Is Iraq becoming a serious
drugs producer along the lines of Afghanistan?
Rice farmers along the Euphrates,
near the city of Diwaniya, south of Baghdad,
have stopped cultivating rice,
for which the area is famous,
and are instead planting poppies
"Among the remedies which it has pleased Almighty God
to give to man to relieve his sufferings, none is
so universal and so efficacious as opium."
Thomas Sydenham
(1624 - 1689)
There is no inherent reason why
the opium poppy should not be grown
in the hot and well-watered land in southern Iraq
It was cultivated in the area
as early as 3,400BC and was known to the
ancient Sumerians as Hul Gil, the "joy plant"
Only a few days ago, I quoted that song by the Eagles: "Hotel California".
A friend who is a rock addict (as in music) told me that this song was about drugs. The hard shit. Well got news for you.
That hard shit has reached Iraq.
I did mention in earlier posts that drugs were virtually unknown in the Iraq of "before".
I also did mention that since the "after", all kinds of drugs circulate in the market.
I also noted that members of death militias of the "nationalist", "patriotic", "anti-occupation"(hahahaha) loving version of Mahatma Gandhi - Muqtada Al Sadr and Co, are regular users of drugs. That may partly explain their total numbness when on their drilling fix.
But now the "breaking news".
Just read that opium is being grown in Southern Iraq. Under the agricultural expertise and auspices of Iran of course. Iraq turning into a poppy field, turning into an Afghanistan?
Not far fetched at all. According to the IndependentFarmers in southern Iraq have started to grow opium poppies in their fields for the first time, sparking fears that Iraq might become a serious drugs producer along the lines of Afghanistan.Now let me get this right, maybe am missing something here.
Rice farmers along the Euphrates, to the west of the city of Diwaniya, south of Baghdad, have stopped cultivating rice, for which the area is famous, and are instead planting poppies, Iraqi sources familiar with the area have told The Independent.
The shift to opium cultivation is still in its early stages but there is little the Iraqi government can do about it because rival Shia militias and their surrogates in the security forces control Diwaniya and its neighbourhood.
There have been bloody clashes between militiamen, police, Iraqi army and US forces in the city over the past two months.
There is no inherent reason why the opium poppy should not be grown in the hot and well-watered land in southern Iraq.
It was cultivated in the area as early as 3,400BC and was known to the ancient Sumerians as Hul Gil, the "joy plant".
Some of the earliest written references to the opium poppy come from clay tablets found in the ruins of the city of Nippur, just to the east of Diwaniya.
Alcohol shop owners are arrested, tortured and have their shops burned down because they are engaging in some "haram" (prohibited) behavior.
Women are forced to veil and keep a low profile otherwise they would be engaging in "haram" behavior...
But hey it is ok to grow opium.
Smoke it, sniff it, inject it ...that 's absolutely cool.
The Mullahs said so and they may even partake in your sanctified ceremenious activitiy every now and then.
So Iraqis are not only getting tortured, raped, slaughtered, blown to pieces, massacred.
They are not only made destitute and impoverished.
They are not only turned into refugees.
They are not only polluted with chemical and biological weapons.
They are not only deprived of water, electricity, food and basic services.
They are not only stripped of any basic rights in their own country...
No, there has to be more...
They will also be turned into drug traffickers and addicts...
What else can Iran and the U.S think of to exterminate us? Any more constructive loving ideas?
Is that not wonderful? Don't you just love this new Iraq of the "beatniks"?
Why don't you pass the joint, pipe, syringe and... lie next to me in my new roofless den.
We can, then both contemplate our lovely Iraqi sky and see a thousand heavenly diamonds shining like bright stars...
But shhhhh....Don't tell the mullahs. It's haram! Layla Anwar