Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009Price $1

SOMA Digest is a subsidiary of KHAK Press & Media Center.

As Iraq prepares for the upcom-

ing parliamentary elections,

slated for January next year, Dr

Fuad Masoum, head of the Kurdistan

Alliance List in the Iraqi Parliament,

stresses the need to organize these polls

better so as to avoid irregularities. In an

exclusive interview with SOMA Di-

gest, he also explains why ‘closed lists’

are a more suitable system of voting for

the country at this point.

“We should focus on two things; the

electoral commission should make sure

that everything is more organized so

that the same mistakes are not made,

and people should be made more aware

of following up their identifications and

registration, and finding out which

polling station their names have been

registered at before voting begins,” he

said.

Insofar as the benefits and limitations

of using open or closed party lists, Ma-

soum said: “In a country like Iraq

where illiteracy is high, unfortunately

[open lists system] leaves more room

for cheating.”

read more page 4

Degrees of

separationThree years since a 25-member

review committee began work on

modifying the Iraqi constitution,

social and political disputes continue

to hamper progress.

REGION page 5

Kurds of the world,

unite!Kurdish-American organization

helps young Kurds maintain their

Kurdish identity abroad.

COMMUNITY page 7

Legacy of warCamp Ashraf in Diyala constitutes a

humanitarian and human rights issue

of real magnitude and urgency.

VIEWS page 11

Opportunity in

adversityKirkuk sustains marked economic

improvements.

BUSINESS page 13

Mother’s gardenFlowers now bloom over what once

was a prison for female relatives of

Peshmargas.

CULTURE page 15

www.soma-digest.com

editor@soma-digest.com

Secret is inthe sauce

Buddy, canyou spare a

part?

Citizencane

POMEGRANATES

COMMUNITY page 8

AUTO BODY

BUSINESS page 14

WALK THE LINE

CULTURE page 15

INSIDE: W00T! 1337 = th3 n3w b4b31,by Agri Ismail p.8 Outdated prison business, by Dr Joseph Kechichian p.10 Lost city? by Raz Jabary p.10

‘Electionsmust be betterorganized’

Danielle Mitterrand opens two new French schools in the Kurdistan Region on her visit. (photo by Aram Eissa)

Sara Naz

BAGHDAD

Danielle Mitterrand, a

staunch supporter of

human rights and a loyal

advocate of the Kurdish

cause, visited the Kurdis-

tan Region on an official invitation by the

Kurdistan Region’s President Massoud

Barzani.

The 85-year-old former First Lady of

France attended a session of the recently-

inaugurated Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament. In

her remarks, she urged all new parliamen-

tary factions to be united in confronting the

challenges that the Kurdistan Region is

facing. She dedicated some of her time to

talk about her experiences with the Kurds

of Northern Iraq whom she had met when

she came into the region through Iran in

1991 during the year of the uprising.

“When I visited the Kurdistan Region at

the end of April 1991, I saw how people

fled in fear from Saddam’s regime. The

images of those days were very shocking

and had an impact in the establishment of

the no-fly zone,” she said. “There are now

several Western consulate offices in your

region. Your government can also try to

open diplomatic and cultural offices in

these countries and use this opportunity to

establish strong relations...”

Mitterrand expressed her happiness be-

fore the elected MPs, saying: “For me

being in the Kurdistan Region is like being

at my home, we are one family.”

Making note of the recent elections of

the Kurdistan Region, she praised the

process of democratization that was find-

ing its way in the region. She also ap-

plauded the ratio of women members of

parliament, calling it a positive step.

During her visit, Mitterrand opened two

new international French schools in the

Kurdistan Region, one in the capital Erbil

and the other in the city of Slemani. The

school will enroll children between the

ages of three to seven and offer an interna-

tional education in four languages, French,

English, Kurdish and Arabic. The Slemani

and Erbil schools will be managed by the

Mission Laique Francaise of the French

General Consulate in Erbil and the Kur-

distan Regional Government’s (KRG)

Ministry of Education.

Mitterrand, famously dubbed the

'mother of Kurds', spoke of the importance

of education for the progress of the Kur-

distan Region and expressed her happiness

at what had been achieved over the years.

— BY JEN A. SAGERMA IN SLEMANI

‘Mother of Kurds’

Dr Fuad Masoum

Shakraw’s sweet memories

2 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

STAFFPUBLISHING HOUSE: Khak Press & Media CenterMANAGING EDITOR: Tanya GoudsouzianDEPUTY EDITOR: Lawen A SagermaCOLUMNISTS: Dr Sherko Abdullah, Agri Ismail, Dr JosephKechichian, Maureen McLuckie, Dr Denise Natali, Anwar M. QaradaghiCONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Zheno Abdulla, Iason Athanasiadis,Karokh Bahjat, Linda Berglund, Devanjan Bose (New Delhi), IlnurCevik (Ankara), Patrick Cockburn, Thomas Davies (Damascus), BayanEissa, Dr Rebwar Fatah (London), Basit Gharib, Dr Harry Hagopian(London), Hemin Hussein, Hewa Jaff, Fakhri Karim (Baghdad), VaniaKarim, Ali Kurdistani, Mohamad Karim Mohamad, Dastan Nouri, AmedOmar, Jamal Penjweny, Asoz L. Rashid (Baghdad), Roshna Rasool,Kurdawan Mohammad Saeed, Jen. A. Sagerma, Dr Tan Azad Salih, DrHussein Tahiri (Australia), Qubad Talabani (Washington, DC), AbdulKarim Uzery

REPORTERS: Awat Abdullah, Darya Ibrahim, Dana Hameed, HeminKakayi (Kirkuk), Saz Kamal, Barzan Kareem, Sazan Mandalawi (Erbil),Galawizh H. Rashid, Dana Rashid

CULTURE WRITERS: Roshna Rasool, Kamaran Najm

UK CORRESPONDENTS: Lara Fatah, Raz Jabary, Sara Naz

LANGUAGE EDITOR: Anwar M. Qaradaghi

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Aram Eissa

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kamaran Najm, Soran Naqshbandy

CARTOONS: Ako Gharib

DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Darya Ibrahim

MARKETING MANAGER: Brwa Abdulrahman

CIRCULATION MANAGER: Rashid Khidr Rashid

WEBSITE: Avesta Group for Software SolutionsPRINTING HOUSE: Hamdi Publishing House (Slemani)

Our offices are located at KHAK Press & Media Center, on Shorosh

Street, Slemani, Iraq.

Tel: 009647701570615

Fax: 0044703532136666

SOMA Digest strives to offer its readership a broad spectrum of viewson Iraqi and Kurdish affairs. As such, all opinions and views expressedin these pages belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect theposition of the publication.

CONTENTSCURRENT AFFAIRS ....................................................................................................................3COMMUNITY ..............................................................................................................................6WORD ON THE STREET ............................................................................................................9VIEWS .........................................................................................................................................10 LETTERS ....................................................................................................................................12BUSINESS .................................................................................................................................13CULTURE & MORE ....................................................................................................................15LIFESTYLE .................................................................................................................................17HISTORY ....................................................................................................................................18SOCIETY ....................................................................................................................................19CHAIKHANA ...............................................................................................................................20

SOMA Digest wishes to introducesome Kurdish phrases and expressions,which the visitor to Kurdistan will find use-ful.

Judy Roberts, an American schoolteacher, has been teaching English in aschool in Slemani for over a year. At theschool, she has met Aso, a Kurdish col-league, and their relationship has grownand become serious enough to result informal engagement. In this episode Judyand Aso discuss the subject of a standardlanguage of writing for the Kurds:

Aso: What would you like us to

discuss this time, my dear?

Hez akaet bassy che bkain am jaregyanekem? Judy: Thank you darling. In fact I

want to ask you about a subject that is

important to me.

Supas gyanekem. Le rastya, amewetsebaret be babetek let prsim ke gringelam. Aso: Go ahead my dear.

Farmu, gyanekem.Judy: Well, you know that Kurdish is

very dear to me. It is your language

and your people have become like my

people now.

Bashe, tto dezanit ke Kurdi lam sher-ine. Zmani ttoye u heni geleket, ke estaweku geli xomian le hatua.Aso: And so, what about it, my dear?

Eh,enja, sebaret be che depirsit,gyanekem? Judy: It is to do with its writing. I face

difficulty with it. You know I have to

learn to read and write it.

So give me some advice.

Sebaret be nuseneweyeti. Qursey tedaabenim. Tto azanit, mn de bet ferbmbexwen mewa u benusim. Le ber awe hendi amozhgar imbedere.Aso: Very well my dear and I am glad

that you are interested in the language.

I can feel its difficulty for you.

We will gradually discuss some of its

aspects.

Zor Chake gyanekem u mn dlxoshimke arezut le zmaneke heye. Min det-wanim hest be grania key kembo tto.Eme wirde wirde bassy hendi bassyhendi barekani dekain.

Judy: Thanks. Yes, let us do that and

please help me as I go along.

Supas. Belly ba wa bkain u tkaye legulroyshtnma yarmetim bde.Aso: Certainly, my dear. You now

know a great deal about the Kurds,

and how Kurdistan has been divided

among four or five states and how the

main languages of those states differ

from Kurdish.

Writing in those countries differ too.

Be dlniya ewa gyanekem. Tto esta zorle barey Kurdewe dezanit u chon Kur-distan le newan chwar pench wlatadabesh krawe u chon zmanekani awwlatane le gul zmani Kurdiyajeawazin. Her weha, nusin le wla-taneshda jeawaza.Judy: How do you mean?

Mebestit chya?Aso: For instance in Turkey, they use

the Latin alphabet and in Iraq, Iran and

Syria, the Arabic alphabet is used and

so on.

Bo nmune, le Turkyada, alfo beie La-tini bekar denin u le Irak u Iran uSurya, alfo beie Arbi bekar denin uawa.

Kurdish for beginners

ANWAR M. QARADAGHI

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 3

REGION|CURRENT AFFAIRS NEWS ANALYSIS&

As the preparations for the

parliamentary elections

scheduled for January

2010 gain momentum,

much remains undecided.

Little headway has been made towards

passing a new elections law with rumors

circulating that contested Kirkuk is to be

excluded from the nationwide vote.

Issues under discussion include calls to

increase the number of seats in parliament

from 275 to 311, but the Iraqi Election In-

formation Network (EIN) has already re-

jected such a proposal, calling it

unconstitutional due to the absence of a re-

liable population census. Conducting such

a census has been delayed and it is not likely

to be performed before the January 2010

polls.

According to unofficial numbers, there

has been an 85 percent increase in the pop-

ulation of Mosul, which is currently wit-

nessing strenuous tensions between the Al

Hadba List and the Kurdish Brotherhood

Alliance. These unofficial statistics have

added weight to the argument that an in-

crease in parliamentary seats is not consti-

tutional until an authorized census is

conducted.

“This 85 percent increase is very suspi-

cious. It would amount to 13 seats in the

Iraqi parliament which is something that is

not only unacceptable by the Kurdistan Al-

liance but also by other blocs as it would

mean the number of Baathists will increase

in parliament,” said Fryad Rawanduzi, a

member of the Kurdistan Alliance List in the

Iraqi Parliament.

Among the latest concerns is the matter

of whether there should be open or closed

lists in the upcoming elections. Due to both

national and international pressure after the

fall of the former regime, the government of

Iraq at the time opted for the closed system

because of its simplicity. However this time,

there are calls for a more transparent voting

from many parties, including the Shiite re-

ligious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sis-

tani.

“The majority of the blocs are for open

lists but as the Kurdistan Alliance we are in

favor of closed lists but we don’t see this as

a big problem either way,” said Rawanduzi.

The Iraqi Parliament in a letter to the

High Constitutional Court requested that

Kirkuk be given special status or excluded

from the elections; the court in their reply

stated that this cannot be allowed and is un-

constitutional and that Kirkuk should be

treated just the same as the other cities.

“Some entities are trying to place obsta-

cles in front of these elections through

Kirkuk. No law has been put to the vote by

the Iraq Parliament as of yet but there are

certain groups in Kirkuk that are calling for

an equal quota system of four Kurds, four

Arabs, four Turkmen and one Christian in

the Iraqi parliament,” said Rawanduzi.

“If it is done like this, then there is no

need for an election because you have al-

ready chosen the people and this is against

Articles 7, 10, 12, 18, 22, 49 of the Iraqi con-

stitution,” added Rawanduzi.

According to Rawanduzi, Kirkuk must

be included in the January 2010 elections

and the Kurdistan Alliance List will do

everything in their power to contest it,

should the Iraqi parliament approve such a

law which would be contrary to the consti-

tution and the decision of the High Consti-

tutional Court.

He added that should it come to that, then

it would be necessary for the Council of the

Presidency to use the veto.

“The job of the Council of the Presidency

is to ensure the complete implementation of

the constitution. but we hope that it doesn’t

have to reach that stage where the veto has

to be used but there is no doubt that should

they approve this [law], we will take it to the

Council of the Presidency.”

Rawanduzi explained that they were

open to discussing any matter pertaining to

Kirkuk after the elections but if the prob-

lems become the reason for delaying the

elections in Kirkuk and the other cities, ‘this

will not be acceptable’.

There have been media leaks that the

Kurdistan Alliance and Kurdish affiliated

lists will boycott the elections should the

new elections law, that excludes Kirkuk, be

approved and not vetoed by the Council of

the Presidency.

“This [the boycott] will be our last card

but if we realize that they are insistent on de-

laying the elections in Kirkuk then as the

Kurdistan Alliance and the other Kurdish

blocs we will strongly contest it and boycott

the elections all over Iraq,” said Rawanduzi.

‘Not acceptable’

Lawen A. Sagerma

SLEMANI

Kurdistan Alliance ready to boycottelections if Kirkuk is excluded fromupcoming polls.

Replay‘The PKK must abandonweapons and start a newlife. The Turkish initiativeon the Kurdish cause inTurkey reflects positively onthe region.’

MASSOUD BARZANI, Presidentof Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, in aninterview with CNN Turk, onKRG’s support of Turkish policyregarding solving the Kurdishissue in Turkey.

‘We will work on bringingthe Iraqi and Syrian viewscloser to solve all pendingissues between the twocountries.’

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN,Turkish PM, on Turkey’s effortsto solve Iraqi-Syrian crisis.

Anwar Mohammad Nouri and his

family were forced to leave their

hometown in Kirkuk during the

Kurdish Uprising in 1991. They found

refuge in Topzawa Camp in Erbil, where

they would reside in squalid conditions for

three years.

“We waited and waited for news of what

would happen to us. We lived in terrible

conditions there. After the no fly zone we

still couldn’t go back to Kirkuk because I

was a Kurd and a Peshmarga too,” recalls

Nouri, 53. “We eventually left Topzawa be-

cause we were hopeless and relocated to an-

other camp. We went to Binislawa in Erbil

until the liberation process in 2003. Then,

we returned to our village and rebuilt our

lives. Although our income is good and we

have our own house, the security situation

is terrible. We are always living in fear. We

returned because it is my home and every-

one needs to be where they belong.”

After the first Gulf war in 1991, the rul-

ing Baath regime waged a campaign to

eradicate the Kurdish people of Iraq. This

involved bringing Arab families into resi-

dential areas, which were predominately

populated by Kurds. As this was carried out

in the zone above the 32nd parallel of the no

fly zone, it added to the controversy.

The deportation process of Kurdish fam-

ilies in Kirkuk was part of a bigger policy of

Arabization, which resulted in the creation

of many camps such as the Daratu camp in

the city, the Topzawa camp in the province

of Erbil and the Bardaqaraman camp in Sle-

mani. These were just a few of the camps

that the former regime used to keep close

watch over internally displaced people and

prevent them from joining Kurdish revolu-

tionary forces.

