Original Post: 19 Nov 2005

Original Post: 19 Nov 2005

Bayan Jaber Solaj, the Iraqi minister of interior not only should resign but should stand trial as well. The man is not only an arrogant minister who have a habit of insulting others (he called the Saudi “Bedouins” who could not teach him any thing) that is for sure, the Saudis could not teach such an arrogant and corrupt man any thing, he is too far gone to be salvaged by the Saudis and the Americans.
The discovery of “secret” prisons belonging to the ministry of interior where systemic abuse and torture takes places is enough reason for Solaj to step down and stand trial. The fact that he knew of such secrete prisons, and the fact that he know there was systematic torture of prisoners, are enough reasons for the man to get the hell out of the office and to take his place in the dock, in the court room with Saddam and his Baathist murderers.
Yes, one can understand the Shiite and what they had to endure during Saddam regime and one can understand the anger and frustration the Shiite have against the Sunnis who misruled and misused and abused Iraq and Iraqis for a long time, but that does not in any way ever, justify the abuses the Sunnis have to endure at the hand of Iraqi Shiites. This is not what this whole thing in Iraq is all about.
What the Iraqis need is not another Baathist regime like that of Saddam. What Iraqis need is not another Shiite regime like next door Iran responsible for the killing and murder of tens of thousands who challenged the mullahs of Iran. The Mullahs of Iran put to death, not supporters of the late Shah, but ordinary Iranians who saw that the Islamic revolution eating and devouring its sons and daughters. We do not need Shiite regimes like that of Iran. What the people of Iraq need is a democratic, secular state where citizens of Iraq can be equal in the eye of the law. What the Iraqi needs is not a secular criminal regime like that of Saddam’s Baathist regime, and do not need a regime of the Mullah, certainly, we do not need a regime like that of Paul Bremer and Solaj. Iraq and Iraqis more than ever needs freedom, freedom from fear, freedom of religion and from religion, freedom from war lords like those they had in Kurdish areas and certainly they do not need a Shiite or a Sunni majority, but an Iraqi democratic majority.
Hell broke lose when the Americans where caught on camera abusing prisoners in Abu-Ghraib prison, and the entire world jumped on the US demanding apologies and trials for those who committed such crimes. We should not demand less than that Now.
Well what the world now demands from Mr. Solaj is nothing less, and since he is directly responsible for authorizing such a systematic torture, then nothing short of resignation and trial will do.
I never could understand what is going on in Iraq and I like the recommendation of Dr. Salmeh, the former Lebanese minister of information and culture where he said in recent interview, that every one should have known that Iraq is quite an interesting and complicated country and once you open the door on such a complex problem you better come up with very original ideas, that address this strange combination of mosaic.
What is more surprising in the case of secret Iraqi prisons is the silence of the Shiite leaderships, a silence no less worrisome that the silence of the Sunni leadership at the ever increasing wave of suicide bombing and killing of innocent Iraqis committed by Sunni fighters. What Iraq needs is an outstanding secular leadership that keeps religious leaderships where it belong in the mosques and put criminal sectarian leadership behind bars for failing to stop all of the killings that is going on. The torture of Sunnis in secrete Shiite jails is no less dangerous that suicide bombing carried by Sunnis against Shiites. Iraq needs responsible leadership for a change not killers and murderers to rule it.