal"/></a> </p><br clear="all"/></div><div class="widget"><h4> </h4><div id="calendar_wrap"><table id="wp-calendar" summary="Calendar"> <caption>May 2012</caption> <thead> <tr> <th abbr="Monday" scope="col" title="Monday">M</th> <th abbr="Tuesday" scope="col" title="Tuesday">T</th> <th abbr="Wednesday" scope="col" title="Wednesday">W</th> <th abbr="Thursday" scope="col" title="Thursday">T</th> <th abbr="Friday" scope="col" title="Friday">F</th> <th abbr="Saturday" scope="col" title="Saturday">S</th> <th abbr="Sunday" scope="col" title="Sunday">S</th> </tr> </thead> <tfoot> <tr> <td abbr="April" colspan="3" id="prev"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/" title="View posts for April 2012">« Apr</a></td> <td class="pad"> </td> <td colspan="3" id="next" class="pad"> </td> </tr> </tfoot> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="1" class="pad"> </td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/" title="تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق">1</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/" title="مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير">2</a></td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/" title="أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة">5</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/" title="المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني">6</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>7</td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/" title="المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر">8</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/" title="تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق">9</a></td><td>10</td><td>11</td><td>12</td><td>13</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/14/" title="تيار الصدر: هناك أربعة بدلاء للمالكي لدى التحالف الوطني والجعفري أوفرهم حظاً">14</a></td><td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/15/" title="غضب الحكومة المركزية على إقليم كردستان يدعوها إلى سحب مشروع نفطي من الإقليم">15</a></td><td id="today">16</td><td>17</td><td>18</td><td>19</td><td>20</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21</td><td>22</td><td>23</td><td>24</td><td>25</td><td>26</td><td>27</td> </tr> <tr> <td>28</td><td>29</td><td>30</td><td>31</td> <td class="pad" colspan="3"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div></div><div class="widget"><h4>Archives</h4> <select name="archive-dropdown" onchange="document.location.href=this.options[this.selectedIndex].value;"> <option value="">Select Month</option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/"> May 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/"> April 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/03/"> March 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/02/"> February 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2012/01/"> January 2012 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/12/"> December 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/11/"> November 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/10/"> October 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/09/"> September 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/07/"> July 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/06/"> June 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/05/"> May 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/04/"> April 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/03/"> March 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/02/"> February 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2011/01/"> January 2011 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/12/"> December 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/11/"> November 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/10/"> October 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/09/"> September 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/08/"> August 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/07/"> July 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/06/"> June 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/05/"> May 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/04/"> April 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/03/"> March 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/02/"> February 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2010/01/"> January 2010 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/12/"> December 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/11/"> November 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/10/"> October 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/09/"> September 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/08/"> August 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/07/"> July 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/06/"> June 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/05/"> May 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/04/"> April 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/03/"> March 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/02/"> February 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2009/01/"> January 2009 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/12/"> December 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/11/"> November 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/10/"> October 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/09/"> September 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/08/"> August 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/07/"> July 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/06/"> June 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/05/"> May 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/04/"> April 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/03/"> March 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/02/"> February 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2008/01/"> January 2008 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/12/"> December 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/11/"> November 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/10/"> October 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/09/"> September 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/08/"> August 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/07/"> July 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/06/"> June 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/05/"> May 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/04/"> April 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/03/"> March 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/02/"> February 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2007/01/"> January 2007 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/12/"> December 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/11/"> November 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/10/"> October 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/09/"> September 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/08/"> August 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/07/"> July 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/06/"> June 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/05/"> May 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/04/"> April 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/03/"> March 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/02/"> February 2006 </option> <option value="http://gorillasguides.com/2006/01/"> January 2006 </option> </select> </div><div class="widget">  <form id="asl_form" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/" method="get"><h2>Search this site</h2><p><input type="hidden" name="s" value="as_perform_advancedsearch"/><input type="hidden" name="as_perform_advancedsearch" value="true"/><label for="asl_searchquery">Search query:</label> <a onclick="as_openhint(this.href); return false" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/?as_hintpopup=show">(Help)</a><br/><input type="text" class="as_styled" size="35" name="as_searchquery" id="asl_searchquery" value=""/></p>as <input type="radio" class="radio" onchange="as_stringsearch("asl_")" name="as_querytype" id="asl_querytype_words" value="words" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_querytype_words">words</label> <input type="radio" class="radio" onchange="as_stringsearch("asl_")" name="as_querytype" id="asl_querytype_string" value="string"/> <label for="asl_querytype_string">string</label><fieldset><legend>include results from</legend><ul><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="both" id="asl_posts_pages_both" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_both">posts and