BAGHDAD // The explosion that killed Raed Badr’s friends erupted last month in a busy marketplace in Sadr City, the sprawling Shia neighbourhood in Baghdad’s south, claimed dozens of lives and injured many more.
A week later, a terrorist bomb struck the same market again, feeding the seemingly endless cycle of violence.
Sitting with friends in a shaded square off the capital’s famous Mutanabbi Street, where bookshops and tea houses attract a bohemian crowd at weekends, Mr Badr feels that he is taking a risk.
“It has become normal that we are targeted at any place at any time. We usually don’t go anywhere that we don’t know. If I went to any other place I wouldn’t be surprised if I got hit,” says Mr Badr, a 23 year-old student about to sit his final exams.
The two friends who died in the bombing two weeks earlier were classmates and were supposed to take the exams with him. Instead, they fell victim to the deadly conflict that has rocked the country since ISIL stormed into Iraq over two years ago.
From the start, ISIL has sought to inflame tensions between Iraq’s Sunnis and Shia by committing atrocities such as the massacre of Shiite army recruits at Camp Speicher when it swept through Iraq in 2014. Now that it is losing ground against Iraqi forces, it has intensified its terrorist attacks in Baghdad.
On July 3, ISIL set off a bomb that tore through the capital's Karada district, killing hundreds in the deadliest bombing in Baghdad since 2003. The attack was the culmination of the latest round of sectarian bloodletting to grip the city since the US invasion in 2003. It was set off in retaliation for the Iraqi army's offensive to take Fallujah, which succeeded after over a month of bitter fighting late in June.
But the inhabitants of Baghdad, an ancient metropolis resting in the cradle of civilisation, are not easily sucked into the sectarian void. People of different faiths have coexisted in the city over the centuries, and ISIL has failed to eradicate this tradition with its brutal attacks, residents say.
“Since the beginning of the war with ISIL, the tensions between Sunnis and Shias in Baghdad have decreased,” says Maytham Al Hilo, a middle-aged physician who has come to the square to catch up with friends over tea. Dr Al Hilo does not divulge whether he is Sunni or Shia: “I refuse to be defined by this classification.”
ISIL’s atrocities have prompted a series of revenge killings in Iraq, including in Baghdad. The increasing sway of Shia militia groups in the capital and the country at large is also ominous. They have been accused of a number of serious human rights violations, most recently during the battle for Fallujah.
But Dr Al Hilo’s disregard for the sectarian divide is widely shared by those living in the capital. Instead, they point the finger at the political elite that has been failing Iraqis since the Americans handed power to an interim government in 2004.
“Ordinary people don’t care about the Sunni-Shia stuff, but the political leaders make money and stay in power because of this conflict. The politicians don’t feel responsible for this country, they just care about themselves,” says Rusul Al Obaidi, a 27-year-old Sunni who lives in a modest neighbourhood in south Baghdad.
Mr Al Obaidi is married to a Shia, and he continues his family’s history of religious tolerance that saw his Sunni father take a Shia wife.
Mr Badr, who is still grieving from the loss of his friends, also blames the politicians for their deaths.
“Their main goal is to stay in power. They attack the people and blame others. We are not buying this anymore,” he says.
Discontent with the government has led to regular Friday protests being held in Baghdad in recent months, and even resulted in the storming of the parliament in the Green Zone by angry Iraqis. The protesters demand an end to the corruption and mismanagement that has characterised the post-war government, and are angry that a reform initiative by prime minister Haider Al Abadi has stalled.
Mr Badr attended the protests once, to “demand rights for the poor, and to demand security”.
Others, like Dr Al Hilo, are pessimistic about protests bringing meaningful change. He believes the entrenched elites will continue to fan the flames of sectarian hatred to distract from their own shortcomings.
“The sectarian tension is the only way to preserve the corruption in Iraq. Most politicians encourage these tensions to stay in power,” he says.
Many Iraqis see through this smoke screen.
Ali Mohammend, a Shia from Mosul, had to flee when ISIL took over the city in 2014. The 28-year-old doctor lost four relatives during the dangerous escape to Baghdad, where he now teaches medicine at a college.
A proud Iraqi, Mr Mohammed confesses he is heartbroken by the current state of his country. But he refuses to place the blame squarely on Iraq’s Sunnis, condemning only those “who welcomed Daesh into their houses”.
“We are brothers in the same country, why were they supporting Daesh?” he asks.
Mr Mohammed has not been able to return to ISIL-held Mosul in over two years. In spite of this, he is confident that the widening sectarian schism will not tear the country apart.
“Sunnis and Shias have a future in Iraq together,” he says firmly.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
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Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)