July 12, 2005
The mainstream media's attenuation of
information regarding Iraq has now rendered public discourse
about US policy in Iraq incoherent and incomprehensible. In spite
of rising death and tragedy in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld claims "progress". Instead of debating the
criminality of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, the New
York Times and Washington Post are discussing what Dick Cheney
actually meant by "last throes." And, of course, instead
of finding a way to end the destructive campaign that the Bush
administration inflicts on the Iraqi people, Americans are being
asked for open-ended commitment to war. Completely obliterated
in all this is the suppression by the tmainstream media of an
entire side of the issue: the opposition. Opposition is always
a check on hegemony, and the domination of the Bush administration's
point of view in the mainstream media has induced complacency
on the part of American officials-to the point they do not have
to make sense or speak the truth.
Clearly, opposition to the
occupation of Iraq does not consist only of Iraqis, but many
others . But with all due respect to the global moral support
that the Iraqi people have in their resistance, we are concerned
with here are what actual Iraqi intellectuals, professionals
and community leaders who are connected to Iraq have to say of
the situation.
What follows is an interview,
(in what is hoped to be a series of interviews of individuals
and groups,) with someone actually connected to Iraq and those
opposed to the American occupation. I should add that while I
make no secret of my moral and political support for the Iraqis'
right to defend themselves convincing the reader to adopt the
same position is not the intention of the following discussion.
It is simply to provide more information regarding one of the
most important issues of our time.
Dr. Mohammad al-Obaidi is a
member of the People's Struggle Movement, more information on
this group can be found at www.kifah.org in which links are provided
to their political communiqué, available in English.
Laith al-Saud: Many in the Bush administration argue
that the resistance is made up of former regime members who have
been marginalized by the current situation and by so-called "foreign
fighters." What is your assessment and how does the resistance
view the former regime?
Dr. Mohammad al-Obaidi: The Iraqi people in general and the
Iraqi National Resistance, which is its real name and nature,
know that this claim is part of the propaganda and psychological
warfare being targeted at Iraqis. What is clear on the ground
is that the resistance is made of a plurality of groups with
a single aim namely to end the occupation of Iraq. The
plurality of the resistance is a strength, not a weakness, as
it shows that it is a nationalist resistance where being
Iraqi trumps any sort of sectarianism religious, ethnic,
ideological or otherwise. It is well known in Iraq that the resistance
is comprised of all sects and segments of Iraqi society: Islamists,
Ba'athists, patriotic nationalists, and above all Arab Sunnis
and Shii's.
The Americans claimed before the last assault on Fallujah that
the majority of the freedom fighters are so-called "foreign"
Arabs and Muslims. (Though, after the inhumane destruction of
Fallujah American officials openly said that [non-Iraqi] Arab
fighters represent no more that 2% of the total number of freedom
fighters in Iraq.) Most important, however, is the practical
and logical conclusion that the Iraqis come to. When the US invaded
Iraq she brought with her troops from all around the world. From
thousands of miles away , from every quarter, the US employed
several nations to occupy our country, so why can't our brother
Arabs come to our country to help us defend our land and kick
the occupiers out? This is a very logical question that I would
like to ask the American people.
As for the resistance's view of Saddam's regime, I think that
all resistance factions condemn the regime for what happened
in Iraq, but in the meantime we must keep in mind that the regime
is gone now and forever and the Americans cannot hold Iraq hostage
with the memory of the past.
LS: How should the world
distinguish between those groups who belong to the Iraqi National
Resistance and those who do not?
MO: By actions. It is known
to all Iraqis that any operation carried out by the resistance
targets the occupation and the security forces. It must be kept
in mind that at this point in time, with the absence of any true
sovereignty in Iraq, the security forces are merely an extension
of the occupation itself. Those operations that do otherwise
and target civilians can be said for certain to not belong to
the National Resistance. For example, hundreds upon hundreds
of university professors, military pilots, scientists and doctors
have been killed in Iraq. What possible benefit would the resistance
have in attacking our country's most talented and educated people?
It is clear to all Iraqis that there are foreign fingers pulling
the triggers to commit these crimes and murder the human resources
of Iraq, all the while attempting to steal the country's natural
resources.
LS: Although many opposition
groups in Iraq have repeatedly and explicitly condemned the targeting
of innocent civilians in the country, the Bush administration
has continually charged that this is part of the resistance's
strategy. What is your response?
MO: Once again, this has always
been part of the propaganda of the occupiers. As I have said
no resistance groups has ever targeted civilians or condoned
it. All groups have clearly said that their targets are not and
never will be the Iraqi people. How could it? The National Resistance
is made up of the Iraqi people. Yet the question remains why
do the occupiers not say anything of the killings being carried
out by the militias that have been allowed to operate in our
country, such as the peshmerga and the Badr Brigade?
We have repeated reports that such militias have targeted clerics,
worshippers and other Iraqis who have opposed the occupation
and the current puppet government in Iraq. Yet the occupying
powers and the international community in general have remained
completely silent.
LS: How have Iraqis who
you have spoken to in the country described the nature of the
occupation and the resistance?
MO: Allow me to answer your
question with another question. How would anyone feel if they
had lost a loved one to an aggressive invasion and occupation?
