Rattibha

I sat on the edge of the Malwiya minaret overlooking the beautiful city of #Samarra and Al-Askari shrine and my friend went berserk: you really think if anything happens to you here, God forbid, your family will believe me when I tell them it was an accident? #Iraq

When terrorists destroyed the Al-Askari shrine in 2006, Shia tribes begged Sistani to allow them to march north to take revenge. He forbid them outright: “the shrine will be rebuilt and it will be even more beautiful than before, but who will answer for the bloodshed?” #Samarra

Day 1 in Iraq.
“can I have a cigarette?”
The driver gives me the entire pack.
Even when it comes to poison, Iraqis give with unmatched generosity.

Al-Awja, the tyrant’s hometown, south of Tikrit. Today it’s a ghost town.

Me: I’m on a diet, please something light today
Tribal Sheikh in Tikrit: say no more

Morbid Iraqi humour:
Two friends discuss, in front of me, what it would take for them to betray me.
I’m glad that neither is willing to sell me out for anything less than $5,000,000

Iraqi judge: When cases reach our desks relating to terrorism offences, powerful armed groups send us pictures of our parent’s or sister’s homes to our personal phones.
Yes, our job is to ensure justice is served. But we are also human.

Asking every civilian I meet in Iraq how many guns they own.
The most common answer:
“a pistol and a Kalashnikov”
The most disturbing answer:
“light or heavy?”

Appointment in Samarra, an ancient Mesopotamian tale #Iraq

Site of the Camp Speicher massacre at the Presidential Palace complex in Tikrit, Iraq.
1,700 Iraqi Shia cadets were executed here by ISIS on 12 June 2014

Lover’s Palace built by Abbasid caliph Al-Mu’tamid in the 9th century for a woman he fell in love with

Getting a haircut in Kadhimiya, Baghdad.
Barber: where are you from?
Me: Najaf.
Barber: Najafis have beautiful voices!
*wow, a Kadhmawi praising Najafis, is this a dream?*
Barber: but we have old scores to settle with you...

Friend: use your indicator
Careem Captain: there’s no use! no one cares!
#Baghdad

I hate it when Iraqi officials say something profound or stupid but then add, “don’t tweet this!”

Baghdad checkpoint.
Officer: are you carrying any weapons?
Driver: no
Me: you what, mate?
Driver: I’m not carrying it

Just met a junior gov’t official wearing a $60,000 watch. The meeting ended with him showing me his collection of watches.

A friend casually drove on the WRONG SIDE of the road towards incoming traffic in Baghdad.
Instinctively, I took out my phone to record our possible, imminent deaths.
“ha, you’re filming this to show the world that Iraqis don’t obey traffic rules?”
He then drove correctly.

Further signs of Iranian influence in Iraq.
They are going to kill us with their sweetness.

Patiently listening to another “we Iraqis invented writing” monologue

Posing for photos with Iraqis.
Iraqis: Take off your mask!

Thought-provoking discussion on stability and sovereignty with Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Fatah Alliance.
The one-hour meeting went quite well. The ‘goodbye’ at the door took another 45 minutes.

Ayatollah Khoei looks stressed out as I go through his papers

Me: I’ll get you a PS5 from London
Unimpressed Baghdadi kid: what’s the point? I have a PS4

Ezidi man from Sinjar smoking tobacco in Duhok after ISIS ethnically cleansed his town, slaughtered the remaining men and enslaved the women and girls whilst the world watched and did nothing #Iraq

Dinner in #Erbil
A Kurdish man heard us speaking Arabic and asked where we come from.
“Baghdad, Najaf & Nasiriya”
“Welcome to Erbil kaka”
He then paid for our dinner.
Our corrupt politicians fight over oil and territory but our people will never be enemies.
#Kurdistan #Iraq

It didn’t end there. He called the manager and pointed at us: every time they come here, it’s on me.
He doesn’t even know our names.
Why?
He was deported by Baathists to Iran in 1988. On his return to Iraq, he spent 5 years in the south: “I will never forget their hospitality”

#Erbil Citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The formerly fortified settlement sits on an artificial hill, created by hundreds of years of building and rebuilding on the same spot #Kurdistan

At a Zoroastrian fire temple in #Erbil
In 2015, Zoroastrianism was officially recognised as a protected faith in the #Kurdistan Region.
Zoroastrians have since had a representative in the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs.

