Leading Muslim calligrapher shot

[magomago]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6696503.stm
'

One of the Muslim world's leading calligraphers has been shot dead by gunmen in Baghdad.

Khalil al-Zahawi was the most famous practitioner in Iraq of the art of writing classical Arabic script.

He was outside his house in the New Baghdad district of the city on Saturday when he was ambushed by gunmen and killed.

The art of writing classical Arabic script is highly regarded in Iraq and the rest of the Muslim world.

Attack on culture

Mr Zahawi's body has been taken to his home in Diyala province for burial.

In the 1990s, he taught students from all over the Middle East.

It is said that anyone in Iraq who wanted to be considered proficient in Arabic calligraphy had to have his seal of approval.

His death will be seen as another attack on culture and learning by insurgent groups and militias in Iraq who in the past have targeted scientists, doctors and academics.

In a separate incident, police say they have found 12 bodies in Dora in south-east Baghdad.

The victims, aged between their 20s and 40s, had been blindfolded and shot in the head. They also showed signs of torture.

This is absolutely despicable. The targeting of any kind of academic in Iraq is absolutely SICKENING. The groups that are aiming to do this are CLEARLY looking for the destabilization of Iraq - they don't want Iraq to EVER stand up again.
The worst part is we know absolutely nothing about these "gunmen"! The best guess is that ANYONE could be doing this. Who are they? Iraqis? Extremist Sunnis? Extremist Shi'ites? Iranis? Saudis? Other Crazed Arab Nationals looking to keep Iraq Stable? Kurds who want to keep the totality of Iraq in disarry? The Mossad doing "Their job" well? Hell, everyone might have a motive except The Average Iraqi.
These guys are extremists, these guys want the destruction of Iraq, and these guys want to remove the entire educated class of Iraqis that are now aging...
People like palehorse - I have no idea what your job is, but I hope you guys or at least you know of people who are actively engaged nabbing these destitutes...because this is not going to help Iraq, and this is sure as hell not going to help us.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6453857.stm

Here is another article, but I'll just show snippets:

About a year ago, during Ramadan, four boys aged about 15 to 20 came into my private clinic, in front of my patient.

They asked "Are you Dr Haidr?" I said yes. And they shot me several times.

One bullet went into my right shoulder, another into my right arm. I am left with nerve injury and muscle atrophy.

Afterwards they told me I couldn't go to my clinic and that I had to leave the country. They didn't say why.

So, now I don't go out, I just stay at home. My own private jail.

During Saddam's regime we could take our families to the cinema.


Most Iraqi people ... show disturbed behaviour

I want to drink, I want to dance, I want to visit my friends. But I can't do anything. If I even think about going for a drink in my club 500m from my house, I will be killed.

Iraqi people are living in difficult times. Most of us have been exposed to aggression: attacks in the street, car bombings, kidnappings.

Most Iraqi people now deal with each other in an aggressive way; they show disturbed behaviour; they have lost their civility.

We don't know how to treat these problems really.

But I can't leave Iraq. If I and my friends leave, who will help our people?

 

[techs]

And what is most unfortunate is the lose-lose situation our attack on Iraq has caused. The mere presence of U.S. troops will preclude any type of stability in Iraq. Just as our leaving will produce more instability, however, once we leave the factions will square off against each other, and possibly an accomodation will be reached.

 

[imported_dna]

It's time to break the country into three and landmine the borders -- they need some time to cool amongst their own.

Either that, or let them have their equivalent of the 30-year war to teach them that religious B.S. doesn't bring home the bacon. (ouch, the irony)

 

[GrGr]

Originally posted by: dna
It's time to break the country into three and landmine the borders -- they need some time to cool amongst their own.

Either that, or let them have their equivalent of the 30-year war to teach them that religious B.S. doesn't bring home the bacon. (ouch, the irony)

A zionist complaining about religion?

Edit: on topic - this brain drain is a terrible tragedy for Iraq, one of many :/

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: GrGr

Originally posted by: dna
It's time to break the country into three and landmine the borders -- they need some time to cool amongst their own.

Either that, or let them have their equivalent of the 30-year war to teach them that religious B.S. doesn't bring home the bacon. (ouch, the irony)

A zionist complaining about religion?

