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Baghdad
The problem with this place is that, no matter how fubar I think it is, they always come up with a way to make it more fu. This nonsense in Baghdad and Kerbala yesterday morning, especially. First off – I am absolutely an ignoramus in the ways of Islam, but…
Millions were gathering for the Ashura holy day, long since banned by Saddam. For one, it’s a Shi’a festival, and Saddam was Sunni. For two, one “colorful” aspect of this ritual is the self flagellation. In some groups, this involves the participant cutting the top of his own head, and then continuously beating himself with stick of sword to ensure continued bleeding.
Very messy.
As was traffic on the way to the Ministry for what will probably turn out to be my final coordination meeting with them. The drive that normally takes fifteen to twenty minutes took over ninety, as the entire city was disrupted by the parades and demonstrations of the devout. During one particularly interminable wait, I observed a group of easily five to ten thousand marchers, each tenth or so led by a bundle of banners and flags, then a group of elderly guys, then a hundred or two self flagellators, then a couple hundred supporters. Then the next tenth, then the next, literally as far as the eye could see.
Each mass of self flagellators strode to the rhythm of a truck full of speakers projecting the (to western ears) strange wailings of a priest, accompanied by a couple of large drums. The wailing ended in a THUMP every three or four seconds, and the devout would advance just one more step – simultaneously whacking themselves on the back with small cats-o-nine-tails. Left side. Right side. Thump. Thump.
This slow procession took up one side (three lanes) of the six lane road, naturally expanding it to four or five lanes on my side, as vehicles tried to cram their way forward (there’s hardly any pavement marking anyway, so who’s to say it wasn’t a five lane slab to start). We weren’t moving at all for way too long, the marchers seemed to have brought their own informally armed security, and Captain Barnhart had her hand on the safety of her pistol the entire time, ready to discharge the chambered cartridge and send some wayward Iraqi elsewhere.
While we were in this traffic jam from Allah, simultaneously in Baghdad and Kerbala, bad guys lobbed mortars into the million Muslim marches, killing at least a hundred and a half.
For three, this festival is the most important on the Shi’a calendar, and is almost always disrupted by violence. Coincidentally, the holiday is to remember the death of the Prophet’s grandson, who was martyred by bad guys hundred and hundreds of years ago.
As a result, three days of mourning was declared and all public offices are closed. By the time it’s done, my necessary contact in the Ministry will be on a money begging mission in Qatar, and my Sector Chief will be in the States, so my intended handover meetings between them will not occur, and (like I care much any more) the continuation of the process will falter.
Well, and on that cheerful note, the bastards are lobbing mortars and/or rockets at the palace again, and the Giant Voice has been activated.
I am so done here.
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