From : ispaccount@yahoo.com
Sent : Sunday, August 14, 2005 2:27 PM
To : arabtimesnewspaper@hotmail.com
Subject : Reply to Baha Moswai

Hi Mr. Mosawi,

I read your article that Iraq is not part of the arab nation but it is part of the iraqi umma or nation but I just wanted to ask you simple questions: Can you please tell my what an Iraqi umma is? does it include the kurds? does it include the sunni arabs? does it include the shea only? or does it include all of those?

I doubt that you can give me a definition of what your Iraqi umma is, in sucha away that all the different factions of the iraqi society agree on. Ask JAlal Talbani or Barazani if they recognize you Iraqi ummah or if at all recognize anything beyond the kurdish ummah.

It is much easier to identify Iraq (Exclude the kurds and the 100s of thousands of iranians since those were never part of the arab ummah and they will never be)as part of the arab ummah than to identify all the Iraqi factions as one ummah, I do not think even you buy this Iraqi ummah notion.

and you were saying that arabs did not side with you when Iraq entered Kuwait and when he was torturing his people, well till me what arab nation has a saying on what thier goverments do, and were not teh soldiers who entered Kuwait or tortured Iraqis, were not those Iraqis? How come they did not stop Saddam for doign that? What about you Iraqi ummah, why did not they say no Saddam? nobody did or doing anything to left torture in the arab world including iraqies themselve; so do not blame others for your own faults.

By the way I do not give a damn whether Iraq or kurdistan or anyother country is part of the arab world. I just wanted point to the obvious and ask you to stop blaming everything on arabs while it is firt and foremost your problem.

Dr. Iyas Ansary
Chicago, The Great Great United States of America