So I’ve been meaning to start a blog for some time now and I’ve finally managed to find the time and brain space to do so. I have a lot of things to say, things most of which I simply cannot find a circle of people who are genuinely interested in or share similar thoughts, may it be political or apolitical. Hence, thought this would be something beneficial to start. I am yet to find a good handful of people who are on the same wavelength as me in this world, the few who already exist in my life I can count on one hand. Quite disheartening really, the apathy all around me almost makes me want to give up at times.
Why Tears of Tigris? The Tigris River was one of the greatest rivers, part of ancient Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates River. These rivers were character of a place now long gone – ‘The Cradle of Civilisation’. All the ancient cities of Mesopotamia were built on the banks of this river and modern day Baghdad is an outcome of this. Unfortunately this is the same river that flowed with blood during heightened violence in Iraq, a direct result of the illegal and inhumane US war and occupation of Iraq, turning the beautiful blue into a shocking red. But no matter what, it will still continue to hold huge importance in the region as it is part of an inerasable history, a history that imperialism has tried so hard to obliterate. So this is a tribute to the rivers beauty and to all the tears we have shed for lost loved ones caught in the middle of the greedy battle for land, power, money and resources, and to those whose blood has ultimately ended up in this river. This is a dedication to all of the faces in the sea of oppression.
As for who I am, well, it’s not really that important. I am your fellow comrade in humanity. All you really need to know is that I am an Iraqi Muslim woman, born in Iraq but denied the right to live there, however I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to start a new life abroad. I suppose you will learn more about me as time progresses. As someone who was raised outside of Iraq my thoughts and opinions are of an insider that has not seen the atrocities up front but has lived through them and witnessed from the outside, ultimately adding to the Iraq narrative. I frequently visit family in the Middle East and it just so happens that I will be travelling back home very soon, another reason to start a blog, and so here I will share my experiences with you, whoever you may be.
I hope that through my words people are able to learn a bit more about Iraqi’s and their suffering, even though I certainly cannot speak for all the Iraqi people. I also hope this encourages you to want to take action. I implore you to go beyond tears, we should not only stand in solidarity with our fellow people but we must take action, even if the action is simply changing the mind of one person. We have not lost the battle for hearts and minds just yet. We owe it to our brothers and sisters in the struggle. I hope to incorporate stories of the fallen, the forgotten and the brave of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and other groups of oppressed people as ‘Tears of Tigris’ goes on.
