April 2008Going to WarBy David MatsudaWhile Americans tend to think of Iraq as a sprawling nation, daily life in this country has the texture of a village. Everyone seems to know each other, and like crows cawing on a wire, news of unusual activity travels quickly. Although my name has never appeared in a local newspaper or on a television program, my work is known by people throughout Baghdad, and even in remote villages. Americans guard their right to privacy. Iraqis, on the other hand, openly strive to know everything about everybody else. Some of this need-to-know cultural imperative is doubtless the legacy of countless occupations. The more you know about others, their relationships and intentions, the better chance you have of surviving. Iraqis are incredibly astute at finding out who they’re dealing with, what their intentions are, and whose side they’re on. Iraqi collective consciousness is rooted in tribalism. Seventy-five percent – 22 million – of Iraqis have a tribal affiliation. The largest orqabila, or tribal confederations, such as the Shammar, Dulaimi, and Obeidi include more than one million people, of both Sunni and Shi’a faiths. Orqabila are made up of ashira, or tribal organizations, the largest of which number in the hundreds of thousands with the smallest consisting of less than 500 people. These tribes are in turn comprised of hamsa or extended families of five patrilineally related generations. All males within a hamsa are sworn by tribal custom to come to each others’ aid, and, if necessary, avenge each others death. Sheiks are the tribal center of gravity. Typically hereditary rulers, sheiks serve as leaders, warlords and mediators. Their knowledge of aadat, or tribal custom, guides the life of each ashira member from birth until death. At the center of aadat is the honor-shame complex. A man must show honor through bravery, or be shamed by cowardly behavior. Women are the standard bearers of tribal honor: ‘So goes the honor of the women, so goes the honor of the family, tribe….” According to tribal custom Iraqi women must remain virgins until marriage. When the groom’s family pays the “bride price” they’re buying her ability to bear children, as well as the certainty of the male offspring/heirs bloodline. In strict tribal settings women are never to be out of sight of male relatives or at least three related females. Loss of virginity, rape, or being out without a chaperone, including being kidnapped, results in shame to the hamsa or ashira. Extended family and/or tribal honor can only be restored by the killing of the transgressing female; hence the term “honor killing.” There’s a strong patrilineal bias, as men are not killed for the same infractions. I’ve been able to talk to tribal women in large open-air gatherings, but have been warned by my Iraqi friends to avoid one on one contact. I’ve in turn cautioned soldiers not to search a house if there’s no man present. As one Iraqi tribesman put it, “Please, only come when I am at home. If my wife is out of sight with coalition soldiers others will notice, suspect the worst…she will be shamed, and I will have to restore our honor by beating my wife so others will hear.”
|
This Month's StoriesPotrero Hill Recreation Center a Big Draw for Locals Slowing Economy Puts Rehabilitation Nonprofit on the Brink Potrero Hill Doctor Resuscitates the Lost Art of House Calls Potrero Hill Baby Boomers Gather for Second Reunion Innovation Considered Critical for Regional Economy High Efficiency Toilet Program Saves Low Income Families and Small Businesses Water and Money Fighting Hunger One Tree at a Time in West Africa City Fees, Fines and Charges Rising Rapidly Water Conservation Trainee Works to Overcome Life’s Challenges On-going Features
 |