In addition to the social and political pres-

sures used by the Baath regime, poverty was

rife and space was cramped in these camps.

Harem Abbas, 25, and his family, they

were spared the wretchedness of these

camps, but forced to live through other hard-

ships in foreign lands.

“After the destruction of our village in

1985 we left for Chamchamal and then

when the uprising happened we went to Iran

to Saqiz. We thought that the Kurdish cause

was hopeless, so we decided to go to Pak-

istan,” he recounts. “We stayed there for two

years and after the establishment of the no

fly zone we returned to Slemani. After the

liberation, we returned to our own city.”

Abbas says that returning to Kirkuk was

difficult, as it took time to readjust: “We

were used to the stability of Slemani

whereas living in Kirkuk meant you were

always living in fear. I couldn’t handle it so

I returned to Slemani but the rest of my fam-

ily are still living there.”

Nishtiman Osman, 27, was among those

who never left Kirkuk.

“Our financial situation wasn’t good and

so like other Kurds we couldn’t afford to go

abroad,” she says. “During the Baath regime

we lived in appalling conditions because my

father and brothers couldn’t work freely and

a number of times our papers to be relocated

came but after bribes they left us alone.”

Osman is grateful that living conditions

have improved now, but, she says: “Much

more needs to be done. Public services need

more attention especially water, electricity

and road works.”

Simko Bahroz, a Kurdish historian, ex-

plains that plans for ‘the eradication of the

Kurdish nation’ date back to ‘the advent of

the religion of Islam into the area when

Arabs were brought here.’

“Successive Iraqi governments have tried

to Arabize especially Kirkuk by vacating

Kurdish villages and replacing them with

Arabs such as the villages of Hasari Gawra

and Saqizi as well as the villages surround-

ing Daquq and Khurmatw,” he says.

Between the years 1872 and 1873, a for-

eign engineer visited the city of Kirkuk and

evaluated its population at been approxi-

mately 12,000-15,000. He pointed out that

except for 40 Armenian families, all the

other families inside Kirkuk were Kurdish.

Another census was carried out by historian

Amin Zaki Beg in Kirkuk in 1930 and sent

to King Faisal I in a letter. In the letter he

pointed out that upon completion of the cen-

sus, 51 percent of the inhabitants of Kirkuk

were Kurdish followed by 21.5 percent

Turkmen, 20 percent Arab and 7.5 percent

that were made up of the other smaller mi-

norities such as Armenians and Assyrians.

Awara Jumaa

KIRKUK

‘Everyone needs to be where they belong’

Attempts to change the demographics of Kirkuk dateback to the advent of Islam in the region, says historian.

‘The agreement includescontrolling borders, fighting PKK elements andtraining Iraqi forces.’

JAWAD AL BOULANI, Iraq’sInterior Minister, on signing acomprehensive cooperationagreement with Turkey.

Kurds will not accept exclusion of Kirkuk from elections. (photo by Aram Eissa)

4 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

As the Iraqi cabinet’s term comes toan end, and with focus now on the up-coming elections, slated for Januarynext year, SOMA Digest was granted anexclusive interview with Dr Fuad Ma-soum, head of the Kurdistan AllianceList in the Iraqi Parliament. Masoumaddressed the rumors that he is to be ap-pointed deputy prime minister, stressedthe need to organize these polls better soas to avoid irregularities, and explainedwhy ‘closed lists’ are a more suitablesystem of voting for the country at thispoint.

There have been rumors that you are

to become Prime Minister Nouri Al

Maliki’s deputy. Is there any truth to

this?

This is simply a rumor. There has not

been a political decision made on this

and I personally have not thought about

this. This issue remains open and unre-

solved; especially since the period for

someone to fill this position is very

short.

Does the position of deputy PM hold

any real authority or is it simply a

title?

Regarding the authority of the deputy

prime minister, in my opinion, this really

depends on the relationship between the

two positions, the prime minister and the

deputy, and what kind of authority the

PM would give his deputy. So in reality,

if the PM does not give any authority to

his deputy, and the deputy does not put

the effort in, I don’t think it is an impor-

tant position.

In the previous Iraqi election, a large

number of people were unable to par-

ticipate in the voting process due to

problems with voting registration.

Cases whereby individuals had in fact

signed and recorded their names to

vote but their names were misspelt or

non-existent in registration were

plenty. What has been done so that

this does not happen again?

This issue has been discussed with the

high electoral commission - the body re-

sponsible for the elections. We should

focus on two things; the electoral com-

mission should make sure that every-

thing is more organized so that the same

mistakes are not made, and people

should be made more aware of follow-

ing up their identifications and registra-

tion, and finding out which polling

station their names have been registered

at before voting begins. People should

not ignore this process or leave it until

the last minute or on Election Day.

There is another problem that I have per-

sonally brought to the attention of the

electoral commission; the system that

the commission is following is still the

same system that was used by the Baath

regime. During the Baath regime period,

people were scared not to vote, voting

was compulsory. Three, four or five vil-

lages were provided with only one vot-

ing ballot box but because of fear,

everybody would vote no matter how

difficult.

Since people are not forced to vote any-

more, the number of ballot boxes must

be increased along with the number of

polling stations to make it easier for peo-

ple to cast their votes. The last election

took place in July, the peak of summer

heat. If this next election falls into Janu-

ary, that would be the peak of winter

cold and it can be very difficult for peo-

ple to travel long distances to cast their

votes in both situations. So if the number

of boxes is increased, it would encour-

age and help people to vote.

In your view, how can more people be

encouraged to vote in the next Iraqi

election for a maximum turnout?

This concerns two or three factors. The

first relates to the political groups and

parties that must work hard to encourage

people to vote, and make the public feel

and understand that their votes are val-

ued and do count, not like in the regime

before, where Saddam would win 99

percent of the votes regardless. A fair

and democratic election is a relatively

new concept here so it is partly the re-

sponsibility of the political parties to en-

courage a greater turnout.

In order to encourage more people to

participate in voting, candidates which

are liked and accepted by the public

must be elected or nominated, so that

people would want to vote for them, and

this is an important factor in all elec-

tions.

Thirdly, as mentioned before, if the

number of polling stations and ballot

boxes are increased, this would help

more people to participate more easily

for a larger turnout.

What are the benefits and limitations

of using open or closed party lists in

the voting system of a country like

Iraq?

Democratically speaking, open lists used

in voting are more democratic since peo-

ple have the opportunity to vote for their

own representatives, the candidates they

want to represent them. But, in a country

like Iraq where illiteracy is high, unfor-

tunately this list leaves more room for

cheating. Other people often fill out the

voting sheets of those who are illiterate

or unable to fill out the sheets them-

selves, and they sometimes take this

chance to vote for someone who they

themselves wish to represent them,

which is not always the same choice of

the actual voter.

The second point relates to the coalition

between parties or lists which in the case

of open lists can create problems. For in-

stance, in areas where the Patriotic

Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has strength,

people vote for the PUK candidates

only, and in Kurdistan Democratic Party

(KDP) strongholds, people vote for the

KDP candidates only. Voting for parties

in their strongholds can create a problem

for the coalition and united party since it

interferes with the previously agreed

candidate names, positions and ranks

made by both parties in the coalition.

For example, if the coalition decided to

have five representatives from one party

in some positions, and five candidates

from the other party in other positions,

it could happen that only five candidates

from one party are elected due to the

open list voting. This weakens the coali-

tion’s relationship and agreements. And

Kurds entering the Iraqi parliament with

multiple lists can weaken our voice. As

another example, if my name were cho-

sen and agreed upon by both sides of the

coalition, there would still be a chance I

would not be elected or chosen. So in

cases of coalition, it is probably better

for there to be closed list voting, I don’t

mean whereby the candidates are not

seen or known at all, I mean where the

public simply vote for the coalition

group and their agreements can remain

stable. But of course, on a democratic

route, people should have the opportu-

nity to vote for entirely who they wish,

but because of the problems I mentioned

earlier with regards to cheating, unfortu-

nately this is not always the case and

people often end up voting for not who

they wished.

‘Everyone’s vote counts’Sara Naz

BAGHDAD

Exclusive interview with Dr Fuad Masoum on the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections.

The prospects of a rapprochement

between the Sunni-Arab Al Had-

baa party and the Kurdish Ninewa

Brotherhood group have diminished

after the two parties failed to bridge dif-

ferences and reach a power-sharing deal

at a specially-convened conference on 6

September, sponsored by the US em-

bassy in Iraq.

Salar Doski, head of the Patriotic

Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office in

Duhok, told SOMA Digest: “The prob-

lems began after the provincial elections

in January... Recently, the Brotherhood

List warned Al Hadbaa that if they do

not extend some measure of coopera-

tion, they will ask the Iraqi Parliament

to create a new province for the Kur-

dish-populated areas around the city of

Mosul.”

The Arab-Kurdish dispute in the

northern province of Ninewa may fur-

ther exacerbate should the Kurdish

Ninewa Brotherhood List make good on

a threat to set up a ‘substitute govern-

ment’ over majority Kurdish towns and

districts. The Brotherhood List has boy-

cotted Ninewa’s provincial administra-

tion controlled by the Sunni-Arab Al

Hadbaa List, since the latter won the

largest share of votes in the provincial

polls on 31 January.

Prior to the elections, the Brother-

hood List was in power, but the out-

come of the polls turned the tide in favor

of the Sunni Arab constituency. This

came as no surprise since the Sunni

Arabs had boycotted the 2005 elections

en masse, essentially paving the way for

a Kurdish victory.

Barzan Saeed, head of the local coun-

cil of the predominately Kurdish town

of Makhmour, as well as other Kurdish

leaders, claim that the new provincial

council is biased to Sunni Arabs and the

province has become a base for insur-

gents and terrorists.

Saeed has threatened to declare inde-

pendence from Ninewa’s provincial

council and form a ‘substitute govern-

ment’, unless their demands are met.

These demands include two of the top

positions in the provincial council.

Atheel Al Najaifi, Governor of

Ninewa, has rejected all accusations and

vowed to dissolve any local council at-

tempting to separate from the gover-

norate.

Ninewa’s Arabs explain that their

chief concern is over Kurdish aspira-

tions to annex parts of Ninewa province

– dubbed ‘disputed territories’ – to the

Kurdistan Region.

While conceding that it would be un-

constitutional to declare ‘independence’

from the provincial council, Ninewa’s

Kurds point out that it is equally uncon-

stitutional for Article 140 to be repeat-

edly delayed. Article 140 in the Iraqi

Constitution calls for the restoration of

the original demographics in disputed

cities – prior to Saddam Hussein’s ‘Ara-

bization’ programs, which saw vast

numbers of Kurdish inhabitants up-

rooted from their homes – followed by

a referendum to determine whether the

city should fall under federal or Kurdish

regional jurisdiction.

— BY TANYA GOUDSOUZIAN &GALAWIZH H. HUSSAIN

No deal in Ninewa

September conference yields no progress.

After a number of complaints there is a need to organize the elections better so asto avoid irregularities for the upcoming January elections. (photo by Aram Eissa)

‘The political

groups must work

hard to encourage

people to vote,

and to make the

public feel that

their vote does

count.’

Dr Fuad Masoum, head of the KurdistanAlliance List in the Iraqi Parliament.

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 5

Three years since work began

on the Iraqi constitution, it has

yet to be completed. No

doubt, the process of prepar-

ing a legal binding charter or

even modifying it can be a daunting

and delicate task in a country wrought

with political disputes and social ten-

sions.

The only task that the modification

committee of the Iraqi constitution in

the Iraqi parliament has accomplished

to date is to delay the tensions that are

likely to explode among the different

social and ethnic forces and compo-

nents.

The Iraqi constitution as voted for by

the people of Iraq in 2005 has continu-

ously seen conflicts as the diverse com-

position of the country contest various

articles, namely those that have a Kur-

dish dimension such as Article 140, the

regional authority in Iraq, and natural

resources.

According to Law 142 in the Iraqi

constitution, the review committee of

the Iraqi constitution consists of 25

members. The head of the committee is

Shiite, his first deputy is a Kurd and the

secretary of the committee is Sunni.

This allocation of posts is meant to en-

sure the full participation of the domi-

nant groups in Iraq in the process.

Committee yet to publish reportIn accordance with the same law,

modifications can be made to the con-

stitution but the committee has yet to

publish a report with which they all

concur. If an agreement is attained and

a report is produced, it will be passed

onto the Iraqi Representative Assembly

for a vote.

One problem is that the deadline for

submitting the modifications of the

Iraqi constitution is not clear.

“I don’t think that the committee can

finish its work for this season of parlia-

ment because of the large discrepancies

in views and the lack of a political con-

sensus among the parties,” said Dr.

Ahmed Anwar from the review com-

mittee of the Iraqi constitution.

“Therefore some issues have hit a

dead end like Article 140, the power of

the regional and central authorities and

natural resources. The Kurdistan Al-

liance will not relinquish Kurdish rights

which are in the Iraqi constitution.”

Bayazed Hasan, a member of the

Iraqi Representative Assembly, ex-

plained that the committee which was

authorized for modifying the Iraqi con-

stitution had to finish its work in the pe-

riod of four months by presenting all

the suggestions to the parliament before

it was to be put to a vote and finally for

there to be a referendum on the modi-

fied version.

Bones of contention“It has been three and a half years

and the committee has only modified 25

articles out of a total 144 and added an-

other 65 articles,” said Hasan.

The articles in the Iraqi constitution

that are the bones of contention and re-

quire modification are specific to the

Personal Affairs Status Law and on

which the Shiite and Iraqi Alliance do

not see eye to eye. These articles in-

clude authority of the president, re-

gional and central shared and separated

authorities, natural resources, Iraqi

archeological sites among a number of

other articles.

According to the current Iraqi consti-

tution, the president’s authority is re-

stricted by a supervising power and

most of the governing power goes to the

Prime Minister, but the Sunnis want to

strengthen the president’s authority and

are looking to create a new republic

government because they think that

they will earn the president’s position in

the next round of elections.

Two options for a solutionThere are two options for the current

situation. First, if the modification com-

mittee fails to reach a solution over the

points of conflict, they can pass it on to

the next elected parliament.

Khalid Shwani, a member of the law

council in the Iraqi parliament, says

there is another option available.

“The committee can modify those ar-

ticles that the different parties are all in

agreement with and delay the amend-

ments of the more controversial points

for another time,” he said.

When the Iraqi constitution was cre-

ated in 2005, there was a different set

of circumstances in play as opposed to

now. The seats of parliament were set

according to the population of Iraq at

that time but now the population has in-

creased. Also, the previous version

made no mention of the Federative As-

sembly, which consists of two repre-

sentatives from each province in Iraq in

addition to four representatives for

Baghdad.

The committee has presented new

suggestions for increasing the number

of seats in parliament, which will be in

accordance with the new numbers for

the population. They also want to re-

duce the eligible age for a Prime Minis-

ter to 30 years.

As it stands, a Kurd is president and

to an extent Kurds have some powers

but it remains uncertain what will hap-

pen after the elections in January 2010.

Degrees of separation

Zheno Abdulla

SLEMANI

‘Some issues have hit a dead end: Article140, the power of the regional and centralauthorities and natural resources.’

KURDISH PROVERB

Even the highest tree has an

axe waiting at its foot.

Three years since a 25-member review committeebegan work on modifying the Iraqi constitution, socialand political disputes continue to hamper progress.

