A library photo of an Iraqi Musaharati

BAGHDAD, October 24 (IslamOnline.net) - The deteriorating security conditions under the US-led occupation have scared off Iraq’s musaharatis, men who roam the streets at dawn with a drum to wake up people to eat their sahur before starting their dawn-to-dusk fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

"This job has become very dangerous under the US occupation," Meqdad, a one-time musaharati told IslamOnline.net.

He used to walk in Al-Mansour district of Baghdad to wake people for their sahur, but now with the trigger-happy US occupation forces patrolling the streets, his profession has become rather deadly.

"I decided to abandon it though it is profitable. It has become insane to do this job in such circumstances."

Since the fall of the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraq has fallen in the grip of insecurity with car bombings and shootouts almost a daily occurrence.

Meqdad said they face the dangers of being killed or arrested by the US occupation forces.

"The musaharati might be attacked by the Americans who have absolutely no idea about this job. They are alien to our traditions, customs and religion."

He said one of his colleagues has sworn not to do this job again under the occupation after he was assaulted and detained by the US forces last year.

"They saw him roaming the streets and knocking his drums and thought he was carrying explosives and poised to attack them," Meqdad recalled.

"We are fearful of the night attacks that surge during Ramadan. We would definitely be arrested by US forces in case an attack occurs in an area we roam."

Several Iraq towns, particularly Fallujah, come under almost daily attacks by the US occupation forces under claims of searching for resistance fighters.

In April, at least 700 Iraqis, mostly women and children , were killed and 1,500 others injured in Fallujah when the US occupation forces imposed a tight siege on the town and intensified air strikes on its densely-populated areas.

On September 18, Amnesty International blasted the US for its barbaric raids  on Fallujah.

Abu Loai, another musaharati, said he inherited the business from his uncle.

"I used to go with my uncle for ten years under the former Iraqi regime. We had been going through Al-Eshreen street in Al-Aazamia district."

"This was our territory and no one would dared challenge us. This is a well-known tradition among people of the same profession."

Abu Loai recalled how they used to wait for the holy month to enjoy their business and wake fellow Muslims to their sahur.

"I used to go through the streets at night knocking my drums. I feel happy when people awoke at my drum-knocking."

He regretted the good old days of security Iraqi used to enjoy before the foreign occupation.

"We used to walk the streets fearing no one but now the bombings force us to stay at home."