For Immediate Release
August 14, 2003
Liberation Update
News accounts are painting vivid pictures of the joy and relief of free Iraqis, who are living without fear of Saddam's brutality and beginning to enjoy freedoms unknown for decades. These voices have been silenced for too long, but now they are heard inside Iraq and around the world. For more personal stories of life under Saddam, visit Tales of Saddam’s Brutality.
VOICES OF FREEDOM
"Iraq used to be a developed country, and it will be again. It's a very rich country."
-- Sami Thami, acting director of Islam Bank in Baghdad, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2003
"Before the war people were nervous. They didn't know the future. Now they feel it's time to buy."
-- Noel Jonan, manager of an appliance store in Baghdad, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2003"I was quite afraid. Now we can offer much more, and so people buy more."
-- Mohammed Kassim, who now sells once-banned movies and CDs at his Baghdad shop, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2003
"I'm satisfied that Iraq will change into a free economic market."
-- Humam Shamaa, a Baghdad University economics professor, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2003
"We have no experience in this, governing a democracy. It's a little like raising a child. But we can do it."
-- Nasir Chaderchi, member of the Iraqi Governing Council, The New York Times, August 12, 2003
"Saddam is gone. His prisons and palaces are gone. Look at all the happy faces of the people."
-- Song sung by Iraqis greeting relatives returning from exile, The New York Times, August 11, 2003
"Now we have freedom in all ways. But the freedom has its own limits."
-- Abdul Rahman al-Murshidi, a comic actor in Iraq, The New York Times, August 10, 2003
"The day they buried Uday Hussein was the day Iraqi football rose again. High in the mountains of southern Saudi Arabia the nation whose players had been tortured for years by Saddam's psychotic son have rediscovered their pride, dignity and ability not only to win again but also to play without fear."
-- The Independent (London), August 10, 2003
"It is as if a great weight has been lifted from us. No more terror in our players' eyes. No more returning home to pain and humiliation if our boys are defeated. Now we are free to play the game all Iraqis love as we would wish."
-- Ali Riyah, an Iraqi sports journalist and former torture victim, The Independent (London), August 10, 2003
"Under Uday we lost all contact with the football world. He did not allow courses for referees or coaches, no books to help us. Now we are free again and must look to the future."
-- Najah Hryib, president of the new Iraqi Football Federation, The Independent (London), August 10, 2003
"We have not yet decided on the day, but it will probably be at the beginning of October. We will start by mid-October for sure."
-- Hatim Attila al-Rubayi, deputy president of Baghdad University, on resuming classes, Al-Bawaba, August 10, 2003
"Me, I love the Americans."
-- Atheer al-Ani, who runs a video store in Baghdad, The New York Times, August 8, 2003
"Sometimes I think the only reason I survived was to tell people what happened. It has been a long time, but I think now I can be happy. Saddam is in the dustbin of history, and the black cloud has gone from the Iraqi sky."
-- Wais Abdel Qadr, survivor of the chemical attacks on Halabja, The Washington Post, August 7, 2003
"Saddam wanted to kill us all, but now he's gone and the Americans have come to bring us law and democracy."
-- Jamil Azad, owner of a tea shop in Halabja, The Washington Post, August 7, 2003
"Halabja was once a beautiful and historic place. We had famous poets, and we took many heroic stands. When Saddam fell, everyone here fired shots in the air."
-- Jamil Abdulrahman Mohammed, mayor of Halabja, The Washington Post, August 7, 2003
"We can't just fight the US because they are American; the people must give them a chance. Before the war, we couldn't have the internet, satellite TV or sat phones. There is all this technology in the world that we have been denied."
-- Mohammed Suphi, an Iraqi interpreter for the Americans, The Age (Melbourne), August 7, 2003
"In the 35 years that he ruled, Saddam poisoned Iraqis about the US. The Americans have been here for only four months ... The Kuwaitis worked with the US for 13 years to fix their war damage ... so we have to be patient."
-- Omar al-Captain, an Iraqi interpreter for the Americans, The Age (Melbourne), August 7, 2003
"Sometimes, when they [neighbors] see me, they think I am a ghost. They look and say, 'You live!'"
-- Dr. Ibrahim al-Basri, Saddam's former physician who was imprisoned for 13 years after refusing to join the parliament, The Boston Globe, August 7, 2003
"I am fighting for democracy. I am going to do my best. I am not afraid of any person. The only one I'm afraid of is God."
-- Ibrahim al-Jaafari, first president of the Governing Council, Chicago Tribune, August 7, 2003
"We suffered 35 years. Now the best job is done, there is no more Saddam Hussein and his regime."
-- Yonadam Kanna, leader of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and member of the Governing Council, Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2003
"I did not think this day would come. It is a great thing."
-- Sadiq Al Mosawy, an exile returning to Iraq from Australia, Herald
