There is a Middle Eastern saying that goes like this:
to get a better perception of an illness, it is better to ask the patient rather then the doctor"

I am one of many Iraqi expatriate that escaped the cruel dictatorship of Iraq, yet have remained vigilant. I have not forgotten where I come from and what kind of life that my family and I escaped. I know very well and count my blessings everyday for the fact that we were among those very lucky to have escaped and found a safe haven here in America. When asked to tell my story, I chose not to concentrate on the political controversies surrounding my birth country. I chose to tell the story of the HEART OF THE COUNTRY…its people. This is my book called LOOK BEYOND THE FIRE, the daily struggles of our life in Iraq. It is the story of why and how we escaped Iraq. I was very careful in choosing the title and its cover, because I know to be realistic and understand that even though we all know to say "never judge a book by its cover", yet I realize that we are all guilty of judging many books by their covers. The message that I was trying and hopefully succeeded in expressing with the title and the cover was that "we need to look beyond the debates, beyond the political views and beyond the fire of war and look through it all and see the heart of the country… the struggling people of Iraq. Within the pages of the book, I have told a very simple story of my family which could in fact be like any other ordinary family, yet extraordinarily and unfortunately was living under very hostile and harsh environment.  Even though this story can be about any one of the ethnic groups that call Iraq home, yet I tell it from my perspective as Christian/Assyrian.  This is  the story of the everyday lives of the Iraqi people and their personal daily struggles, as they endured a life of fear and uncertainty under the cruel regime of Saddam Hussein. I describe how under the totalitarian rule, the peoples’ cries were muffled out of fear, and yet still today, they continue to suffer being trapped, within the catastrophic and disastrous situation that surrounds them.

I know many of us understand the basic effects of war and but none can illustrate or describe it better then those that are living within the life of war. We all can recognize the consequences of war, yet the Iraqi people are among the very few in the world that have suffered for years in silence while the rest of the world remained unaware.

The struggle of the population of Iraq is exceptional because even though they endured a life of extreme fear and uncertainty under Saddam Hussein Regime, yet they were still forced to maintain the pretense of a happy way of life. The sequence of events that turned an otherwise simple life to one that became complex and confused grew to be too much to bear. It complicated life and constrained people to a dreadful stillness as they experienced a new found fear that left them frozen and motionless. Everyday life became complicated and frightening. Daily events became explosive life and death issues that were completely blown out of proportion by the paranoia of the regime. Our escape occurred during one of the most fearful times, as Saddam cunningly silenced the population by intimidation and elimination. We lived a life that was restrained yet still conscious. A population that was still alive physically yet dead emotionally and mentally. Life became so extreme that when realizing and sensing the dangers of staying in Iraq, some, like my family risked their lives to flee. But others who refused to leave chose to stay and oppose the government. Iraqi’s had to endure not only life under the brutal government of Saddam Hussein, but had to bear through several continuous senseless and pointless wars and battles that none understood nor agreed with. Yet, THE PEOPLE were the ones that felt the greatest brunt of tragic life that they had no control over. People watched as their entire lives were being destroyed and their futures demolished only to satisfy and feed the ego of a distraught and crazy dictator’s thirst for power. Men were being forced to fight and later be killed fighting Saddam’s wars, while their families; women and children were left behind, fending for themselves. With no government financial support and no other resources, a great deal of these families became impoverished and poor. Iraq, the country with deep roots, a country known as the once upon a time cradle of civilization, became a war zone…IT was 911 EVERYDAY! Therefore, as a result of the continuous devastation, Iraq started to see the greatest exodus in its history.
Again, I am no expert in posttraumatic conditions, but I think we can all come to a decision very easily that the individual mental state was destroyed.  Naturally the entire country's civility was damaged.  I realized that when the liberators overthrew Saddam's oppressive government, they were taken aback by the swiftness of their success to penetrate and overtake Baghdad.  Upon their entry, they were prepared and primed for a massive resistance from the Iraqi Army, but instead were greeted with the open arms of the Iraqi population.  They were astonished when all they found were the citizens welcoming their access with flowers, cheers and celebrations!  HOW STRANGE WAS THAT?  THE PEOPLE WERE FINALLY FREE OF DECADES OF BRUTALITY and they welcomed the liberators.  
Yet after the liberation and the celebration there needed to be a more focused deliberation of the condition of the PEOPLE!   Because there lurked a dangerous and serious situation in the country that went unnoticed...the psychological effects of life after Saddam.  I know many Psychoanalysts can define this in better terms, but I prefer to call it the "POST SADDAM SYNDROME".  I know the Mental Health field has many stages of traumatic, post war terms, but no one can actually explain the multiple and various consequences of life under Saddam... reason being, no one has been able to explain Saddam.   Post Saddam Distress is something unique to Iraqis.  The Iraqis didn't just go through  "A WAR', or live under "A DICTATOR"...the Iraqis lived under conditions more extreme then anyone realizes.  They lived through not only the country's external wars but also struggled with the internal personal wars within the walls of their homeland.  They faced an outside enemy as they fought to defend their countries but also faced an internal personal enemy from within, suffering daily betrayal from their own leadership.  They faced a tyrant that destroyed the individuality of each Iraqi, in order to gain personal success.  They faced a confessed narcissist, who had no difficulty showcasing his hungry ego.  Can anyone really explain this?
Along with the coalition forces, Iraq immediately needed and still needs Psychological evaluation and intervention.  I have often said, there should have been as many Mental Health professionals as there were Military personnel during the initial entry into Iraq.  I know there was no way for anyone to have known the actual condition of the country before hand, but after the fact, there should have been better assessment.  The people needed and still need to heal from the unexplained decades of brutality.  No one can explain it verbally, but the effects can be seen in the lives of all Iraqis.  I work with refugees being resettled here in the U.S and see it all the time.  The effects were not only felt n the lives of those that continued to live under the direct violence, but also those that were in Diaspora, who were remotely silenced and subdued out of fear for the remaining loved ones still living in Iraq.  Bottom line...Iraq was saved from the confines of an outrageous ruler, but now Iraq needs to be saved from the consequences of the after effects of "POST SADDAM SYNDROME".     

