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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