- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Abdul4

Brutal Destruction Of Iraq's Archaeological Sites Continues (photos)

Abdul — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:27:48 +0000

Buried in Iraq’s clay and dirt is the history of Western civilization. Great empires once thrived here, cultures that produced the world’s first wheel, first cities, first agriculture, first code of law, first base-sixty number system, and very possibly the first writing. A brutal plundering of this rich cultural heritage has been taking place in broad daylight ever since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. These days Ancient Mesopotamia looks more like a scene from the movie Holes.

“I still find it hard to believe this is happening,” Clemens Reichel told the Huffington Post. “Since the 2003 Iraq War, my work as a field archaeologist has changed forever. Sometimes it feels more like an undertaker’s work.” Reichel, a Mesopotamian archaeologist at the University of Toronto, is former editor of the Iraq Museum Database Project at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute.

The Smell of Burning Flesh in the Morning

Abdul — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:45:09 +0000

I just read this fascinating story by Matt LaPlante in the Salt Lake Tribune. It’s about how one of the largest bases in Iraq burns all of its garbage and waste, which might even include amputated body parts, in an open pit. The thick black smoke from the burn pit is a landmark at Camp Anaconda.

When I read this, my first reaction was to start dry heaving. I was stationed at Camp Anaconda (or Balad Airbase) for one year. I’ve sucked down more of that smoke than I care to think about. I knew it was bad for my health, but I had no idea that there might be body parts in that smoke.

Iraqis raise reservations over pact with U.S.

Abdul — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:13:23 +0000

A pact that would allow U.S. troops to stay in Iraq for three years failed to secure the support of Iraqi political leaders on Sunday, raising doubts about whether it can survive without new...

What is wrong with today's Jews? A perspective of a moderate Muslim.

Abdul — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:26:34 +0000

When Muslims criticize Jews chances are it’s Islamists. You rarely see moderate (an I do mean real moderate, not Islamists like CAIR who claim to be moderate) Muslims saying unflattering things about the Jews. So, normally, when I see the Jews do dumb things i.e., supporting an Islamist congressional candidate because of partisanship (American Jewish World’s support for Keith Ellison) or providing utilities to a terrorist enclave (Gaza), I try to keep my mouth shut. For obvious reasons. But not this time.

Moqtada Sadr Threatens Iraqi Government with “Open War"

Abdul — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:56:44 +0000

Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has threatened to wage “open war” on the Baghdad government if it does not halt operations against his supporters.

Obama Would "Immediately Review" Potential Of Crimes In Bush White House

Abdul — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:28:16 +0000

Tonight I had an opportunity to ask Barack Obama a question that is on the minds of many Americans, yet rarely rises to the surface in the great ruckus of the 2008 presidential race — and that is whether an Obama administration would seek to prosecute officials of a former Bush administration on the revelations that they greenlighted torture, or for other potential crimes that took place in the White House.