Victory, Unity, Hope
Dave Price
What's Arabic for Cinderella story?
BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis from the Shiite south to the Kurdish-dominated north poured into the usually treacherous streets Sunday to celebrate a rare moment of joy and unity when the national team won Asia's most prestigious soccer tournament.If nothing else, this demonstrates there is an Iraqi national identity.
The revelers spanning the country's sectarian and ethnic divisions danced, sang and waved flags and posters of the team after Iraq beat three-time champion Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take the Asian Cup.
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"We are celebrating because this team represents all Iraqi sects," said Awas Khalid, one of the thousands of Kurds who celebrated the win in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdish north, where secessionist sentiment has been on the rise.
"This team is for everyone," Khalid said, as revelers around him waved Iraqi and Kurdish flags and chanted "Baghdad is victorious" in Arabic instead of their native Kurdish language.
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Al-Maliki later issued a statement on the team's win in flowery Arabic.
"There is a big difference between The Lions of the Two Rivers who struggle to put a smile on the faces of their people and those who work in dark corners strewing death and sorrow in the paths of innocent people. We are proud of you. You deserve all our love and respect," it said.
President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, ordered an additional $10,000 reward for the players and twice that for Sunday's goal scorer Younis Mahmoud, a Sunni Arab, who scored on a pass from Mulla Mohammed, the team's only Kurdish player.
Maybe all of this will amount to little in the end. But at least for today, Iraqis have a victory for moderates as well as the nation.
It seems that the social force most important to the victory of good over evil in Iraq is Iraqi nationalism.
To me, victory means a state in the heart of the middle east possessing the rule of law, freedom of thought and a free press.That would contribute handsomely to the evolution of ideas governing the passions and ideals of the people inhabiting the region.
And what if we got really good at this regime toppling, nation building stuff? Why, we could do it again....... (Only, partly tongue in cheek.)
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.