Edit: on topic - this brain drain is a terrible tragedy for Iraq, one of many :/

hehehehe


====

No dna - breaking apart Iraq is something that the average IRAQI doesn't want. Maybe politicians yes, but people NO.

 

[IronWing]

Character assassination!

 

[1prophet]

Sounds like something Pol Pot or the Taliban would do, easier to control ignorant people then educated ones, I wonder if there is something deeper here not being reported.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: GrGr

Originally posted by: dna
It's time to break the country into three and landmine the borders -- they need some time to cool amongst their own.

Either that, or let them have their equivalent of the 30-year war to teach them that religious B.S. doesn't bring home the bacon. (ouch, the irony)

A zionist complaining about religion?

Edit: on topic - this brain drain is a terrible tragedy for Iraq, one of many :/

LOL . and concerning breaking up the country, well what a surprise dna, divide and conquer indeed, you would love to see that all over the place wouldn't you?

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: 1prophet
Sounds like something Pol Pot or the Taliban would do, easier to control ignorant people then educated ones, I wonder if there is something deeper here not being reported.

Suggesting the the Iraqi government is doing this? You know, I can't believe I forgot to mention them myself...

 

[imported_dna]

A bunch of wise guys -- making me laugh by labeling me a zionist. Anyway, if you had any clue you'd know that zionism was not intertwined with religion, and infact many did not like dealing with the orthodox.

As for divide and conquer, they are breaking up the country themselves, unless you also suffer from the delusion that US presence is forcing Sunnis and Shiias fight one another.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: dna
A bunch of wise guys -- making me laugh by labeling me a zionist. Anyway, if you had any clue you'd know that zionism was not intertwined with religion, and infact many did not like dealing with the orthodox.

As for divide and conquer, they are breaking up the country themselves, unless you also suffer from the delusion that US presence is forcing Sunnis and Shiias fight one another.

Iraq is not the first country to ever go through a civil war and they will not be the last, that doesn't mean that they should be split, as that's something only those who are in favor of them being weaker would want.
Not to forget those who would like to see them split so that they go and sell weapons to this and that so that they can profit from the bloodshed.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: dna
A bunch of wise guys -- making me laugh by labeling me a zionist. Anyway, if you had any clue you'd know that zionism was not intertwined with religion, and infact many did not like dealing with the orthodox.

As for divide and conquer, they are breaking up the country themselves, unless you also suffer from the delusion that US presence is forcing Sunnis and Shiias fight one another.

Iraq is not the first country to ever go through a civil war and they will not be the last, that doesn't mean that they should be split, as that's something only those who are in favor of them being weaker would want.
Not to forget those who would like to see them split so that they go and sell weapons to this and that so that they can profit from the bloodshed.

I can't say what's best, I can only speculate and look for expert views on this, but splitting them seems to make sense to me.

Consider how well, say, not splitting North America with parts for the natives and parts for the European immigrants went - a genocide.

Consider how well, say, even a non-split that 'went well' in the long term worked, the US civil war: they had centuries of living together relatively peacefully, 75 years as the same nation, when the civil war happened, and it still involved the huge devastation of the loser with things like Sherman's march and years of devastation from which the south has never really recovered - and that's with so much going for reconciliation, including both sides wanting it and a lack of the sorts of clans that Iraq has.

Consider how well seperation has worked, say, England and her North American colonies.
Yes, they had another useless war in 1812, but after became close allies.

How well is preventing seperation going for, say, Russia and Chechnya?

If the choices are the usual type of one larger group obliterating the smaller group, the Shia obliterating the Iraqi Sunnis and broadening the civil war so the Sunnis elsewhere in the Middle East and the Shia elsewhere are brought in to the war, versus having seperate nations for each with the same sort of peaceful tensions we see between Iran and Saudi Arabia, then why not different countries? They were made one country by England to begin with, hardly a 'real' nation.

But there might be reasons not to do this. That's just speculation.

 

[imported_dna]

If you want a bloody Iraq, then just say so DarkThinker -- don't go on a hyperbole regarding divide & conquer, weapon sales, and other b.s.

I suggested a solution that should result in the least amount of bloodshed given the amount of "brotherly love" they have for one another.

