Inside Iraq Blog - Times Online - WBLG

Why to avoid itching when pregnant

Worried about your child being born with an unsightly mole on his or her body?
Pregnant women in Iraq think they have the answer: resist any urge to itch if you crave an item of food.
Iraqis believe that if a pregnant woman desires something to eat (anything from a chicken kebab to a chocolate bar) and then absent-mindedly itches a part of her body, her child will be born with a birthmark on the place that she itched.
Makia Ali, 55, is convinced her desire for a piece of barbequed liver 25 years ago caused the liver-shaped mole on the back of her adult son.

“While pregnant with one of my five sons, I went for a walk in the street with my husband,” she said, sitting with her family on a patch of grass in a park on the bank of the Tigris River in Baghdad.
“We passed a stall barbequing liver. I smelt the odour and craved liver. Without thinking, I scratched my back. The next day I ate liver but it was too late. My son was born with a small mark on his back.”
Sure enough, the son, Mohamed Tarik, sports an oval mole in the centre of his back, which he showed to The Times after a bit of friendly coaxing by his family.

Mr Tarik’s wife, Anwar Ahmed, 28, is now three months pregnant with their first child. She is trying hard not to itch despite strong cravings for pacha, a famous Iraqi dish made from the head of a sheep.
“If you crave for something and do not eat it but scratch your body, then the food item will appear on the child,” she said, with an earnest look on her face. The family plans to have a meal of pacha later this week to help satisfy the craving and protect the unborn child from any mysterious blemishes.
Fortunately the itch-curse only applies during the first four months of pregnancy.
“Afterwards, the child’s formation is complete so it does not matter if you crave food and itch,” said Mrs Ali, the grandmother-to-be.
Another rule taught to expectant mothers in Iraq, is not to have sex during the first three months of pregnancy.
“The fetus is so small, it is dangerous to have sexual intercourse,” said one mother, who declined to give her name.
Women are also told not to lie on their front at any stage of the pregnancy, even early on. “It is bad for the baby,” said Samar Abdel Itar, 28, who is five-and-a-half months pregnant with her fourth child.

In addition, some Iraqis believe that if a woman wants a beautiful baby and craves the face of a particular child her offspring will be born with similar good looks. “The only good craving to have while pregnant is the craving for a handsome face,” said another mother.
In Britain there are strict rules and recommendations on what to eat and what not to eat while pregnant, with certain cheeses and fish off the menu. Iraqi women, however, face no such restrictions.
Mrs Itar said: “We should eat a lot to make sure we are strong and healthy. I am not supposed to carry anything heavy and it is important to sleep well.”

[Photographs by Peter Nicholls of The Times.
Picture 1: Anwar Ahmed shows the mole on the back of her husband, Mohamed Tarik;
Picture 2: Anwar Ahmed (second from left), Makia Ali (second from right) giggle with other relatives in a Baghdad park;
Picture 3: Samar Abdel Itar and her family;
Picture 4: A woman in the park with two young girls.]

The blue (from cold) zone

Goose bumps speckled my arms, the hair on the back of my neck bristled and tears formed in my eyes as I watched today’s ceremony to mark the handover of the green zone from US to Iraqi control.
Rather than overcome with emotion, however, the lumps, bumps and runny nose were brought on by relentless gusts of icy wind.

Admittedly coming out in a thin shirt with no coat was not the smartest move for a morning spent standing outside in winter, but fellow reporters were also suffering, even those with the foresight to bring a wooly hat, gloves, scarf and warm jacket.
“My hands are too numb to write,” was a common complaint over the chattering of teeth and shivering of limbs.
One interpreter even said he was too cold to interpret. Understandable. I was too frozen to think, let alone take notes, while snapping pictures almost resulted in finger-loss through hypothermia (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea).
The problem is that because Iraq is usually so stiflingly hot it takes a while (for me at least) to adjust to the fact that the winter months have the capacity to become bitingly cold, as experienced during today’s sovereignty proceedings.
Here are a few pictures of cold members of the foreign press pack.

Amit Paley, Washington Post, followed by Campbell Robertson, New York Times.

Kimi Yoshino, Los Angeles Times, followed by Leila Fadel, McClatchy Newspapers.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, National Public Radio, followed by Tim Cocks, Thomson Reuters. 

Murder and fear force minorities from Mosul

Here are the personal accounts of a number of Christians who fled Mosul over the past few weeks because of targeted attacks against members of their minority community.