I am in love with every Church
And Mosque
And Temple
And any kind of shrine
Because I know it is there
That people say the different names
Of the One God.
— Hafez

#Erbil Bazaar, Grand Mosque and Citadel #Kurdistan

Kebab Yasin, #Erbil
One of the best kebab joints in the region. And by region I mean Middle East. #Kurdistan

An Ezidi Hashd al-Shabi fighter stands guard outside #Kojo village, which was ethnically cleansed by ISIS in August 2014
Six years after that horrific genocide, only the guards have returned. #Iraq

It’s difficult to comprehend the depravity of ISIS. Not even babies were spared in #Sinjar

One of 82 Ezidi mass graves in Sinjar
400+ Ezidis were killed in cold blood here

الظلم في العراق قصة لن تنتهي
مأساة إخواننا الإيزيدية جرح لم يندمل
لم ولن ينسى ابناء الرافدين ما حصل لأهلهم من الإيزيدية من سبي وقتل وتنكيل وتهجير
مصيبتهم ذكرتنا بالمقابر الجماعية للشيعة في جنوب العراق والأنفال للكرد في الشمال
الظلم والإرهاب لا دين ولا مذهب له

“Welcome to Sinjar, in this ruin a people live who carry the memories of the elderly and dreams of the children”

“No friend but the mountains” — Kurdish proverb
Sinjar Mountains, the only refuge for Ezidis fleeing ISIS in August 2014 until a corridor was opened for them by the PKK
Many elderly and children died of thirst and exhaustion whilst climbing up the mountains

Ezidi resistance fighters here had only one rocket-propelled grenade launcher to defend themselves against ISIS
When the Peshmerga forces fled their positions, they took their weapons with them
#Sinjar

A heartbreaking story of a mother and her baby son. An Ezidi woman carried her baby up mount Sinjar with only one bottle of water to share between them, which she tried to give him one small sip at a time to preserve it until they reached safety.

When 3/4 of the water finished her son died of exhaustion and she left him by the side of the mountain and placed rocks around him. Instead of drinking the rest of the water herself, she carried on climbing the mountain in search of another baby to quench their thirst.

Even though she lost her baby, she thought she could at least save another from the same cruel fate. She eventually found another mother with a baby and gave them the remaining water to drink.

A few hours later, a group of young men came towards her carrying a baby. It was her own son. He hadn’t died but was unconscious. Her son survived but to this day she wonders about the fate of the other baby and his mother.
Six years later, she’s still searching for them.

Sharaf Din shrine in #Sinjar, built in 1274.
Only 18 Ezidi fighters defended this shrine in the summer of 2014 from repeated ISIS attacks.
ISIS couldn’t capture it.
Pilgrims who visit make a wish then stack three round rocks. If they remain upright, their wish is granted #Iraq

Where Major General Majid al-Tamimi tragically died when the Iraqi Army helicopter he was flying crashed on 12/8/2014
Before his death, he rescued hundreds of Ezidi civilians stranded on mount #Sinjar
“You will remain immortal in our hearts” — @MDinnayi (injured in the crash)

The parents of these Ezidi girls were on top of mount #Sinjar when it was surrounded on all sides by ISIS.
There wasn’t enough space in the helicopter but the dad and mum threw their girls in the helicopter and pleaded, “just take them to safety, we will stay here” #Iraq

الزيارة التي قمنا بها بمعيّة الزملاء لم تكن تضامنا مع مأساة إخواننا الإيزيدية فحسب، فهي جرح لم يندمل، ومن الصعب ان يقلب العراقيون هذه الصفحة دون عقاب الجناة، ومن اللازم العدالة لأهلنا من الإيزيديين بعد ما عانوه من سبي وقتل وتنكيل وتهجير
yazidinews.com
@salam_mirza

yazidinews.com

A glimpse of the scale of the destruction in #Mosul

لتهزك اشاعة وحچي العذال
متهز الجبال القيل وقال

Tobacco plantation in Karsi village, Sinjar #Iraq

Drove to Erbil from Mosul and had a friendly chat with the Kurdish Asayish at the first Peshmerga checkpoint in Khazir.
Impressed that the whole process took 5 minutes and I didn’t pay a bribe or use a wasta to get cleared for entry!

RIP Baba Sheikh.
Khurto Hajji Ismail, the spiritual leader of Ezidis passed away today.
I had the honour of meeting him last year in Shekhan. A man of peace who welcomed back Ezidi women enslaved by ISIS and urged the community to do all they can to support them.

we were created to erase the ر of حرب
war = حرب
love = حب

“The frightened do not create freedom” #Iraq

Dr Saad Salloum: Hayder, Mosul is still dangerous and we need to keep a low profile. Please, no tweeting until we leave.
Dr Saad Salloum: *live-streams our drive through Mosul on Facebook*

Landed in #Najaf airport.
The officer scanning the bags flagged mine and told me to open it.
I asked, “what did you see?” and he aggressively replied, “if it’s not too much trouble, open it!”
“No trouble at all, I’m just curious what you saw?”
He said, “books!”

