Al-Samarrai is a fourth-year neuroscience student. Â
By Hakam Al-Samarrai
In my submission on April 15, I never claimed Iraq and Israel
are exactly the same ““ but rather that Israel’s actions
now should not be supported, that aggression should be universally
condemned.
At the same time, Iraq does not deserve the treatment it has
been receiving for the last twelve years ““ the UN sanctions
are despicable, especially since they fall under the false pretense
that they are a humane means to an end.
Iraq, the “land between two rivers” has a beautiful
and rich history that predates Israel and all monotheistic
religion. It is there in Mesopotamia that existed the “cradle
of civilization.” This history, not the relatively short
reign of Sadaam Hussein’s, is what I am prideful of as an
Iraqi, and would like to see preserved.Â
My criticisms of Israel do not stem from any hate or prejudice,
for Arabs are Semites as well. But it is foolish to use the United
States’ actions and judgment as criteria for what Israel
should be allowed to do (i.e. the alleged wars on terrorism being
waged by both countries) when United States policies are the very
same that I have questioned.
The current embargo on Iraq affects the more than 23 million
citizens of Iraq much more than their solitary president. This is
made evident by the more than 1.5 million Iraqi’s who have
died as a direct result of the sanctions. The well being of
the Iraqi people now depends much more on the US ““ the chief
power in the United Nations ““ than it does on Hussein.
Iraq never had any plans of world ““ or oil ““
domination. That is a myth instilled in the minds of millions by an
American propaganda campaign used to justify sanctions against
Iraq. America would like nothing more than a nation of people to
despise Iraq because of one single leader. I am not speaking of
conspiracy theories or anything of the sort, just the obvious,
everyday media slant.
Any study of the matter beyond American media resources reveals
there was a clear point of contention between Iraq and Kuwait
““ stolen oil. I am not justifying Hussein’s
actions, but rather clarifying them. He was looking out for the
well-being of his nation’s people. Having just come out of an
eight year war with Iran, fueled in part by the United States, the
economic recovery and stability of the nation depended greatly on
one of its most abundant natural resources ““ oil.
The point of contention was not only that Kuwait had been
stealing oil, but also driving the international price of oil down,
making it increasingly difficult for Iraq to recover.Â
Now the United Nations controls Iraq’s oil profits (housed
in the UN bank in New York) through its embargo. As if economic
devastation weren’t enough, the embargo limits how much food
can be imported at any given time. The suffering of the Iraqi
people continues due to American policy and government.
Some, like Zachary S. Bennet (“Israeli, Iraqi policies
incomparable,” Viewpoint, April 24), argue that Israel should
be applauded for how it is handling terrorism by attempting to
search out members of terrorist groups and murdering them one at a
time.
This action, though, is counterproductive, invasive, and will
likely only further endanger Israelis by enraging and frustrating
the groups it targets.Â
Instead of working positively for a reasonable and productive
solution, the Israeli government is trying to win the support of
the Palestinians by imitating the United States in showing its
ability to exert brute force and supposedly defend itself.
Defending one’s country or anyone else’s does not
justify the death of civilians. Claiming that these deaths are an
inevitability of the process is an unacceptable attempt to justify
fundamentally wrong actions. The difference between those whom
have responded to my article and myself is that I will not try to
justify the deaths of any civilian ““ Iraqi, Palestinian,
Afghan, American, or Israeli.