Dr. Ahmed Anwar

6 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

COMMUNITY| LOCAL NEWS PERSONALITIES&

Like countless Arabs from trou-

bled areas of Iraq, Majde Al Ke-

lani and his family fled Baghdad

for the safety of the Kurdish re-

gion some years ago. He now

runs a ladies’ cosmetics shop in Slemani.

He says he is contented and has no im-

mediate plans to return to his home.

“I am an Arab businessman but I have

never at any time faced discrimination by

anybody as far as my business is con-

cerned,” he says.

When travelling to other cities in the re-

gion, Al Kelani insists that he has never en-

countered any difficulties on account of his

Arab ethnicity.

“To tell you the truth, I am happy when I

see all the checkpoints because if it were not

for the security they provide, we would not

have such safe place for my family to live,”

he says. “Unfortunately, there are so many

bad apples... One should be appreciative of

the security in the Kurdistan Region and that

is why we are alive now. My life is worth at

least half an hour or even an hour’s wait at

the checkpoint.”

Al Kelani says that he still has family in

Baghdad, as well as property, but he cannot

fathom returning to a life where he is “wor-

ried about my house being bombed or

robbed or destroyed.”

“I live in Kurdistan as if it were my home.

Kurdistan is part of my Iraq so I don't feel I

am a stranger in a strange land,” he says.

In the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Re-

gion, there are few signs of the scars of con-

flict so obvious in the rest of the country.

Billboards for ambitious malls and gleam-

ing housing developments dot the land-

scape, and upscale coffee shops and

supermarkets have mushroomed.

Strict border security prevents the vio-

lence that has ravaged Iraq since the 2003

US-led invasion from spilling over into the

northern Iraqi Kurdish region.

Dr Ali Hattem Hussain, an assistant lec-

turer at the Technical College of Slemani,

concedes that some people believe that the

Kurdistan Region is behaving like a state to-

wards Iraq, by putting Arab Iraqis through

extensive security checks prior to entry, but

he believes that this is entirely necessary and

acceptable under the circumstances.

“This strictness of the government of

Kurdistan is not only with Arabs, and it is

to some extent acceptable,” he says. “They

have to find every way to maintain security

and protect their citizens. So much has hap-

pened in the past, it is impossible not to be

extra vigilant.”

According to Dr Hussain, sometimes the

security measures can seem to Arab Iraqis as

if they were entering a new country.

“Iraqi Kurdistan is a beautiful exciting

place with its mountains and waterfalls and

the greenery would attract people from all

over to visit but it is important to know that

it is safe place where you and your family

will be protected,” he says.

“Arabs living in the Kurdistan Region

generally feel secure and this is due to the

strong government in Kurdistan. The people

of Kurdistan love their home and even those

Kurds who are against the government ex-

press their feelings in civilized way and are

against political violence.”

‘There was hope’Dr Hussain, a native of Baghdad who re-

settled in Slemani because he felt there was

hope here, describes the Kurdish people as

“simple, kind, cooperative and law-abid-

ing”.

“They do not force their religious

thoughts on anyone, and they believe in

freedom of choice,” he says.

In this vein, Dr Hussain expressed the

hope that this spirit would also permit the

regional government to extend more facili-

ties for investments to Arabs so that the

money does not go outside of the country.

He would also like to see the Kurdistan

Regional Government (KRG) encourage

the new generations to learn the Arabic lan-

guage.

“Being a lecturer, I feel sorry for those

who do not know the Arabic language,

which is also the language of the main Kur-

dish religion. I feel sorry about Arabs who

do not know Kurdish, too. This is the second

main language in their country,” he says.

Dr Hussain added that the Kurdistan Re-

gion could serve as “a good example for the

rest of Iraq because of their application of

law and democracy.”

“The Kurdistan Region has all the ele-

ments to serve as a good example for other

Iraqi governorates to follow in their building

process,” he says. “But I hope the region

will move forward in education, health,

agriculture, tourism, and industry. These five

sectors represent the cornerstone for the re-

construction process in the coming years.”

Sherko Bekas, a prominent Kurdish poet,

said if Arabs feel like ‘immigrants’ in the

Kurdish region, it is because the wounds of

Halabja and the Anfal campaigns are still

too fresh.

“Many Kurdish people still suffer in their

everyday life as a result, so the sight of an

Arab in their midst is a reminder of the ter-

rifying days they lived under the previous

Iraqi regime,” he says. “Still, Kurds are gen-

erally very kind to Arabs. So long as long as

Arabs living in the Kurdish region do not

get involved in any trouble, then they will

be respected and remain very safe in Kurd-

sitan. And they are treated equally as far as

the law is concerned.”

Strangers in a strange landGalawizh H. Hussain

SLEMANI

‘My life is worth at least half an hour, or even an hour’swait at a checkpoint. I am grateful for the security.’

The Kurdistan Region’s scenic beauty and relative stability is attracting crowds ofIraqi Arabs from areas of violence. (photo by Aram Eissa)

\Job Responsibilities- Administer placement tests to ensure that students are at appropriate class level - Plan and teach at various levels of ESL and/or for standardized test preparation - Adapt curriculum, as necessary, to meet the level and needs of the students - Teach classes of up to 15 students - Design and deliver courses in English for Special Purposes (ESP) as needed - Develop and administer written and oral assessments, including proctoring exams as needed - Develop and maintain an objective grading system, and issue timely progress and final reportsfor distribution to the students - Manage a teaching load of up to 24 contact hours per week - Monitor best practices and new developments in the fields of English language training and in-corporate those practices as appropriate - Participate in professional development programs, inc. workshops & conferences in Oman, etc - Assist the English Language Coordinator to prepare monthly, semi-annual and annual statis-tical and narrative reports on English Language Program - Maintain a professional yet friendly relationship with the students and administrative staff - Dress professionally and appropriately at all times - Follow AMIDEAST standard operating procedures

This job description is not intended to be all inclusive, and the employee will also perform other reasonablerelated business duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor and other management.

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field - TEFL Certificate (CELTA/TESOL) - Two years of English language teaching experience - Computer literacy in MS Office - Ability to multi-task and prioritize responsibilities - Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills - Must possess problem-solving skills, be a team player and a self-starter- Cross-cultural sensitivity and customer service orientation

Preferred:First language is English M.A. in TEFL, TESOL, Linguistics, or related field Experience in U.S. education system Knowledge of U.S. standardized tests (TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, GMAT, SAT and others)

Work Location: Erbil-Ainkawa

TO APPLY: Please submit resume with cover letter to AMIDEAST, AMIDEAST/Ira, Bldg. #5, Street 240/4/15 (Former WFPOffice) Ainkawa, Erbil, Iraq or e-mail to iraq@amideast.org

AMIDEAST is seeking to recruit an Instructor of English as a Foreign Language in itsIraq Field Office to work on a variety of education, testing, and training activities.

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 7

For most nations with a brutal

past and a forced exodus, the

Diaspora can serve as the

backbone of the struggle in

the homeland. They form po-

litical groups, forge relations with the

government of their host country, and

they organize events through which

their cultural identity may be pre-

served. The Kurds are no exception.

The Kurdish American Youth Organ-

ization (KAYO) was set up in 2005

and geared towards encouraging

younger Kurds in the Diaspora to get

involved with their heritage. Nezar

Ahmed Tovi, President of KAYO, ex-

plains that the underlying belief was

an obligation of the Kurdish people in

the Diaspora to push for better educa-

tion and democracy in the United

States and ‘Greater Kurdistan’.

“KAYO’s work consists of a broad

range of activities, focusing primarily

on encouraging higher education among

the youth, connecting young Kurds and

Kurdish youth organizations through

various cultural, education and commu-

nity events,” said Tovi.

He added that they actively encour-

age non-Kurds to pursue studies on

Kurdish heritage, culture and politics.

The founding members include

Goran Sadjadi, Aryan Akreyi, Nezar

Ahmed, Sheinei Saleem, Ara Alan,

Butan Amedi, Rebaz Qaradaghi and

Aram Torabian, each from different re-

gions in the United States.

“Kurdish-Americans have and con-

tinue to raise awareness of Kurds, their

plight and future aspirations through

cultural gatherings, university systems

and at times public protests,” said Tovi.

As the Middle East draws increasing

attention from the media, this has indi-

rectly helped to channel interest toward

the Kurds.

Media channels interest“With greater attention to Iraq be-

cause of the war, there is a differentia-

tion between Kurds and other ethnicities

of the Middle East, although to a much

lesser extent in terms of the Kurdistan

Region and the rest of Iraq,” he said.

Losing touch with one’s heritage and

background is common consequence of

moving abroad, and this applies more to

younger children. But Tovi insists that

‘young Kurds have managed to preserve

language, folklore and traditions to a

large extent, as the majority are still first

generation Kurdish Americans with

strong influence from their parents.’

“The majority continue to have basic

knowledge in terms of folklore and lan-

guage with strong connections to Kur-

dish pop-culture of dance and music and

arts,” he added.

While many concede that it is diffi-

cult to form a new identity when you are

born with cultural sensitivities that are

very dissimilar to those of the environ-

ment you are growing up in, Tovi be-

lieves otherwise.

“In today’s global era, it has become

less complicated for the Kurdish youth

to maintain both their Kurdish-Ameri-

can identity and connection with their

ancient homeland with the advent of

technology and effectiveness of com-

munication,” he said. “Communities,

particularly recently as a whole have

slowly felt more comfortable with strik-

ing a balance with their Kurdish-Amer-

ican character while attempting to

maintain customs.”

This year the Kurdistan Region saw

great political strides as opposition in

the Kurdistan Parliament was formed

for the first time and although Kurdish

culture and tradition are prioritized by

KAYO Tovi explains that a smaller seg-

ment of young Kurdish Americans do

follow political developments back

home.

“With technology it has become eas-

ier to track political life in Kurdistan Re-

gion, although apathy is still high.”

With regard the controversy over

denying expatriate Kurds the right to

vote, Tovi explained: “Many Kurds

were disappointed, with the feeling that

there was sufficient time to at least set

up one polling station in America for ex-

patriates, while understanding democ-

racy is always a work in progress.”

For many Kurds who left the Kurdis-

tan Region for greener pastures, they

had a hard time adjusting to their new

life in strange surrounds.

“For first generation Kurds particu-

larly, linguistic and cultural barriers

make it difficult for them to adapt to life

here,” said Tovi.

“Kurdish women face greater diffi-

culties in some areas. For many, the sit-

uation that they left Kurdistan, life may

be greener although I cannot speak for

all,” he added.

Hard to find employmentTovi also explained that Kurdish

youths like their counterparts back

home find it hard to gain employment

upon completion of university.

“Kurdish women continually find it

more difficult in their communities to

pursue some of their goals and aspira-

tions,” he said.

The fall of Saddam Hussein and his

dictatorial regime was enough to spur

many Kurdish families to repatriate to

the Kurdistan Region.

“For some it was finding new eco-

nomic opportunities in Kurdistan, oth-

ers on a more personal level,” said Tovi.

“The difficulties of relocation are al-

ways great as many Kurds have done it

many times. There are many factors that

would deter such a move, whether eco-

nomic, society, politics and lifestyle.”

Kurdish-American organization helps youngKurds maintain their Kurdish identity abroad.

Merging two cultures is no longer a difficult task. (photo by Aram Eissa)

Lawen A. Sagerma

SLEMANI

Kurds of the world, unite

“Brief Recollections: Per-

sonal Flashbacks in Kurdistan”

is a new book by our Language

Editor, Anwar Qaradaghi, that

is just published by Khak Foun-

dation in Slemani. Its content

comprises his columns (and

some other articles) in the first

55 issues of this paper, SOMA

Digest, of the last three years or

so – and it is in English. Its

price per copy is 3,000 Iraqi Di-

nars.

The majority of the pages

speak of differing aspects of life

in the city of Slemani and its

surrounding areas in the last 60

years or so. That is how they

used to be in his recollections

and how they have become or

could have developed.

In most cases they also con-

tain suggestions for improve-

ment. Consequently, they

contain interesting details to tell

about Slemani, the Kurds and

Kurdistan and Iraq in general.

Moreover, it is believed that

these short articles may be in-

teresting and useful to visitors

of the region with the aim of

giving them some general in-

formation about the Region, its

history, culture, language, cus-

toms, and aspirations.

Anwar Qaradaghi, who

(holds MBA from Leicester

University in Educational Man-

agement), has had many years

of teaching, administration,

writing and translation experi-

ence, has other published works

that include two collections of

English short stories translated

into Kurdish and a history book

on Kirkuk translated from Ara-

bic into English.

— EDITORIAL

‘Brief Recollections:Personal Flashbacks inKurdistan’

RECOMMENDATION

The Diaspora are working to maintain their Kurdish heritage. (photo by Aram Eissa)

‘In today’s global era, it has become

less complicated for the Kurdish

youth to maintain a connection with

their ancient homeland.’

8 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

At the onset of spring, farm-

ers plough their orchards

to prepare for the planting

of new pomegranates.

With weeding, they make

sure that their seedlings are grown well

and will produce more in the coming year.

Pomegranates begin to blossom in the

springtime and gradually ripen over the

summer, but it is only in the fall that they are

fully ripe and ready to be eaten. Pomegran-

ates are a favorite fruit among the Kurds and

many buy by the kilo several times a week.

Apart from eating it raw, pomegranates are

used for cooking, notably to produce a thick

sauce known in Kurdish as ‘rwba hanar’.

Rwba hanar can be prepared individually

or collectively. Traditionally, the families of

a village would cooperate with one another

to ease the workload for each side. Boys and

girls, women and men gathered to pluck the

pomegranates from the trees. After this, they

remove the skin and the seeds one by one.

To make this easier the pomegranate is

cut into half or four pieces so that the seeds

can easily be extracted. Some seeds prove a

little more difficult than others, so a gentle

tapping on the skin is enough to allow the

seeds to fall out. The outer and inner skin

are discarded as the seeds are put into a pot.

“I have been making rwba hanar for

years now and I prefer to do it collectively

with others from the village because it eases

the burden and the work goes faster. But it

is also nice for us all to be working to-

gether,” said 65-year-old housewife Maijan

Mohammad, a resident of the village of

Belkhe in Hawraman province.

Cooperation between families and gath-

ering to work together in the villages is an

old Kurdish custom. You must always lend

a helping hand for you never know when

you will require assistance yourself.

“After the seeds are removed, they are

washed and rinsed. The clean seeds are put

in a gunny and pressed on so that the juice

is squeezed out,” said Mohammad.

This juice is put into a pan and left to boil.

One of the nicest aspects of this is when the

villages make it because they make a log

fire and put the pan on it creating a wonder-

ful picture and smell. The juice is left on the

fire until it becomes concentrated. Once it

has reached that stage of consistency it is left

to cool. The final phase is to deposit the

thickened juice into bottles so as to be sold

in either the village or the bazaars of the

towns and cities.

Making the best rwba hanar depends on

the sourness of the pomegranate.

“The sourer the pomegranate, the better

for making rwba hanar. Bittersweet is good

but not as nice as the sour ones,” said Awat

Kareem, another resident of the village.

Sometimes our eyes can deceive us into

thinking that a pomegranate is full of taste

by its color but as Shokhan Ahmed, a

housewife explained, “the color is not im-

portant, it doesn’t matter what the outside

color is or if the seeds are red or white, the

only thing that is important is the flavor and

you can only determine that by tasting it.”

The pomegranate's squeezed seeds left in

the gunny are not to be thrown away be-

cause many a time a special meal is made

from the leftovers. This way it seems that

nothing is wasted when making rwba hanar.

