By Heidi Kurpiela

Abdul Raoof’s whole face smiles when he smiles. You may know someone like that—whose eyes crinkle and lips dance when they grin—or you may just know Abdul Raoof.

He teaches political science at Buffalo State College and when he says the word development in class it sounds like duh-valop-ment, which makes his students laugh.

When he lectures on the politics of Third World countries, he isn’t just reiterating a textbook; he’s reiterating his life. He grew up in a Third World country; specifically his home was in Baghdad.

Raoof, who received his law degree from the University of Baghdad in the 1950s, moved to the United States in 1959 at the age of 25 to obtain a doctorate from New York University.

He’s taught at Buffalo State since 1967 and is frequently approached to speak at conferences, on television and in articles as an expert on Middle Eastern affairs.

Raoof’s stance on this war is unique in that his opinions reflect political knowledge and a life once spent as an Iraqi citizen.

Growing up in Iraq

“Baghdad is a beautiful place,” he says. “Of course it has changed a lot with war. It’s a traditional society in which the family is very important. Kids are very well protected and parents have a lot of influence.”

Raoof says the difference between this and an American upbringing is that, “in Iraq if you do something wrong it isn’t just your family that says you are not good, it’s your whole community.”

When someone who’s never been to Iraq tries to picture Iraq—especially at this juncture—that picture will never come close to the kind of scene that runs through Raoof’s head. When asked what he misses most about his country and his city he laughs a little as if that question could never be answered succinctly.

He says, “Anyone from the Third World knows this. You miss the warmth of people. When we see each other we always hug. People are always knocking at your door, happy to see you.”

Raoof says his brother, who still lived in Baghdad, passed away two weeks ago right after the bombing started in Iraq.

“His heart gave out from such stress,” he says.
And it seems, the question of what Raoof misses the most about home, has in short, just been answered.

Bush’s intentions

“The Bush administration has a philosophy of reconstructing the world according to certain visions so the U.S. will have domination,” says Raoof.

In his opinion, this philosophy is typical of our current president and his advisers.

He says: “The past administrations have tried to influence other countries, but they have always respected the United Nations. This administration has no respect for charters or international law. They play lip service to diplomacy.”

According to Raoof our government should have kept consistent pressure on removing Saddam Hussein from power.

“But we never developed such a policy to effectively deal with him,” he says. “Containment will not work. This administration, from the beginning, opted for war, not diplomacy. Bush’s advisers want to reconstruct the political map of a region so that it suits American interests.

“Add to that the plan for occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. Our government wants to do that without the help of the United Nations.”

If anything, he points out that rebuilding a war-torn third-world country should be an international prerogative, one that includes input from the diverse framework of the United Nations.

The media & the war

“If you trace the media’s role back to the early days of preparation, after Sept. 11, (Donald) Rumsfeld said the role of the media would be different this time. And it is. Now (reports) are filtered through the government,” he says.

By that he’s referring to embedded journalists, who have trained alongside the troops and now travel within the military as part of the entire outfit.

Raoof says these reports must be cleared through the commander, creating a sort of public relations ploy on the part of the government.

“Operation Iraqi Freedom is a slogan. These reporters are under the illusion that since we’re in a war we should not criticize the government. They are also conditioned to accept the position of the military because they’ve been traveling with the troops for so long. They are protected by them.”

He tries to avoid television’s constant war coverage. He says the flashy banners and pop-up anchors, the streaming audio and the multiple boxed newscasts are more for entertainment than information.

In other words he says, “These reporters have been preparing for the Super Bowl.”

He also says he’s disappointed with the press reliance on ex-government officials as authority sources.

“I see less academic (commentators) and more retired FBI agents that I’ve never heard of before,” he says.

An ethnic bias

“Of coarse. My views certainly reflect my background,” Raoof says.

The way in which he approaches this topic is calm and calculated. He is a person with strong convictions; unique in that his roots stem from a personal interest and sensible in that his political savvy makes him all that more credible. Listening to Raoof speak is a relief from having to listen to passer-bys on the street or customers at a near-by booth in a restaurant.

“I understand the needs and aspirations of this (Iraqi) society,” he says. “But as an American citizen I realize how unfortunate it is the American people are not getting the right information to make a rational decision. I try to be fair in judging the issue and not have my emotions or personal affairs take over.”

Saddam & Osama?

He feels the two are absolutely not linked to one another.

“Bin Laden is a shrew religious leader. Saddam is a secular person who doesn’t subscribe to religious value; unless to promote his own interests,” Raoof says.

“Saddam only carries out war against his neighbors. He doesn’t have the plans to go outside of his country and carry out terrorism, like bin Laden. Saddam is rash. Terrorism requires a sort of patience and skill of execution that Saddam doesn’t possess. Besides, bin Laden doesn’t even recognize Saddam as a leader. He calls him an infidel,” says Raoof.

He says Bush built up military forces before Sept. 11 and after the attack it became an easy scapegoat for his military agenda.

Anti-American sentiment

There’s a misconception here, says Raoof. Anti-American sentiment at least in the Middle East is toward American foreign policy, he says, not American lifestyles.

“The people of the Middle East admire the freedom Americans enjoy. They do not have hate towards Americans. Their hate is towards the American policies we have implemented,” he said.

It’s a common misconception and he recommends a book by John Esposito called, “What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam”.

He says, “The people of the Middle East can differentiate between politics and people.”
It’s important, he says, to mull these things over.

“America is a land of free expression, whether we’re in a war or not. I think its treason if we don’t ever question our government.”

-Related Links-

An article from a Pakistani point of view

Read the Iraqi News

The United Nation’s role in this war

A writer describes what Baghdad used to look like