Iraqi Poet Anwar Al-Ghassani

Permanent History Lesson For Iraqis

Berlin, Café Feuer und Flamme, July 3, 2008

In my 1992 "Manifesto: The Future of Iraq", somewhere at the end of the document, I wrote that when after removing  Saddam Hussein´s regime from power, all monuments, statues and images representing his person or the ideas of his regime should be left in place and not removed. I thought those were objects that represent a period of Iraqi history. Removing them wouldn´t remove them from the collective memory and wouldn´t neutralize their effect, positive or negative, on Iraqi soul and mind.

If we leave them where they stand, they will be valuable objects for studying Iraqi history by present and future Iraqi generations. 

Today, at Midnight while talking with Mouayed about the current situation in Iraq, I mentioned that idea from the Manifesto. He told me that after the fall of Saddam Hussein his images were not only removed but that their walls were used to hang images religious figures and saints.

I thought that was strange. The album is the same, only the images on its pages have been changed. They have done to Saddam what Saddam did to those who were in power before him: remove them. Now, we will start the new world, our eternal world. So, where is the progress and learning from history in all this?

I thought that was grotesque and a shining example of human stupidity and shortsightedness: those who removed Saddam´s images and replaced them by their favorite images thought at that moment that with this image change the realm of evil is over and the realm of goodness and virtue has started, the gate to paradise is now open.

This is of course nothing but illusions, error, extremist preference of one´s own ideas that could even lead to the physical elimination of dissidents and adversaries. It is, in short, human stupidity, then what is the difference between those who erected Saddam´s images and those who replaced them by their own favorites. They did exactly the same and committed the same error of thinking that their ideas are the guarantee for a passage to paradise.

I thought this might be a good idea for a poem. Supposing we have a virtual street in Baghdad with statues, monuments and images of leaders of the regimes which ruled Iraq during the past one hundred years. So we will have an Ottoman Sultan, General Maud, the 1917 conqueror of Baghdad, King Faissal I, King Faissal II, King Ghazi, General Abdulkarim Qassim, Saddam Hussein and the current religious idols. Children passing through the street would ask their parents who these funny people are. A parent may reply, "These are people who have ruled Iraq. When each of them came to power, he removed all images of his predecessor as being symbols of evil and erected his own as being the only good one, the absolute in everything, the eternal."

And finally someone will comment on the images of the favorites of today, "So those who erected the images of present idols think these will remain forever. They are ready to sacrifice anything, lives of others and their own lives to hammer this idea into the heads of the people. But you know, this is nothing but the too well-known human illusion and stupidity."

Another way of looking at this procession of images and statues in this street is to see them as a collection of grotesque accessories for a tragi-comic scene on a theater stage.

Second Patria - Poems - Recently Published

The collection is now available ($10.99) at:

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Description: Poems written in English by Iraqi poet Anwar Al-Ghassani as an homage to Germany, his second homeland, where he lived, studied and worked during three periods between 1967 and 1983. Those were years of his emotional and intellectual maturing and growth, of creative and happy times. They were also his years of the motorcycle and of explorations. These poems are also about reminiscences and about his almost yearly visits to Germany. They are about wonderful people, friends and places. Al-Ghassani writes poetry in Arabic, English, German and Spanish.

Read a sample of three poems

The Rupture In Iraq 

The past is folded, conserved and stored.
It can now be retrieved as images.

Anwar Al-Ghassani
Jacó, February 25, 2008

AUTO-DIA-2: How To Produce Solidarity With Iraq?

Note: originally published in Iraq Information and Discussion List.
Join Iraq List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Iraq/

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007

Dear Sumerian,

> Dear Mr. Dr. Anwar;

Thank you for taking time and replying carefully. No need for Dear, Mr and Dr. That sounds silly. Just "Anwar," or "Dear Anwar," , that would be enough.

> > I am replying to your message along the subjects as they occur. I am taking this approach because there are a lot of troubles in the PC setup / Yahoo / Windows which makes quoting a nightmare. >

I understand. Yahoo is a silly enterprise. They add their silly ads to the messages causing a lot of trouble when trying to quote the original message. I usually have to apply two or three additional measures in order to be able to quote and reply to a message.

> However I want to highlight that at the end of your message you mentioned that I was throwing subjects you didn’t discuss. That means I may not have understood your message well.

> > A)There was no informal statement in my message but only the address. I never thought that that was a concern to you. I was deeply upset from the way you stated this because I feel this meant to create a conflict in favor of some members in here.than to express a concern. >

It disappoints me that you, after being on this list for years, you still think that I could engage in such cheap stupid conspiracies against some list members in favor of others. Others might think I am appeasing you. Both suspicions are unfounded. For me, you are all valued list members. Some of you cause more trouble than others, but that is the nature of life and I am here to deal with that. Iraq list is a noble list where we all try to make it a good space for exchange and information. Sometimes we fail, but we always try and never give up. Conspiracies, cheap tricks, dirty maneuvers are not the style of Iraq list.

> B)I don’t discuss the gay matter with you because of two matters: > 1- It is not a major issue of cur rent concern on any level. I mean inside this group, in the news or on any other news level. > 2- I will never agree with you on this subject. My position was very clear since several years back. We don’t need to insist discussing subjects that we can never but only disagree about or argue about.