pages</label></li><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="posts" id="asl_posts_pages_posts"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_posts">posts only</label></li><li><input type="radio" name="as_posts_pages" value="pages" id="asl_posts_pages_pages"/> <label for="asl_posts_pages_pages">pages only</label></li></ul><ul><li><input type="checkbox" class="checkbox" name="as_comments" id="asl_comments"/> <label for="asl_comments">incl. comments</label></li></ul><input type="hidden" name="as_includefrom_available" value="true"/></fieldset><fieldset class="as_sortandorder"><legend>sort by</legend><ul class="as_sort"><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_sortby" id="asl_sortby_rel" value="relevance" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_sortby_rel">relevance</label></li><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_sortby" id="asl_sortby_date" value="date"/> <label for="asl_sortby_date">date</label></li></ul><ul class="as_order"><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_order" id="asl_order_desc" value="desc" checked="checked"/> <label for="asl_order_desc">descending</label></li><li><input type="radio" class="radio" name="as_order" id="asl_order_asc" value="asc"/> <label for="asl_order_asc">ascending</label></li></ul></fieldset><p><input type="submit" class="as_styled" value="Search"/></p><p id="asl_credits"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://www.zirona.com/software/wordpress-advanced-search/" class="external" target="_blank">AdvancedSearch Lite</a></p></form>  </div> </div> <div class="column span-4 last"> <div class="widget"> <h4>Last 15 Posts</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/15/%d8%ba%d8%b6%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%83%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%b2%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a5%d9%82%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%85-%d9%83%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7/" title="غضب الحكومة المركزية على إقليم كردستان يدعوها إلى سحب مشروع نفطي من الإقليم">غضب الحكومة المركزية على إقليم كردستان يدعوها إلى سحب مشروع نفطي من الإقليم </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/14/%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%87%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%83-%d8%a3%d8%b1%d8%a8%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d8%af%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d9%84%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%af/" title="تيار الصدر: هناك أربعة بدلاء للمالكي لدى التحالف الوطني والجعفري أوفرهم حظاً">تيار الصدر: هناك أربعة بدلاء للمالكي لدى التحالف الوطني والجعفري أوفرهم حظاً </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/09/%d8%aa%d8%b3%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b6%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%ac%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a6%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/" title="تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق">تسليط الاضواء على جرائم امريكا في العراق </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/08/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%ad%d8%b0%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d9%87%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4/" title="المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر">المالكي يحذر من المساس بهوية كركوك ويؤكد أنها عراق مصغر </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/06/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%81%d8%b6-%d9%85%d9%87%d9%84%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b2%d8%b9%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d9%88%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83/" title="المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني">المالكي يرفض مهلة الزعماء الخمسة ويؤكد عدم التزامه بسقف زمني </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/05/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%ab%d9%88%d8%b0%d9%83%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%a9/" title="أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة">أبرشية السريان الارثوذكس تدعو الساسة العراقيين للتفاهم ومسيحيي كركوك لعدم الهجرة </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/02/%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%b5%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b9-%d9%85%d8%a4%d8%b4%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b6/" title="مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير">مرصد الحريات : ارتفاع مؤشر الانتهاكات ضد الصحفيين والسلطات تحد من حرية التعبير </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/05/01/%d8%aa%d9%82%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%af%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%b4%d9%81-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a1-%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%88%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%b1/" title="تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق">تقرير دولي يكشف سوء حقوق الانسان بالعراق </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/30/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%8a%d8%aa%d9%87%d9%85-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a8-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b1-%d8%a7/" title="الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية">الصدر يتهم حزب المالكي باللعب على وتر الطائفية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/29/%d9%86%d8%b5-%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%b1-%d8%ae%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d8%b7%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84/" title=".نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية">.نص اتفاقية اربيل محور خلاف اطراف العملية السياسية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/26/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%88%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86%d8%b9-%d9%88%d8%ac%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%af%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a/" title="التيار الصدري: نحاول منع وجود دكتاتورية جديدة والصدر متخوف من وضع الدولة بكاملها">التيار الصدري: نحاول منع وجود دكتاتورية جديدة والصدر متخوف من وضع الدولة بكاملها </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/24/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%a4%d9%83%d8%af-%d8%b9%d8%af%d9%85-%d8%a5%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%87-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a8%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a1/" title="التيار الصدري يؤكد عدم إصراره على بقاء المالكي ويحذر من فوضى إذا لم يوفر البديل">التيار الصدري يؤكد عدم إصراره على بقاء المالكي ويحذر من فوضى إذا لم يوفر البديل </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/23/%d9%85%d9%82%d8%aa%d9%84-%d8%b6%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%b7%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a8%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%ae%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a8%d9%87%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%84/" title="مقتل ضابطين بجهاز المخابرات بهجوم مسلح غرب بغداد">مقتل ضابطين بجهاز المخابرات بهجوم مسلح غرب بغداد </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/22/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%b5%d9%84-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b7%d9%87%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%b1%d8%a3%d8%b3-%d9%88%d9%81%d8%af-%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a/" title="المالكي يصل إلى طهران على رأس وفد وزاري في زيارة رسمية">المالكي يصل إلى طهران على رأس وفد وزاري في زيارة رسمية </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/2012/04/19/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%ae%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d8%a4%d9%83%d8%af-%d9%88%d9%82%d9%88%d8%b9-14-%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%8b-%d8%a8%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9/" title="الداخلية تؤكد وقوع 14 تفجيراً بأنحاء العراق ومقتل وإصابة 55 بينهم إيرانيون من جرائها">الداخلية تؤكد وقوع 14 تفجيراً بأنحاء العراق ومقتل وإصابة 55 بينهم إيرانيون من جرائها </a></li> </ul> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Tags</h4><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-3033" title="245 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.1506080449pt;">الأنبار‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a9%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-2945" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">البصرة‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84/" class="tag-link-2939" title="638 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.72404116pt;">الموصل</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b5%d9%84%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-1885" title="356 