Abu Feras, 54, truck driver. He has a wife and two daughters aged 8 and 4. This is his story:
I have been living in Mosul for 30 years with my Muslim brothers with no problems. Then on the night of October 9, one of my Muslim neighbours noticed that there were people asking about whether there were Christians living in the area. Our neighbours said they were worried about us. They invited us to their house or to flee. We decided to leave with four other families.
I do not know who did this. We do not have any enemies. Maybe it is politically motivated, we just don’t know, we have no evidence.
We went to a church in Bartella because we had no where else to go. My daughters were excited when we left Mosul at first because they thought we were going on a picnic. In contrast, I was thinking, where am I going? God willing things will get better and we will not have to stay here beyond the end of the month.

Um Rana, 39, standing in a line for food parcels at the village of Telkif, said:
They are killing us in Mosul. We received a threat on our mobile phone. We were told that we either had to give 30,000 dollars or we would be killed. We left 15 days ago. We are renting a house here, my husband and I and our four children. I am not thinking about going back at the moment but should things improve then I will.

Abu Manam, 40, also in the aid queue, said:
I was told to flee Mosul because they were threatening Christians. I received a note through my gate that read either leave or be killed. So I locked up my house and left with my wife and two young children.
It is very difficult. We left our house and I left my work. Now we are just sitting and waiting. I am thankful that we are getting this aid. No one knows who is behind this, maybe the Kurdish intelligence. I have lived in Mosul my whole life. I will only return when I am sure that it is safe.

The Christians are not the only minority group being forced to flee Mosul. Here are some stories from a group of Shabaks I encountered.

Pilgrims defiant after Baghdad bombings

A multiple suicide bombing by three women failed to dampen the spirits of about one million people in Baghdad this week who flocked to a revered shrine in the north of the capital for the climax of a major religious event.
One of my reporters, Sarmad Ali, was among the streams of flag-waving pilgrims who visited the Khadamiya shrine barely 24 hours after the blasts, which left about 35 people dead and many more wounded.
This is what he saw as he took part in the procession to mark the death of Imam al-Kadham, one of Shia Islam's 12 imams.
From early morning on Tuesday, buses ferried men, women and children from central Bagdad towards the shrine. Many other people chose to walk, passing through layer upon layer of check points as they approached their destination.
Women dressed in black wearing a badge that said ‘search committee’ frisked fellow females to reduce the chances of a repeat attack. Mobile phones were also taken off everyone as they entered the Khadamiya neighbourhood.
Sweltering under the midday sun, pilgrims were able to take shelter in one of many tents that lined the route, offering refreshments inside. Local people also sprayed visitors with water and perfume to help to cool them down.
An overall improvement in security in and around Baghdad enabled families living in former hotspot areas, such as Diyala province to the northeast of the capital and the town of Madaen to the southeast, to take part in the pilgrimage, some for the first time since the invasion.
Many of these people wept hard as they stood to pay their respect inside the shrine. Some carried photographs of relatives they had lost in the violence that consumed Iraq from 2003.

Obama draws crowds at US Embassy in Baghdad

Covering the visit of Barack Obama to Iraq was never going to be easy.
Media access was so carefully controlled that a TV crew was apparently told not to film a stand-up shot in front of a couple of Humvees outside the US Embassy in Baghdad because it might convey military endorsement of the Illinois senator. 
The press was also kept away from a meet-and-greet event “for civilian and military constituents” starring Mr Obama at the Embassy last night.
He, I subsequently learnt, bounded onto a stage to cheers from the assembled crowd in a central hall that also contains a Starbucks-style coffee bar.
Several hundred people, including State Department employees, military personnel and civilian contractors jostled one another in the standing room only gathering for a view of the Democratic presidential candidate.
Mr Obama was accompanied on stage by senators Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed, but it was evident that this was a one-man show. Mr Hagel even quipped at one point: "Jack and I were surprised so many of you came out to see the two of us."
All three men made brief remarks, each expressing their appreciation for the efforts of the military and diplomatic communities in Iraq. Mr Obama thanked "sailors, soldiers, active duty, National Guard, State Department, USAID [and] civilian contractors".
Loud cheering erupted when Mr Obama raised the possibility of his becoming the next "commander-in-chief," before adding how proud he is of the troops.
Afterwards, the White House hopeful worked the room, shaking hands and smiling for photographs. [For pictures of this event do a search for "Barack Obama in Baghdad" on www.flickr.com].
Earlier in the day there was a brief opportunity for reporters also to glimpse Mr Obama when he met Iraq’s Prime Minister at his residence in the Green Zone.  With expectations minimal, I and a couple of colleagues decided to give it a shot.