BY:  MONA K OSHANA

             I have often said, that no one can appreciate America and all that it has to offer more then those that have come from oppressive countries.  We live in a country that God has so blessed that with a few exceptions, there are no excuses for anyone not to reach their highest potential in life.  No country is perfect, but I think that America is the only one that comes even close…A city on a hill, shining its light of liberty, freedom and hope as a guide for the world.   I recognize that I have opportunities here in America that those living in oppressive environments only dream of obtaining.  It saddens me, to hear hostile criticisms from within our great country being voiced out to the outside world, which would trade places with anyone of us in a blink of an eye. I know because, I came from that outside world, where people are trampling over one another to come to America.   I know first hand, because I have the envy of all those that were not fortunate enough to escape the cruelty of an oppressive government I once left behind.  I completely appreciate constructive criticism of our system, which in turn can be used to sharpen our focus and secure our country’s fundamental guiding foundations.  What I don’t understand is this new found idea that we need to explain our position to the world and do damage control to restore our reputation in the world!  What I can’t figure out is this new thought process of feeling guilty and the need to apologize for being Americans.  If our reputation was so damaged then why are so many immigrants still risking their lives and jumping over barriers to enter the U.S… whichever way they can, legal or illegal?  Why are so many selecting to remain longer in refugee camps around the world and enduring continued hardship, just to get the approval to come to America?  The simple answer is America is still the greatest country in the world.  It is still a refuge and the most desirable destination for those who want to find rest.  I was recently asked to sit in on a media interview to translate for a refugee woman that has recently moved here from the Middle East.  She was asked, “How do you feel about America”?  Her reply, “America is a mother to the world.  She gathers all of the oppressed children of the world into her bosom and adopts them into her family”.   This woman who was forced to flea along with her husband and their children, escaping with nothing more then the clothes on their backs.  She saw the same glimmer of hope in America that many immigrants have seen and those lucky enough to have enjoyed for years.  As this mother and her family continue the effort settling down and rebuilding their new future here in America, they do so with the assurance that they are safe.  They know that the roots they plant will be sown in fertile grounds and in a firm foundation.   From my own experience, shortly after we settled in Chicago, I remember my Mother sharing this sentiment, “When the plane landed on American soil, I felt like I could breathe again for the first time in a long time”.  No one can understand my mother’s reaction better then those who lived the life of hardship and oppression.  This is why, it truly saddens me to see, Americans taking their homeland for granted, not regarding her many attributes and not realizing her value.  Ask the refugee woman, ask my mother, ask me and I will tell you how precious America is.  Ask my brother U. S Retired Sergeant First Class George David, whom my mother sent away at the age of 16 from Iraq, to avoid being enlisted in the Iraqi Army, yet turned around and voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army 2 months after we settled in America, and served his new country proudly for 20 years.       

