Check this: http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
"Baghdad Burning" is a blog authored by a person known only as Riverbend. Beyond that, she also says in her first entry, "I'm female, Iraqi and 24. I survived the war. That's all you need to know. It's all that matters these days anyway."
Her blog presents a richly detailed, sardonic and honest account of daily life under the occupation, and concise analyses of Iraqi and international current events. What's especially haunting is actually seeing how deeply the American occupation affects an individual. If you search "Iraq" on the Washington Post's website, a quick scan of the titles shows mostly articles concerned with Iraqi politics, attacks on American troops, and the general carnage and destruction. However, for someone like me who has never lived in a war zone, the knowledge of the lack of competent leaders in the government or the fact that a car bomb exploded, killing 4 doesn't mean anything besides a general feeling of despair and sadness. For me personally, the realization that all of the violence and politics that have been reported filters down into so many private actions is what truly lets the urgency of the occupation of Iraq sink in. According to Riverbend:
June [2006] marked the first month [that she doesn't] dare leave the house without a hijab... Going around bare-headed in a car or in the street also puts the family members with you in danger. You risk hearing something you don’t want to hear and then the father or the brother or cousin or uncle can’t just sit by and let it happen. I haven’t driven for the longest time. If you’re a female, you risk being attacked.
Even deeper, Riverbend reflects on the personal significance: "I look at my older clothes- the jeans and t-shirts and colorful skirts- and it’s like I’m studying a wardrobe from another country, another lifetime." This understanding that even one's clothing is imbued with a life-or-death signficance drives home the pervasiveness of seemingly impersonal forces of violence and politics. It is to the point that Riverbend describes how a childhood friend, M, is also wearing a hijab, even though M is a Christian.
Riverbend also concisely describes and analyzes the war in Iraq on a larger scope. She describes the impact of decisions such as disbanding the Iraqi army and abolishing the original constitution. Iraq is in an "irretrievable" situation, where Iran's presence is strengthened, children start playing games of jihad, and every day brings the sight of corpses.
Riverbend's blog has been recognized, by being published into a book and nominated for the Samuel Johnson Award. Please take the time to check out this blog if you haven't already done so.
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Thanks for the recommendation!
"Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you." - Kahlil Gibran
"If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." Isaac Asimov