Originally posted by: Trainhave you thought about being translator for the Military/DOD Contractors? Not many Americans can speak the Iraqi dialect of Arabic very well. You can make some pretty hefty loot doing a tour as a translator.
I have thought about that...but
a) I'm in college. I should finish my degree first
b) I disagree with the war and how it is being fought. If things change, then maybe I am willing. But with the current state of things, I would rather be an observer rather than lend my hand (kind of like abstaining from the vote. I do want Iraq to be better...but with the way the situation is being treated by this administration changes would have to occur before I volunteer)
c) Even if i went...I'd fear my life. I wouldn't want to be targeted for working "with the occupiers"
Iraqis aren't really religious people. Only a few of them that you see on t.v being fanatics are. Ask any Iraqi who has been to Iraq and they will tell you they are moderate Muslims.
I could be wrong, but magomago knows better than I do.
With atlesat my family and how it worked where my parents (remember they are Shi'ites) live: they are religious. They pray everyday, fast, thank god...from what I've seen they are like the Christians that actually DO help the poor rather than liberals who talk about the good stuff we should do. During prayer time...the entire city literally stops to funcation and people pray. But at the same time, they are against homosexuality, beleive that people should dress modestly (burka is not modest. But neither is showing your stomach and wearing a tube top. making sure you are clothed is the important thing...bellbottoms were popular back in "the day", but not because it was "in", but also due to the fact it covered you), against drugs and abortion(expect in very case specific situations such as the mother' slife is threatened), and are for the death penalty.
But its more pragmatic in that sense(lol another bushism...i fear after 4 years he is beingining to influence me
). Even though the Quran also says the world was created in seven days or so (or was it six? hehe) my parents don't think it was literal days. Science has shown that part is probably a period of time we cannot view as just 24 hours. If you can't make it to a prayer, do it later. Obvoiusl a lot of these are just generalizatoins, because you will find extermes to both sides. Remember, first of all this is the Middle East, which has been religous for thousands of years so I don't see any radical change occuring anytime soon. they do have religion in school in a specific religion class, and the culture is MUCH more conservative than here[Christians also get their own religion class]. But it isn't to the degere that we might see in the news (remember how sometimes we see ppl slicing themselves (i think its called Ashura..if i'm wrong...its sometihng else) after saddam got outta power? Those are shi'ites showing their dedication by cutting themselves. Saddam had viewed as [as my also conservative shi'ite parents] as unecessary because to show your dedication to god doesn't mean you need to cut yourself, espcially because this doesn't have any backing in the quran, so he banned it...my guess is he wanted non cut men for the military
). Also, if I remember correctly Christians were not allowed to prostelyze at all, tho all other parts of their religion they were allowed to engage in.
I personally don't think Iraq will turn into an Austin Powers "Mini-me" Iran per se, because theocracy is something i've noticed that peopl really didn't like. Clerics are spiritual leaders, but they don't know jack crap on things such as the economy, etc. They will take into consideration what clerics say, and value their opinion, but if it doesn't make sense...well that is why clerics shouldn't have too much power '
But that doesn't mean they are going to turn into a USA. But right now I'm speaking of the more localpopulation...not the "higher ups" running for power because a lot of those guys haven't lived in IRaq in ten, twenty years.
that and Aimster, I will contend that Iran is much less religious than Iraq is. The governments have been on opposite sides of the spectrum, but the actual people themselves...I would think it goes the other way...I'm not saying that Iranians are "bad" muslims...lol because everyone who is muslim, regardless of "level of dedication" wants to be a good muslim, but I think they are defnitely much more relaxed than Iraqis...
I've heard that Iraq prior to Saddam was home to some of the best Doctors and Scientist in the Middle East, Baghdad at one time had a thriving academic community. I wonder what contributions Iraq could have made to the technology and medical fields had the baathists not taken over and turned the country into one big military dictatorship.