“The remainders which are the seeds are

dried under the sun, then with onions and

ghee we prepare a special soup called

"twrsh" and we serve this with rice. These

are also sold in the bazaars.” said Kareem.

Awat.

Rwba hanar provides a sharp, tangy fla-

vor to any dish and Kurds mainly use it for

rice and sometimes for adding zest to

chicken and lamb.

“Rwba hanar is a great medicine for

things like stomach aches and lowering hy-

pertension. There are people that can’t have

a meal without it!” said Ahmed.

The secret is

in the saucePomegranates are used to flavormany Kurdish dishes.

Something is happening to the

international language. I am,

and have been for a while now,

an unabashed language fascist. For

years I would refuse to answer any e-

mail with more than five spelling mis-

takes because, really, how hard is it to

notice a squiggly red line under the

word you’re writing? I am the kind of

person who judges people by their

syntax. Instantly, people who write

“loose” instead of “lose” become as

interesting to me as a piece of partic-

ularly uninteresting lint squeezed be-

tween the pages of a manual of

“Accounting for Dummies” from

1992. I read books on usage for fun

and dream of the day when I can af-

ford my very own copy of the Oxford

English Dictionary.

Yes, lest my previous columns

haven’t made it abundantly clear al-

ready: I am a geek.

Unlike most geeks, however, I

have long had a problem with the

unique mixture of memes, emoticons,

txtspeak and 1337 which constitute

netlingo. You know what I mean by

netlingo: various forms of punctua-

tion mimicking facial expression that

pepper written texts everywhere, in-

terspersed with the word FAIL and

acronyms like the ubiquitous LOL

(which had a strange shift of meaning

from Lots of Love in the mid-90s to

Laughing Out Loud) and OMG (Oh

My God) all the way to the downright

arcane like gpoyw (gratuitous picture

of yourself wednesday - which is a

blogging term used often on Tumblr).

These things hurt my eyes.

Txtspeak is more understandable

because there is a set limit, or at least

there has been historically, of charac-

ters you can use in a text message. So

messages like “K m8! CUL8R”

(read: okay mate, see you later) are,

although repulsive to look at, at least

makes sense in a spacio-economic

way. This form of writing has, how-

ever, made it out of the phone. There

was a story in The Guardian in 2006

byLouise Radnofsky which claimed

that the Scottish Qualifications Au-

thority exam board would still give

marks to students using txtspeak, if

the content showed that the student

had grasped the question. Which

means that it would be acceptable,

using the example given in the article,

on some level to write “2b or nt 2b,

dat is da q” when quoting Shake-

speare. And although survey after sur-

vey is showing us that txtspeak isn’t

detrimental to people’s spelling, it

seems to me, curmudgeon that I am,

that for a generation brought up on the

Teletubbies saying Eh-Oh (and little

else), it’s a miracle they can still imi-

tate something resembling speech so

proper spelling might be out of the

realm of what can be expected.

And yet, all of this might be good.

Because something is happening to

the international language. It’s shift-

ing from English to… netlingo.

Don’t get me wrong, English as an

international language is not going

anywhere. It will still be the interna-

tional language long after the United

States Empire crumbles like all em-

pires eventually do. It will take hun-

dreds of years for anything else to take

over its eminent position. However, a

person’s first encounter with the Eng-

lish language is less likely to be Moby

Dick than it is someone’s Facebook

page or a blog post. It’s entirely pos-

sible someone learning English today

will know what LOL means far ear-

lier than, say, “giggle”. So the Inter-

net, in uniting us, is also making us

write differently, in a form of pidgin

language which is its own dictionary.

Don’t know what All your base are

belong to me means? Google it. Puz-

zled by the use of FAIL and WIN?

Find the FAIL-blog which, in pictures

that say more than a thousand words,

illustrate the concept. In fact, since its

a language which is evolving so much

faster than any previous language, it’s

almost fair to say that we are all learn-

ing it together, simultaneously. It’s a

language that has gone from the

somewhat elitist usage of hackers to

being appropriated by the masses.

And of course this theory is entirely

un-nuanced and willfully ignores the

fact that Asian emoticons and western

emoticons are fundamentally differ-

ent (in brief: Asian emoticons tend to

focus on the “eyes” to convey emo-

tions whereas western ones focus on

the “mouth”) and that Chinese social

networks are not at all centered on

English-based netlingo as they use

their own language. All of this is true.

The fact remains however, that the

Internet is the closest thing we’ve

come to a tower of Babel.

AGRI ISMAIL

W00T! 1337 = th3 n3w b4b31

THE BORNEIDENTITY

Pomegranates, a favoritefruit among Kurds, beginto blossom in the spring-time and gradually ripenover the summer, but it isonly in the fall that theyare fully ripe and ready tobe eaten.

Roshna Rasool

HAWRAMAN

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 9

Aram Eissa asks average Kurds if they believe

US President Barack Obama deserves the Nobel Peace

Prize and how they feel about Turkey’s new policy

vis-a-vis the Kurdish question.

Word on the street

Kamal Mahmud, 35 (writer)Do you think Obama deserves the award?“It is normal to select a politician for that prizeand I think he is worthy. According to Obama’sforeign policy, there will be peace in the wholeworld if he can execute it.” What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“These small things that Turkey is doing for theKurds, are not enough. Turkey must not make itsound like it is a gift because the Kurds haveearned it. If Turkey does what it has promised,there will be peace over the Middle East.”

Salah Sideq, 35 (teacher)Do you think Obama deserves the award?“He deserves it because he stood against white people and was able to become president. He willachieve global peace step by step. He will provehimself as a peaceful black man.”What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“If Turkey wants to change, it must start by reforming its laws and constitution. It must alsoconsider the proper rights of its Kurdish citi-zens.” Khabat Ata, 23 (graduate)

Do you think Obama deserves the award?“He does not deserve it because he has donenothing for global peace. He withdrew someof his troops from Iraq but he sent them toAfghanistan. All the wars have come from theeconomic crisis and until now he has donenothing for the economic crisis.”What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“This policy is theater, and Turkey likes to puton this type of show for the European Union.But Kurds in Turkey are still second class citizens and called ‘mountain Turks’.”

Bakhtiar Rafeq, 25(graduate)Do you think Obamadeserves the award?“He deserves it because he is trying toexecute all of hispromises, he withdrewthe army from Iraqand Afghanistan andhe has improvedAmerica’s relationswith the Islamicworld.”What do you make ofTurkey’s new stance?“I think Kurds deservemore than these smallgestures that Turkeypretends it is doing forKurds there. Turkey hasn’t stopped bombingIraqi Kurds, so how he can do something realfor its own Kurds? If they do something real, Ithink the economic situation of Turkey will beimproved.”

Hawzhen Mahmud, 25 (book seller)Do you think Obama deserves the award?“He is worthy of it because he has done things like decid-ing to close Guantanamo, banning missile-rockets inWestern Europe and standing against the Israelis as theybuild settlements inside Palestine.”What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“This recent policy is so they can enter the EuropeanUnion, it is not done for Kurdish only interests. Turkeyis a racist country and the Kurds will not benefit from itspromises.”

Chia Latef, 28 (book seller)Do you think Obama deserves the award?“I don’t understand why he won as he hasdone nothing up to now. There is a very strongpolicy in play to enlarge him. I think there weremany others worthy of that prize like Jalal Talabani who has fought for all the nationalitiesof Iraq and not only for the Kurds.”What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“Turkey is obligated to change its policy because it is in its interests and Turkey has understood that it doesn’t have any other options.”

Dilshad Abubakir, 32 (bookseller)Do you think Obama deserves theaward?“He doesn’t merit the prize becausehe is the one who expanded the warin Afghanistan and the war in Somalia indirectly. US policy isn’twith Obama. I think the Nobel Peace Prize musn’t be given to a politician.”What do you make of Turkey’s new stance?“I think whatever the reason behind the Turkish government’s change in policy towards the Kurds, it is good for them. If Turkey gives autonomy tothe Kurds there, it will find that the situation will get better. So there is a mutual interest.”

Karwan Najimaden, 28 (journalist)Do you think Obama deserves theaward?“He doesn’t deserve it; his party hada big hand in the economic crisismaking the rich richer and the poorpoorer. Obama and his party haveentered into compromises with political Islamic parties but whycouldn’t he prevent the big armies inPalestine and Darfur?” What do you make of Turkey’s newstance?“The promises that Turkey gives arenot from a humane angle. I don’tthink that a racist country like Turkeycould accept other minorities. Theyneed to hold a referendum.”

10 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

VIEWS|EDITORIALS COMMENTARY&

The gravity of the recent impasse

between the Iraqi and Syrian

governments relegated the Erbil-

Baghdad discord to the back-

burner for a while. The French

newspaper Le Figaro recently reported on

the Kurds’ desire to start military negoti-

ations with the French as a result of the

failure in talks between the Kurdistan Re-

gional Government (KRG) and the Cen-

tral Iraqi Government (CIG) in Baghdad.

The report led readers to raise questions

and even doubts on how Iraq’s ethnic and

sectarian groups will cope during the up-

coming national elections in January 2010,

and furthermore after the planned American

combat troops’ withdrawal in August later

that year.

One question that occupied my mind was

whether the Kurds are justified in acquiring

weapons arsenal as a consequence of the

failed longstanding negotiations with the

CIG. Kurdish suffering during previous

Iraqi regimes aside, the main issue consid-

ered here is that of Kirkuk. On the one hand,

Al Hadbaa List is claiming the whole of

Mosul without legal basis whereas the Kur-

distani Front is discouraged from doing so in

Kirkuk, which has a majority of Kurds. It is

a classic example of the political term “log-

ical illogicality”.

The Kurdish population is expressing

dissatisfaction over the yet-to-be imple-

mented Article 140, which was officially

ratified by 80 percent of Iraq’s population

and drafted as part of the Iraqi constitution.

Those blaming Kurdish authorities are cor-

rect to some extent, as internal rivalries be-

tween Kurdish factions have resulted in

missed opportunities and on numerous oc-

casions concessions were made that eroded

Kurdish power.

The resolution of a recognized constitu-

tional article like this one dealing with nor-

malization requires optimum cooperation

from both sides involved in the matter.

Baghdad – as the main executioning body

of the Iraqi constitution – promised its

readinness to the Kurds in this issue in 2005

with the implementation of the new consti-

tution. However, there has been a notable

difference between official and actual gov-

ernment policy. What is the point of a con-

stitution if the recommendations and text

making up its articles cannot be carried out?

A realistic prospect?After numerous deadlines set for Article

140 in the new democratic Iraq have been

missed, one wonders whether the normal-

ization of the status of Kirkuk by dialogue is

a realistic prospect after nearly a century of

upheaval between the Kurds and consecu-

tive Iraqi regimes governed by tyrants?

In post-Saddam Iraq, the Kurds have had

to deal with other significant players who

involved themselves in the issue of Kirkuk,

taking advantage of the power vacuum in

new Iraq. Neighboring Turkey in particular

has repeatedly pledged to ‘protect the rights

of Kirkuk’s Turkoman minority’, as if to

imply that this minority ethnic group were

currently oppressed!

Cross-border operationsRather than acting as a middleman at-

tempting to appease the situation, Turkey

has on numerous occasions infringed upon

Iraqi sovereignty by carrying out intimidat-

ing military cross-border operations. Re-

cently, the former Turkish Director for

Education published a ‘map of the new

Turkey’ which includes the Kurdistan Re-

gion and other Kurdish-inhabited areas like

Kirkuk and Mosul, next to Greece, Armenia

and Cyprus, distributed among primary

school children’s parents and also available

on CD. In response, renowned scholar of

Kurdish studies Martin van Bruinessen crit-

icized the move and referred to it as an ‘em-

barrassment for the Turkish government’.

Although the maps were withdrawn

shortly after, exactly what they wanted to

achieve with such an initiative is unknown.

A challenge is facing newly elected PM

Barham Salih in the realization of Kurdish

demands regarding this decades-old prob-

lem. Whether Article 140 will be success-

fully implemented in the near future remains

to be seen. The success of the reversal of the

Arabization of Kirkuk is dependent on the

new Kurdish administration’s diplomatic

abilities and how high it figures on their pri-

ority list.

RAZ JABARY

LOST CITY?

Camp Bucca, an isolated desert

prison that was once America’s

largest lockup in Iraq, is now

closed as several thousand detainees were

either released, transferred to Camp Taji or

Camp Cropper, or gradually reassigned to

Iraqi custody in a program that will be

stretched over the course of several months.

While this is a major accomplishment, it

behooves Baghdad to quickly get out of the

prison business, except for the most brutal

criminals.

Located slightly north of the Kuwaiti

border, Camp Bucca held thousands of

men, including what passed for dangerous

terrorists, or wannabe terrorists, from each

and every Iraqi community. Though it

never gained the notoriety of Abu Ghraib,

Bucca housed “insurgents” and “extrem-

ists,” ostensibly because these pullulated the

land. Given severe treatment many re-

ceived in the prison system, some of those

who were freed during the past six years,

may well have returned to violence al-

though this could not be a generalized dec-

laration no matter the many claims to the

contrary. Bucca allegedly held truly dan-

gerous folks, but it is critical to remind our-

selves that most were never charged with

any crimes, nor appeared in any court of

law. Simply holding someone in jail in per-

petuity does not diminish the onus on those

who are doing the holding to obey their

own laws.

According to American prison authori-

ties, several prisoners would eventually be

tried in Iraqi courts, to follow the 65 who

were already judged, convicted, and await-

ing that their sentences (death or life) be car-

ried out. It must be emphasized that many

of those held—numbering at least 15,000

in early 2009—were freed because little or

no evidence existed against them. In some

cases American authorities opted to release

prisoners because they did not wish to

“compromise intelligence sources.” How

could Iraqi authorities handle their 1,500

newly inherited detainees is anyone’s guess,

especially when detention conditions are

less than ideal, and the state of the judiciary

below what would pass as being “indepen-

dent.”

Baghdad is now burdened with the con-

sequences of Washington’s commitment to

apply its security pact, part of which ad-

dressed detention facilities, and which must

include transfer of authority over detainees

to Iraqi custody. Needless to say that prison

conditions are not high on the Al Maliki

Government’s agenda, when so many more

pressing priorities exist, which preoccupy

the state. When 16 prisoners recently es-

caped from a jail in Tikrit, including five al-

Qa`ida-linked inmates awaiting execution,

Baghdad called on the American military

to assist in the massive manhunt. Ostensi-

bly, it either did not trust its own capabili-

ties, or lacked the will to go after escapees.

It is now amply clear that Iraqi authorities

will struggle to maintain control over an

overcrowded prison system. Moreover, it

seems that prison guards “trained” to ab-

sorb thousands of new detainees are simply

not up to the task, which does not augur

well. In the past, Iraqi prisons were notori-

ously overcrowded, leading to repeated

riots and, this must be acknowledged,

preparing Iraqis in the business of inmate

control (“techniques” ranging from han-

dling riots to using non-lethal weapons like

tasers), proved to be extremely difficult.

Luckily, there is a better solution, one that

will strengthen democratization in Iraq, re-

store the semblance of justice, and focus on

the minuscule number of potential crimi-

nals that threaten the country’s internal sta-

bility and security: close these massive

detention camps once and for all and free

99.99 percent of those who are in the peni-

tentiary system who are neither hardened

criminals nor terrorists.

When thousands of individuals are

locked up, conditions can never be accept-

able, as mistreatment is bound to occur.

