In 1958, when I was 10 years old, at that time we had a king in Iraq. He was a young man called Faisal the second. He was a nice, intelligent, educated man. And he was the son of a very faithful and honest man (King Ghazi), who was killed in a car accident few years earlier.
In July 1958, a revolution started against this type of government and as a result, the king and all his family were killed. The Kingdom of Iraq changed to the Republic of Iraq; this was the start of the endless problem we lived since that time.
Before that, nobody thought of politics or security, the people were poor and peaceful, nobody had a gun in his house. There were no thieves and no rubbery. I remember that nobody bothered himself to lock the door at night; even the cars were left overnight unlocked. To make a long story short, the life was so nice and sweet.
After the revolution, the people started to import ideas from outside the country; we started to hear about communist, ba'athist, nationalist and foreign countries' agents.
The most important thing to me, and to you as I think, is the relation between different religions and nationalities. There was no kind of differentiation between religions, all the people were like brothers, we even dressed the same; and the same was with the Kurds.
*I had to stop writing for a moment there was a lot of shooting in the neighborhood and I had to check my family, the house, and the neighbors…..But I am back now. There were two bullets that penetrated the window of the house next to us and hit the class buffet and changed it to smash, nobody got injured.*
Going back to our subject, Muslims, Christians, Arabs and Kurds all lived in a friendly environment. By the way I was 10 years old and at the time I didn’t even think that anyone is different from the other just because of his religions or nationality.
More on this subject, next time..
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3 comments:
Jeff
What I am writing is just my personal impression about what I remember and I had been told from the people older than me at the situation at that time. I am not a politian.
what i thing of the present claimant to the throne. he looked to me a good man. but this is not the only think.
After the revolution at 1958 all the media including Arabic and Western medias regard the previos interval as a dark period in the history of Iraq. And that what the students teached in the schools. No body from the new generation knows any thing about the past. so perhaps he has no chance in the election.
just me
You asked: Why was the revolution started?
In 1956 there was a war going on against Egypt, the attackers( Israel, England and France) try to controll over Suiss Channels. The Iraqi goverment kept silent about that situation, the people did a demonstration to support Egypt but the goverment prevent them by force. The army have a bad experience from the Arabic Israeli war at 1948. So every body get angry, and this was used by some political party to made all the people against the goverment. (this is just my personal idia. Dont take it as a real fact. So when the revolution started and it was a military revolution, the people support it.
About saddam ?? It need a separet posts. my be in the future.
Truth teller, we are almost the same age and things were better in the US as well back in 1958. I was born in 1945. It was as you say. No locks, very little crime, etc.. Could it be that mankind is just becoming more evil? Christians, Jews, Muslims all get along fine here. Perhaps in large cities like New York it is not so.
I am very interested in seeing you post more about how it was before Saddam was in power. I am sorry your city is very dangerous for your family right now. Perhaps it will get better some after the election. May God keep you and your family safe from all harm.
Tom in Wisconsin.
Dear Truth-Teller in Mosul,
Great stories about Mosul and Iraq's history! I don't know why but I am completely fascinated with Iraq and the possibilites for your country. Maybe I lived there in a past life?
There are many people in my country, the USA, that say that Iraq cannot be a peaceful country, but you just showed that it was once that way not even 50 years ago. People CAN get along. I pray every day for peace for you country and look forward to the day that I can come and visit Iraq on a vacation. I'm serious, but I know I have a wait on my hands. I believe that, "Where there is no vision the people perish."
I wonder, how much national pride is there in Iraq right now? I really hope elections help to strengthen your country's will to unite. The higher the better because that is what will unify you against the forces of disruption and hate.
May you and yours be protected, and God Bless Iraq.
Tom, Hayfork, California, USA
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