    I can personally validate the refugee woman’s sentiment because, I was among the children that were adopted into this great American family…I along with my entire family, immigrated to America in 1978 and count our blessings every day of our lives.  I was born in Karkuk Iraq, during the launch of one of the cruelest dictatorship of Iraq’s current history.  It was during a time, when a revolutionary tyrant by the name of Saddam Hussein was advancing his political and personal agenda under the guise of Arab Unity and World Social Equality.  The oppressor of his own people, slowly but surly, wrestled and steered the entire country into captivity.  The devise used to capture complete control of the country…fear and intimidation!  It was orchestrated so maliciously that no one dared to question the organized plan to silence the country.  While still vice-president, he deployed his plan of action to take over the country by carefully organizing a secret police and enlisting programmed human recruits, positioning them within the greater population.  So that when he finally ejected the current president out of office, everything was already in place.  The chain of events that lead to his complete take-over which in turn lead to the country's oppression was not initially realized, because the new political order was being obscured under the implication of building a more balanced and a more democratic Iraq.  Some even temporarily enjoyed the benefits of being a part of the growing “chosen crowd”.   Not realizing that they were all being used to secure his permanent autocratic position to rule Iraq with an Iron fist and devastate the entire country.  The unsuspecting, ambitious loyalists helped him rise and be mounted to become one of the most oppressive rulers since Hitler.  They were being given temporary importance but once their purpose was served their joy turned to terror as he turned against them.  They suffered the fate of thousands who followed him and later were deemed no longer needed.  When they became useless to the ruthless and selfish regime, they were simply eliminated.  Looking in hind sight we ask, why didn’t the people stand up against him?  Why didn’t anyone coordinate a united front to stop the take-over early in his administration?  Didn’t anyone see it coming?  Prior to his emergence as the supreme head of state, he had taken full control of all media outlets, replacing the personnel with his loyalist, who in turn propagated his polluted message. All communique, government agencies, community offices were being infused with Saddam’s co-conspirators and sympathizers, that the general public did not stand a chance to form a united front to appose the hostile take over.  Phones were tapped as conversations were monitored and reviewed for any resistance.  Before anyone could get a chance to put this change into perspective, the government was calling out and threatening anyone that would challenge the new formation of administration, which was directing complete control to one man…SADDAM HUSSEIN!  The crimes committed against the people of Iraq during the uprising and for decades to follow to preserve the ongoing hostile administration is very well documented in print.  An entire population became the victim of a madman as he stripped them of their civil liberties and starved them into submission.  He brutalized, raped and ransacked the entire country for his own selfish pleasure.  The entire nation was paralyzed and stood at the mercy of a fanatical madman!   Iraq faced an enemy from within its own nation and remained disregarded by the world for years. The man, who forcefully took charge to lead, oppressed and starved his own people, while he along with his family enjoyed the luxuries worth royalty. The enemy of the people was from the people.  History was repeating itself, but no one wanted to acknowledge it.  Hitler’s Germany was being re-lived and the world remained in denial.    

