Iraqis March Against Terror

Posted By Blackfive

There was a protest march of Iraqis against terror on July 5th.  You probably haven't heard about it from Peter Jennings or Dan Rather:

QAYARRAH, Iraq: Citizens of the southern city of Qayarrah, of the northern province of Ninewah, gather to demonstrate their defiance against terrorism during the March Against Terror. Over 1,000 Iraqi citizens, including several influential political and religious leaders, marched alongside Iraqi Army and police officers in this first of several such demonstrations planned for the northern region of Iraq.

All photos were taken by Army Specialist David Nunn.  You can click on the thumbnails for the large versions:

Call it the Iraqi version of We're Not Afraid.

Update: The Army Times article about the March Against Terror is available at Stryker Brigade News.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2819/2819036

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Iraqis March Against Terror:

» Little Coffins from The Indepundit
GREYHAWK: "Some day you may hear someone describing the virtues of the "resistance" or "freedom fighters" in Iraq , or claiming moral equivalence between these animals and coalition soldiers. You may even hear someone say we're on a "crusade" against... [Read More]

Comments

[Mountain Girl]

Robert Pape has written a book following a study of suicide bombers from 1994-2005. The book is titled Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.

Here are some of the studies conclusions:

* The data show that there is far less of a connection between suicide terrorism and religious fundamentalism than most people think
* What nearly all suicide terrorist attacks actually have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be their homeland
* Three general patterns in the data support these conclusions
1. First, nearly all suicide terrorist attacks - 301 of the 315 in the period I studied - took place as part of organized political or military campaigns
2. Second, democracies are uniquely vulnerable to suicide terrorists; America, France, India, Israel, Russia, Sri Lanka and Turkey have been the targets of almost every suicide attack of the past two decades
3. Third, suicide terrorist campaigns are directed toward a strategic objective: from Lebanon to Israel to Sri Lanka to Kashmir to Chechnya, the sponsors of every campaign - 18 organizations in all - are seeking to establish or maintain political self-determination
* Before Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, there was no Hezbollah suicide terrorist campaign against Israel; indeed, Hezbollah came into existence only after this event.
* Before the Sri Lankan military began moving into the Tamil homelands of the island in 1987, the Tamil Tigers did not use suicide attacks
* Before the huge increase in Jewish settlers on the West Bank in the 1980's, Palestinian groups did not use suicide terrorism
* There had never been a documented suicide attack in Iraq until after the American invasion in 2003.

If these points are in fact a true reflection of why suicide terrorists do what they do then our administration's logic is flawed. The war is simply feeding the fire and perpetuating terrorism.

[jordan]

"Strategic logic" of suicide terrorism?

Should I bother?

B-5, Thanks for covering this march, and for the post yesterday about the shepherd who saved the SEAL. The MSM was too freaked out about Judith Miller being in jail to be bothered with actual news. Its apparently more fun to bitch-slap Scott McClellan than report on preventing the downfall of western civilization.

[syn]

"far less of a connection between suicide terrorism and religious fundamentalism"?

Wonder if Mr. Pape ever bothered to read the Al Qaeda training manual?

Anyway, I always thought Iraqis considered Saddam to be Terrorist Numero UNo.

[Jonathan Murray]

Great story. I wish the evening news would have a little of this mixed in among the "missing white girl" stories, the "let's understand the terrorists" stories, and the "what govt. official can we denegrate today" stories.

---
Mountain Girl: Al Qaeda has no country. They have no political body to "self determine". They seek nothing less than the extermination of "non-believers" from lands they believe are "holy". "Osama Been Hidin" started his little masterpiece of murder based on "infidels" soiling the lands that are Saudi Arabia (US armed forces there in response to the original Iraq invasion of Kuwait).

The basis of your logic is flawed.

Suicide bombers do what they do because they have no love or respect for life. They believe what their handlers tell them about the wonderful afterlife they have coming, justifying their lack of desire to improve the life they do have. They are cowardly, lazy, and looking for the short path to "heaven", when in fact, if there is a heaven and hell, they are surely burning in the latter, as opposed to hanging out with virgins in the former.

