Monday, March 12,
2012. Chaos and violence continue, the targeting of Iraqi youth (gay
and/or Emo) finally gets Big Media's attention, US officials and UN
officials fail Iraqi youth with their silence, and more.
As Al Mada, Dar Addustour, Alsumaria TV and Kitabat
reported last week (Al Mada all last week) and as the US and UK LGBT
press picked up on the story of Iraqi youth being targeted -- those
thought to be Emo, those thought to be gay and those thought to be
both. (As was the case in Egypt last year, Emo youth were demonized in
Iraq this year as Satanists and vampires.) But while all this went on,
silence from Big Media. Saturday,the silence was broken. First, Ahmed Rahseed and Mohammed Ameer (Reuters) reported
on the targeting noting, "At least 14 youths have been stoned to death
in Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by
Shi'ite militants against youths wearing Western-style "emo" clothes and
haircuts, security and hospital sources say. Militants in Shi'ite
neighborhoods where the stonings have taken place circulated lists on
Saturday naming more youths targeted to be killed if they do not change
the way they dress." Later the same day, Alice Fordham (Washington Post) reported on the targeting including, "Lists threatening named people with death
unless they change their attitude circulated anonymously late last week
in Baghdad. Prominent clerics, as well as at least one police official,
have condemned the emo -- short for emotional -- craze for its gloomy
music and macabre look, which includes tight clothes and styled hair.
The trend began in the 1980s in the West but has only recently become
popular in the Arab world." And suddenly, Big Media was interested in
the story. And applause for law professor Jonathan Turley who noted the targeting at his blog today. With all that, we might have been tempted to feel things were finally moving.
How can we be
Just along for the ride
We'd rather believe
That we decide
That we can stand here
And say loud and clear
Here comes the turn of the tide
-- " Turn Of The Tide," written by Jacob Brackman and Carly Simon, first appears in Robert Richter and Stan Warnow's 1984 film In Our Hands (of the June 12, 1982 peace demonstration in NYC -- which includes speeches and performances) and performed live on Marlo Thomas' 1988 TV special Free To Be . . . A Family
where Carly sang it live and -- via with satellite link -- with
children in the then-Soviet Union, appeared on the soundtrack album to
the special, on the cassette single of "Let The River Run" and first on a
Carly collection with the boxed set Clouds In My Coffee.
But
if the tide had truly turned on this topic, wouldn't today's the issue
have been raised in today's State Dept briefing? It wasn't. At least
they were semi-adult. The issue also wasn't raised in the White House
press briefing but there were giggles and guffaws as a reporter joked
about a Blackberry app and more garbage. Does the press not get that
their peers may laugh, White House spokesperson Jay Carney may laugh but
the public's not laughing. The public's wondering why these people
paid to cover the White House use this time to giggle and snort instead
of addressing serious issues? And while trivializing serious issues,
the press trivializes itself in the eyes of people. And it's probably
worth again noting that in 2009, when a wave of attacks targeted Iraq's
LGBT community, it took the BBC to ask about it at a State Dept press
briefing. The New York Times, AP, Reuters, ABC News, CNN, and a host of
other outlets at one press breifing after another in 2009 and no one
bothered to ask. That's okay. The BBC took that embarrassing
non-answer from the US State Dept and made it sort of the centerpiece of
their 2009 radio documentary on the targeting of Iraq's LGBT community
-- thereby allow the entire world to listen and laugh at the US press
corps and the US State Dept. The one hour documentary was anchored by
Aasmah Mir, entitled Gay Life After Saddam and first aired on
BBC Radio 5 July 12, 2009 (it was meant to debut the week prior but the
Wimbledon Men's Final delayed it). And let's note one thing from the
documentary, Iraq's LGBTs had a better and safer life before the start
of the 2003 US war on Iraq. Excerpt.
Aasmah
Mir: Haider is an Iraqi seeking asylum in England. He's been living in
Huntersfield. He left Iraq shortly after the US invasion six years
ago.