Sadly, contemporary Iraq will forever be as-

sociated with Abu Ghraib and similar

tragedies, because abuses by American

troops (even if only a few), fueled anti-

Americanism throughout the world. Bagh-

dad will forever be associated with these

perceptions, even if it did not initiate them,

simply because it assumed control over the

American detention system in Iraq.

If Washington can close Guantánamo

Bay prison, as President Barack Obama

vowed to do by 22 January 2010 because,

as he claimed, it was a “stain” on America’s

reputation, Baghdad can do likewise to its

sprawling facilities. Even if pledges were

made not to resort to largely useless and in-

credibly abusive “enhanced interrogation

techniques,” which are unbecoming of any

person who calls himself a human being,

chances are strong that harsh treatments will

occur in Iraq. Truth be told, there is a legacy

of abuse in Mesopotamia, which will not

be eradicated with the stroke of a pen. Iraq

needs its able bodied citizens healthy

enough, both physically and mentally, to

help rebuild a country that was devastated

by wars for almost all of its existence. The

time has come not to add to the roster of the

unemployed by perpetuating past traditions.

Far from being a naïve plea, the recom-

mendation that Baghdad consider getting

out of the prison business, acknowledges

the need to apprehend extremely dangerous

criminals. Still, this supplication posits that

not every Iraqi incarcerated by American,

and now Iraqi, authorities is a terrorist. In-

deed, it is nearly impossible to have thou-

sands of terrorists roaming around, for that

would necessitate the kind of logistical sup-

port that has never been proven to exist.

Rather, the handful of genuine terrorists,

murderers, rapists, and other extreme crim-

inals could probably be housed in a single

facility. Surely, out of 25 million Iraqis, no

more than a 1,000 such individuals exist.

Sociologists are probably better

equipped to provide more definitive as-

sessments than political commentators, but

common sense leads one to conclude that

one harvests what one sows. If Baghdad

prefers democratization, it may be better to

distance its long-term policies from puni-

tive measures (except in the rarest cases),

trusting citizens to assume the burdens of

responsibility. While little in modern Iraqi

history may lead one to believe that such a

giant step may be taken here, there is an op-

portunity to embark on precisely such an

adventure, if for no other reason than to

simply break with the past.

Dr Kechichian is an expert on GulfArab affairs and author of severalbooks.

DR JOSEPH KECHICHIAN

Outdated prison business

DEMOCRACY INIRAQ

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 11

Doris Lessing who re-

ceived the Nobel Prize

in literature 2006 was

born in Kermanshah,

and although I’m pretty

sure nobody, including herself, counts

her as Kurdish, I do. If only to be able

to say that there’s been a Kurdish

Nobel Prize winner in literature.

Unfortunately, it’s likely to be a

while before there is another.

The issue at hand isn’t that there is a

lack of talented Kurdish authors. His-

torically, as well as contemporarily,

there is a flow of interesting writing

emerging in the language, from Goran

to Bekes, from Peramerd to Ahmed,

from Uzun to Hassan and countless oth-

ers.

The problem is that there is not cur-

rently any form of literary dialogue tak-

ing place. Kurdish writing, after its

peak in the first half of the 20th century

with translations of Flaubert, Dosto-

evsky and Tolstoy flooding the market

thanks to, in part, the renowned literary

journals (of which Galawezh is the

most well-remembered), became insu-

lar and self-reflective mainly due to the

lack of new translations.

Youth don’t readThis is an issue which remains to this

day: the older, remarkably well-read,

generations are aware of world litera-

ture up to, say, Marquez. The younger

generations, generally, don’t read and

don’t care that they don’t read. And

who can blame them: with first person

shooters on the PlayStation, endless en-

tertainment on MBC 2 and 4, internet

chat rooms and pirated DVDs, who

needs a musty old book? This is not,

after all, a crisis affecting only Kurdish

youth. In the 21st century, regardless of

e-readers and Kindles, the book is a

boring artifact.

But the fact that we’re not translating

enough books is only part of the prob-

lem. Sure, Kurdish literature could ben-

efit from having acquainted itself with

Borges, Eggers, Jelinek, McEwan, Mu-

rakami, Nothomb, Saramago, Vollman

and Wallace but it would still be im-

possible to partake in the international

dialogue which, surely, is the de facto

goal of world literature, unless Kurdish

works were in turn translated and dis-

cussed.

Not westernized enough Although there has been an interest

from publishers around the world to

hear what Kurdish authors have to say,

there has been a sense that contempo-

rary Kurdish literature is not western-

ized enough (Khaled Hosseini’s books,

to take the Afghan example, are lauded

for being authentic and exotic but are in

fact very much steeped in Anglo-Saxon

literary traditions and are, for all intents

and purposes, American novels), claim-

ing that it needs to adapt itself to its

readership the same way that foreign

cuisine tends to change depending on

the country it’s in. I don’t necessarily

agree with that, as I’m of the belief that

truly great literature shouldn’t have to

pander to a specific audience. Had there

been a worldwide understanding of

Kurdish literature, there would be no

need to adapt it to western tastes, the

same way that Indian and Japanese lit-

erature is well-understood. Unfortu-

nately, due to the Kurds’ chaotic history

and our oppressors’ tendency to ban or

burn our books, a lot of our literature

has been destroyed and of the little that

remains, even less has made it into the

hands of foreign readers.

Google BooksEnter Google Books. As controver-

sial as Google’s Big Brother-style col-

lection of All Literature Ever Written

may seem, for us it really is a blessing:

imagine that all remaining Kurdish lit-

erature be one day scanned and kept

somewhere where nobody (other than

the potentially evil Google of course)

can touch it, where all of it is just one

search away. Suddenly, what was once

feared lost forever can be viewed side-

by-side with all other historical works.

The internet could, then, at last bring

Kurdish literature to the limelight.

AGRI ISMAIL

WHEN WILL KURDISH LITERATURE

GET TO SING MY WAY

The internet might at last bring Kurdish literature to the limelight.

Historically, as well

as contemporarily,

there is a flow of

interesting writing

emerging in

Kurdish, from

Goran to Bekes,

from Peramerd to

Ahmed, from Uzun

to Hassan...

Some of Kurdistan’s literary greats are outside the General Library in the city of Slemani. (photo by Aram Eissa)

12 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

L E T T E R S

‘God help us all, those

of us with Middle

Eastern features’I was appalled to learn that the

Canadian police had behaved so

abominably toward Kurdish singer

Shiwan Perwer (‘Kurds demandapology from Canada PM for arrestof Kurdish singer’ page 6 no.62)One would

expect such

incidents to

happen in the

US, or even in

Europe these

days, but in

Canada,

which boasts

of being a ‘cultural mosaic’, it is

both disgusting and shocking to

learn that the authorities harbored so

much racism.

I emigrated to Canada in 1991, and

never had much trouble fitting in. I

easily made friends, mostly other

immigrants like myself. We never

felt as though the country discrimi-

nated against us. In fact, the pres-

ence of so many foreign cultural

centers helped newcomers feel at

home and among their own, as they

slowly integrated. The open-mind-

edness of the Canadian people has

always been a beacon of light in

North America, and one hoped the

attitude would trickle down south.

Alas, one now gets the sense that

the opposite trend is actually taking

place. God help us all, those of us

with ‘Middle Eastern features’.

Name withheldTORONTO

The bookseller of

KurdistanI greatly enjoyed reading your pro-

file of Mam Anwar, the bookseller

of Slemani (‘Bookseller of Slemani’page 16 no.62) I’d like to read

about more people like this fine

man who are well-known personali-

ties in the city; it helps me get a

sense of the local culture.

M. GrossiSLEMANI

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Want to be published in SOMA? We’dreally like to know what you’re thinking.If you’ve got a comment on one of ourstories, or about an important issue, sim-ply email it to:

editor@soma-digest.com

Letters may be edited for purposes ofspace, clarity and decency.

C O N TA C T U S

When Iran bombs the

border zones of Iraqi

Kurdistan, innocent

villagers suffer im-

mense physical and

economic hardship as their homes and

agriculture areas are destroyed. But this

is nothing compared to those who are

wounded, or even lose their lives.

For greater political purposes that do not

concern them, civilians are victimized and

forced to flee their homes, unable to live

under the constant threat of bombardment.

Most of them have moved to districts and

towns and many to the big cities namely,

Erbil and Slemani. This rapid urbanization

has had a negative impact on their quality of

life, with consequences for those who have

always inhabited the urban areas.

The border shelling is direct violence

that, in turn, breeds cultural and structural

violence (indirect violence). That is, to vil-

lage dwellers, as they move to cities, living

in a new environment can be a type of cul-

tural violence, as they are hardly able to be

active in their new society. The modern

structure of the market, new non-govern-

mental organizations and governmental in-

stitutions are foreign entities to them.

In a sense, these less-educated village

dwellers who try to make a home in the

cities are the wrong people in the wrong

place at the wrong time. The border shelling

can also be taken as a structural violence

against the Kurdistan Regional Govern-

ment (KRG). Villages are the source of

agricultural goods and products, and air

raids destroy such a fundamental economic

base.

This indirectly obliges the KRG to de-

pend on imported products from Syria,

Turkey and Iran, endangering economic de-

pendence, for the most part, and provoking

political obligations.

The bombings give the Kurdistan Re-

gion an insecure image, and this discour-

ages not only foreign companies but also

Kurdish business men to invest in Kurdis-

tan, as they do not trust the environment and

its socio-economic and political situation.

Importing all sorts of goods from fuel to

fruit causes capital drain and a lack of

wealth circulation, which leads to a fluctu-

ation of market prices in a way that the

KRG is unable to control. The inhabitants

of the Kurdistan Region are thus victimized

in economic terms. In this way, border

shelling affects the living conditions of the

people in the entire Kurdistan Region.

In addition, with people's migration from

rural to urban areas, the KRG is unable to

provide the required basic social services ei-

ther in the big cities or in the districts; this

slows down the development process of the

region.

Urbanization also brings unemployment;

more and more people leaving the villages

to the cities, where there are very few fac-

tories or companies and jobs cannot be

found. Uncontrolled urbanization leads to

political chaos, economic mess and social

disorder.

Furthermore, almost all goods are trans-

ferred through the borders for instance, with

Turkey’s Ibrahim Khalil and with Iran’s

Haji Umran. In order to maintain access to

both Turkish and Iranian products, the KRG

is forced to keep the borders safe and se-

cure, and prevent separatists from operat-

ing along the borders.

Any threat to the borders is an indirect

threat to the security, the market and the

economy of the Kurdistan Region.

Although it is widely believed that

Turkey is using the PKK and Iran the PJAK

as excuses to attack the northern Kurdistan

Region of Iraq, for the political and eco-

nomic achievements has frightened both

Ankara and Tehran that such a semi-au-

tonomous region will incite Kurds in

Turkey and Iran to demand their own au-

tonomy, the KRG, within its own rights and

imposed limits, has taken steps to stop or

reduce the cross border separatists, whether

PKK, PJAK or KDPI.

Correspondingly, the leadership of the

Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI)

put forward a statement. In April 2004, they

asserted that the KDPI have guerillas but

that they no longer undertake military ac-

tion, and are organizing politically within

Iranian Kurdistan. That is, separatists are

not allowed by the KRG to establish an

army in the Iraqi Kurdistan. The KDPI also

expressed optimism about the future of Iran.

Acknowledging the status in Iraqi Kur-

distan as a semi-self-rule region, Ibrahim

Kalin, in an article entitled “Crossing theborder between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdis-tan” released on 19 February 2009, argues

that “Turkey must act more decisively and

with confidence in order to improve its po-

litical, economic and cultural relations with

the Iraqi Kurds.”

He further points out a symbolic but also

politically important step for Turkey, that is,

to open up a consulate in Erbil.

He writes: “A Turkish consulate in Erbil

would not only make life easier for thou-

sands of Turkish and Kurdish businessmen

and civil society representatives, but also

send a positive message to the Iraqi Kurds.

Given the fact that other countries are open-

ing diplomatic branches in Erbil and other

Kurdish cities, it is only normal for Turkey

to do the same”.

The same suggestion is equally applica-

ble to either Iran or Syria.

Kurds have struggled to be an independ-

ent autonomous region within Iran, Iraq,

Turkey and Syria, rather than to seek sepa-

ration as an independent state. Currently, as

has been the case in the past, Kurds are

waiting for the process of democracy, as a

new opportunity for getting what they want,

which might come either from within or

outside the nation-states that they are a part

of but do not consider themselves belong-

ing to.

Accordingly, the KRG is not only a start

but also a positive instance in this regard,

for since 2003, it has seen relative progress

on every front, in terms of economic devel-

opment, political awareness, providing se-

curity and building infrastructures. In sum,

in order not to derail this progress, both

cross border activists and border shelling

should be stopped immediately.

STOP THE SHELLING

MOHAMMAD ALI

Mass migration from border areas to urban centers maythreaten to derail region’s political and economic progress.

The July elections in the Kurdish

region saw many promises made

by rival political parties to pro-

vide better opportunities for the

youth, but it remains to be seen

whether any of them will be honored.

In a region where more than half of the

population is under the age of 30, there is a

need to develop better strategies for im-

proving their prospects and opportunities.

The Kurdish youth are at the forefront of

the struggle to achieve a better education at

one of the several new institutions that have

opened in recent years, and to compete for

the employment opportunities presented by

new foreign and local companies. But in so

doing, they will be met with new concepts

such as gender equality and the erosion of

the ‘entitlement culture’. They are the gen-

eration that will have to combat the scourge

of poverty and hunger, and pave the way for

a more developed and democratic society.

Crucial is an approach that assists the ad-

vancement and development of youth in the

Kurdistan Region, both academically and

socially. With the right approach, this large

group of human capital can contribute to

growth, prosperity, sustainability and stabil-

ity. But let us first consider the challenges

they face.

Given the high unemployment rate, can-

didates for the job market will not succeed

unless they have the right foundation and

background. Regrettably, in the rural areas

as well as the cities, education policies have

failed to meet the globalized needs of the

market, especially in terms of advanced

business studies.

The curriculum needs revision. Skills and

expertise must be categorized in order to

prepare a generation for modern market re-

alities. Focus should be on eliminating illit-

eracy; accompanied by technological and

professional skills. Only then will the youth

be able to gain employment to sustain their

future and help the future of Kurdistan.

Illiterate youth will constitute a burden on

society and the economy. As a result, access

to competent education, accompanied by

development programs and professional

training, is bound to promote inventive ap-

proaches that are essential in building a

labor-intensive market with diverse profes-

sions in all the majors that the market will

absorb easily because of the shortage in em-

ployment.

Poverty poses numerous challenges to

the youth. A great number of young Kurds

live in rural areas with limited access to a

learning environment. This also restrains

those individuals’ access to appropriate

health services or decent housing.

The political system needs to be regu-

lated in order to provide those groups with

means and resources to penetrate the market

and institutions that would aid the youth’s

growth rather than isolate them from the

community.

Societal constraints and the culture of

shame constitute another challenge. In some

communities, it is socially unacceptable for

a woman to work outside the household. In

fact, some do not even recognize the im-

portance of education for women.

The youth in Kurdistan, especially

women, continue to be suppressed by a cul-

ture that portrays change and advancement

as negative. What needs to be done is to re-

inforce some of the positive social values

that we as a culture embrace and educate

people in order to change their mindsets.

Young people must not be marginalized

and deprived of a decent future. Efforts are

required to ensure the well-being of the

youth who will become the backbone of the

region and its future.

A change in attitude in Kurdish society

and better educational possibilities to create

an ‘employable’ generation would help lay

the groundwork for keeping pace with

global progress and create a bridge of mu-

tual understanding with other nations.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

BAYAD JAMAL KURDI

Giving the youth a fair chance at success.