[lonesome loon]

These are the kind of picture the left-wing news media will never show becuase it dont suit their liberal left-wing cuase especialy the New York Pravda(Times)

[You Must Be Kidding]

I wonder if Faiza was there? Oh, that's right... she's hiding in Amman...

and mountain girl, what we in the "west" have learned of these terrorists is that religion is their EXCUSE for murder -- not their reason.

[Michele San Pietro]

It is no surpise that Rather, Jennings, and Brokaw did not say a word about that march against terror, which is certainly not the only one that has taken place so far: they are notoriously some of the worst media terrorists.

[phil from texas]

Rather and Brokaw are at the very least semi-retired, Jennings is still the anchor at ABC.If you want to blame MSM for not covering anything other then fluff news blame the last 20 years of corporate pressure to not just break even but to make major profit.The news on MSM is like a 30 minute sitcom 18 minutes of crap and 12 miutes oc commericals.

I hope that this movement spreads accoss Iraq.The next step is when the people start narcing on any and everybody even remotely associated with terrorism, then we'll start seeing a solution to the problems in Iraq.

Good luck to them

[CaliValleyGirl]

I am all for this, and I am sure that Iraqis are sick and tired of the terrorism, but I am not entirely sure that this protest was purely against terrorism, since some people seemed to be holding up signs asking for the release of prisoners in coalition forces custody. And it seems like they were protesting in front of a coalition forces facility of some sort. However, they also paraded through the streets, were peaceful and positive. So I am sure it was part "please release our prisoners"/ part "we want to distance ourselves from the terrorists, whom we are sick and tired of". Whatever it is, it is a positive sign of political activism that doesn't include intimidating and killing people.

[Teresa]

The only way the MSM would have covered this would be if it was a protest FOR al Qaeda... then it would have made every single outlet and every single headline and would have been the lead story for the next month and a half... geeze!

[Blackfive]

CaliValleyGirl - Agreed. I could've left those out, but I wanted to show that it wasn't a Coalition Event (ie "Paid for by your neighbor-hood friendly Coalition"). Actually, there are about twenty photos. I chose the ones shown.

Of course, when you give people the freedom to demonstrate about whatever they want to, you'll get some who won't follow the intent of the demonstration. Imagine what Saddam would've done to those holding that sign...

[penny]

Excuse me, Mountain Girl, but earlier this week you linked to this bilious site without comment on Wizbang's blog:

http://abutamam.blogspot.com/

Any sane person reading this creep and his coterie of American haters with their crude anti-semitism and fabrications could immediately conclude that you have an ugly agenda.

Out of curiosity, what was your motive?

[Mike]

I'm looking at the pictures of the demonstration against terrorism and see a banner written in English. It is partially obscured, but it says something to this affect (incorrect spelling and all):

Al-juboor's tribe with other tribes ... the coalihion forces to release Mr Mutlag Salih Al-jupoori who is now pris ... coalihion forces.

Is this a march against terrorism, or a march for the release of a man that coalition forces are holding prisoner?

Granted the banner isn't completely visible, and maybe this is just two guys that are asking this. Can someone explain this banner and how it fits in with an anti-terrorism march?

[Katy]

I am so glad to hear this. I really get so tired of all the negative press. I am glad not everyone is willing to be brainwashed by the msm.

[Jay]

"Out of curiosity, what was your motive?"

Obviously (and literally) to rain on their parade. We can't have any good news coming from Iraq now, can we?

[rick]

Mountain Girl,
Call me crazy, but several large suicide bombs (planes)killed thousands of innocent people before ANYONE invaded anything.
Doesn't that make your logic flawed.
Interesting how people conveniently forget reatively important facts when they are trying to prove a point.
There was no military war to win, or invading force to kick out of their country. These people are F#$#ing insane. Plain and simple.

[lucklucky]

* Before the huge increase in Jewish settlers on the West Bank in the 1980's, Palestinian groups did not use suicide terrorism

Suiciders isnt the problem , the fact that the bomb explodes with a suicider or without is the least of our problems. The problem is the bomb and who wanted and made it to explode.
You can go research Maloot School massacre in 1974 , the terrorist attacks against children didtn started with Beslan.