  
    During the time of Iraq’s hostile take over, I was very young, yet I remember the feeling of fear and intimidation very vividly. A complete silence gripped the country in disbelief.  A feeling that I have since then wished to bury and forget.  This is why I wish to make my point clear about my feelings now for America.  I am beginning to feel a similarity that I once felt as Iraq was being moved into a direction against the will of the people.  My account of my birth country is not a pleasant story but it's worth telling to those that have grievance with the authentic American way of living. The current events in Iraq have unfortunately politically motivated the world to stand on one side or the other.  Yet, it is this class of democracy that we have here in America, that allows us the freedom to express our views.  We are permitted to agree or disagree and still have a voice in the political process of governing.  The democracy that we enjoy in America is genuine which in turn legitimizes our way of life.  The American Democracy is made alive through the voice of the people.  “WE THE PEOPLE”, is not just an expression but also a call to take action as a community and assume responsibility for our cooperative futures by expressing our stance.  We have the right to direct how we are to be governed, one way or another therefore making a united effort in how our future is shaped.   A “right” that was stripped away from the Iraqi people by Saddam’s brutal take-over depriving them from ANY kind of future.  This is what we can stand to lose unless we speak up and stand up for our right to be heard.  America is great not only because it was established on a solid foundation, but also because of the continued diligence of the people.  The collective conscious effort of the people to stay aware of issues and voice our views has directed the continued victory of our democracy.  Some might say that I am going to an extreme here by comparing Iraq to America, but am I?    Since I am making this argument, I would beg to differ.  I have seen both sides and know the outcome.  In America, we are a country governed by the people, for the people.  But I am becoming very concerned with what I am witnessing lately.  I am observing a shift of responsibility being delegated away from the people by the people, that I think needs some serious deliberation.  I don’t know if I am reading this right, but I am beginning to see a disengagement from the PEOPLE that has a potential to become very dangerous if not taken seriously.  The lack of interest that I am witnessing, about the current state of affair from the young people in particular, has lead me to be very concerned and fearful.  When we have lost the young then we have lost our future!  A society is only as strong as its children's potential.  Our faithfulness to our democracy didn’t just mean ensuring a place for us today, but also to insure a future for the next generation.  Where is the next generation?  Has anyone spoken with someone under the age of 25 and asked them about what is going on in the country?   The magnificence of American democracy was designed by our founding fathers to give the PEOPLE the power to govern. By electing individuals from within our community, WE THE PEOPLE, give the elected individual authority to speak on our behalf.  I know this is a fundamental idea, but please humor me for a bit longer.  A new wave of change is coming to my new country and I am not comfortable with what I am feeling.  It’s taking me back to a time in my life where I wish I could bury forever and never recall.  Living in America, I had tried to remove myself from the concerns of an oppressive life I left behind long ago.

    I am certain that America will NEVER turn into an Iraq, but we must stand at attention at all times to guard our delicate liberties that we could stand to lose.  Because, as an extreme of an idea that you might think this is, it’s really not very far from the reality of our state of affairs.  I began to be afraid because I witnessed the power of the PEOPLE being shifted over to the bureaucrats that are slowly becoming too powerful.  Those who were elected to serve have taken advantage of their offices and misused their powers for personal gain.  I am not just talking about one party or the other, but all in office.  I am watching those who are elected govern on our behalf, abusing the power of their offices to act upon their own personal values.  We must not stand back and watch this.  I am fearful for this country that is slowly but surly walking in the path of separation.  After so many years of fighting for equality and justice for all, one would think that we are moving away from discrimination and prejudices.  You would think that our last election would put a muzzle on all those still screaming discrimination, when the majority of the citizens of this free country, voted like they have never voted before.  By voting in Barrack Hussein Obama as the first black President of the United States of America, we would have hoped that the walls of discrimination would have come tumbling down like the Wall of Germany.  But unfortunately, it has not.     The size and power of government is growing and the PEOPLE seem to be too ingenuous or maybe too indifferent to notice or get involved to stop it.  Could it be that we have become too tolerant and compromising of our values and guiding principles of what makes America great?    Maybe we have gotten too comfortable with our surroundings and think that we will always enjoy the liberties we have.  America’s dream was accomplished by means of determination and sacrifice.  The founding fathers risked everything to reach their goal.   We must never forget the price they paid to build the strong foundations of the America that we still enjoy.  It was the zeal, sacrifice and the courage of our founders who fought and died for what we enjoy today.  We cannot risk slumbering on our posts as citizens and be unable to find what was gained through exceptional resilience.

     The solutions to the challenges we face today will come from within the union not without.  The answer lies within us, THE PEOPLE.   WE THE PEOPLE have the power and we must never forget that!  We must never resign as a PEOPLE to stay alert and be aware of everything our ELECTED officials are doing.  Taking our eye off of our obligation as a self governing PEOPLE for one second, can cost us the independence we enjoy.  Iraq might be a far-fetched idea to use as an example, but when all things are considered; we must never diminish as improbable the idea of losing all that we are and all that we have.  Germany’s holocaust, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other oppressive countries must always be placed before our eyes and in front of our minds, so that we can better appreciate our way of life.   Being passive of small issue today will only prolong the inevitable task of resolving bigger problem later…if we get that chance.  You might say that we will never be Iraq and we certainly are not being faced with a SADDAM…well think again.  Ask any Iraqi that lived prior to Saddam’s treacherous take over, if they ever imagined they would live through the oppression that they did.  Yes, the Middle East has been seen as volatile and somewhat unstable, but no other Mid Eastern country experienced the brutality and betrayal from its own leader like Iraq did.   All I am saying is, "let us do our job as "WE THE PEOPLE"!