Interacting with local Iraqis

[Good Companion]

It seems like I stirred up a bit of trouble in a recent post, so I think I'd provide some insight into what meeting with a local leader was like.

I went out to drive the outer perimeter of our base with one of my colleagues. I do this about once a month to maintain good awareness of what the perimeter looks like for when we receive reports of enemy activity. We also were going to pay a visit to the local Muktar (sp?), who is a local leader in the community. They are something of an informal leader of the homeowner’s association of the neighborhood and they can wield considerable power. Generally, muktars control what happens in their community, and thus are good folks to engage.

We arrived at his house, which is an old government building he occupied. He has another house in the area, with another wife. As many of you may realize, Arabic men are permitted more than one wife, and mistresses on the side are not uncommon.

We went in and were seated in his living room. We did not see any of the female members of the family. They were nearby, but Iraq is fairly traditional, which means that women are not involved in business arrangements or discussions of this type. We took off our ballistic vests and laid our weapons at our feet. (In Arabic culture, when you are invited into someone’s home, they assume the responsibility of protecting you. To be concerned about your personal safety could be viewed as an insult.)

Almost immediately, one of the muctar’s sons brought a tray with a glass of water for each of us. After we finished our water, he reappeared very quickly with tea for each of us. Tea is served in a shotglass-sized glass and well-sugared. We drank our tea and began the discussion.

The muctar speaks no English, so he had a friend who speaks English there. His cousin, who also speaks no English was also there. The friend would engage us in conversation speaking in general terms. He never indicated what the muctar wanted or didn’t want. From time to time, he would look over at the muctar and the muctar would nod. Also, the muctar’s younger son would also whisper in his ear from time to time. We patiently explained, sometimes more than once, that safety and prosperity would come to his neighborhood if he could help us stop the mortar and small arms attacks in our area.

We then had lunch, which was in the same room. A tablecloth was placed on the floor, and padded mats for us to sit on. We were politely asked to remove our boots, which we did. The muctar’s sons brought out several trays of chicken, vegetables, rice and a pita-type bread which is common here. (I later learned that the bread was baked in the muctar’s backyard in a mud and brick oven.)

I realized the whole time that I was something of a fish out of water, so I would ask questions about what appropriate behavior was, or model what I did after what I saw others do. Apparently, I made a pretty good impression, because they asked me to eat with my hands, which is a village custom here. (They had plates and silverware for us.) The muctar’s cousin also presented me with a piece of lamb, which no one else received. The muctar’s cousin asked me if he could help me with it, which I allowed, and he proceeded to pull off the best parts of the meat and place them on my plate. This is a sign of great respect and importance.

During lunch we discussed a number of things, including the cultural differences between the US and Iraq. My buddy and I mentioned that our wives would cut off our hands if we tried to have a second woman. They all laughed at that.

I wanted to compliment our host on the meal (which was the best chicken we’ve had here, to include the mess hall), so I said that if I ate this well every day I would be the size of my friend, Tony, and pointed to him. Tony’s a federal agent in his civilian job and about 6 feet tall and barrel chested. I later learned that in Arabic culture, being heavy-set (Tony is not; he’s just big) is considered a sign of wealth. So, by complimenting the meal in that fashion I was saying that our host was being very generous.

They all laughed at that. My buddy said that I am so thin because I have to fight the dog for a meal, and the dog usually wins. I responded that even today I am still not getting a good meal because I have to fight Tony for it. They all laughed very hard at that.

At the end of the meal we asked the muktar if we could take a picture of everyone. (Over here, folks really like having their picture taken. They get very excited and want to have copies of it as well. We suspect that they use such a picture to enhance their status, i.e., I’m so important in the community that I have meetings with the Americans. Our host readily agreed. At the conclusion, he gave us both a kiss near each cheek in arab custom, which is also a sign of great honor and respect.

We departed being unsure of whether we had convinced the muktar to help us. However, my buddy went back the next day and took him some salmon we received in a care package. The muktar joked that my buddy was still taking food away from me. He also pledged to help us prevent attacks in our area, so we are cautiously hopeful that things will now improve.

Dana

P.S. Unfortunately, the night of our meeting one of our MP patrols was hit by an improvised explosive device. My buddy went out and spoke with the muctar's cousin who was very apologetic. He also pledged their continued support. It turns out that it may be some foreign fighters in the area and we hope to catch them soon. The families in the area have been flagging down our patrols and warning us when they see something.

[Target]

Thats great news Companion! I hope that others in the area are able to have as good an exchange and partnership as you seem to be experiencing.

Thanks for sharing and for your efforts. Be well.

[shahani]

I hope this is widespread and not limited to any single area. If this spreads, hopefully peace will eventually prevail and Iraqi people will choose the right form of Government for themselves and decide their own future.

Including how to manage the oil revenues and reconstruction contracts.