Iraq: new era of racial and sectarian division

by Darren Eletr

An interview with Dr Ismail Jalili

Ismail Jalili considers himself a British Iraqi, is also a member of the Arab National and Muslim National Congresses. He is an advocate for transparent democracy and human rights in Iraq and the Arab world.

Ismail Jalili is a supporter of the patriotic movement that "rejects the occupation and fragmentation of Iraq, and retrograde attempts to return political thinking to a pre-civilization era based on racial and sectarian division".

Background

He has been a consultant ophthalmologist, in the UK for over 33 years. Ismail Jalili was the previous President of the Iraqi Medical Association in the UK, and also the co-founder of the Arab Medical Association and later became its’ President. He is the co-founder of the Arab Communities Forum, which is now known as the British Arabs Forum – (BAF), and also the founder of the National Association of British Arabs (NABA).

Currently he is the Chair and Secretary General of NABA and General Secretary of BAF. "Independently of the above organisations, I have become increasingly involved in the movement against the occupation and the ongoing onslaught on the Iraqi people and their freedom; as well as the abuse of resources in the interests of American and foreign corporations together with the unacceptable nepotism and sectarianism in appointments and businesses. I have joined other Iraqis in their support of the Iraqi patriotic opposition including the Iraqi Founding Congress", he said.

Exile

"Although I left Iraq after being jailed and tortured by the regime soon after it came to power in the late 60s, I have not been involved actively in any organised opposition to the regime for several reasons. This included my heavy NHS and academic commitments and involvement in the professional medical activities on the one hand, and my lack of confidence in the opposition groups before the war. This was especially because of their allegiance to the USA, their support of the sanctions and the lack of any coherent policy altogether".

British based Iraqi opposition to the interim government in the last 2 years

"It is fragmented and made up of groups and intellectuals who share a common rejection of American policy beginning with the destructive war and the targeting of Iraq’s infrastructure together with the aftermath that followed; which is the dismantling of Iraq’s delicate social fabric, culture and heritage.

This is together with their opposition to the return to retrograde furtherance of racial and sectarian division, and American domination camouflaged in the cloak of democracy. This is in addition to what they believe is an American plan to destabilise Iraq, the Arab world and the Middle East for their own extreme neo-conservative ideology and their unreserved pro-Israel support for apartheid, oppression and killing of the Palestinians".

Iraq today

"It is extremely bad; the poor security andis continuous terror against the civilians have created a state of anarchy".

"This is caused by a combination of factors. These include the destruction wrought by the war itself, the ineptness in undertaking improvements in essential services, and the failure to provide protection and security to the establishments and the people together with the massive unemployment created by dissolving the civil service, army and police."

"In addition, Iraq is still suffering the legacy of more than a decade of inhuman sanctions which harmed the people of Iraq whilst leaving the regime intact, if not more powerful.

In respect of the former, too much of Iraq’s wealth has been siphoned abroad to US business corporations and friends. American soldiers are stealing from the people during searches and through corruption which in turn is contributing to the murders and explosions.

I would also contend that the policy of assassinations of intellectuals, academics and dignitaries in addition to leaders of opposition groups and parties has escalated since Negroponte arrived in Iraq".

Freedom of the opposition under the new ‘democratic rule’ ?

"The US remains the dominant force in decision-making and military strategy. This was even stated by the Interim President in a speech in the Gulf recently. The lack of law and order by itself is the main barrier to freedom. The people are confined to their houses because of terror under what is supposed to be the protection of the occupying forces. As I mentioned earlier, the new democratic practice of assassination has flourished in Iraq. Thanks to the liberation!"

Iraq: Post-Election

"It seems that the media are behaving in a somewhat naïve fashion and are intent on looking at the elections as a cure-all, as a miracle that it is going to transform Iraq into paradise! As long as the main factors contributing to the disenchantment of Iraqi people are still there, the problems will continue. To start with, the majority of people, especially in the unsafe areas, will not participate in the elections because of the lack of security and the boycott of a large number of individuals and political parties and movements from the whole political and religious spectrum.

The main obstacle for their participation is simply that the country needs to be more secure before you can undertake meaningful elections and could be undertaken when the situation is more peaceful rather than a rejection of the process per se. The result, unfortunately, is that there will be a major imbalance in the power structure that emerges from the elections.

This lack of wide-base representation, together with the ongoing presence of the occupying forces, will ensure continuity of the insurgence. The election will only impart a false legitimacy to the occupying forces and the pro-occupation administration. It will also serve to clear the way for the American/Israeli/regional interests in dividing Iraq initially into confederates and, later on, into separate states.

It would much easier to control smaller fragments that the whole of Iraq. The possibility of further conflicts in Iraq to start with (and later in the region as a whole) is still present.

So far the US administration has endeavoured to facilitate conditions and atrocities to trigger a civil war and Iraqis have succeeded in resisting these attempts, which says much for the great desire of the people for a united Iraq - but for how long?"

Link to the original article