Haider:
If you respect yourself and live and you don't cause any problems nobody
is going to kill you. We didn't hear of anybody being killed because
of his sexuality in Saddam's regime. Now after that, everything got
worse, everything got fluctuated. I fled from Iraq in 2003 because of
one of the worst experiences I've had in my life. I was kidnapped for 9
days, they took me in a small car and they send me about to a place
about half an hour. I was. I was eye-folded, they call it. [. .
.] on the border of Baghdad. One of the officers there, he raped me.
And then he said "if you're going to tell anyone from the rest of the
gang, I will kill you directly." I was scared. Just a one meal a day
which is not enough. They were always telling us that they were going to
kill you.
Simon
Newton: Even for a country used to terrible violence, these killings
have been shocking. The rise of Emo culture among some young Iraqis
hasn't been welcome in all quarters. Despite the infiltration of Western
influence, many in the country remain deeply conservative. Sarah is an
Emo but too frightened to show her face on camera. She interacts with
other followers around the world using Facebook.Sarah: There are special events where we support the Emo group. We meet regularly to decide which ones to attend.["Famous Last Words" by My Chemical Romance plays.]Simon
Newton: Like most youth cultures, Emo has its own music, fashion and
lifestyle -- much of it revolving around themes of emotional pain and
andorgeny -- a blurring of the sexes. Sarah says she only meets fellow
Emos with her parents approval and admits her family are divided by her
lifestyle. Sarah: Sometimes we have heated discussions at home. I usually stay silent and usually don't go to gatherings.Simon
Newton: Nine Emo youngsters were bludgeoned to death and seven shot
recently in Sadr City. The Interior Ministry says it's monitoring the
movement claiming rumors of homosexuality and mass suicide means it's a
danger to wider society [Official babbling, I'm not interested.]Simon
Newton: Being gay remains taboo in Iraq. Human rights groups say 750
men and women have been murdered for their sexual orientation. But with
clerics linking the Emo lifestyle to homosexuality, the fear is that
figure will only rise. Simon Newton, Sky News.
And one of England's premier music papers picked up the story, the New Musical Express which debuted in 1952. Today NME notes,
"Reports also indicate that militias in the Iraqi capital Baghdad's
conservative Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City have distributed leaflets
with the names of 20 young people that they say should be punished for
being 'emo'." Yesterday, BBC News explained,
"Dozens of Iraqi teenagers have been killed in recent months by
militias who consider them to be devil worshippers, human rights
activists claim. The young people are described as 'emos', a term used
in the West to refer to youths who listen to rock music and wear
alternative clothing. [. . .] Iraq's interior ministry recently
described emos as devil worshippers. In Iraq, the term emo is also
conflated with homosexuality, which although legal is socially and
religiously taboo." And Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) spoke
with a gay Iraqi youth who explains, "Ten days ago, I received a letter
from militiamen threatening me that if they found me then they will not
kill me like other 'perverts' but they will cut my body into pieces."
The letter reads, "We strongly warn every male and female debauchee, if
you do not stop this dirty act within four days, then the punishment of
God will fall on you at the hands of Mujahideen." Jasim Alsabawi (Rudaw) spoke
to a variety of Iraqis including Dr. Shamil Ashu who is a psychologist
and explains that emo has been in Iraq for some time, "It emerged in
the 1990s when some bands were singing emotional songs to attract
people's attention. Many teenagers and children who had family problems
were influenced by it. These bands have unique costumes, and the
suppressed emotions and frustrations among teenagers nowadays is the
reason they are mimicking these imported habits." Peter Graff (Reuters) adds, " Since
the start of this year, death squads have been targeting two separate
groups - gay men, and those who dress in a distinctive,
Western-influenced style called "emo", which some Iraqis mistakenly
associate with homosexuality. [. . .] Iraq's
government, dominated by the Shi'ite majority that was oppressed under
Saddam, may not be helping. The Interior Ministry added to the
atmosphere of menace last month by releasing a statement that labeled
the emo culture 'Satanism'. It said a special police force would stamp
it out."