There are hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who find themselves
in such a position and have lost dear ones to the hands of the
occupiers. This is not to mention the prisoners, both men and
women, who have families in the thousands. The destructiveness
of the occupation affects the vast majority of Iraqis
in a negative way and thus they are fed up with the presence
of occupiers on our land. The resistance is not short on recruits
to join them, as it is not difficult to find people sympathetic
with the goals of the resistance in the country. Quite simply
there are hundred of thousands of people in Iraq who are ready
to sacrifice their lives for their country.
Let me add one more thing.
How do you think Iraqis would react when they do not have electricity
and clean water for many days in the heat of our summer? It has
been more than two years of occupation and yet the infrastructure
of Iraq remains in shambles. Please do not claim that this is
due to sabotage by the armed resistance, as we know where the
resources are going and how they are being spent. It is a collective
punishment to all Iraqis, particularly in Baghdad and other areas
where the resistance is very active.
LS: You suggest that the
US military and administration has used methods of collective
punishment in Iraq. What evidence can be shared with the world
that this is happening in Iraq?
MO: I am not suggesting, Laith.
I am confirming that this is what is happening in Iraq. No one
can deny what the US military has done in Falluja, Sammarra,
Ramadi, Karbala, Heet, Qaim and other towns and cities. People
have been denied water, electricity, medical treatment and other
services. This has not only been confirmed by Iraqi eyewitnesses
on the ground, which should be enough, but by international services
such as the Red Crescent and others. Is that not collective punishment?
Think of Baghdad for a moment. People in Baghdad never have electricity
for three or four continuous days or clean running water for
a week's time. Reuters has published photos of American soldiers
swimming in the cool and clean water of a pool in one of Saddam's
palaces; let the world compare this to the many photos of Iraqi
children fighting for clean water.
In addition, we also have many
reports of American soldiers sabotaging main water stations.
Take for example, the main water station in al-Karkh outside
of Baghdad, eyewitnesses testify that there was a huge explosion
just minutes after US soldiers left the site. Why does the world
not raise concern over these accounts? Is it because they are
being offered by Iraqis? It is time that the international community
started to listen to Iraqis and not the lies of an occupying
power that has never been shown to tell the truth.
LS: Donald Rumsfeld recently
claimed that the resistance lacks unity and has no vision for
the future of the country? In this regard what are the long-term
goals of the resistance?
MO: Rumsfeld's claim is absolutely
not true. The resistance factions are first and foremost united
in ending the occupation and all traces of it. All resistance
groups, which maintain strong ties and communications at all
levels, believe they have a responsibility to all Iraqi people
and are committed to defending the rights of the Iraqi people.
It is very important that Iraq is completely liberated of all
traces of the occupation and its effects; including the political,
legal and social consequences of the occupation. As for the long-term
goals, we seek a unified (non-federal), pluralistic and democratic
Iraq where all Iraqis are thought of in terms of citizenship
rather than ethnicity or sect. We are not opposed to elections.
We are opposed to elections under occupation as they are tainted
by the powers and pressures of the occupying forces. If anyone
has questions as to the goals of the Iraqi National Resistance
all they have to do is listen to the public spokespersons of
the opposition in Iraq. The goals of the resistance have always
been made clear.
LS: What, then, is the resistance's
position towards the current government in Iraq?
MO: First of all the resistance,
which represents the will of the majority of Iraqis is certain
that the election was a violation of international law. International
charters that regulate the relationship between occupiers and
occupied do not give occupying authorities the mandate to instigate
a change in the country's social, economic, and political structure.
The election has changed the political composition of Iraq to
suit the interests of the occupation of the authorities. The
changes led, as we can now see, to ethnic, sectarian and religious
divisions that the Iraqi people have succeeded in avoiding. Historically,
Iraqis have always co-existed without any consideration of sectarianism
or ethnic division; only after the country was stricken by the
US-led occupation did the specter of civil war loom. These division
serve the purposes of the occupying power as it is clearly and
beyond any doubt an exercise in divide and conquer.
The resistance, both political and martial, see that all steps
have been taken to secure full US domination of decision makers
in Iraq. A look at the electoral process and the composition
of the current national council reveals that the election's main
mission and accomplishment was the installation of some of the
country's most notorious politicians who have often spoken proudly
of their links to international intelligence agencies. Take for
example Iyad Allawi and Ahmed Chalabi. The election has given
power to every politician who has assisted the invaders and collaborated
with them to consolidate the occupation; therefore the resistance
confidently asserts that the political decision-making process
in Iraq is taking place in the US embassy inside Baghdad and
that the elected government is not more than a vehicle to carry
out Washington's decisions.
It is difficult for any sensible
person to believe that the US would give up its domination of
Iraq after spending billions of dollars and sacrificing the lives
of hundreds of its soldiers. Iraqis never believed that the US
would simply allow free and democratic elections that could,
and would, result in a government that would make its first priority
ending the occupation. In fact, the main purpose of the election
process was to secure a government that will facilitate long-lasting
agreements with the US to keep its forces on Iraqi soil and transform
the country into an American colony.
The US administration has worked hard to portray the Iraq election
as a political achievement to cover over the scar that the war
has left on its credibility. Washington has used the election
card to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community
and prevent it from seeing the tragic consequences that the war
has left on the Iraqi people. For all these reasons, the resistance
will also fight the current puppet government the same way they
are fighting the occupiers.
Laith al-Saud is an academic researcher and lecturer
in the United States. He can be reached at: laithalsaud@aol.com
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