Faiza on “Living in a state of waiting”

The latest English-language post that Faiza al-Araji has on her blog is extremely powerful. Earlier, I “Delicioused” it, to put it onto the sidebar here. But there are more things that Faiza writes there that are worth pointing to. Hence this post.
Faiza writes from Amman, where she’s been living for I guess around a year now– ever since she was just able to get her son Khaled out of a very ugly and sectarian detention situation inside Iraq.
So in this most recent post she writes:

If it were a government loved by the people, why would they need an occupation force to support them?
If it were really a government wanted by the Iraqis, then it is not necessary for the occupation to remain; let the occupation withdraw, and the people along with the government will cooperate to eliminate that bunch of rebellious rioters…
But the actual fact is that this government is isolated, not trusted by the Iraqis. This is a government which the Iraqis feel regretful for having elected, after its credibility has fallen in front of them, after its stupidity, partiality, sectarianism and foolish acts became evident to the people, its slackness in defending the Iraqis and protecting them, its surrender and submission to Bush’s decisions and instructions…
If the elections were to be repeated now, the Iraqis would not choose those faces again. They destroyed our lives; they lied to us, and did not fulfill any of the things they promised… they spread chaos, hatred, segregation and injustice among people…
This government didn’t provide the minimum level of security and protection to the Iraqis… every Iraqi house is a target to them; meaning- they are ready to storm any Iraqi house, to arrest any Iraqis citizen, to torture any citizen, or kill him…whatever…

And this:

President Bush is sending more troops…
Are they supposed to empty Iraq of its people, and send more American soldiers?
We await going back to our country and houses, await the return of Iraq to us, await the scheduling of the foreign troops withdrawal, not the opposite…
Here in Amman; there are hundreds of engineers, doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, pilots, university professors from all specializations, and PhD Degrees carriers…
Most of them sit here without a job, for they are not permitted to work in Jordan. And if they happen to find employment, it would be a half-wages job, not enough to keep them barely alive…
When we meet them, the talk is usually about Iraq; lamentation and sadness about what happened to the homeland and the people, wondering why the Iraqis are being driven outside their country to live half a life without a homeland, while foreign armies and foreign contractors come to live in Iraq and plunder its wealth?
These excellent qualifications sit around here frustrated, smashed, being devoured by emptiness, loss and anxiety, looking at Iraq, with nothing in their power to improve things?
In whose hands the fate of the country lies now?
In the hands of foreign troops, a weak government controlled by Bush, and outlaw criminal militias? While hundreds and thousands of Iraqis, civilians and military, well qualified, who can solve the country’s problems, were removed from deciding the fate of Iraq?
Iraq will be all right, when the decision goes back into the hands of its men and women, not those who obey the orders of Bush and his administration, but those who carry the love of Iraq, its independence and dignity, in their hearts….
Who carry love for its people, its history and civilization…
Who believe they are one people, with one past, and one future…
Those are the ones who will achieve settlement and justice for Iraq…
They do exist; waiting for the chance to save the country from the catastrophes that has befallen it…
I always hear the question: what will happen to Iraq if the armies withdraw from it?
And the answer, which I heard from most Iraqis, and made me smile: when the occupation leaves, all the mercenary agents will leave with it, for no one will protect them…
And Iraq will go back to its people, those who love Iraq and want what is best for it…
Bush knows this, and that is why he insists upon remaining in Iraq by flimsy excuses, because, if he withdraws his army, his dream and project will be smashed immediately, at once…
But he will get out of Iraq…
He will get out, in spite of his nose…
For neither the Iraqi people want him there, nor the American people…
I pray to God to defeat him, and to make victorious the will of the people who love life, freedom, and peace….

Regarding this last sentence, I personally am very opposed to the idea of seeking to “defeat” a person, as such, however lethal and harmful his actions… Rather, I’d say that first of all this person’s bad actions need to be stopped, and their effects as far as possible reversed; and then– hopefully– the perpetrator would be held accountable in some way for those actions…
Regarding Bush and his criminally reckless decision to invade and occupy Iraq, of course the hundreds of thousands who died cannot be brought back to life; and the maimed can’t be made whole. But the occupation can– and must!– be ended… And then, regarding accountability, I think many of the world’s peoples would vie to have the right to undertake such a process. Realistically, though, it is very unlikely indeed to happen…
Regarding Faiza’s wish for the victory of the will of the people who love life, freedom, and peace, I certainly say “Amen” to that.