As
Graff points out, the statement came from the Ministry of the Interior
last month. And yet Nouri al-Maliki has done nothing. Excuse me, he's
given his approval on this targeting, this terrorism and these murders.
In
November 2010, Jalal Talabani named Nouri al-Maliki prime
minster-designate. It was his task to name a (full) Cabinet by the end
of December 2010. Nouri refused to name heads to the Ministry of the
Interior, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of National
Security. For 15 months, the posts have remained empty.
Which
means Nouri is in charge of all three -- something he insisted would be
temproary at the end of 2010. He's in charge of the Ministry of the
Interior. Which means he was or should have been aware of the statement
on the Emo youth that the Ministry released last month. He should have
been aware of it and, as someone who takes an oath to the Constitution,
he should have stopped it. He didn't.
The
deaths fall at his feet. Via intent or ignorance, he has allowed this
to take place and he is responsible for the deaths. And this despite
his proclamations to care for Iraq and to care for Iraqis. Only some
Iraqis, apparently, are worthy of Nouri's protection -- an interesting
way to interpret both the Constitution and the role of prime minister.
In today's New York Times, Jack Healy reports
on the targeting of Iraqi youth and notes the image problems as the
Arab Summit looms, "Many details of what Iraqi newspapers have called
the 'emo killings' are murky, but the uproar comes at an awkward moment
for Iraq. The country has been preparing to showcase itself to the world
as host of a high-profile meeting of Arab leaders in late March, the
first major diplomatic event here since American forces withdrew in
December. But the news that young men in tight T-shirts and skinny jeans
are being beaten to death with cement blocks and dumped in the streets
has threatened to overshadow the new palm trees and fresh paint." The
Arab Summit was supposed to have been the crowning glory of 2011.
Baghdad would host the Summit. But it was postponed once and then
twice. Now they insist it will take place this month (March 29th), the
officials from other Arab countries will come to Iraq for the summit to
represent their countries. AFP reports
that Bagdhad is contemplating shutting down its airspace of all
commercial traffic in an attempt to guarantee safety during the summit.
I'm not sure if they're assuming that al Qaeda in Iraq has had flight
training (no one's offered that theory thus far) or that they believe a
shipment of fighter planes is coming in. But the only 'air' attacks in
Iraq have been from mortars and small rockets. They're also considering
imposing a curfew. Those moves don't really speak to a 'safer' Iraq,
do they?
The summit, if it takes place, was
supposed to be Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's moment to shine. Due to
the nature of the summit, Nouri would be representing Iraq in the same
manner as visiting officials represented their countries. Presiding
over the summit itself would be Talabanai. Over the weekend, Kitabat reported
that Talabani's latest trip to the Mayo Clinic in the US makes many
believe he won't be back in Iraq in time for the summit and won't be
able to preside over it. (Past trips to the Mayo Clinic usually require
Jalal to spend a week to a week and a half in the US. If this trip is
like previous ones, he should be able to make it back to Iraq in time
for the summit.) It's been a period of bad news for Talabani which
kicked off with the March 1st killing of American teacher Jeremiah Small in the KRG. The killer then took his own life. The killer was Beyar Talabani, Jalal's great-nephew.
Last
week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had promised he would attend the
Arab Summit. Today Ban Ki-moon delivered prepared remarks
on Middle East Countries at the UN Security Council meeting on Changes
in the Middle East -- a 1330 word statement. And not once did he ever
mention the targeting of Iraqi youth or, in fact, Iraq.
US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outdid Moon in bluster and word
count. Yet her opening remarks running 1876 words didn't mean she found
the time to note Iraqi youth or Iraq. Excuse me, who leads the US
mission in Iraq now?
That supposed to be the
State Dept which Hillary Clinton is supposed to be in charge of. So,
golly, maybe at a Security Council meeting entitled "Changes in the
Middle East," Hillary should damn well talk about Iraq?
