90% of the new police force are drawn from the Badir Brigade (Military Arm of the Iranian inspired Al-Daawa-SCIRI) and the other controlling factor is Maqtada Sadr’s Mahdi Army, both conducting with impunity kidnapping, assassination and total intolerance to the Iraqi Christian community, abuse of women, undermining education and teachers are the norm.

Jobs are awarded even in the South Oil Company not on merit or ability but on patronage and ability to speak Persian. The recent assassination of the US Journalist is one high profile example of what the inhabitants of Basrah are enduring on a daily basis.

Paradoxically the pillars of democracy and tolerance in the UK are also subjected to systematic erosion since the unfortunate bombing of 7th July. We all share the Government’s quest to stop a repeat of this incident and to apply the rule of law on the instigators, yet peaceful groups who oppose Blair’s policy have been victimised.

The Muslim scholar, Omar Al Bakri, who I have known since 1990, has objected vehemently to waging war, and the imposition of sanctions. I have never known him to advocate violence or to encourage the participation of or engagement in violent acts. Indeed, many non-Muslim’s, including many cross-party MPs and including myself, were advocating such policies.

Are we to be regarded as traitors? To support resistance to occupation is a right or such right only upheld as long as the occupier is not US/UK? I recall during my frequent visits to Iraq that Senior Ministers and officials used to wonder how the UK tolerated FAF’s objection to sanctions and I used to reply because we have parliamentary democracy and as long as FAF is not involved in subversive activities then exercising free speech is a democratic right.

We were told repeatedly by the PM’s Special Envoy, Rt Hon Anne Clwyd MP, that “Iraqis now have freedom of speech.” While Iraq outside the Green Zone and because of these policies, languishing in total chaos since occupation.

As a reaction to such failed and unlawful policies of maintaining troops in Iraq, the fall out not only placed the lives of UK citizens in danger, but our democratic rights are under threat by the illusion to spread democracy and war on terror!! Now it is evident that those who opposed the war were closer to reality than those who supported it and they are in total denial to face up to this unstable and dangerous world.

Kind regards,

Riad El-Taher
Chair
Friendship Across Frontiers