It’s 2020 but despite the proliferation of e-books, smartphones and Internet access, in some countries books are still seen as potential national security threats 🤦🏻‍♂️

Visiting my father’s grave.
I wonder if his killers, who screamed “Allahu Akbar” as they stabbed him, would have killed him if they knew he’d be buried beside Imam Ali

In this trip to Iraq I visited Baghdad, Balad, Samarra, Tikrit, Erbil, Sinjar and Kerbala.
In each city I had to carefully manage breakfast, lunch, and dinner invitations to avoid double bookings.
Within hours of arriving to Najaf: “Hayder, when are you inviting us for lunch?”

Some Najafis are upset at this and want me to clarify that “this means you are now in your hometown and are expected to host guests, not be a guest!”

I have no faith in the political class to reform Iraq but there’s so much hope in the next generation!
It was a pleasure to meet @maytham12295937 @yaser_alsaad @2qutaiba01 @ElwiaMuhammad at @moja_iq, a cozy library cafe in #Najaf created by volunteers from recycled materials 👌🏼

He passed away on Independence Day.
I will never forget the first time I met him as President in 2005.
A friend said, “I can’t believe I am standing in front of the President of Iraq!”
Talabani replied, “come here, let me give you a hug”
RIP Mam Jalal

Happy Independence Day, Ya Iraq!
Inshallah one day we will have independence 🙏🏼

Republican Bridge, Baghdad

Tuk tuk drivers became heroes of #Iraq’s protest movement
Many come from Baghdad’s roughest neighbourhoods and were considered a nuisance in heavy traffic, but they provided an essential service for free: ferrying the injured to hospitals & delivering water & food to protesters

A typical Hawza student’s lunch in #Najaf, #Iraq
The soft drink isn’t included and a piece of fruit is served every other day.

With an Iraqi official who is disinfecting his hands every 2-3 minutes with an alcohol spray.
After the 10th time, I joked, “you must finish a bottle every day!”
He replied, in all seriousness, “yes, a bottle a day” then asked his aide to get him another bottle.

“I’m not afraid to die. I’ve survived Saddam’s regime, the U.S. invasion and occupation, a bloody sectarian civil war, ISIS and the militias... but I’ll be damned if I let a virus kill me.”

#Najaf-#Kerbala highway.
Iraqi Shia pilgrims are marching on foot to Kerbala to mark #Arbaeen, the end of a 40-day mourning period that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain on #Ashura in 680 A.D.
I met a pilgrim from Basra who has already walked 450km to get to Najaf.

“Pilgrims of Hussain, you are missed this year but we will visit on your behalf inshallah”
Due to COVID-19, this year’s #Arabeen pilgrimage is the first since 2004 without significant foreign participation.

#Arbaeen marks one of the greatest tragedies in Islam. It also highlights one of the most beautiful aspects of #Iraq: the generosity of its people.
Along all the routes to Kerbala, locals offer shelter, food, drinks and more for nothing other than the honour of serving pilgrims

#Najaf Hawza is deploying hundreds of Shia clerics along the roads leading to #Kerbala to propagate the message of Imam Hussain during #Arbaeen and “correct the course” after years of politicisation of the religious occasion.

It was a pleasure to meet Louis on #WorldAnimalDay2020

Louis is a fierce Baghdadi cat #WorldAnimalDay

Militias are running riot, ISIS is rearing its ugly head, foreign powers are meddling, the economy is collapsing, COVID-19 is spreading, but @HaiderAlAbadi still has a “meh, no problem is too big to handle” attitude.
He’s almost too optimistic and calm for this country.

“I’m in Iran and you’re in Iraq”
An Iranian friend sent me this poem 💔

Due to COVID-19, Iraq sealed shut its border crossings with Iran and has allowed only 1,500 Iranians to participate in the #Arbaeen via airports
Usually, 2 million Iranians come to Iraq for the annual pilgrimage. Iranian border guards have prevented 100s from illegally crossing.

Six of twelve Shia Imams are buried in Iraq but when Iraqis pledge an oath, they do so in Abbas’ name, for the unflinching loyalty he displayed on #Ashura to his brother Imam Hussain.
Pilgrims who visit #Kerbala first visit Abbas’ shrine and then go to Imam Hussain. #Arbaeen

Imam Hussain shrine #Kerbala #Arbaeen #Iraq

I don’t know what they put in it or when it was produced but it tastes good and should be good for another 97 years inshallah
#MadeInIraq

ما هو حكم من يلتقي بالسفير الايراني وثم بالسفير الامريكي؟
هل هو ذيل ام جوكري؟

Insightful discussions in Baghdad on the future of Iraq with Iraj Masjedi and Matthew Tueller, the Iranian and American Ambassadors to #Iraq

P.S. no one deserves to be shot for meeting with foreign diplomats

A friend passed his driving theory exam in #Baghdad
All the questions were easy and he answered all of them correctly.
The examiner then went over the answers & randomly changed three of the answers to incorrect ones.
Friend: why?
Examiner: otherwise they’ll think we cheated!

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