 

[dahunan]

Give them some

marijuana
viagra
alcohol
porn videos

and help them draw cartoons of Allah and Mohammed ...

Tell them to quit claiming to be religious .. if they kill in the name of religion then they are Terrorists.. end of story.

 

[aka1nas]

I think any sort of solution imposed by outside forces (hint, that's us currently) is doomed to failure. The only thing that kept Iraq together all this time was brutal application of force by the ruling elite. The only thing keeping it together now somewhat is the US and the force we are applying there. All we're accomplishing right now is delaying the inevitable "market correction" when military and demographic realities collide headlong with the political facade those in power keep projecting that everything is find and Iraq is getting better.

 

[Aimster]

Originally posted by: dna
It's time to break the country into three and landmine the borders -- they need some time to cool amongst their own.

Either that, or let them have their equivalent of the 30-year war to teach them that religious B.S. doesn't bring home the bacon. (ouch, the irony)

yeah that's real smart.

Turkey will just invade and occupy northern Iraq. But I guess that's not right because only Israel is allowed to invade and occupy other nations.

 

[tomywishbone]

Damn! They got the #1 calligrapher. What's next, the # 1 shoe cobbler, the # 1 seismologist, the #1 Rubick's cube solver?

Guys, admit it, they're going to kill every single person in the entire country.

Mission accomplished.

 

[imported_dna]

No Aimster, only Iranians exiles with mommys loaded with money are allowed to do that.

Let's hear your suggestion smartboy instead of blabbering about Israel.

 

[Aimster]

Originally posted by: dna
No Aimster, only Iranians exiles with mommys loaded with money are allowed to do that.

Let's hear your suggestion smartboy instead of blabbering about Israel.

So you are in favor of Turkey invading and occupying Northern Iraq.

Not that anyone cares about your opinion.

 

[imported_Infidel]

It's a tragedy that the important positions in the US installed infrastructure were staffed with Bush loyalists rather than qualified and competent people. Bush cut our throats in Iraq by putting his party interests before the interests of the Iraqi people.

Purging of the intellectuals is right out of the right wing playbook, is anyone surprised?? I'd say things are going swimmingly if you're a neocon.

They couldn't even secure the oil in the country, this adventure has failed on so many levels.

 

[eleison]

Originally posted by: Infidel
It's a tragedy that the important positions in the US installed infrastructure were staffed with Bush loyalists rather than qualified and competent people. Bush cut our throats in Iraq by putting his party interests before the interests of the Iraqi people.

Purging of the intellectuals is right out of the right wing playbook, is anyone surprised?? I'd say things are going swimmingly if you're a neocon.

They couldn't even secure the oil in the country, this adventure has failed on so many levels.

It has failed because the Iraqi people are killing each other. Not because there is a lack of smart americans on the ground in Iraq. Stop blaming Americans for everything. Sometimes times you have to look at the people who are doing most of the killing, robbing, kidnapping and bombings -- most of whom are.... guess what? Iraqi's...

 

[imported_Shivetya]

Originally posted by: Infidel
It's a tragedy that the important positions in the US installed infrastructure were staffed with Bush loyalists rather than qualified and competent people. Bush cut our throats in Iraq by putting his party interests before the interests of the Iraqi people.

Purging of the intellectuals is right out of the right wing playbook, is anyone surprised?? I'd say things are going swimmingly if you're a neocon.

They couldn't even secure the oil in the country, this adventure has failed on so many levels.

do big parrots eat crackers too?

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Aimster

Originally posted by: dna
No Aimster, only Iranians exiles with mommys loaded with money are allowed to do that.

Let's hear your suggestion smartboy instead of blabbering about Israel.

So you are in favor of Turkey invading and occupying Northern Iraq.

Not that anyone cares about your opinion.

sure why not.

honestly i really dont care what goes on over there. they have been killing each other for eons over stupid sh*t and its not going to change anytime soon.

 

[dahunan]

Why can't the World Media and the UN and the Arab League et al Start posting headlines in papers everywhere that says "Anyone who kills in the name of Islam or preaches violence in the name of Islam is a coward, a criminal, and will never see Allah"

 

[michaels]

No joke, Islam needs to perform an enima on itself fast.