Session has started. You may join us with your questions.
Answer
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Name
Mohammed Iqbal
- India
Profession
Technologist
Question
Salam Alikum
Does Saddam deserve what he is getting today? Was he really a tyrant who brutalized his people and just killed them? Or, was Iraq comparatively a safer place while he was in power?
Thanks.
Answer
Well, yes, he deserves what he is getting today; his policies have been getting the Iraqi people in terrible situations.
His policies caused horror that was not related to national security but, rather, to his personal opinion. Those policies affected the Iraqi people and made them lose many things, such as traveling freely, surfing the Internet, watching satellite channels, and enjoying freedom to express their feelings.
Name
Naima
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Do you really think Iraq has gained sovereignty? The American forces are never going to leave Iraq, and in such a situation, how can one say that Iraq has gained sovereignty?
Answer
In reality, Iraqis didn’t gain sovereignty. We haven’t seen anything change from before. The American troops are still in their positions, thousands of the Iraqi people are in prisons, and the military operations are still ongoing.
Name
Muslima
-
Profession
Question
Is the resistance expected to go on now that sovereignty has been "handed over"?
Answer
Yes, the resistance is expected to go on as long as the occupation forces have encounters with the Iraqi people.
Name
Mohammed
-
Profession
Question
Who commits the beheadings? Who are Ansar Al-Sunnah who allegedly beheaded the American-Lebanese marine? And who are the other groups? Who are the mujahedeen? Who comprises the Iraqi resistance? What factions does it consist of? Please explain this to us. We are very confused. We don't know who the resistance is. Is it Al-Qaeda? Is it Iraqis? Is it angry Iraqis, ordinary people? Is it angry Iraqi farmers? Is it other Arabs, not Iraqi citizens?
Answer
The resistance consists of (1) the Iraqi people, whose resistance would end when the occupation forces leave Iraq (2) the groups that are killing or kidnapping people. They are bad groups, new to the resistance. They found some Iraqis to help them inside Iraq, Iraqis who were tortured in US custody in prisons.
Foreign fighters come from countries that benefit from the US’ presence in Iraq.
Name
Mohammed
-
Profession
Question
What do Iraqis think of the insurgency? What do they think of the new government and the power handover?
Answer
Many Iraqis support the resistance because, they believe, it resulted in the “handover” of sovereignty.
Some Iraqis are optimistic about the future. Others have little hope. Others are indifferent about the future; nothing matters to them under those current circumstances. But all the Iraqi people are waiting for economic achievements to be made by the new government.
Name
Jon
-
Profession
Question
How can you describe the Sunni-Shiite relations in Iraq? Is there tension between them? How is their relationship impacting politics?
Answer
Throughout Iraq’s history, there have been no problems between Sunnis and Shi’tes in Iraq, and there has been significant interrelations between the two sects, either through intermarriages between them, or geographic interrelations. There has been full respect from both sides to each other’s symbols. Some problems come up, but they don’t have an ethnic nature.
But the problem nowadays is that some try to use the division and the ethnic difference to achieve personal or political interests.
Iran is playing a major role with Iraqi Shi’ites, which could lead the latters to implement agendas that are not national.
Name
Felicity
-
Profession
Question
Warm greetings to you.
I am wondering what long-term faith you see in the institutions of State in Iraq. Iraq's currency, flag, stamps have been changed without consultation by people for the most who do not even speak the language. This is surely indicative of a disregard for either Iraq's magical ancient history, culture or much-vaunted “democracy.”
After the 1991 Gulf war, the UN Security Council Resolution guaranteed Iraq’s “Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity.” This has never been rescinded. Does
this, in the opinion of experts, affect the legal validity of the occupation and current government of Iraq? Will the new government be required to make a commitment to Iraq by rescinding their other nationalities and passports, taking out Iraqi passports and swearing allegiance?
Answer
Definitely, legislations and changes that took place are not legally valid. The Iraqi people oppose some of those legislations peacefully by refusing to abide by them. For example, people raise the old flag and stick it on their cars as a sign of opposition to the legislation that entails the acknowledgment of the new flag as the flag of Iraq. This is the way Iraqis act to such legislations that relate to their national symbols.
No one can declare relationships with Israel because the public opinion’s resistance would be too fierce if this happened.
The occupation is not legal, and thus, everything that comes from the occupation is not legal. But Iraqi politics is not based only on the legal status of the occupation; it is also influenced by the balance of power.
Name
noureddine
- Belgium
Profession
helpdesk
Question
Sir, can you describe to me what kind of democracy is awaiting the Iraqis? Is it a real democracy or a kind of Tunisien democracy, which allows raping detainnees? Will the Iraqis have the freedom to build an Islamic state?
Answer
In all cases, if the US really brought the democracy to Iraq, it will not allow any religion, or religious sect, to have more power than the occupation forces -- neither Shiism nor Sunnism.
Host: We apologize for not answering all of the questions due to time limitation.
