Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Baghdad: Little Russia

 
A naturalized Canadian citizen who returned to his native Iraq six months ago was kidnapped on August 2nd in Baghdad and killed two days later. His captors used the victim’s own cell phone to demand $250,000.00 from his family for his release. When it was not forthcoming they shot Zaid Meerwali and dumped his body.

Meerwalli was a Shia Muslim who left Iraq in the '90s and settled in Canada. His brother described him as a “trader” and said that Meerwali had married since his return to Baghdad. Claiming that his brother wanted only to help rebuild his native country, Munir Meerwali went on to say that his brother was targeted because he was a Canadian.

That’s disingenuous at best. Mr. Meerwali was targeted because he was wealthy and it was a good opportunity to make a quick killing on an easy target.

His grieving brother was closer to the truth when he described the process in Iraq for new arrivals:

They go only for certain kinds of people -- doctors, engineers -- people they come from outside usually, and those guys they have connections."
He said that whenever a foreign professional arrives in Iraq, kidnappers are notified through a network of informers placed at airports, borders and telephone companies.
"Anybody come, they call those people in these places. They call the people in the intelligence, so they follow him until the right time and they kidnap him."
That’s closer to the truth. Mr. Meerwali was killed because he prospered and because Iraq does not operate under the rule of law. It may be a long, dangerous slog to reach that goal, too.

As the paper noted, more than two hundred foreigners have been kidnapped. It does not say whether ransom was involved in all of them or if some were simply infidel killlings. It also does not mention the large number of native professionals –doctors, lawyers, etc., -- who have been kidnapped and held for ransom. Many such men now hire bodyguards to prevent being taken.

This is just one of the booming businesses in a brutal land. The legacy of Mohammed lives on.

Those who are struggling against the corruption and thuggery are courageous to simply keep on keeping on. This poor, benighted country has had more than its share of sorrows.

It is fortunate for them that their culture frowns on alcohol consumption. Otherwise, they might be like the Russians, dying of alcoholism at an ever-increasing rate as the gangsters make life there not worth living. Or at least not worth living sober.

The next time someone complains about this country, suggest they consider emigration to a friendlier, safer clime. Say, Russia, perhaps. Or Cuba. Or Haiti. Or France, for that matter. There is nothing like living elsewhere for awhile to open your eyes to the niggardly size of our problems compared to most others. Not all, mind you -- there are a few spots left in the Anglosphere where you might feel safe.

Count them on one hand and have some fingers left to count your blessings.

10 comments:

John Sobieski said...

Well, since Baghdad is now culturally the 7th century, how about a little sharia with that drink.

Leftists consider America a craphole of the world. They have no idea how good they have it. Simply no perspective.

Pedestrian Infidel
The Pedestrian Infidel Blog

Dymphna said...

Hmmm....a fund for Christians. There are a few left in Iraq, but I believe the last of the Jews are now gone. It took almost two millenia, but they're gone.

John Sobieski said...

PD111, I think you are right that it was probably originally a London article that the NZH picked up. What was really weird was how the guy just could not make any opinion, at the end he said "I will leave it at that." What a wuss. He basically just clipped the article and did not make any conclusion except "I will leave it at that."

Dreamer said...

A disturbing aspect of this story is that the man in question was Muslim. It seems logical to kidnap and kill Western non-Muslims to send a message: stay out of the Caliphate. Killing Muslims seems...counter-intuitive.

Perhaps he wasn't Muslim enough. Even bin Laden had assassination attempts levied against him in Sudan by Islamists who thought he just wasn't radical enough

El Jefe Maximo said...

I have always thought the effort to bring "democracy" or, more accurately, republican institutions, to Iraq was hopelessly muddle-headed to begin with. The murder of Mr. Meerwali illustrates why.

How can you hope to have or keep a republic without institutions able to run it ? Without police, an army which is obedient, a properly trained bureaucracy, functioning courts, school, public administration, trying to build what the media fools call democracy is worse than a crime, it's a mistake. All of the institutions I mentioned have to be in place before you can talk about a real republic.

When criminal gangs can routinely run kidnap operations in your capital, detonate car bombs, and the government controls little more than the ground it occupies, talk of "democracy" is laughable.

The best that Iraq and places like it, can hope for, short run, is something like Spain under Franco, or the Republic of Korea in the Park Chung Hee days: and that owed so much to the Japanese (that part largely unattributed), Syngman Rhee, Korean cultural traditions, and the American military governments following the Second World War.

Until the Arabs, and Muslims generally, can build institutions that operate by rules and are essentially obedient to superior authority, outside of clan and family loyalty, this democracy talk is just foolishness.

Yes, I know that's a bit of an aside from your post Dymphna, and I apologize (mulling something like this for my own blog), but that's what this killing makes me think about.

Wild Bill said...

"How can you hope to have or keep a republic without institutions able to run it ?"

Need I remind you of Quantrell, and Pancho Villa and Quahnah Parker and Red Cloud?? I'm talkin bout Texas here.. Course, we dont have Judge Roy Bean anymore either !! But hey, I hear they are gonna start havin hangins in Iraq again soon .. Maybe even ol Saddam !! SWING BABY, SWING !!

El Jefe Maximo said...

Yeah, I'm hanging from Texas too, Quantrell and Judge Roy Bean operated on the margins....come to think of it, sorta like the Shiite hit squads in Iraq...hmmm, maybe you've got a point. Anyway, when the government in Texas wants or wanted to get something done, I'd hate to be in it's way.

Agree with you about Saddam needing to swing, soonest.

Baron Bodissey said...

Note to today's commenters: I have been on vacation, and Dymphna is away taking care of her new grandchild until sometime on Friday Aug 19th (i.e. tomorrow). So we're not really ignoring you!

More tomorrow.

Dreamer said...

...was really a tool of the global Zionist Conspiracy.

They just love their global Zionist Conspiracies. The Jews: still an excuse for abject poverty, bad attitudes, and genocide: 3 millennia and counting!

goesh said...

- imagine going to Iraq and not being armed, sheesh! Wouldn't you want at least a .357 in a shoulder holster at all times? The odds of surviving a kidnapping are are extremely remote, so why be lead to the slaughter like a stupid sheep? allah will reward you if you gut-shoot a couple of kidnappers. Hey! I'm just trying to be helpful here..........