Azzaman,
Iraq
'Taghliss': The Reason Iraqis Don't Stand Up to American Abuses
By Imad Abboud Abbas
Translated By Nicolas Dagher
March 9, 2006
Azzaman - Iraq- Original
Article (Arabic) 
Someone, (a friend, a colleague or a neighbor) might borrow money
from you for some urgent reason. Later, the urgency fades and your friend or
neighbor stays silent [says nothing about the loan], as if nothing happened,
while his eyes are filled with the innocence of a child. You might be hurt more
by the deathly silence in your friend’s eyes when every day you cross his path,
than by the fact that some money (that you might need) is unavailable. He
passes by you, saying "May Allah help you," with a complete lack of
manners. He then speeds away from you rather than uttering a few words excusing himself for the delay in returning your money (those
few words might be more valuable to you than the money itself). This sad social
phenomenon is called "taghliss" [التغليس] by the Iraqis.
But the saddest thing about it is that you find this
at all levels of Iraqi society. It doesn't distinguish between big or
small, important people or everyday people, ruler and ruled. Since we are a
democratic country that elects its own leaders, we have elected people that
have the same psychological disorders and social diseases as we do. We ended up
having people in the habit of "taghliss" at the highest
echelons of our government. They are now practicing this on a large scale.
If "taghliss" used to be limited to a few dinars, it now
spans the millions and billions. If its harm used to be merely material,
nowadays it affects the self-esteem, honor and blood of the people.
For example, our officials heard what the Americans did to the bus
carrying school girls in Mossul, but they remained silent.
[Editor's Note: There were unconfirmed reports last week on a site
called Uruk Net, that U.S. troops had stopped a school
bus with their tank, and forced the schoolgirls on the bus to "show their breasts." 
].
What we desperately needed was to have all government officials
stand up with the people of Mossul, not abandon them as they sought to get the
Americans to apologize. It is an apology that the people of Mosul will never receive.
Before this, we wished our officials to stand up with the people
imprisoned at Abu Ghraib, or with the youth of Basra after what the British did
to them (referring to the video showing British soldiers beating young demonstrators).
Mohaned Ali, 14, Son of Ali Hassan
Mashawash, Near His Father's Casket,
as Friends and Relatives Offer Prayers,
in Najaf. Mashawash was Dean at the
College of
Engineering in Al Mustansaryah
University in Baghdad, and was Kidnapped.
His Body Was Found Sunday.
-------------------------------------------------
But all we witnessed was silence … nothing but silence.
Isn’t there any indignation? At least a statement like, "We’re
going to investigate this matter" or "We’re going to form a
commission," after which, in any case, the commission would be swept under
the rug like so many others! Why are they suddenly so tongue-tied under these
circumstances?
The world is full of stories of the atrocities in Iraq, be they
committed by Americans, British or locals. These atrocities have filled thousands
of newspapers in all of the world’s languages, but our officials refuse to utter
a word. In the midst of this deafening silence, who knows what happens behind local
prison bars and those imported here by the U.S. and Britain, when not a single
one of our officials visits them, even from our Human Rights Ministry, which we
pride ourselves in having.
Who knows if the thousands of supposed terrorists, who were shown
on local TV networks, were judged? Were the ones proved to be terrorists
indicted? Were the ones proven innocent released? What conclusions have the
investigations into dozens of cases of fraud and corruption come to? These
investigations deal with previous administrations and with members of the
previous and present Parliament. Why is the Independent Election Commission still
silent in regard to the paychecks of thousands of election workers with whom
the Commission contracted? Those people risked their lives for the success of
the elections, and all they have gotten was disappointment!
Is it a special kind of "taghliss" only worthy of
highly placed officials, or are they following the wisdom of Silence As the Master
of Morals? [Arabic Proverb]
VIDEO FROM QATAR: MUQTADA SADR WARNS AMERICANS AND ARABS
Al Jazeera TV, Qatar: excerpts from an interview by Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Sadr, Feb. 18, 00:04:29, Via MEMRI
"All the talk and all the rumors that if the American forces leave - or even if they don't leave - Islamic or Arab forces will enter - they, too, will be occupiers."
Iraqi Shiite Leader Muqtada Sadr
[LATEST NEWS PHOTOS: Iraq].