I
understand why she doesn't want to talk about it. Would you want to
talk the US failure in Iraq? Would you want to be the one to admit
that, yes, Iraq is "the breakdown" of a state, that "the army, the
ministries, and so on that are still plagued by chaos and confusion and
violence"?
Seems to me, when
your own spokesperson is describing Iraq that way and when your
department is tasked with Iraq, when you brag about how the US is
running Iraq to the US House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this
month -- when you do all of that and the country's falling apart, you
stop screaming for war on Syria or Iran or any other damn country, you
shut your mouth, roll up your sleeves and do the damn job you've been
tasked with.
No, Hillary Clinton, you are not doing that.
And,
yes, Hillary Clinton, shame on you, for refusing to address Iraq
today. Either before the Security Council or after at the UN in your
never-ending blab-a-thon press conference. Shame on the reporters for
not raising the subject, but shame on you for not addressing it.
You
cheapen and betray every word you've spoken about what you've done for
gays and lesbians at the State Dept when you can't even make the time to
call out the attacks on Iraqi youths. You won't shut up about the
burned Korans (again today -- over and over), and you blather on about
every topic under the sun, but you won't say one damn word about the
targeting of Iraqi youths.
You're not doing your job.
And you're not helping Iraq.
You
have put out an order at the State Dept to "starve the beast" on the
topic of Iraq, to not speak of the country, to avoid it, so the press
has nothing to run with, nothing to print, nothing to air. That may be
skillful manipulation of the press and damage control (especially during
an election year), but don't for one moment kid yourself that it's
leadership or that you are doing your job or that you are helping the
people of Iraq.
I know Hillary and I like
Hillary but Hillary has her defenders, the Iraqi youth don't. And for
any who might whine that I'm being cruel to Hillary -- I'm holding to
the same standard I'd hold anyone else and if I wanted to be cruel, I'd
riff for three to four paragraph on the topic of her outfit today and
how "The Mad Hatter called. He wants his wardrobe back." Followed by
three more about how clothes should be sewn and only rugs should be
produced by latch hook and cross stitch.
While Hillary was silent again today on the topic, Saturday found Iraq's clerics weighing in on the killings. Alsumaria TV reported
that cleric Moqtada al-Sadr declared that Emo youths were the scourge
of society, insane, a dark evil within the Muslmin community and called
for their deaths ("finish them off under the threat of law"). By
contrast, Dina al-Shibeeb (Al Araibya) reported
on the cleric reaction to Emo youths in Iraq (including Moqtada) and
notes that "on the other end of the spectrum, one of the most revered
Shiite sheikhs in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said on Thursday that
targeting 'Emo' youth is an act of 'terrorism' and a 'bad phenomenon for
the peaceful co-existence project'." Cleric Mohammed al-Yaokoubi
insists that the Emo targeting and killing is "exaggerated and
fabricated." It's a plot, he insists, to serve a non-religious,
government agenda. The report notes Al Akhbar reporting Friday sources
in the Ministry of the Interior who acknowledged "the approval to
eliminate it [Emo youths] as soon as possible since it's detrimentally
affecting the society and becoming a danger." AGI added,
"The ayatollah's [Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's] Baghdad delegate
Abdul-Raheem al-Rikabi described the stoning as 'terrorist attacks,'
adding that while the emo movement may be questionable 'it has to be
addressed by way of dialogue and by other peaceful means, not via
physical elimination'." Iraqi youth need to be defended. The US
government supposedly gives a damn about the Middle East. HIllary told
the UN today that the region has "a common desire for rights, freedom,
economic hope and human dignity" and insisted that these "are enshrined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the UN Charter and
they are fundamental to my country's identity" (on and on) but they're
just words, just meaningless words, when you don't have the guts, the
courage, the spine to condemn what is taking place with the targeting of
Iraq's youth. This is beyond ridiculous. You're over sixty-years-old,
you're a government official and you can't defend the children of
Iraq. It's disgusting and what's going to happen if Hillary doesn't
find a spine real damn quick is that the Madeline Albright will no
longer be the punchline when people mock a US Secretary of State, it
will be Hillary. That will be her legacy unless she starts making the
time to start calling out abuses.