That was true...but there was one thing: that occured DURING the Batthist regime! Prior to the batthists education for the common man was limited to highschool, assuming one was there. College were reserved for the "noble elite". Healthcare, etc. was not emphasized. With the Ba'ath party all that changed and colleges became free (provide your scored high enough to make it into the college of your choice), and a huge emphasis was put on education. Hence why Iraq made great strides because it had an educated work force (Dad: PhD Civil Engineering, Mom: BS Structural Engineer, Uncle: MS in Entomology(sp?), Uncle 2: Dentist, Uncle 3: PhD in ECON, Aunt 1: MD Doctor, and I barely touched anything because my family is supposed to be huge). All can speak english because its a required language to learn (that is what you get for being a British Colony) Oh, and this isn't because lets say my parents were "rich" or anything: my mom was fairly well off...however my dad was dirt poor because his father died when he was in fourth grade and he and his family made great sttides though education (the dentist and entomologist are my dad's brothers) while still "selling food on the corners of the streets to survive".
The big problem with the Ba'athists is whoever was in power they often liked to pack all their relatives into positions of power also ;p kind of like spoils system to an extreme~ and then they would stay there till they died so no freedom
And then opponents would be crushed so ensure their power
We need to kick all the Muslims out and make it into a Christian Democracy freedom loving place for Iraqi's. It is the only way.
GO BUSH!!!
You know i never realized if you are seroius or not....but sometimes I do think you are . Either way your idea is absolutely stupid. 97% of the country(even the kurds) is muslim and that is their land. We have NO right tell people to leave their land just because we have bigger and stronger guns. Its people like you that makes the Middle East think we are on a crusade to destroy islam~ and its people like you that make me think we are trying to replace Muslim Fundamentalism with Communism so we can continue to try to expand our power under the guise of "proctecting the world against funadmentalism". Maybe we should also protect the world from your kind also.
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Aimster here is some infoo
http://www.findarticles.com/p/...01/is_4_25/ai_n6129823
With oil accounting for 60 percent of the country's GDP and 95 percent of foreign currency earnings, Iraq's economy was heavily dependent on the external sector and sensitive to oil price fluctuations. In the early 1980s, Iraq was producing about 3.5 million barrels per day (BPD), but that amount declined to 2.8 million by 1989
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/51/247.html
Seems GDP right before the was was 60 Billion.....About 2-3k GDP Per capita, but the cost of living there is also much cheaper. But far better off than its neighors (And Iraq was caught in a stupid war with Iran that left a million on each side dead with no conclusion because Saddam and Khoeimini ddin't like eachother. Makes me wonder how the two countries would have done without a war)
Also, I remember agriculture playing a role: especially dates. Agriculture over there when it concerened dates went a little different than the norm: You plant the date trees, and then under them you plant other foods that are more shade tolerant...rather than the whole "plow the area and go for the gold".
Ahh here we go :
http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeo...anuary02_index.php?l=3
Before the imposition of UN sanctions, exports of dates from Iraq accounted for a major share of world trade in dates. Other fruits produced include apples, figs, grapes, olives, oranges, pears, and pomegranates. Livestock raising is an important occupation for Iraq's nomadic and seminomadic tribes. Almost 10 percent of Iraq's land area is suitable for grazing
this is actually good information right here:
Before 1990 and the imposition of sanctions, Iraq had one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East. It was a highly urbanized society, dependent on a large service economy, with high standards of healthcare very widely available, and a complex infrastructure typical of a modern society. In 1990 about 71% of the 18.9 million population lived in cities, 80% of the labour force worked in the service sector, with only 12.5% in agriculture and 7.8% in industry. 97% of urban-dwellers and 70% rural-dwellers had access to health facilities, according to United Nations Development Programme criteria.
The World Health Organisation in Baghdad reports that before the Gulf War, 93% of the population had access to a free, modern, high quality health care system. Today that system is barely functioning.
More than 93.9% children were enrolled in primary school before the sanctions. Also pre-war, over 90% of the population had access to safe distributed water. Extensive health surveillance ensured a high quality of drinking water, and efforts to eradicate malaria, leishmaniasis and other water-borne diseases had saved Iraq from the epidemics found in many other developing countries. (source :Report on Humanitarian needs in Iraq prepared by a mission led by Sadruddin Aga Khan, executive delegate of the Secretary-General, UN, 1991)
Actually the rest of that proves to be a good read...possibly provide more accurate info then what i can get (which just situates from one family)
Essentially we (and when i mean we, I dn't just include the USA although it plays a big part) turned it into a third world country...especially when it has a lower standard of living now than many Sub Saharan Countries...
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