"the Youth of Heaven"
Karbala's Shrines Drowning, Who Control's Basra's Oil?
Az-ZamanAz-Zaman published a front page report today claiming that two of the holiest Shi’a shrines are under threat of being flooded if no precautionary measures are taken to prevent it. The problem regards Karbala, where the tombs of Imam Husain and his uncle, al-‘Abbas (whom the paper mistakingly identified as the Imam’s brother) lie over a large natural aquifer. The water levels, experts said, have been steadily rising, especially with the poor state of the city’s infrastructure, according to Karbala’s “chief engineer,” Muhammad Hasan Kadhim, “ground and surface water has definitely reached the tombs (of Husain and ‘Abbas.)”
According to Kadhim, the two tombs, in addition to the area extending between them, may suffer major structural damage that could jeopardize the shrines and the tunnel system built underneath them. While an engineering solution was devised in 2003 to prevent soil erosion, “the...
Najaf underground haven of Caves
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i city. (AP Photo)
By ADAM SCHRECK | AP
Published: Feb 15, 2010 01:55 Updated: Feb 15, 2010 02:41
NAJAF, Iraq: Najaf's airport was meant to be a symbol of Iraq getting back to business, and in many ways it's been a success, creating jobs and spurring a construction craze her. But an increasingly bitter dispute between local authorities and the Kuwaiti contractor brought in to run the facility is casting a cloud over one of Iraq's proudest postwar accomplishments and prompting accusations of political meddling.
The standoff serves as a warning to other companies considering answering Baghdad's calls to snap up investment opportunities and pump needed development money into the country. It highlights how risks go beyond bombings to widespread corruption, uncertain legal protections and inadequate government oversight.
Najaf International Airport opened a year and a half ago to great fanfare. It was a landmark in developing Iraq's mainly Shiite south, which ousted ruler Saddam Hussein had largely neglected.
Since then, foreign carriers such as Gulf Air have moved in, ferrying planeloads of pilgrims to Najaf, home to some of Shiite Islam's holiest sites. That provides work for locals, including thousands of taxi drivers outfitted with brand new Chevrolet Aveo yellow cabs financed by the provincial government. The boosted visitor numbers have fueled a wave of new building projects in the city.
“The airport changed the landscape of the place,” said Nouri Jawad, general manager of Qasr Al-Dur, a four-star hotel in the city center.
The airport, which was converted from a military air base, is noteworthy for its normality.
Unlike Baghdad's dated and foreboding departure hall, the compact terminal here is light and airy, evoking the optimism of the booming holy city it serves. Well-heeled visitors from the Persian Gulf dressed in white robes and black abayas stream across the terminal's polished stone floor. A new ATM - a rare sight in Iraq — awaits travelers.
The dispute, however, has left unclear who exactly is in charge.
Najaf's provincial council seized control of the facility last month. It accuses Kuwaiti contractor Aqeeq Aviation of investing only a fraction of the $50 million promised for the airport, forcing the government to pay for some terminal fixtures and leaving the airstrip without adequate navigation and landing equipment.
Aqeeq, a division of Kuwaiti investment company Al-Aqeelah, in turn blames the Najaf authorities.
It says it pumped millions into the airport, though it does not claim it paid the full amount. That, it argues, is because local authorities broke the contract at several key points, including failing to turn over administration of most of the airport, such as the new passenger terminal.
Najah Al-Balaghi, an Aqeeq executive who continues to list his title as CEO and managing director of the airport, blames the problems on Najaf officials' inexperience working with the private sector and what he calls their “lack of basic knowledge about policies and law.” He said that if Najaf officials believe Aqeeq violated its contract, they should take the matter to court. Instead, they blocked access to the company's local bank account before taking over operations last month.
Political posturing between Iraq's Shiite-dominated parties also plays a role ahead of parliamentary elections on March 7.
Al-Balaghi said his company was caught in the middle when control of the Najaf council shifted to Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's party in local polls a year ago and tussling over the airport heated up.
“Both parties in Najaf are utilizing Aqeeq's achievements in the airport and attributing it to their party ... to win more seats,” Al-Balaghi said.
Enticing foreign investors such as Aqeeq to bet on Iraq's future has taken on increased urgency as security improves and US troops pull out of the country. Iraqi and American officials see foreign investment as vital for rebuilding the country's tattered infrastructure and providing jobs that provide an alternative to violent extremism.
But foreign companies have been slow to arrive in Iraq, which is still plagued by violence that authorities fear could increase as American forces speed their withdrawal after the March elections.
German automaker Daimler opened an office in Baghdad last year, and Lufthansa is planning to resume direct flights from Europe after a 20-year hiatus. Agriculture equipment maker CNH Global has started assembling tractors south of Baghdad.
