Our Arab Brothers

I got bored while waiting for my mom and bro at the hospital's lobby. The only available printed material is Newsweek. I don't read Newsweek! but I have no choice but to read it than sleep in the lobby. As usual, the topics are all about "War in Iraq". But an article really caught my attention.. It's all about Iraqi kids.. Since I can't bring the magazine here at home, I surf the net to get some statistics and for reference.

     Since the September 11 attack, terrorism issues flood the news and media. But did Iraq's war started only at that point..? War in Iraq is not only with other countries but  she is also suffering from the "inside war". It's between the Shiites (SHE-ites) and the Sunnis (SOO-knees). Not so familiar with it? I'll give you an overview and a brief history about it.

• Division of Islam/Origin of Sects

     Islam, one of the three major world religions, along with Judaism and Christianity, that profess monotheism, or belief in a single God. Around 600 A.D., Muhammad, the founding prohet of Islam began preaching the religion. Throughout the lifetime of Muhammad and few years afterwards, the religion stayed united in one faith.

     When Muhammad died at 632 A.D., the question "Who will be the successor?" arose. A small group of the community believed that the successor must be in the blood line of the deceased prophet and voted for Ali, who married Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. Meanwhile, many arabs believed that the successor must be chosen by the elite society to lead the community. And this caused the splitting of the religion around 650 A.D. into two sects: Shiites and Sunnis. 

     Eventually, Ali was chosen as a Caliph but not before the violent war broke up. In 661 A.D., war errupted and Ali was killed in Iraq. Since that day, the war between the sects started: with the Shiites as the followers of Ali, and the Sunnis as the followers of Umayyad Mu'awiya who became a Caliph after Ali's death. And the rest is history...

• Countries in Crisis

     Not only Iraq, but the neighboring arab countries are suffering from the effects of war. Thier economic status is deteriorating. Same also with the education status of these countries.

     The school survey, released by the Iraq Ministry of Education, shows that one-third of all primary schools in Iraq lack any water supply and almost half are without any sanitation facilities. The school survey, released by the Iraq Ministry of Education, shows that one-third of all primary schools in Iraq lack any water supply and almost half are without any sanitation facilities. Another survey states that since March 2003, over 700 primary schools had been damaged by bombing – a third of those in Baghdad – with more than 200 burned and over 3,000 looted.

• Trauma for Iraqi children

     UsaToday released that in Baghdad— About 70% of primary school students in a Baghdad neighborhood suffer symptoms of trauma-related stress such as bed-wetting or stuttering, according to a survey by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. While these children are on their way to school, they can see corpse in the road sometimes they can even see thier relatives along with the dead bodies. Many of the children claimed that they witness a relative being shot. A five year old Hussain Haider stop speaking after seeing his father bleeding to death. Another 16 year old lad saw his bestfriend's dead body beheaded. He said that he puke upon seeing it, but along with it, swore revenge for his friend. Kidnappings and sectarian murder is very common in Iraq. Every mom has to watch their children and their neighbor's kids. Updating each other about the current state of their place.

     The population of young fighters in Iraq is now growing. At a very young age, these children know how to hold and use the gun not because they were forced by someone, but because they want to. They grew up seeing all gunshooting and sectarian murders. And with Jihad as one of their beliefs, you can't trace fear in their faces.

     Will this conflict in Middle East cease..? Will they ever attain peace...? A question that raises HOPE within us. The two Muslim sects can never be reunited. Conflict between arab countries and the West seems eternal. With this promise I doubt it:

Genesis 16:11 & 12----And the angel of the Lord said  unto her (Hagar), Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ish'ma-el; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him: and he shall dwell in the presence of all his bretheren.

Sources: UsaToday.com, HistoryForKids.org, Encarta.Msn.com, NPR.org, Unicef.org

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