I looked at the heartrending picture of an Iraqi child in the day’s newspaper. Her hair in disarray, grey-blue eyes melting in tears and mouth open in a silent wail, she supported her aslant face by her tiny palm as if unable to bear a terrible blow. The unshed tears of the little girl showed the pain of her country-folk: handsome, lively, honest-to-their-faith people you may find in any other part of the world. What wrong have Iraqis committed to deserve such misery?
‘It is not entirely for the wrongs they have themselves committed; they are suffering because others decreed that they suffer,’ said Kaga Bhushundiji from behind my back.
I turned round and asked him to explain.
‘Son,’ began Kagaji, ‘suffering does not always come from one’s own karma. Frequently, you mortals become pawns in the power-play of the mighty and are made to suffer because of their whims. Iraqis are struck with such quirks of destiny. Their history goes back to the days of Babylon and Mesopotamia. Five hundred years ago they were ruled by the Khalifa from Istanbul. The Khalifa’s empire – or the ‘Caliphate’ as the Yavanas of the West called it – extended from Asia to Europe to Africa on land; and his writ was followed by every living Muslim in the world in letter and spirit. With the passage of time, the Caliphate got frayed in power and glory, as happens with all human endeavours. But Khalifa’s throne continued to be the binding force for all the Muslims till the very last….’
‘Kagaji, you are rambling. Please focus on Iraq.’
‘O, yes, Iraq. The country is blessed with fertile land and huge reservoirs of oil, the asset which keeps your world on the move. A devout people, Iraqis are surrounded by the peoples of Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia who are also known for devotion to their faith. Then, should not they be living in peace and harmony, instead of the quagmire of bloodshed and utter chaos they find themselves in? But that is not the case, because Iraqis are reaping the bitter harvest of what others sowed for them. Reminds me of the Treta Yuga…’
‘Stick to your point, Kagaji, no one is interested in your Tales of the Treta Yuga.’
‘Listen to me then. The Great War broke out a hundred years ago, engulfing nearly all the nations of the world. The Caliphate decided to go with the party that was eventually to lose. When the war ended four years later, the victorious Britain and its allies dismantled the Khalifa’s empire and split its territories to suit their own interests. Not content with that, Britain not only abolished the institution of Khalifa altogether, but also imposed on Iraqia a king of her choice. If the Muslims of the world gnashed their teeth in rage, why would British Raj bother, being at the peak of its power at that time? Anger against the imposed authority simmered in the whole region. In 1958, Iraqi King Faisal II was assassinated and Iraq became a republic. Twenty-one years later, Iranians too overthrew their monarch and declared themselves a republic. Sectarian strife and regional rivalry led to wars in the Middle-East, which again gave America and Britain along with their flunkies an excuse to meddle into the Middle East affairs. At one point of time, more than sixty countries from far and near were caught in the heat and dust of war.’
‘Kagaji, why did America think of waging a war against a distant country? Why did an impoverished Britain go in its support? And why did other countries join their forces with them?’
‘Son, America might have had so many reasons to wage a costly war on Iraq, but it said it wanted to transform the Middle East and rid the region of violence, in the same manner the Gora Sahibs had taken up the task of ‘civilizing’ the peoples of Asia and Africa a few centuries ago. Britain joined for the lure of money, as did so many other countries. And there was one country in particular – Greece’s neighbor Macedonia – which sent its forces in US support for the good reason of gaining recognition as a sovereign country. Everyone had a selfish motive to wage a war against Iraq, but for Iraq itself, one outcome was that Saddam Hussein, its President for almost a quarter century, was hanged like a common criminal, another was the rule of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki whom nobody likes….’
‘And the net result, Kagaji?’
‘The net result is the utter anarchy and obscene dance of death on the streets of Iraq – a mockery of the world order. Now watch out for those who set fire to a neighbor’s thatch to warm their own hearths.’
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