Behind the scenes at golden dome building site

In an instant, 18 mounds of professionally buried explosives blew apart a revered golden dome in Samarra. They also obliterated the walls, covered in hand-painted porcelain tiles, that surround the shrine and took out the entire ceiling.
Fixing the mess will take time, but a team of Iraqi architects and engineers is determined to return the al-Askari shrine to exactly the way it was before the attack almost two-and-a-half years ago. That blast was followed by a second bombing that brought down two golden minarets on either side of the dome in June 2007.
The United Nations’ heritage agency, UNESCO, is overseeing the reconstruction effort in partnership with the Iraqi Government, with a contract for detailed designs of the shrine and its famous dome due to be handed out in the coming days.
Originally designed by Iranian architects, it is undecided yet whether Iran will play a part in reconstructing the site. Too much Iranian involvement will unlikely go down well with the local Sunni population. However Shia Iran will be very keen to ensure that the shrine is restored to its former glory.
Preparing the ground, scores of labourers in blue boiler suits have been hard at work since February shoveling away rubble in tractors, storing anything worth saving and boring holes into the remains with electronic drills.
The structure alone is not forecast to be completed until August 2009. Then begins the pain-staking task of re-fitting hundreds of gold-plated copper tiles that adjourn the outside of the 32-foot high dome as well as the golden minarets.
Most of the tiles were salvaged from the carnage but some are bent out of shape and may have to be replaced.
Restoration work is always difficult and time-consuming. In the case of the al-Askari Shrine, it is also hugely politically and religiously sensitive.

Pigeons welcomed in Baghdad

A flock of pigeons has taken roost in a busy square in central Baghdad, where three fountains also recently started to spout water.
The rare display prompts some passers-by jokingly to liken this tiny fraction of their otherwise broken city to London or Paris.

“It makes me feel like we are in Europe,” said my driver as we pulled up to Tahrir Square this morning to check-out the tame birds and the waterworks.
Twittering to each other, the pigeons flutter around the foot of a large stone plaque at one end of the square, which is actually shaped more like a rectangle and also boasts a revamped patch of parkland surrounded by a main road.
The Baghdad Council installed the birds here a few months ago as part of a push to revive the bomb-scarred capital, said a young boy who looks after them.
“There are about 300 pigeons altogether, though I lost a few of them in the first day because they just flew off,” he said, declining to give his name.
Housed in a green cage, the size of a garden shed, the grey, white and speckled birds are released every morning at 7am and shooed home at 5pm.
The walls of the cage are lined with shelves holding small, straw baskets where the pigeons sleep and also reproduce.
“This chick was born three weeks ago,” said the bird-keeper, reaching into one of the baskets and plucking out a small ball of dark grey feathers.

People walking across the square pause to check out the pigeons and the fountains. Some even snap a few pictures on their camera phone.

Iraqi forces see victory in Basra

Iraqi soldiers are standing proud in Basra one month after launching a surprise offensive to wipe out murderous gangs of Shia militants that had been allowed to flourish under Britain’s watch.
Many of them say the operation has boosted their confidence, but the militiamen warn that the only reason the fledgling Iraqi army had any success was because they continue to observe a ceasefire order by the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Soldier Hassan Sha’an said the past four weeks has tested the training he received from British forces in conducting raids and pulling security for an important person. The 25-year-old is part of team charged with guarding the Iraqi commander of forces in Basra, Lieutenant-General Mohan al-Furaiji.
“When we conducted raids I remembered what we had been taught about covering our backs and looking out for our colleagues,” Mr Sha’an said.
“After the achievements of the Charge of the Knights operation I feel as a soldier more confident to go on raids and patrols or search for people.”
Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, launched the Basra offensive on March 25 after alerting US and British commanders at the last minute. The original plan that Lt-Gen Furaiji had drawn up anticipated the campaign to start in mid-July.
Encouragingly, the first wave of attacks caught the militants off-guard, but two days later they launched a counter offensive, prompting at least one entire Iraqi Army battalion of 1,400 men to flee.
Threats by Mr Maliki to disarm rang hollow and the mission appeared to be on the brink of failure before thousands of Iraqi re-enforcements backed by hundreds of American and British soldiers joined the fight at the start of April.
“They [the militiamen] collapsed,” said Lt-Gen Furaiji, claiming that the gunmen were a fraction of the 12,000-strong force that some had anticipated.

Rogue elements of the al-Mehdi Army militia, loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, are accused of being behind much of the violence and intimidation in Basra, where the population was forced to follow a set of strict religious codes or be punished.
The Iraqi commander said: “Those who fought are from special groups who received training in Iran.”
But the Basra leader of the Sadr movement, the cleric's political wing said the Government had launched a witch hunt for anyone linked to the Sadrists to ensure rival political parties and their militias gain power in Iraq’s second city.