They're such
idiots in the Barack Obama administration. When they refuse to call out
the targeting in Iraq, they look the War Whores they are and people
paying attention just roll their eyes as they make claims about caring
about the people of Syria or anywhere else.
When
you refuse to defend the people in danger because the actions the US
government has taken, the world sees that and they know your claims of
humanitarian intervention are bulls**t.
Over
sixty, the person supposedly in charge of the Iraq mission and she
refuses to publicly call out the killing of Iraqi youth, to simply say,
"This is wrong." Just as Madeline Albright's Marie Antonette pose on
sanctions will forever follow her around, just as Ronald Reagan's
silence on the emerging AIDS crisis during his presidency is something
his legacy will never escape, Hillary's ensuring that she'll be seen as
the homophobe who was too busy crying out for more war to object when a
genocide took place. No one's asking her to send more US troops into
Iraq (I believe there are 900 -- plus contractors -- still in Iraq). We
just expect her to condemn actions that are appalling and go against
human rights.
But for an administration that uses "human rights" as a prop, that's apparently too much to expect.
And
repeating, I know Hillary, I like Hillary, but her feelings aren't
really my concern. She's a public servant who's supposed to be
representing the United States and she is silent as Iraqi youths are
killed by thugs. She is silent in the face of that. I don't have any
sympathy for her. I'll cry for the Iraqi youths. They don't live in a
mansion, they don't have six-figure book deals, they don't travel with
an entourage and they didn't ask for their country to be invaded by the
US to begin with.
Iraqi Christians have suffered wave of attacks since the start of the Iraq War, the most brazen being the October 31, 2010 attack on Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation Church.
These waves of attacks led many to become refugees which is why they
make up a surprisingly large percent of Iraq's external refugees. Within
Iraq, they have relocated to northern Iraq for safety. Jack Healy (New York Times) reported
yesterday that lack of jobs and safety concerns are resulting in
they're leaving northern Iraq and heading towards "Turkey, Jordan,
Europe and the United States." Those who remain will face additional
problems. Ahmed Mohammed (Al Mada) reports
on the literacy law being discussed by Parliament and by educators
which would foster education through a series of measures -- one of
which would be withholding family rations cards if a family does not
send their children to school. When waves of attack start on, for
example, Iraqi Christians, the first thing many parents do is keep their
children home. They are the ones who would most likely be punished by
the measure. Iraq was once the cradle of civilization. It was an
advanced country. Then the US wars and the sanctions wore it down.
After the 2003 invasion, a new trend emerged -- Iraq's educated class
began fleeing the country. This was dubbed "the brain drain." It didn't
have to happen. But the US government didn't rate an educated class as
important, they were too busy getting in bed with thugs and exiles and
exiled thugs. Thugs scare, thugs intimidate and that was the role the
US government wanted them to play, to throw off and scare the Iraqi
people so that there would be little resistance to the plans the US
decided to impose. An educated class could organize, could put
forward leaders, could put forward opposition. So the US was more than
happy to set the thugs loose throughout Iraq to ensure that didn't
happen. And thugs fear knowledge so they especially loved targeting the
doctors and the professors and the engineers, etc.
Let's
stay on the targeting of Iraqi women for a moment. What is the State
Dept doing for them? I know the lie -- the lie that even friends in the
State Dept laugh about because it's such a ridiculous lie. Here it, if
you haven't already heard it, "The State Dept is overseeing police
training because it will help Iraqi women if the police are trained to
recognize the rights of all." That's not police training and it's not a
description of the training the US is even offering. All it is is a
cheap lie from the State Dept.
Maybe some day,
Iraqi women will reclaim the rights they had prior to the US invasion.