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.87745556595pt;">الموصل‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%8a%d9%86/" class="tag-link-6475" title="367 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.94948550047pt;">بالمسيحيين</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%a8%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%af/" class="tag-link-2942" title="833 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 12.0009354537pt;">بغداد</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%83%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1/" class="tag-link-6346" title="266 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.28811973807pt;">حركة الصدر</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%89/" class="tag-link-2941" title="469 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.61739943873pt;">ديالى</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83/" class="tag-link-2943" title="447 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.47333956969pt;">كركوك</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/%d9%85%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%b1%e2%80%8e/" class="tag-link-2955" title="298 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.49766136576pt;">مدينة الصدر‎</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/al-anbar-governorate/" class="tag-link-219" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Al Anbar (Governorate)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/anbar/" class="tag-link-4328" title="331 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.71375116932pt;">Anbar</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/baghdad/" class="tag-link-5" title="1,004 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 13.1206735267pt;">Baghdad</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/basrah/" class="tag-link-377" title="426 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.33582787652pt;">Basrah</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/bombings/" class="tag-link-52" title="691 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 11.0710944808pt;">Bombings</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/child-poverty/" class="tag-link-112" title="242 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13096351731pt;">Child Poverty</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/children/" class="tag-link-20" title="567 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.2591206735pt;">Children</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/christians/" class="tag-link-282" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Christians</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/death-squads/" class="tag-link-114" title="300 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.51075771749pt;">Death Squads</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/diyala/" class="tag-link-1006" title="554 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.1739943873pt;">Diyala</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ethnic-cleansing-of-christians/" class="tag-link-728" title="275 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.34705332086pt;">Ethnic cleansing of Christians</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/fallujah/" class="tag-link-26" title="225 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.0196445276pt;">Fallujah</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/features/" class="tag-link-14" title="263 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.26847521048pt;">Features</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/follow-up/" class="tag-link-21" title="243 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13751169317pt;">Follow Up</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/human-rights/" class="tag-link-18" title="371 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.97567820393pt;">Human Rights</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/iran/" class="tag-link-100" title="222 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8pt;">Iran</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/irin/" class="tag-link-311" title="266 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.28811973807pt;">IRIN</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/karbala/" class="tag-link-806" title="255 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.21608980355pt;">Karbala</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/kirkuk/" class="tag-link-2991" title="597 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.4555659495pt;">Kirkuk</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/middle-east/" class="tag-link-208" title="372 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.98222637979pt;">Middle East</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/mosul/" class="tag-link-78" title="766 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 11.5622076707pt;">Mosul</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/ninawa-governorate/" class="tag-link-73" title="651 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.8091674462pt;">Ninawa (Governorate)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/politics-and-security/" class="tag-link-1614" title="2,360 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 22pt;">Politics and Security</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/poverty/" class="tag-link-113" title="306 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.55004677268pt;">Poverty</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/previous-site/" class="tag-link-11" title="268 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.3012160898pt;">Previous Site</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/refugees/" class="tag-link-32" title="478 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.67633302152pt;">Refugees</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/religion/" class="tag-link-143" title="291 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.45182413471pt;">Religion</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadr-city/" class="tag-link-106" title="255 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.21608980355pt;">Sadr City</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sadrist-bloc/" class="tag-link-324" title="278 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.36669784846pt;">Sadrist Bloc</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/sermon-reports/" class="tag-link-238" title="227 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.03274087933pt;">Sermon Reports</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/society-and-economy/" class="tag-link-771" title="460 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.55846585594pt;">Society And Economy</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/summaries/" class="tag-link-1540" title="656 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 10.8419083255pt;">Summaries</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/syria/" class="tag-link-48" title="274 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.340505145pt;">Syria</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/water-crisis-iraq/" class="tag-link-123" title="243 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 8.13751169317pt;">Water Crisis (Iraq)</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/tag/women-and-children/" class="tag-link-336" title="526 topics" rel="tag" style="font-size: 9.99064546305pt;">Women and Children</a></div> </div><div class="widget"><h4>Meta</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/wp-login.php">Log in</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/feed/" title="Syndicate this site using RSS 2.0">Entries <abbr title="Really Simple Syndication">RSS</abbr></a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://gorillasguides.com/comments/feed/" title="The latest comments to all posts in RSS">Comments <abbr title="Really Simple Syndication">RSS</abbr></a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://wordpress.org/" title="Powered by WordPress, state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform." class="external" target="_blank">WordPress.org</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <hr/> <div id="footer"> <strong>Gorilla’s Guides</strong> is proudly powered by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://wordpress.org/" class="external" target="_blank">WordPress</a> on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://neewee.com/" class="external" target="_blank">NeeWee Wordpress Theme</a> by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120516020255/http://frontendbook.com/" class="external" target="_blank">Front End Book</a> </div> </div> </body> </html>