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 13

BUSINESS|INVESTMENTS MARKET NEWS&

Oil deals and quick profit-

making ventures were

the most common types

of investment in the

Kurdistan Region after

the fall of the Baath regime in 2003.

While those in search of a quick buck

were the first to seize the post-war oppor-

tunities, there was a small margin of oth-

ers who looked for long term possibilities.

The Marshall Fund, a private equity firm,

combines the wealth of both public and pri-

vate sectors aiming for profitable returns on

their investment as well as advancing eco-

nomic development.

“The primary objective is to achieve at-

tractive risk-adjusted returns for our in-

vestors and the secondary objective is to

promote sustainable economic develop-

ment in Iraq,” said Andrew Eberhart,

Founder & Managing Partner of the Mar-

shall Fund.

Their first partnership venture was in

2008 in the more stable regions of conflict

ridden Iraq.

“The Harir plant is a tomato paste pro-

cessing plant that was completely renovated

in 2002 by the United Nations as part of the

oil for food program. The UN abandoned

the plant in 2003 when the war started and

remained idle until the fall of 2008 when we

provided the operating capital to restart the

plant,” said Eberhart.

“The plant employs over 150 people at

full production capacity and puts to work

over 500 farmers in the region to provide

the fresh tomatoes.”

While investment has trickled into Iraq

and the Kurdistan Region, it has been diffi-

cult to achieve economic development in a

country where parts of it are still mired con-

flict. Eberhart explains that it is hard to con-

vince investors to bring capital to Iraq due to

the security risk perceived by investors.

“We offset this risk by obtaining political

risk insurance on our investments. This in-

surance, issued by a US Government

agency [Overseas Private Investment Cor-

poration] insures our investment against loss

from civil strife, nationalization and cur-

rency inconvertibility,” he said.

Eberhart explains that this insurance pro-

vides reassurance to their investors and is a

requirement for each of their investments.

There is a high rate of unemployment

and poverty in the Kurdistan Region and

across Iraq. These conditions are said to

breed ‘economic insurgents’ because peo-

ple’s financial difficulties leave them with

very little choice. Eberhart states that sus-

tainable economic development is the key

to creating the necessary job growth that

provides long term opportunities to unem-

ployed and disenfranchised Iraqis.

“We believe that sustainable economic

development comes about through the de-

velopment of viable business models that

create ongoing wealth and opportunity

through profitable operations,” he said.

“Charitable grants and government sub-

sidies may help jump start certain busi-

nesses and create opportunities, but these

are not sustainable unless the private sector

takes them over and develops them into vi-

able self-sustaining businesses.”

Referred to as the ‘breadbasket of the

middle east’, Iraq’s agricultural potential

should have been its main income alongside

oil, but as Eberhart points out the United

Nations’ oil for food program undermined

much of the Iraqi agriculture sector, which

has yet to recover.

“Although the land is quite fertile, mod-

ern farming practices need to be adopted in

order to realize the tremendous potential of

the region,” he said.

Iraq’s oil has been a contentious issue for

a great deal of its history and it has con-

tributed in turning the country into a one

product economy that is in dire need of di-

versification.

“We have been strong advocates for the

creation of an Iraq Enterprise Fund that

would be funded through oil revenues. This

fund would have the mandate to invest in

all sectors of the economy except oil and gas

and would have its success measured by the

financial health of the companies that it

funded,” said Eberhart.

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s bloated

public sector has reduced the motivation to

work in a true, value-added capacity and in-

stead encouraged something of an entitle-

ment culture, states Eberhart.

“Investors are reluctant to acquire a state-

owned enterprise that is funded by the pub-

lic sector and is not a viable business

without government assistance,” he said.

With Iraq and the Kurdistan Region fo-

cusing predominately on luring foreign in-

vestors, local businesses seem to have been

neglected. It remains to be seen how a bal-

ance between the two can be created so as to

ensure profitable returns for both.

“At the Marshall Fund, our philosophy is

that we need to have a local partner with a

substantial equity interest in each invest-

ment that we make,” said Eberhart.

“In the Harir plant, our local partner owns

more than 50 percent of the equity. We be-

lieve this aligns us with the local commu-

nity while allowing us to achieve an

appropriate return for our investors.”

The global recession has not spared Iraq

and the Kurdistan Region either.

“Investors have now been able to find

very cheap assets elsewhere in the world

and don't feel the need to look for cheap as-

sets in Iraq where the risk is perceived as

much higher,” explains Eberhart.

Iraq’s progress is still hindered by con-

flict hence why Eberhart submits that the re-

covery period needed for ‘central Iraq will

likely need several years’, while the Kur-

distan Region ‘could be self sufficient in the

very near future.’

Long term prospects.

For risk-adjusted returnsand sustainable economic development.Lawen A. Sagerma

SLEMANI

‘We offset this risk by

obtaining political risk

insurance... Issued by

a US govn’t agency, it

insures against loss

from civil strife,

nationalization and

currency

inconvertibility.’

In spite of ongoing conflict and spo-

radic bloodshed, the contested city

of Kirkuk has witnessed a healthy

degree of economic progress. A slight

increase in the rate of employment has

meant that more people now enjoy a

sense that they are contributing to the

future of their city.

According to the governor of

Kirkuk, Abdul Rahman Mustafa, both

the economic situation and the stan-

dard of living for residents of Kirkuk

have sustained marked improvements.

He concedes that the time they have

had for implementation of projects has

been short and the budget too small,

but a difference has been felt nonethe-

less.

Mustafa explained that before 2003

there were some urgent decisions

made from the ministries to employ

their affiliated people in other cities. In

September of 2003, the governorate of

Kirkuk issued a decision wherein di-

rectorates under their authority could

no longer take on any employees with-

out their permission.

“This was a plan to give more job

opportunities to the people of Kirkuk

itself,” he said.

The governor conceded that it took

a significant period of time before the

decision reached its designated loca-

tion as many of the other ministers had

problems with the issuance of such a

decision.

“The original people of Kirkuk

were deprived of being employed for

more than 35 years which created an

army of jobless people in the city, so

this was one of our very first tasks to

provide them with jobs through the

relevant ministries,” said Mustafa.

Employing civil servants has almost

come to a halt in the ministries but

there are plans in the pipeline that will

create job opportunities for people

through investment projects.

“One of the big projects is the oil re-

finery for which it took us five years

to get permission from the Iraqi oil

ministry which then intended to relo-

cate it to the Salahadeen province,”

said Mustafa.

“After long discussions we were

able to convince the oil ministry’s rep-

resentative to agree with our sugges-

tion to keep the refinery in Kirkuk not

only to provide job opportunities for

the people but also to provide fuel to

the city,” he added.

One large-scale project in particular

is expected to radically improve the

economy of Kirkuk province by acti-

vating investment, social reforms,

tourism and agricultural sectors.

Twenty dams are planned for con-

struction, which will help the people

of Kirkuk by providing services such

as electricity power and water, in ad-

dition to generating employment.

“After 2003, we worked on search-

ing for and selecting strategic places

for building 20 dams around Kirkuk.

Fortunately we have finished two of

them, the Shen and Palkan dams in the

current year and we will be continuing

with the rest,” said Mustafa.

“One of the important dams in the

city of Kirkuk is the Khasa dam. We

have come up against a lot of barriers

and endured a lot of difficulties but the

project is planned for execution in the

near future,” he added.

Mustafa said that this dam will not

only be esthetically pleasing to the eye,

but it will also provide continuous

water to the city.

The issue of waste and recycling, a

vital topic for all of Iraq, has taken

center stage and requires urgent atten-

tion especially in Kirkuk which is

being engulfed in polluted air.

The waste in Kirkuk used to be col-

lected and burned on the road out of

the city but this caused a concentrated

cloud of smoke above Kirkuk. After

2004 and with the support of the re-

construction teams, another big proj-

ect for recycling and treatment was

completed.

“Fortunately this project has been

nominated to enter projects competing

in Iraq,” said Mustafa.

According to the governor, the Kur-

distan Regional Government (KRG)

was a source of tremendous support

for the accomplishment of all projects

in every sector, including education

and agriculture.

— BY AWARA JUMAAIN KIRKUK

Opportunity in adversity.

Kirkuk sustains markedeconomic improvements.

Abdul Rahman Mustafa

14 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

Explosions and bomb-scarred

buildings may be the defin-

ing symbols elsewhere in

Iraq, but construction cranes

are the most common fea-

ture on the landscape of the Kurdis-

tan Region today. A building frenzy

has gripped the region since the US-

led invasion overthrew the oppressive

regime of Saddam Hussein. And yet,

if the current healthy pace of devel-

opment is to be maintained, the re-

gion’s economy must be diversified,

says a local businessman. At present,

foreign investment centers over-

whelmingly on energy and construc-

tion, while other sectors are relatively

neglected. The region’s laws favor

foreign investors by granting various

incentives, but most opt for low-risk,

short-term profits in the energy or

construction sectors despite a plethora

of opportunities available across the

board in the stable, resource-rich Kur-

dish region.

The most dynamic aspect of the Kur-

dish economy is driven by the private

sector which can and does play an ef-

fective role. However, as it stands Kur-

distan’s investment is mostly oil and

construction and there is a need to ex-

pand and diversify investments so that

the economy is not solely dependent on

one product.

“Unfortunate circumstances of the

past have contributed to Kurdistan’s

current reconstruction needs,” said

Shakir Wajid Shakir, Branch Manager

of Dana Gas in Slemani. “There are

other important sectors that need to be

taken into consideration when talking

of investment such as agriculture, man-

ufacturing and processing plants for

fruits and vegetables, and dairies.”

He conceded, however, that the par-

ticipation of the private sector has failed

to support the manufacturing industry.

According to Shakir, the Kurdistan

Region is finding ways to address these

shortages so as to continuously provide

work for its people and keep up with in-

creasing demand for better infrastruc-

ture to support incoming investments.

The lure of the Kurdistan Regional

Government’s (KRG) Investment Law

has been strong, yet most investors

choose to focus primarily on the energy

sectors over much needed reconstruc-

tion in other areas.

Shakir believes that the KRG must be

responsive to those areas that require

fast action and they need to be involved

in services, direct ventures to partici-

pate actively and continuously.

“The government will have to initi-

ate the diversification as it has the abil-

ity to alter the laws to encourage

investment, reduce tax rates and give

incentives to private companies to in-

vest more diversely,” he said. “The gov-

ernment can also give subsidies to

those sectors that lack sufficient invest-

ment as well as spending its own re-

sources to improve and increase

investment in those sectors.”

As many parts of Iraq are still en-

gulfed in conflict, most private compa-

nies aim for profit maximization

because of the risk. Therefore increased

incentives and reduced tax rates by the

government will inevitably lead to

higher levels of investments over a

broader range of the economy.

“The KRG needs to engage in re-

search and development activities in

line with agriculture to explore better

ways of producing quality agricultural

products and conducting better and

safer agricultural practices and strate-

gies for increased production,” said

Shakir. “They need to provide better

employment opportunities by inviting

investors who are in the business of

canning, juice-making, and other pro-

cessing plants in order to add to Kur-

distan’s manufacturing and agricultural

industries.”

There needs to be concentrated effort

on bringing in investors as economic

disturbances incurred by the recent war

have left much of its infrastructure in

tatters and its economy lethargic.

“Nearly everything that is in the Kur-

distan markets right now; including

much of the food, is imported from

abroad. Kurdistan needs foreign in-

vestment in every area of its economy,”

said Shakir.

Business is thriving and continuing

to grow in the Kurdistan Region and if

the KRG pays more attention to the

neglected sectors, the infrastructural

boom is only set to expand.

Aim to diversify. KRGmust look beyond energy, constructionVania Kareem

SLEMANI

Shakir Wajid Shakir, Branch Manager of Dana Gas in Slemani.

‘Developing the economyis not the responsibility ofthe govn’t alone. The private sector should playa significant role in thisregard…The opportunityis now ripe... in light of the economic openness andpresence ofcapital protectionand investmentlaws.’

NOURI AL MALIKI, Iraqi PrimeMinister, calling to form acouncil for Iraqi businessmen,and help those seeking accessto Arab, regional and international markets.

‘The unfair competitioncaused the closure of 95percent of Iraqi factories,leading to a skyrocketingunemployment rateamong workers.’

HASHEM AL ATRAQJI, Chairman of the Iraqi Industries Union, on unfaircompetition between Iraqi andforeign products.

‘Investment opportunitiestomorrow are better thanthose after [t0morrow].’

AMIR ABDULJABBAR, IraqiTransportation Minister, urgingforeign investors to act quicklyand to employ Iraqi advisors tocounsel them on local customs.

‘The economic crisis is infact the outcome of capitalism and the negative impact of globalization… Democratic socialism isthe way to get humanityout ofthis crisis as wellas comingcrises.’

JALAL TALABANI, President ofIraq, on democratic socialismas the solution to come out ofthe current world economic crisis.

“After Iraq’s gas productionreaches the export stage,Turkey will be a main outlet via the Nabuccopipeline to Europe.’

ASSEM JIHAD, spokesmanfor Iraqi Oil Ministry.

‘Several laws crucial to theoil sector, including the oiland gas law, were supposed to be enacted,but were delayed due todifferences over the interpretation of the Iraqiconstitution.’ALI HUSSEIN BLO, head of thehouse hydrocarbon committee,ruling out prospect of passing oillaws by the current government.

‘The parliamentary pollswill result in political andsecurity stability and facilitate investment inIraq. Japan will continueits support for the politicaland democratic processes.’

SHOJI OGAWA, Japanese ambassador to Iraq, on upcoming parliamentary elections.

‘The Iraqi technical cadreshould be given an opportunity to take national production to advanced levels…’TAREQ AL HASHEMI, IraqiVice President, on capability ofstate-run South Oil Company.

The Kurdish region’s fast-paced

development has been

matched by motorists’ love for

speed, which has led to an

alarmingly high rate of traffic

accidents. Coupled with the advent of

new models of cars into the region’s

markets, an urgent need has arisen for

more auto-body workshops. These

workshops would serve as legal

trustees and formal branches of the car

companies, and this is expected to ease

post-purchase servicing.

The greater availability of spare parts

in the Kurdish region will no doubt be

welcomed by car aficionados, who have

thus far struggled to find parts.

“I really liked my Lumina van, but I

had to sell it because the problem was

there wasn’t a shop that brought in its

pieces. I waited for three months for front

lights to be brought in from Dubai,” said

Sarwar Ahmed, who was eventually

compelled to buy another car.

Before someone makes a decision to

buy any given car, they must know

something about the model and how well

it is provided for in the market. Those ve-

hicles that have ample spare parts in the

bazaars are likely to be sold for a higher

price than those which do not, regardless

of the value of the model abroad.

“People always look for cars that a

local mechanic will be able to fix, they

think about whether or not the spare parts

exist in the market as well as A/C features

for our summer heat and winter chill,”

said Usman Qadir, a car dealer.

Some lament the lack of spare parts

available for their cars, while others

worry about the effect the large number

of cars are having on the environment.

“I think that using cars is very danger-

ous for the environment, but it has be-

come almost impossible to live without

cars these days,” said Peshraw Ghafur, a

driver in Slemani. “I can't live without

them either! I am constantly changing

my car trying to find the right one that

will not face the problem of lack of spare

parts. I waited for two side mirrors for my

Daewoo car for ages, I searched in Erbil

and Kirkuk, I didn’t find it. But I can find

it in bazaar here easily now.”