[Nancy]

What I observed in the photos was the relaxed stance of our troops. Trust was involved on both sides. What you are seeing is freedom in action.

[WillyShake]

Yet another example that shatters, as I seem to be fond of pointing out, the media's schizophrenic view of our servicemen/women as either the hapless victims of a government/corporate quagmire or else cruel racist thugs bent on torture and oppression.

[scribo]

Matthew Cox at Army Times wrote a nice story about the march. It is in the July 18 copy with a few pics.

[Abu Sinan]

Hum, what is the ethnic mix in this area? Does anyone know what the ethnic mix of the marchers was?

Iraq is a deeply divided society. If these were Kurds or Shi'a marching, then it means something different than if it is Sunnis marching.

Kurds might march against Sunni terror in Iraq, but did they include the terrorists of their own PKK? The PKK is a Kurdish party that has killed thousands of people in the last few years and has recently set off bombs in Turkey.

It is likely these people are against one kind of terror whilst supporting another. Things are not as black and white in Iraq as it might seem. Shi'a are against Sunni terrorism, yet hundreds of Sunnis have been murdered by Shi'a in a carefully planned campaign.

[Improbulus Maximus]

This idiot mountain girl has spammed several blogs with her moronic promition of Pape's drivel. She is a simpleton who thinks that if we only surrender to the terrorists they'll be nice to us. It's not so much that she hates America, but she does think that we're the world's biggest bully and should stop being so mean to people. May she meet a jihadi soon.

[yochananbenavrohom]

Modern Arab terrorism started before there was evan a state of Israel 69 jews were murdered in the arab riots in Hevron in 1929

[Abu Sinan]

Yes, and Jews murdered more than a few people before 1948 themselves. Does the King David Hotel mean anything to you?

[adam]

abu-asshole wrote: " Yes, and Jews murdered more than a few people before 1948 themselves. Does the King David Hotel mean anything to you?"



Yes, does ignorance of history mean anything to YOU? Besides your MO, that is.



The hotel was not a hotel in the traditional sense - it was the British military headquarters. They recieved a number of warning calls telling them to evacuate the premises because it would be blown up. The British prohibited Jews from owning weapons, and sided against them with Arabs, ignoring regular riots and looting performed by Arab gangs of Fedayeen. They chose to ignore the warningsm, at their own peril. The hotel was a MILITARY, not a civillian target... unlike the victims of countless Arab riots and massacares.

[Michele San Pietro]

I wonder which mental hospital Mountain Girl is posting her crap from... I guess the nurses should pay more attention to her...

[ric ottaiano]

Oh where, oh where has the MSM gone? Oh where, oh where can it be?

It's absolutely criminal that these sorts of stories get NO play in the legacy media. It's up to bloggers to spread these positive developments around and hopefully counteract the obvious efforts of the MSM and the Dems to undermine the war effort for political gain.

[beezle]

If this is an anti-terror demonstration, help me understand
the prominent banner:

Al-Juboor's tribe with other tribes [_?_] the Coalition forces
to release Mr. Mutlaq Solib Al-Jufoori who is now pris[oner of?]
coalition forces

Is there independent confirmation from inside of Iraq that this
demonstration really was what is claimed?

[merv]

I work in the mainstream media. I may be wrong, but I don't recall seeing anything on this on the AP wires that day. While I am completely opposed to this war, I believe this kind of event should have received coverage here. Oh wait, there are more important things, say a missing white girl out there somewhere.

[Dean Esmay]

Oh without question there is a strategic logic to suicide bombers. They have found that if they commit suicide bombings, then over time liberal democracies tend to bend to their wills and give them what they want. That is exactly what Robert Pape's study says.

What this means is that if we give them what they want--withdraw from Iraq and allow a fascist government to take over--their strategy of mass murder of innocents will have won.

Thus, Pape's study could not be more clear: we cannot simply withdraw from Iraq, as it would vindicate these fascist mass-murderers.