Iraqi leaders are pushing for more companies to take the plunge. In October, Al-Maliki headed a large delegation to Washington to tout Iraq's potential as an investment destination.
For the most part, though, big corporations are keeping their distance or dipping into the Iraqi market via local distributors for now. Even the country's vast oil reserves initially struggled to garner enthusiasm, with Western oil giants balking at the terms of offer for developing some of the fields.
Security is not the only concern. The economy under Saddam was tightly controlled by the state, limiting Iraqi officials' experience with the hard-nosed realities of free-market capitalism. Legal reforms have not kept up with the need for investment.
“I can't say the entire problem is caused by Aqeeq,” Fayed Al-Shemri, the head of the Najaf provincial council, acknowledged when asked who was responsible for the dispute over the airport. “It's (also) a problem of old laws dating back to the former regime.” A lack of adequate checks and balances to protect both investors and the local population is often a problem in countries racked by conflict, said Robin Hodess, director of policy and research at Transparency International. She said Iraq still suffers from rampant bribery and nepotism, and a shaky regulatory framework.
The anti-corruption watchdog ranks Iraq alongside Sudan near the bottom of its corruption perceptions index, an annual survey of perceived levels of graft. Only Myanmar, Afghanistan and Somalia received lower scores.
Aqeeq's parent company is still deciding whether to fight for its rights at the airport or simply walk away, al-Balaghi said. Either way, he advises caution over putting money into Iraq for now.
“There is huge potential but an ambiguous regulatory and legal framework,” he said. “What happened to Aqeeq is likely to happen to any other private potential investor.”
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Iraq Earmarks $50bn for Airport Projects
Posted on 26 October 2011. Tags: Airports
According to The Saudi Gazette, the Iraqi government has earmarked an estimated $50 billion for airport development projects in Iraq over the next few years.
Iraqi Airways is scheduled to add new 55 Boeing and Bombardier aircraft to its fleet soon.
Kifah Hasan Jabbar, Director General of Iraq Civil Aviation Authority and Iraqi Airways, is expected to reveal more information on the projects at the upcoming Emerging Markets Airport Suppliers Conference (EMASC 2011) on Dec. 11 -12 in Dubai.
The emerging markets of China, Russia, India, the Middle East, and Africa are forecast to be among the growth leaders in airport infrastructure development spending over the next few years.
Abdulmunaim M. Ismail and Ghaml Darweesh Al Isuozah, special advisors to Benkin Regane, Iraq’s Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs with Ministry of Transport , will make a presentation on Iraqi government’s plan to spend $150 billion for the infrastructure program related to airports, sea ports and railways. Special focus will be on ongoing and new transportation projects in Baghdad, Basra, Dohuk, Karbala, Salhaddin province etc. The Umm Qasr seaport expansion and country-wide railway network projects will also be highlighted.
“The presentations by Iraqi authorities will provide an overview of business opportunities available at the airports in Iraq, assesses challenges and obstacles with a view to mitigating them, leading to business opportunities for all,” said Raj Menon, General Manager of Arabian Reach, the organizers of the conference. “We were happy to have them as our featured speakers and are even happier to note that EMASC 2011 is on the road to becoming one of the largest airport suppliers event ever held in the Middle East.”
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IRAQ NOTEBOOK: Wax statues in Shiite holy city prompt awe by fans, cries of heresy by critics
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 21, 2012, wax figures depicting Shiite clerics are on display at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. What was intended to be a tribute to this Shiite holy city’s contributions to culture has instead given critics the opportunity to, well, wax lyrical about what they call the project’s faults instead.
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 21, 2012, wax figures depicting Shiite clerics are on display at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. What was intended to be a tribute to this Shiite holy city’s contributions to culture has instead given critics the opportunity to, well, wax lyrical about what they call the project’s faults instead.
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 19, 2012, a man arranges the clothing on wax figures depicting Shiite clerics on display at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Even before they go on display, the wax figures have become embroiled in controversy.
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 22, 2012, a wax figure depicting a Shiite cleric is seen at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Even before they go on display, the wax figures have become embroiled in controversy.
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 19, 2012, wax figures depicting Shiite clerics are on display at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Even before they go on display, the wax figures have become embroiled in controversy.
( Alaa al-Marjani / Associated Press ) - In this picture taken on Feb. 18, 2012, a man, left, and second from right, are seen with wax figures depicting Shiite clerics at the wax museum in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Even before they go on display, the wax figures have become embroiled in controversy.
