From Baghdad, With Love

by Yasmeen Finjan

Iraq was invaded by US-led Coalition forces between March 20, 2003 and May 1, 2003. Of the approximate 295,000 troops, the United States supplied the majority of the invading forces. Three weeks into the invasion, the US-led Coalition forces moved into Baghdad. Estimates on the number of casualties during the Iraq invasion vary. The Lancet surveys of casualties of the Iraq War

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, estimates that over 650,000 Iraqi civilians have died as a result of the conflict, with the majority of these deaths occurring after the end of major combat operation in May 2003.

The following story is my cousin’s personal journey as a teenager growing up in Baghdad during this invasion and US occupation.

Salim was part of a large traditional family that consisted of four younger siblings, parents, nineteen aunts and uncles, and a seemingly endless number of cousins. Salim grew up around the people he loved. During the first five years of Salim’s life, his family lived with their grandfather until they were able to save up and build their own home. With nineteen cousins all living in the same neighbourhood, he was rarely alone. Salim had the same best friend, Yasir, since elementary school. He loved to play soccer with his friends and was on the local soccer team.

Life in Baghdad was good until the invasion began. Everything changed after that – he didn’t feel safe anymore, no one did. It was difficult for Salim to change the way he lived his day-to-day life and wasn’t always aware of the dangers around him. His family worried about his safety and often warned him to stay close by when he was out with his friends.

The first incident of violence that Salim witnessed was when he was sixteen. He and Yasir were walking down Alrubai Street (similar to our Yonge Street) on a Thursday night when they noticed a checkpoint 200 meters away. Salim instantly had a bad feeling about being there, so he told Yasir that they should turn back. Within five minutes of their decision to leave the area, a car bomb detonated, sending glass from the car that exploded and the cars in the area flying towards them and landing at their feet. There were dozens of casualties.

Sadly, Salim lost two good friends while living in Baghdad. One of these incidents was accidental while the other one was an act of murder. In the first incident, an intruder entered his friend’s home with the intent of stealing from them. His friend managed to hold the intruder down when his brother ran into the dark room with a shotgun, shooting who he thought was the intruder. Instead, the bullet hit his brother, killing him.

The other incident was when a car bomb detonated next to a local college in Baghdad, wounding many people. When the bomb went off, other students rushed over to help, including Salim’s friend. That’s when a second bomb went off. A piece of the car hit him in the head, killing him. Before he died, Salim’s friend had a secret girlfriend. They had to keep their relationship a secret because dating was taboo in Iraq. A relationship is only recognized and accepted once you decide to marry. Until this day, no one has been able to contact her to inform her of his death.

On December 31, 2005, our cousin, Karar, was kidnapped from his father’s hotel where he was working in the early hours of the morning. He was taken at gunpoint and put into the trunk of a car. They then drove him to an unknown area and put him in a very small, rat-infested, cold and dirty room where they held him until his family were able to pay $24,000 for his safe return.

In the beginning, Salim found the American soldiers to be very friendly and helpful, but as time went on he noticed that some soldiers were acting in a questionable manner. Some were seen rolling their tanks over people’s cars, arresting people and leaving them in jail for however long they wanted. Uncertainty and chaos continued to be a part of daily life for Iraqis.

When Salim was eighteen, his immediate family grew wary of the constant threat of violence, and decided to leave Baghdad and move to Dubai. Saying goodbye to Yasir was the most difficult part for Salim. Yasir and his family went to Syria to escape the trouble and returned to Baghdad the following year. Once in Dubai, Salim found himself friendless, jobless, and spent most of his days at home alone. After a year in Dubai, he began attending a local college.

Salim, with a sense of adventure and curiosity, wanted to move to Canada to live with me and my family in order to continue his education. He would like to complete his studies and eventually become a pilot. He would like to marry in the distant future and return to Baghdad to be with his family. Most Iraqis intended to leave Iraq on a temporary basis because Iraq is their home. Due to the recent and relative calmness in Baghdad, many families are returning home. Today, most of Salim’s family is back in Baghdad. A few of his uncles continue to live in Malaysia and China for work and medical reasons.

Salim believes that the future holds great things for Iraq. He believes that Iraq and its people can overcome the past and will once again become a great nation where its people can live a prosperous and happy life without fear or loss.watch clear and present danger in divx

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