Pape's other recommendation is worth taking too: he says that the longer foreigners are seen as in charge of security in Iraq, the longer the fascists will continue their suicide bombings. Thus the most important strategy is to bring Iraqis online to do their own security as quickly as possible--and not just in the grunt positions but the officer positions as well.

The "anti-war" (by which I mean, of course, the fascist sympathizers) are doing a good job of trying to spin Pape's position into supporting their own position, but it does not.

[GuyPanther]

Thank goodness you cretins are an ever shrinking minority in America.
You're confusion between militarism and patriotism is among the darkest and most startling GOP shams since Nixon wiped his ass with the Constitution.
The media, girls and boys, has given this parade of deviants in the White House all the benefits of doubt a democracy can stand--and that includes those in the media that are not on the White House payroll.
Have a little self-respect.
You don't owe the republican theo/politicos anything -- and that is surely all they intend to give to you for your blind loyalty.

[Najma]

I got this article in e-mail, I checked the photos about the story I never heard of.. Well, check this:
http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/temp_display_img_9936.jpg

This says: The juboor's tribe and its allies ask the coalition forces to release the highly-ranked officer Farhan Muthallak who was imprisoned by the coalition forces..
You can also see this sign translated at the left upper corner of this picture:
http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/temp_display_img_9929.jpg

While this photo has 3 signs out of three asking the same thing :
http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/temp_display_img_9930.jpg

Did this ever occur to you.. People against terror are against coalition too..

[Michele San Pietro]

We are not making confusion between militarism and patriotism, but between those who love America and respect it and the criminals who would like to destroy it...

[RAchel in london]

LEARN ARABIC - the protest was not against terror, the posters are calling for the release of somone from their tribe detained by the occupying forces. why does this comments section insist on all uppercase?

[Blackfive]

Najma and everyone else that doubts the veracity of the pictures, read all of the comments please. The event was covered by a reporter from the Army Times and I did, in fact, read the signs. I know it's hard to believe that I'd actually look at pictures that I'm posting to my blog, but I really did take a close look at them.

RAchel - if you tap your Caps Lock key, the uppercase problem will automagically vanish. And the signs are in English, too, so we can read them. Thanks for playing. Next.

[Blackfive]

Todd at Stryker Brigade News has the article about the March Against Terror...

http://www.strykernews.com/archives/2005/07/14/peace_march_draws_1000_in_rural_iraq.html

[MildlyDisturbed]

"You probably haven't heard about it from Peter Jennings or Dan Rather:"

I hope not. Rather retired early in the year and Jennings has been off battling lung cancer for months.

Namja is a citizen of Iraq and a famous blogger. She prolly knows what's going on better than you guys.

[Red Stone]

To me, Najma is just a liar...

[Michele San Pietro]

I really feel sick when reading rantings like Abu Sinan's... I guess it's the same moron who disturbs other forums using Volcanic Winds as a nickname...

[Wacky Hermit]

I read the sign in English (can't read Arabic, sorry) and wondered about what the other signs said. However, even if the march was (in whole or in part) about releasing coalition prisoners, it is still a positive development that the Iraqis involved felt that a peaceful march, rather than violence, was the best path to resolution.

[Annette]

Its actually pretty doubtful that RAchel in London knows Arabic either. She is a regular at Najma's site and jumps at any opportunity to be a B****

[Abu Sinan]

It is clear that whomever claimed that this was a "protest against terror" doesnt speak Arabic. Read the signs. Basically this is a tribe protesting that they want a tribal member released by the US/coalition. To try and support their case they are saying that they are against terror, so why would they arrest our tribal members?

This WAS not a protest against terror, it was a protest trying to get members of their tribe released. The talk about this "being against terror" is soley in this context.

[Steve Savage]

Learn to read arabic guys, so you don't make fools of yourselves again.

This is as sad as a pro-war website that once posted a video of the USA blasting a group of "taliban". Turns out the video was a C-130 gunship killing 50 members of a wedding party in afghanistan.

[smail]

you are a gang of fascists, my comment hasn't been shown on your website, and this shows how narrowminded you are, things are not meant to fit your way to think, the talk or bomb policy has shown how weak a big army can be when it faces nations ready to sacrify themselves in order to unchain their countries from the scum of the earth.