According to Ghafur, if the govern-

ment issues an official statement allow-

ing people to bring in spare parts, he will

no longer have to search high and low

when necessary.

“We will no longer search for spare

pieces or to look for a piece that is simi-

lar to the original,” he said.

As yet, there has been no official deci-

sion from the government to allow peo-

ple to bring in spare parts and no

spokesmen from the government have is-

sued statements to this effect. Neverthe-

less, there is a large quantity of spare parts

sold in the bazaars declaring the markets

open and the merchants are bringing

shipments from abroad into the country

in different, inventive ways.

“They come in from Iran, Syria and

Dubai; there are also a few people who

bring things in from Turkey. There are

some merchants whom I have no idea

where they bring their stuff in from but I

never ask them because the important

thing is I have a spare piece for those who

come to my shop,” said Wasta Rahman

said, who has a shop for car pieces in Nali

Square.

— BY BRWA AB. MAHMUDIN SLEMANI

Buddy, can you spare a

part? Auto industry awaitslaw on imports.

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 15

Culture

The project of Baekhi Daek, or

Mother’s Garden, was created

on a piece of land that was

once used as a women’s prison

by the regime of the late Sad-

dam Hussein to detain female relatives

of Peshmargas. As a tribute to their

courage, Baekhi Daek was created in

honor of all those women whose free-

dom was stolen from them.

Initially, the plot of land on which the

Lebanese company Lebanon Mountain

was working spread over 8,400 square

meters. This was later increased to

14,500 square meters to make way for a

more elaborate design to rival other

parks in the city.

A great portion of the park is covered

in greenery with beautiful layers of

grass, over 2,000 flowers and plants in

addition to six olive tress that are aged

between 200-600 years. The plants,

shrubs and flowers that have all been

brought in from abroad were all tried

and tested before they were planted at

their final location.

The park in the Malkany neighbor-

hood is the first in the area and was de-

signed so that it was in keeping with the

topography of the city of Slemani.

“There are a number of electric and

water systems in place with water

pumps. The plants here are watered

using the method of air pressure. In the

design there are highs and lows that are

representative of the topography of Sle-

mani and this has allowed us to say it is

a symbol of all the parks in Slemani and

one that a lot of people are happy with,”

said Kamaran Hama, supervisor of the

parks in Slemani.

The landscaping, which took approx-

imately nine months to complete after

many months of discussion and plan-

ning, alongside the destruction of the

buildings that were in its place includes

automatic electric and irrigation systems

brought in from America and France

with lighting from Belgium and Ger-

many. The water storage underground

has the capacity of 180,000 liters which

keeps the plants well watered.

There are 133 electric columns that

make it a delightful bright retreat in the

summer evenings when the sun has set.

The budget of the park was approxi-

mately 2,980,000,00 Iraqi Dinars funded

by the Slemani governorate and work on

it began in July of last year. It was com-

pleted in April of this year but it is await-

ing the final touches before it is open to

the public. The park is expected to draw

great crowds as it is touted as being on

par with European standards.

“The space of the greenery here has

been designed in a new and beautiful

way. We have named it the symbol of

the parks of Slemani because it has been

styled in a modern way in comparison to

the other 225 parks we have in Slemani.

This park is the newest, most beautiful

and most modern one we have here,”

said Hama.

Honoring the women detained during

Saddam Hussein’s reign, the park has a

statue of a mother with a child in her

arms. The statue which is nearly eight

meters high is made of fiberglass by

Kurdish artist Zahir Saddiq.

“Mothers are always giving us the op-

portunity to continue and try to renew

life,” he said.

Towards the bottom of the statue, the

mother’s figure has merged with a tree.

Saddiq explained he did this because he

believes them to be ‘two individual sym-

bols for a source of productivity and

both of them have roots in land and life.’

The park is located on Peramerd

Street, very close to the bazaar. This

adds a sense of beauty and calm to the

hustle and bustle that pollutes its front

entrance.

“It is a beautiful place and provides us

with tranquility. I think the statue of the

mother merged into the tree is a great ex-

pression of those women who gave their

own lives and those of their sons for this

land,” said Mena Ahmed, a college stu-

dent.

Manal Azad, a student, concurred

with Ahmed on the location of the park:

“The park being close to the bazaar is a

good idea for those who want to get

away from the crowds and take a rest,

breathing in some clean air.”

Flowers now bloom over what once was aprison for female relatives of Peshmargas.

Mother’s garden

Roshna Rasool

SLEMANI

A women’s prison during Saddam Hussein’s regime has now been turned into a park and is now open to the public. (photo by Aram Eissa)

FILMS MUSIC LITERATURE HERITAGE

Aging men and women around

the world use walking sticks to

aid their movement, but in the

Kurdish region, this accessory is still

made by hand, lovingly crafted by ex-

perts in the trade, and called the

‘gochan’ or ‘gohpal’.

These items are still produced by

hand, not because it is a lucrative busi-

ness, but because those who make

them view it as a work of art. In Kur-

dish culture, these items are either

meant to give as gifts, or to be used for

ornamental purposes.

According to Haji Karim, a 70 year

old retired cane maker, preferred type

of wood for use in crafting a cane is

“the wood from the pomegranate tree,

the ‘kiner’ tree, ‘binow’ tree,

rasha dar, or chnar.”

These trees can be

found either near

the water or the

trees on hill

sides, and

most of the

w o o d

needs to

be wet. If

not, it is

placed in

water to

s o f t e n

first.

T h e

trees are

available

d u r i n g

most sea-

sons which

is economi-

cally helpful for

the carpenter but

they are also widely

available during the au-

tumn season.

“The length of the cane is usually a

meter to a meter and a half, depending

on the customer’s preference. The han-

dle has its own name called ‘gomki

gochan’ and at the time when the wood

is to be curved over it is placed in hot

water to soften the wood to make it

malleable so that it doesn’t break dur-

ing shaping,” said Haji Karim.

“Only the top of the cane is placed

into the hot water. In the winter it

needs to be in the water for longer,

roughly about half an hour, as opposed

to summer where it’s only on average

in the water for 10 minutes.”

Karim explained that there are shape

setters for the cane so that it holds its

shape as it dries and so it can harden

in its curved form. Once it has taken

the desired shape, it is held in place

with a belt to keep it curved as an extra

precaution and to further allow it to

hold its shape.

The manufacturing of the cane is not

limited to individual carpenters who

make a small number of handmade

ones as now they are mass produced in

factories using a variety of different

materials. There is, of course, a differ-

ence in mass produced canes as op-

posed to those made by hand. As with

any mass produced goods, the hand-

made one is always original and there

is never one exactly like it, but the

mass produced items often lose their

originality.

Furthermore, in handmade items,

the consumer can request that the

craftsman respect a certain set of spec-

ifications and customize the

cane, so to speak,

whereas this option

does not exist with

mass produced

items.

Many of

the older

generation

use it to

k e e p

t h e i r

balance

w h i l e

o t h e r s

use it

s i m p l y

as an ac-

cessory, a

statement

of age.

It has

been seen

worn with the

Jili Kurdi (Kur-

dish costume) where

the handle is tucked

into the belt of the men’s tra-

ditional outfit.

It is also seen as a tool that shep-

herds use to keep their cattle in line so

in this sense it goes beyond the deco-

rative purpose.

There is also something to be said of

the difference in use between the

sexes. When a woman is seen using a

‘gochan’, it is usually because she

needs it to keep her balance. But if a

man is employing one, often it is more

of a fashion statement. Older men in

particular use it as a defining accessory

in the same way as they use their ‘tas-

beh’ (prayer beads) and of course the

level of the statement depends on the

quality of the cane they walk with.

— BY ROSHNA RASOOLIN ERBIL

Citizen cane

INSIDEFor whom the

wedding bells tollJEN A. SAGERMA IN SLEMANI

16 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

Sweetmemories

Many changes have oc-

curred in the past 50

years in Kurdish cul-

ture, with certain ritu-

als evolving to meet

modern circumstances or tastes. One ex-

ample is those related to marriage. The

shakraw, loosely translated to ‘sugary

water, is the tradition wherein once the

engagement has been finalized and the

Mullah has announced the bride and

groom as husband and wife, a sweet del-

icacy is distributed to family and friends.

The shakraw custom is still practised

today with a few minor, subtle modifica-

tions. Shakraw is the actual engagement

that is announced publicy.

“When my older sister Aftaw got mar-

ried in the 1950s, I remember the shakraw

that the groom’s family had distributed. It

was a cone-shaped lump of sugar which

was wrapped and tied with a pretty rib-

bon,” recalls 65-year-old Hallaw Baba

Karim.

That had been the standard and typical

shakraw and each household would re-

ceive this cone of sugar to mark the en-

gagement and it was in essence a form of

announcement to let people know of the

union.

It was also explained that, although it

was not so very expensive, there would be

some families that would buy the sugar

lump and when announcing the marriage,

the Mullah would say a prayer over the

lump of sugar. This lump would then be

broken into many pieces and each person

present would get a piece. In that case a few

close family members and friends would

be invited but it would be limited to just

men.

The shakraw gathering is still limited to

the men, and is essentially for the men of

both sides of the families to get to know

each other better. It is very common, and

has somewhat become part of the culture

to rent a hall for the ‘shakraw khwardi-

nawa’ which is loosely translated as the

‘eating of the sweets’ which involves the

Mullah saying a few words followed by the

guests having something sweet to eat.

The ceremony itself doesn’t take long.

It’s a meeting, especially for the fathers of

the bride and groom, to introduce each

other to their family and friends. In certain

cases where the bride’s father is deceased,

some choose not to have the ceremony but

just to distribute the sweets. In other cases,

the uncle(s) of the bride would take the fa-

ther’s place.

The sweets are a requirement, but since

times have changed so has the type of

sweet. Whereas 50 years ago, it was a lump

of sugar or generous amounts of sweets

decoratively wrapped, the shakraw now

comes in different forms.

“There is so much to choose from and

now there’s the choice of a sculpture that

one can pick and it is packed with a sweet,

be it chocolate or a traditional Kurdish

sweet,” says Awder Omar Hama Karim,

owner of a shakraw shop.

The variety of sweets is sometimes over-

whelming, ranging from the reasonably

priced to the obscenely extravagant.

“There are relatively expensive orna-

ments that can reach US$40 or $50 dollars

a piece, and then some can be as cheap as

500 Iraqi Dinars (ID) so there is something

for everyone,” he adds.

There is always a sweet to accompany

the ornament so the tradition lives on, but

some have now come to take ornaments

with religious inscriptions. In this case,

they don’t add a sweet.

This is a custom strongly adhered to in

Slemani but not so much in the other areas

of the Kurdistan Region, let alone Iraq. If

the ceremony is not held, the sweets are

distributed nonetheless whether it is to

close family or to everybody.

“The more expensive choice, in general

is the ones with the real Kurdish sweets and

of course this depends on the quality,” says

Salih Mustafa, a traditional shakraw seller.

Whereas couples may agree to not have

a wedding or an engagement party, some-

thing is always done for the shakraw as it’s

a rather central point of Kurdish marriage

tradition.

“The popularity of the shakraw has in-

creased and we see this by the number of

new shops that have opened,” explains

Mustafa.

The traditional sweet is readily available

and sought after by Kurds, Arabs and other

nationalities. This demand has allowed

business to flourish despite the fact that

there are now so many shops to choose

from.

As time goes by,some Kurdishcustoms just getsweeter... andmore expensive.

The traditional Kurdish custom of shakraw is still going strong. (photo by Aram Eissa)

‘When my older

sister Aftaw got

married in the

1950s, I remember

the shakraw that

the groom’s family

had distributed. It

was a cone-shaped

lump of sugar tied

with a ribbon.’

Jen A. Sagerma

SLEMANI

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 17

Lifestyle

Middle Eastern women are keen ongold and the women of the strife-riddencity of Kirkuk are no exception. At anygiven occasion, these women adornthemselves with as much gold as possible. At present, the most soughtafter variety is gold pieces importedfrom Gulf Arab states.These pieces are mass produced out ofmolds, whereas Kurdish gold is handmade. One popular brand is Lazurde,advertised by renown Arab singerElissa. Lazurde designs will set youback a pretty penny as most sets startfrom US$2,000, but Kirkuki womendon’t care as long as they are wearingsomething that was seen on Elissa.

Seven years after the US-led invasion of Iraq opened the floodgates to foreign investment and modern fads, young Kurds are reveling in liberties that were denied their parents, thus compounding the effects of the generational divide. Kurdish society is at thethreshold of momentous changes. Lifestyle, a vista to an emerging society, offers a glimpse.

As modernity seeps into everyday life in Kurdistan, affluent young Kurdsfind ways to reconcile global trends with tradition.

Back in the day, the late dictator’s iron grip on every aspect of a person’s life meant thatthey could be thrown in jail for something as trivial as wearing white socks. Today, liberalKurdish parents are allowing their children to experiment with rapper’s clothes.

DINING FASHION INTERIORS LEISURE

Golden girls

Lazurde gold designs are a hit with thewomen of Kirkuk.

The people of the Kurdistan Regionhave a passion for comfort food. Andfor those with a sweet tooth, one needlook no further than Peshawa IceCream. This small ice-cream parlor inSlemani’s Sar Chnar neighborhood iseasy to find and offers a decent rangeof delectable flavors. The indoor seating area is small but theoutdoor seating boasts plenty of space.The view is not spectacular, neither isthe décor, but the ice cream is unrivaled. Worth sampling is the ‘cocktail’, a slushy topped with rich ice-cream. They also have wafer icecream sandwiches, cones, and an assortment of ice cream flavors.

Ice ice baby

For a hearty serving of comfort food, try Peshawa Ice Cream in Sar Chnar.

They haven’t exactly been

inspired by the Sarah Jes-

sica Parker quartet of fash-

ionistas from Sex and theCity, but it is an emerging

trend that has captured the attention

of some of Slemani’s youngest

girls. While it used to be mainly

young boys that walked around

dressed like 50 Cent and Eminem,

rap attire is now favored by girls as

well.

It is apt to remember that during

the late Saddam Hussein's regime

back in the 1980s, people were

thrown in jail for something as trivial

as wearing white socks. Such con-

straints imposed upon the people by

the late dictator were felt in all as-

pects of a citizen’s personal life.

However people's lifestyle has

changed greatly since those dark

days and many are asserting their in-

dividuality through a variety of ways.

Some liberal-leaning Kurdish par-

ents are supportive of their children’s

desire to form and express their own

identity while the more conservative

guardians are ensuring their children

do not overstep cultural and tradi-

tional boundaries. The global village

is continuously producing new trends

and the Kurdistan Region has not

been spared. Modern fads are ap-

pealing to Kurdish teenagers just as

they do their counterparts elsewhere

in the world.

Without doubt, the ‘princess look’

is still a favorite among girls in Sle-

mani, with many attending their uni-

versity lectures as if they were going

to a ball but there is a small minority

that are opting for a more modern

look. The gloomy colors matched

with baggy attire encouraged by rap

music is the new black for some.

What is interesting is that some par-

ents are encouraging their children to

further experiment with the trend.

“I am responsible for my daughter

and two younger sisters but this does-

n’t mean I can ban them from doing

things that I was unable to do. They

can wear anything they like and I en-

courage them to keep at it,” said

Shadan, mother and older sister of

three female rappers in Slemani.

“It’s true I am a girl but it doesn’t

mean that every girl has to be very

feminine. It is time to represent our

feelings and ideas, maybe it is be-

cause we have been oppressed for so

long,” said 19-year-old rapper Rojan.