Iraqis belt-up in road safety drive

On my first trip to Iraq four years ago my driver told me off for trying to put on a seatbelt when I sat in the car because such a move – aside from the blonde hair and blue eyes – would clearly mark me out as a foreigner and a potential target.
“Iraqis don’t wear seatbelts,” he said, though I subsequently wondered whether it would be better to run the risk of attracting unwanted attention rather than endure the daily hazard of racing through the streets of Baghdad without a safety harness.
Over the past fortnight, however, a transformation has taken place. Iraqi drivers are (albeit in many cases reluctantly and/or in bemusement) wearing seatbelts for the first time following a Government order.
Many see the new rule as a bit of a joke given that the authorities have yet to stop the far more serious crimes of car bombings and kidnappings, but others welcome the move as a tiny glimmer of order in their otherwise chaotic lives.
Keen to write a story about seatbelts (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3761059.ece), I headed off around Baghdad in the back of a taxi to see if people were belting up.
Incredibly, to a greater extent, they were, largely because no one wants to be stung by the 30,000 dinar (13 pound) fine.
My taxi driver, who is still getting used to the sensation of wearing a seatbelt, is pleased that Iraq’s traffic laws are catching up with the rest of the world’s, but he just doesn’t place car accidents very high-up on his list of concerns.
“I don’t have safety in my own house and garden so why should I worry about safety in my car?” Mohammed Farid said.
The 29-year-old knows only too well the perils of living in Iraq. Four years ago he was injured in the leg by a bomb blast when out driving. A couple of months later, criminals stole his car.
Mr Farid also noted that the countless checkpoints, road blocks and blast walls across Baghdad prevent anyone from driving fast enough to hurt themselves if they were to crash. “I only wear this strap to avoid paying a fine,” he said.
The law is imposed to a lesser extent on the roads leading to the capital, with some drivers saying that they belt up only when they approach Baghdad. However in the southern city of Basra and the northern city of Mosul traffic police are also out in force.
Ehssan Jabor, a taxi driver in Basra, is fuming at having to wear a seatbelt.
“I can't drive in this hot weather wearing this stupid rope around my body like I am under arrest,” the 45-year-old said.
“The authorities have to find real solutions to our real problems such as the [lack of] power, jobs and water instead of bothering poor drivers with these silly laws.”
Mohammad Ali, a 33-year-old car dealer, disagrees, saying: “If they want to start by imposing the law on small matters, then that is great. I agree with anything that will help the city become safe again.”
Up in Mosul, opinions are similarly divided.

Fishing in Saddam Hussein's lake

Standing by a blown up bridge with Blackhawk helicopters buzzing overhead, the American soldier casts his fishing line into the lake surrounding a former palace of Saddam Hussein just outside Baghdad and waits for something to bite.
Warrant Officer Leslie “Scott” Henry is part of a unique group of fishermen and women that meets every Sunday and on odd days of the week to take a break from the toils of war with their rod and an array of bait.
“It’s a chance to relax and get away from everything else that’s going on out here,” said the 45-year-old, who deals with aviation safety for US military aircraft in Iraq when he is not trying to hook an asp or a bass.
“You’ve got to stay ahead of the fish. You’ve got to be innovative,” Warrant Officer Henry told The Times as he tried out a new form of bait – strips of scrunched up bacon from the canteen, stuffed with cream cheese.
Situated on a sprawling military base next to Baghdad airport, the al-Faw Palace is one of several grand, marble buildings ringed by man-made lakes that have been occupied by American troops since the invasion five years ago.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of fish live in these expanses of water, inspiring several soldiers to drop their guns and pick up a rod.
They formed the Baghdad Angler’s Club and School of Fly Fishing, which has its own Web site – www.baghdadflyfishing.com – displaying shots of men and at least one woman posing with fish of various sizes and shapes.
Last February, the group even helped to organise a tournament, dubbed Operation: Catch Fish, which attracted some 300 anglers. Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Carter grabbed top honours, reeling in a 14-pound carp.
"It's a great feeling," the amateur fisherman, who had competed in smaller contests back in the United States, said at the time. "I can't win one back home, but now I can say I came to Iraq and won a fishing tournament."
Iraq is renowned for freshwater fishing. For centuries Iraqis have cast their lines into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that wind through the country, snaring huge fish such as carp that are barbequed into the traditional meal of masgouf.
Carp is the most numerous kind of fish inhabiting the lakes at Camp Victory but Warrant Officer Henry prefers going after game fish such as asp or bass. “Carp eat off the bottom. They are garbage fish,” he said. “It’s easier to catch carp.”
The angler’s club has about 100 rods that it lends to anyone on the camp who fancies trying their hand at fishing, even visiting journalists.
Intrigued, I and fellow reporter Peter Graff decided to venture to Camp Victory on Sunday to join in the fun with Warrant Officer Henry and one of his colleagues.
My only past angling experience had been opening the fridge door at home as a teenager in Camberley to find a tub of writhing maggots courtesy of my two, fish-mad brothers so I was slightly nervous at the prospect of having a go for real.