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By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, March 21, 3:47 AM
NAJAF, Iraq — An exhibit of wax statues depicting some of Shiite Muslims’ most beloved clerics, aimed at paying tribute to this Iraqi holy city’s contributions to culture, has been dipped in controversy as some Sunnis decry the figures as heretical.
The wax sculptures are due to be displayed at a museum in Najaf, but even before the exhibit opens, some Sunni Muslims — rarely shy about highlighting their religious differences with Shiites — are denouncing them as a violation of Islamic law. Even some Shiite clerics are a bit leery.
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“Even those dead people whose statues are displayed (would have) disapproved of this,” said Ali Bashir al-Najafi, a spokesman for one of Iraq’s top Shiite clerics.
Some Muslim clerics of both sects interpret Islamic law as forbidding most depictions of people and even animals in art or other likenesses. They believe such likenesses could be perceived as false idols and, therefore, taboo.
The wax figures portray bearded clerics in turbans and politicians in freshly ironed suits. They include Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was beloved by Iraq’s Shiites for encouraging Friday prayers during Saddam Hussein’s regime. He was assassinated by Saddam’s agents in 1999. Also depicted is Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, who was born in Najaf and was Lebanon’s top Shiite cleric until his death in 2010.
All of the figures were either born, studied or buried in Najaf, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad. The city of roughly one million people is home to Iraq’s religious Shiite leadership, called the marjaiyah, and holds the tomb of Imam Ali, who Shiites consider the Prophet Muhammed’s rightful successor.
The exhibit is the brainchild of Sheik Ali Mirza, a Shiite cleric. He said he was inspired during a visit to a wax museum in Beirut that included a likeness of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Mirza said the figures in Najaf are so lifelike visitors sometimes “raise their hands to salute the statues as if they were alive.” He said the statues are all Shiite because the exhibit will be in Najaf, which he called “the Vatican of Shiite Muslims.”
The wax figures were originally intended to be part of festivities connected to the city being named the 2012 Islamic Capital of Culture. But the cultural arm of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation — the grouping of Islamic nations once known as the Organization of the Islamic Conference — announced recently that the festival has been canceled at the Iraqi government’s request.
The event had already been beset by accusations of mismanagement and corruption. But the wax figures are not going to just melt away. Officials said the figures will still be displayed at a Najaf museum.
The cleric knows the likenesses won’t be to everybody’s liking.
“The museum is a new idea and people need time to get used to it,” he said.
But some in Iraq’s Sunni minority are not getting used to it, reflecting the religious divide that is never far from the surface here. Even more so than Shiism, Sunni Islam has historically frowned on depictions of the human form. Many Iraqi Sunnis look down on the country’s Shiite majority because they allow depictions of Muslim figures in banners, flags or other religious paraphernalia. For Sunni extremists, this is just further proof of their accusation that Shiites are not true Muslims.
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Sunni extremists have sharply criticized the statues and Shiites who visit them.
“Believe it or not: wax museum for the turbaned in Najaf,” sneered a headline on one Sunni website.
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“Idols reached Najaf,” thundered another.
“The pre-Islam era of paganism is returning,” warned a comment on another website.
A leading Sunni cleric was more diplomatic.
“It is not right to erect statues whether made of wax or of anything else. That is haram (religiously forbidden) because it is an emulation of God’s creation,” said Sheik Ahmed al-Taha who is the preacher of the Abu Hanifa mosque in Baghdad, a key Sunni house of worship. “It is similar to what heathens do.”
Some Shiites are also uneasy. While Shiism allows more latitude for the depiction of faces or busts, the full-body wax figures are for many a step too far. Al-Najafi said it is OK to have half a statue but not the full body.
The hardline Shiite movement known as the Sadrists, followers of the late ayatollah, want the statue of al-Sadr taken down.
“The people behind this museum bear the responsibility before God,” said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior Sadrist lawmaker.
Mirza is careful not to speak against the marjaiyah, whose edicts are practically law in this Shiite majority country. But he points out that various Shiite clerics have different ideas about the statues’ appropriateness.
The statues have already become a hit with some Shiites. Curious onlookers have flocked to a religious school owned by Mirza where the statues are being kept until the museum opens.
“I am very impressed. I did not expect something like this. They seem so real,” one visiting cleric, Sheik Muhsen al-Najafi, told Mirza during a visit.
An activist in Najaf, Qassim Abdul-Sadda, said he was not very religious but went to see the wax statues about a month ago out of curiosity.
He took pictures of himself next to the statues and posted them on the Internet. When some of his friends realized they were wax figures, they called the statues “haram,” he said.
But he likes them.
“It is good to preserve the heritage of Najaf in this way by showing this generation and generations to come the scholars who had a great contribution to the history and culture of Najaf,” he said.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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