Fortunately, they're strong women and are used to fighting for
themselves. They'll continue to advocate for themselves and for all the
children of Iraq. (Iraqi women have been the most publicly outspoken
in decrying the attacks on Iraqi's LGBTs and/or Emos.) Al Mada reports
that Saturday MP Safiya al-Suhail announced the formation of a
coalition in Parliament to support women, noting that it includes men
and women and that they come from various political blocs with the goal
being to address the economic, social, political and cultural status of
women. Also over the weekend, Suha Sheikhly (Al Mada) reported
over the weekend that a workshop put together by the magazine
Narcissus explored Iraqi women's rights and noted that while quotas
allow a number of women into the Parliament, once women are in the
institution they face many road blocks to exercising their powers; that
in all civilizations, civil rights movements are necessary to strengthen
the rights of the people; and more. One participant felt that the
workshop raised questions but did not provide solutions. Another felt
that the government money for individual widows was not sufficient to
support even one person and that the payments were too often late whent
hey did come. Another woman voiced the opinion that Gender Traitor
Ibtihal al-Zaidi who is Minister of Women cannot represent women because
she has publicly stated she does not believe in equality and the
Constitution recognizes equality. Iraqi women are the subject of
Iraqi-American Heather Raffo's play 9 Parts of Desire
which is playing in Malta's St. James Theatre in the Round March 16, 17
and 18th and is directed by Toni Attard and with a cast of Shirley
Blake, Estelle Grech and Marta Vella. Fiona Galea Debono (Times of Malta) explains,
"The central element is thep lay, which highlights the plight of women
in conflict. It is about nine Iraqi women -- mothers, lovers, communist
exiles, educated and not -- who were locked up during the Gulf War.
They are being portrayed by three actresses, whose talent is being
challenged by the character changes they have to master. But their
differences have one common prop: a square garment wore by Arab woman as
a veil or cloak."
Turning to the topic of violence, CNN reports
armed assailants invaded the Mayor of al-Dhuloiya's office today and
killed 5 of his guards while, in Baghdad, assailants "robbed a pair of
jewelry stores" and had "a shootout with police." AFP adds
that the Ministry of the Interior says both owners of the jewelry store
were killed, 2 police officers and 2 bystanders were killed and ten
people were left injured -- that adds up to six dead; however, the
hospital states that 7 died and fourteen were attacked (go with the
hospital figures), the Tarmiyah municipal headquarters were attacked
early this morning leaving 3 police officers dead and a police patrol
came across the assailants nearby resulting in 2 police officers shot
dead. Zee News notes
Tarmiyah mayor Jassim Mohammed Saleh's home was attacked yesterday
resulting in the death of 1 bodyguard and four of the mayor's female
relatives. Xinhua identifies the four women as the mayor's "wife, sister and two daughters."
Lastly,
US Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs
Committee and her office notes this Wednesday hearing on the issue of
homeless veterans (it should be an important hearing, the witnesses are
impressive and well versed in this issue):
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES:
Contact: Murray Press Office
(202) 224-2834
Monday, March 12, 2012
WEDNESDAY: VETERANS: Murray to Hold Hearing on Veteran Homelessness
Hearing will discuss VA's progress on 5-year plan to end homelessness among veterans
(Washington,
D.C.) -- Wednesday, March 14th, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of
the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, will hold a hearing to discuss
the progress the VA has made in its 5-year plan to end homelessness
among veterans. During the hearing, the Committee will hear from 2
homeless female veterans, service providers, and officials from the VA.
WHO: U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
Homeless Veterans
Marsha Four, Executive Director of Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center
Reverend Scott Rogers, Executive Director, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry
Linda
Halliday, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Audits and
Evaluations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs
Pete Dougherty, Acting Executive Director, Homeless Veterans Initiatives Office
WHAT:
Hearing to discuss VA's progress on its 5-year plan to end homelessness
among veterans, including the unique needs of homeless women veterans
WHEN: Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
10:00 AM ET
WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building
Room 418
Washington, D.C.
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