“I’m a rapper because that’s who I

am not because it is the fashion. I

think our society suppresses us a lot

through its customs and traditions so

much that there may never be an

EMO concert in Slemani,” she

added.

However, critics maintain that the

significance of rap culture has been

lost among these young followers,

who adopt the look without embrac-

ing or even relating to the message.

Many of them have even given each

other nicknames without knowing

the exact spelling of it or its meaning.

“When we pass by shops or a

crowd of people, they make impolite

comments and many times it is other

girls that are making the comments

but I am proud of myself that I am

different and that they can’t under-

stand me,” said Rojan.

It is assumed that if someone

wears big trousers, oversized t-shirts

and lots of jewelry, in particular long

chains, that he or she is part of the

rapper crowd who in turn begin to

walk, talk and treat people differently.

“I don’t think that clothes make

someone into something else! People

are the same on the inside. I’m not a

rapper and I don’t act like them,” said

22-year-old Hajar Hussein.

— BY BRWA AB. RAHMANIN SLEMANI

Here’s the rapIN FOCUS

COMPILED BYAWARA JUMAA IN KIRKUK

JEN A. SAGERMA IN SLEMANI

18 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

HISTORY

Some five or six decades ago,

Slemani was much smaller than

its current population and the

ratio of students was relatively fewer,

as not all children went to school then.

However, I recollect that the learning

process for all stages was far more rig-

orous and successful.

It was based on the British system

of education of the time. In Slemani,

there were only five or six primary

schools for boys and nearly an equal

number for girls, together with two

secondary schools.

There was only one group of stu-

dents (i.e. one school) in each build-

ing. Teachers gave their best attention

to their students and students re-

spected them. There was no private

tuition and many students obtained

good grades in their finals. Teachers

looked upon their profession with

pride and did not take up other jobs.

They were also very well trained and

motivated. Headmasters and school

inspectors were chosen among those

with many years of certified teaching

experience and reverence among stu-

dents, parents and fellow teachers.

What made the teachers particu-

larly content was the fact that they

liked their occupation and their pay

was sufficient for them. In those days,

luxurious demands were few and

simple. Thus they dedicated their time

and efforts to developing their stu-

dents and their own competence. The

outcome of their work was a stream

of well read, well disciplined, broad-

minded and optimistic generation.

During the Baath rule (1963-2003),

however, the education system and its

programs were deliberately directed

towards narrow party politics and

with the advent of wars and internal

problems, the sky-rocketing cost of

living, and the reduction in their pur-

chasing power, life for teachers, be-

came exceedingly difficult.

This situation led teachers to give

less time to their students and their

teaching obligations. Thus the quality

of education has been falling continu-

ously.

Since the change of regime in

2003, attempts have been made to re-

form the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region’s

educational systems.

In 2005, IBE-UNESCO held a

number of activities for the Iraqi sys-

tem of education. It began with a

study visit in Geneva, followed by

meetings in Jordan and a conference

in Paris. The conference objectives in-

cluded giving international visibility

to the efforts of the Iraqi authorities to

modernize the education system; fa-

cilitating fruitful interactions between

national and international education

partners; and analyzing the current

needs, achievements and difficulties

to set the grounds of a medium-term

strategy.

As for the Kurdistan Region, ef-

forts have been exerted in developing

the region's educational affairs. An ed-

ucation conference was held in Erbil

some two years ago. It deliberated on

the reform of education and learning

in the Kurdistan Region and it was

concluded with a set of recommenda-

tions which were later approved by

the Kurdistan Parliament and KRG.

The conference's main objectives

included exploring reasons for school

dropouts and finding solutions, dis-

couraging and preventing children

under the age of 15 from taking up

employment, improving teachers’

standards and expertise, extension of

compulsory education to cover 9th

grade, enhancing international human

values and equal rights, etc. Conse-

quent to those events, some of the cur-

riculum programs were reviewed and

new textbooks introduced. It is be-

lieved that the process is ongoing.

Education, like all other areas of

knowledge, is in constant change. It is

less concerned with the acquisition of

structured knowledge than with the

mastery of learning tools. UNESCO

advocates that there are four pillars of

education. These are 'Learning to

know', 'Learning to do', 'Learning to

live together' and 'Learning to be' with

the proviso that these towers of

strength could not be fastened exclu-

sively in one stage of a person's life

nor in a single place.

These pillars aim at enabling peo-

ple to understand the world around

them, so as to lead their lives with dig-

nity and develop both their occupa-

tional and communication skills.

Obviously the activities so far un-

dertaken by the KRG have been

splendid and it is hoped that there is a

systematic and accountable procedure

of follow up in place with target dates,

so as to ensure the gradual reform and

improvement of the overall system

and standards of education in Kurdis-

tan region while always aspiring to

keep up with and implementing the

remarkable developments that are

continuously taking place internationally.

nwarqaradaghi2003@yahoo.co.uk

ANWAR M. QARADAGHI

Qualitative improvements inregion’s education sector

FLASHBACKS

Sir John Macdonald Kinneir (1782–1830), was a British army officer, traveller,and diplomat; he also served as an adviserto the Persian forces on the Russian front,he travelled widely throughout Turkish andIraqi Kurdistan, this book is wonderful de-scriptive, it was published by John MurrayLondon in 1818. Original copies are ex-tremely rare but www.elibron.com havefacsimile copies form $25.00.

“Betlis, the capital of

this part of Ko-

ordistan, is situated

in the heart of the

mountains of Hat-

erash, and on the banks of two small

rivers which flow into the Tigris. In form

it resembles a crab, of which the castle, a

fine old building, is the body, and the

claws are represented by the ravines,

which branch out in many different di-

rections. The city is so ancient, that, ac-

cording to the tradition of the Koords, it

was founded a few years after the flood

by a direct descendant of Noah: the

houses are admirably built of hewn stone,

flat roofed, and for the most part sur-

rounded with gardens of apple, pear,

plum, walnut and cherry trees. The streets

being in general steep are difficult of ac-

cess, and each house seems of itself a

petty fortress, a precaution not unneces-

sary in this turbulent part of the world:

many of them have large windows, with

pointed arches like the Gothic; and the

castle, which is partly inhabited and

partly in ruins, seems to be a very ancient

structure, erected upon an insulated and

perpendicular rock, rising abruptly from

a hollow in the middle of the city. It was

the residence of the ancient khans or begs

of Betlis, the most powerful princes in

Koordistan, until ruined by family feuds.

The walls are built of the same stone as

the houses, and the ramparts are nearly a

hundred feet in height. The city contains

about thirty mosques, eight churches,

four Hummams, and several khans, and

the population is said to amount to twelve

thousand souls, of which number one half

are Mahomedans, and the remainder

Christians of the Armenian persuasion.

The rivers are crossed by upwards of

twenty bridges, each of one arch, and

built of stone; the bazaars are fully sup-

plied with fruits and provisions; but most

other articles, such as cloth, hardware,

etc., are excessively dear, and indeed not

always to be procured. Merchants some-

times venture to bring goods in well-

armed caravans; but the state of the

country is such, that they are in constant

dread of being plundered and put to

death.

Apples, pears, plums, and walnuts come

to perfection at Betlis; the vineyards of

Coulty, a village six miles east of the town,

produce excellent wine and brandy (ar-

rack), but the lands are principally allotted

to pasture; and the natives, if we may ven-

ture an opinion from appearances, prefer

the culture of fruits and vegetables to that

of wheat. Their gardens are irrigated by

small aqueducts or canals, which convey

the water from the rivers or mountains, and

I have seldom seen any illiterate people

who better understand the art of hydraulics.

Some of their aqueducts carry water from a

distance of five or six miles; these are small

trenches cut round the sides of the hills,

where the level is preserved with the utmost

precision, without the use of any mathe-

matical instrument: an extraordinary cir-

cumstance, considering that the Koords are

a rude, uneducated and brutal race, natu-

rally of a fierce and contentious disposition,

and who, if we except the change of their

religion, have not altered their manners or

character since the day of Xenophon. Betlis

is nominally subject to a beg, appointed by

the pasha of Moush, but the real authority is

possessed by the Khan of the Koords, the

descendant and representative of a long line

of feudal lords who were formerly the mas-

ters of all the surrounding territory. He has,

I understand, within these few years, in a

certain degree become subject to the Porte,

and pays it an annual tribute.

The roads since we left Leese have been

very good and passable for cannon, wag-

ons, or indeed wheel-carriages of any kind.

This is, however, only the case during the

summer and autumn months; for in the

winter the whole country is laid under

snow, the melting of which in the spring oc-

casions such a number of torrents as to ren-

der the communication between the towns

exceedingly difficult. I look upon it as im-

possible to make war in any part of the

western Armenia during four or perhaps

five months in the year; and as the retreat of

the Ten Thousand has often occupied my

thoughts in my journeys across the sultry

wilds of Irak, Arabia and the rugged moun-

tains of Koordistan, I could never reflect

without a feeling of admiration and won-

der on the difficulties which that heroic

body had to overcome. The march of an

army for so great a distance, through such

a country, with one enemy in front and an-

other in the rear, in daily want of provisions

and in the full rigour of winter, is quite un-

paralleled in the annals of war; and must

ever be looked upon as a memorable ex-

ample of what skill and resolution are to ef-

fect.

We continued three days at Betlis, and

on the morning of the 7th set out for Sert,

the ancient Tigranocerta. We descended

from the height on which the aga’s house

is situated, and, rounding the castle, passed

through an old bazaar, where I observed

several handsome mosques and colleges

neglected and fast falling to ruin. We en-

tered one of the many ravines in which the

city is situated, the houses being almost hid

from the view by the luxuriant foliage of

trees. At the end of the first mile we quitted

the suburbs, and, crossing the river twice

successively, continued to travel on its left

bank over rough and stony ground. It was a

considerable time before we could clear the

town, for our escort, consisting of twelve

savage Koords, under no sort of control,

were continually stopping on one pretence

or another, and when, at last, we had got

fairly upon the road, they insisted upon

mounting the baggage horses; so that in ad-

dition to their ordinary load, each of the

poor animals had to carry one of these fel-

lows. The confusion was increased by our

being unable to speak to them, since not

one amongst the number understood Per-

sian or Turkish; and none of our own party

knew the Koordish language. At the third

mile we quitted the bank of the river, at that

place about fifteen paces wide and exceed-

ingly rapid; and turning S.S.W. following

the winding of a defile. After travelling

about two miles up this ravine, with a

rivulet on our right hand, we came to an

open spot in the mountains; and, at the sixth

mile, arrived at a small hamlet embosomed

in walnut trees. Thence, without stopping,

we gained the summit of a high hill, and

again descending into a romantic and well

cultivated valley, alighted at the end of the

eighth mile at a village called Eulak. Here

we halted for a couple of hours on the banks

of a rivulet, and under the cool shade of a

large walnut tree; for the sun was scorch-

ing hot, and I felt myself so much indis-

posed that I could with difficulty sit upon

my horse. The mountains in the vicinity of

this village abound in marble. In the cool of

the evening we again mounted and rode for

a mile and half down the valley, through

cultivated fields interspersed with gardens

of apple, pear, mulberry, plum and walnut

trees; and on quitting this delightful spot

again entered the mountains, which were

covered with small oak trees, producing

abundance of gall-nuts. The road wound for

four miles through the mountains over a

rapid succession of steep and shaggy

precipices, and during this march we were

more than once under the necessity of call-

ing a halt, in order to reprimand the guard,

who were perpetually straggling from the

road and entering the woods with the bag-

gage horses; no doubt with the view of car-

rying some of them away. At the end of the

fifth mile we descended into a narrow glen,

between two ranges of stupendous moun-

tains composed of quartz and clinkstone

mixed with quartz, rising almost perpen-

dicularly on each side. Their summits were

clothed with hanging oaks and white with

snow. A rapid river flowed through the cen-

tre of the valley...

The khans of BetlisMaureen McLuckie

LONDON

The residence of theancient khans or begsof Betlis, the mostpowerful princes inKoordistan, until ruined by family feuds

Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009 19

SOCIETY| LIFE TIMES&

The theatre production of ‘I was wrong’ atShari Yari in Parki Azadi.(photos by Aram Eissa)

Theatre production of the ‘Forest and its law’ at Slemani Hall. (photo by Aram Eissa)

The head of the municipality of Diyarbakir at the Amna Suraka. (photo by Aram Eissa)

A concert by Loor Music Group at the Culture Hall in Slemani. (photo by Aram Eissa)An exhibition by the Art Supervisors at the William Yohana Hall. (photo by Aram Eissa)

As the weathercooled down in theKurdish region following months ofscorching heat, theFall ushered a slewof cultural events,from musical showsto theatrical productions.

20 Issue no.63 Oct 16 - 29, 2009

JWAMER

Yes, it should have been sent.

BAYIZ

When?

JWAMER

Not too long ago. It coincided with the posting ofthe famous Kurdish letter.

BAYIZ

What famous Kurdish letter?

JWAMER

Sorry, I cannot say another word about it becauseit has so many enemies.

BAYIZ

It’s the production of our national oil, isn’t it?

JWAMER

Yes, but they hate it so much.

BAYIZ

I don’t know.

JWAMER

You don’t know? Then you are wise. Stay as youare. Don’t learn anything, don’t study anything.

BAYIZ

Are you kidding me?

JWAMER

No I’m serious.

BAYIZ

Too bad, Kaka Jwamer. You shouldn’t be serious,otherwise you will lose all your friends.

JWAMER

No problem, because on the other hand, I will gain the truth.

BAYIZ

Which truth?

JWAMER

The simple one.

BAYIZ

The simle truth! That is the song of our tragedy. Itreminds me of those days bygone.

JWAMER

OK, let us move on to another subject.

BAYIZ

No, I want to remain in the revolutionary atmos-phere. I wish I could breathe again from that air.

JWAMER

But I heard it is poisonous.

BAYIZ

Nonsense, who told you that?

JWAMER

The enemy brothers.

BAYIZ

Where are these enemy brothers?

JWAMER

They are everywhere and I assure you that theysee everything...

JWAMER

On the contrary, they see nothing apart from their

own ugliness.

BAYIZ

Kaka Jwamer, can I ask you a question?

JWAMER

No I’m sorry I’m not authorized.

BAYIZ

Don’t be afraid, it is not a political question.

JWAMER

Even so, I’m not authorized.

BAYIZ

So whom should I ask?

JWAMER

I told you. I’m not authorized to answer any question especially from untrained journalists.

BAYIZ

But I’m no journalist...

JWAMER

Everyone in Kurdistan is potentially a journalist.Wow... it is half past 12. I must go.

BAYIZ

Why?

JWAMER

Because there is a big event...

BAYIZ

What is it?

JWAMER

The new Cabinet

Dr Sherko Abdullah is editor of Sekhurma Cartoonmagazine.

The teahouse is a popular Kurdish institution, where wisemen (or, wiseguys) gather every evening to discuss life, politics andthe future. Dr Sherko Abdullah lends an ear to the talk, and reports what Bayiz and Jwamer had to say...

At the chaikhanaEveryone in Kurdistan is potentially a journalist!

Answer my question. I’mnot a journalist!

Kurdish Security Manager

VSC Security Solutions is recruiting for an experienced Kurdish security manager for its Slemani office. The successful applicant will have gained considerable experience in a similar role within a western security environment. They will be able carry out duties on their own initiative and have the required personal ity to take responsibility for administration of all teams and static locations. The successful applicant will also be very familiar with all MS office applications. Very strong spoken and written Englishis required.

Applicants may send CV and a covering letter to ops@vscsecurity.com. The closing date for applications

is 26 October 2009.