I agree. Gay issues are currently not major issues. I was also telling you that you can have your own opinion and you don´t need to change it. I was only telling you that you can`t use the list to insult anyone, be it gay or Shiate or Sunni or "Shroog" (the name you use for poor strata of Shiates) or the English or American peoples in their totality without differentiating between them and their governments that have conducted wars and colonial policies. Why? Because such wholesale condemnation goes against an important principle of this list: respect of human rights.

> > C) I read your message and replied to the best of my understanding, and I am doing now here too. >

OK.

> D) No one stated that there was a naughty nation, but they ( The Americans and UK) all did it on Iraq to mean that. There is no value of not saying something while someone do it. > > E) My personal readings on history gave me strong conclusions in the matter of criminalizing the majority of English, but not a nation. >

Neither the majority, nor the whole nation. Governments, the system, the politicians, that is another story and perspective. Read my previous comment above.

> F) English are the backbone of the British Empire. They created Britain and called it Great. That name is very confusing indeed. They are the first people who created confusion in history and politics. The British Empire is the result of the English efforts. Non of the nations which created Britain wanted Britain. That is why they are now all trying to liberate themselves.

I understand. That can be discussed. But, as a principle, do not condemn whole peoples. If you follow that principle, your arguments will be more convincing.

> > G) Removed after review > > H) Regarding feeling "loyal" to people if they gave me shelter and if I disagree with them: That sounds right at the first glance, but if you look deep in it ( I mean this is my interpretation); then I have another conclusion: I can’t sell my principles for what soever reasons the other side assisted me in one stage or even if he built me from scratch. Principles are more important than people. That is my concept.*

You should never give up your principles, but be flexible and open to modify and change principles. Legitimate principles are norms for the individual to direct and orient his interaction with others so that life can offer the best possible conditions of justice and equality to all, including that individual himself. In fact, principles are not more important than people. On the contrary, people are more important, because people, interaction with people, is the space for the application of principles. Principles in the head of an individual are nothing but nice formulations of rules and maxims. There is nothing sacred or religious about principles. They have no life of their own. They wake up and come to life when they are applied to the relation with others. There, they have to prove to be legitimate and worthwhile. The major evaluation criteria of their usefulness is that they should promote justice and equality among people. If they don´t do that, they are either wrong or worthless.

> *As you can see from the above, that we can go along with all subjects, and we may end up discussing what I think about everything in life than our concern in here which is the Iraqi file and issues.

I understand.

> > I) I live in Al Basra Gulf in the intension of living in New Zealand. Plans may change.

Thank you for the information. I wish you all the best for your plans.

> J) When I read, I then THINK. That gives me the power to judge. > > K) I don’t know if I didn’t learn. However I try to do that always > I understand. > L) There is nothing inhuman in proposing to humanizing others.However I am not imposing that, nor I am suggesting it. but rather I am reply only. It looks beneficial to remind everyone in here that 2 million Iraqis lost their lives while others were trying to educate us how to be humans.

I understand. As to the two millions and the destruction of Iraq, you remember that I have written about that many times. In short, we should never forget and never give up working towards:

a) Full condemnation of those responsible for aggression and destruction through legal procedures in both Iraqi and international courts of justice.

b) Full compensation for all the pain, harm and destruction inflicted upon Iraq.

However, you have to work hard, for years and maybe decades to achieve that. You have, in particular, to convince the peoples of the countries whose governments have caused the destruction of Iraq. But you can´t win them on your side if your are only condemning them, all of them, for what few of them have done.

Thanks,

Anwar

AUTO-DIA-3: The Occupation And Its Options

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007

Dear Meso,

Thanks for your comments.

Yes, there is a measure of self-clubbing in the article.
However, the main virtue of the article is the detailed analysis of the groups and forces that form the Saddrist movement.

Anwar Al-Ghassani.

Iraq´s Poem Of Defiance

I shed numbered tears on my dead.
My plains intercept the falling darkness.

Diary 2007 - Wednesday, October 03, 2007

The Difficulty Of Writing Poetry About Iraq

This is not the title of an article. It is the title of one of the draft poems I have been writing in recent days (Collection Iraq - II).

These days, at the start of writing the new Iraq - II collection, I do feel it is not easy to write poetry about Iraq nowadays. I don´t mean any kind of poetry. Wailing and mourning poetry is very easy to write. I mean good poetry; poetry that readers can consider as something of value.

So, in the poem with that rather "unpoetic" title, I am trying to discover why is it difficult to write poetry about Iraq at present. I have found at least one explanation: poetry is always about love even when it deals with ugliness and violence, but the bestiality of the current violence in Iraq stuns and shocks the poet in a way it leaves him speechless and in urgent need to distance himself emotionally from these manifestations of pathological violence in order to be able to understand it and express it within the limits of the language he has at his disposal. The tragic uniqueness of this extreme violence that seldom occurs in history makes it an unusual experience. The poet has to learn how to deal with it, particularly because true poetry never gives up its commitment to life and to the human beings even under conditions of extreme irrationality and danger.

Diary 2007 - Friday, September 21, 2007

Poetry Video Clips

I am planning the production of video clips of my poems. These clips will be uploaded to my official website, my blog and to YouTube.com. Probably, I will be able to upload the first clips within one or two months. I first need a period of time for experimenting and the production of few prototype. I am very much interested in doing this work and offer my poems in a multimedia context.