Sunday, February 26, 2006
The Iraq we don't hear about
Is the old media missing this; or is it more sinister?...
From an interview by W. Thomas Smith, Jr. posted at TownHall.com:
"Iraqi National Assemblywoman Tanya Gilly-Khailany is witnessing a transformation of her country she has dreamt of all her life: Men and women are working. Boys and girls are going to school. Millions have been immunized against polio and other life-threatening diseases. Construction is on the rise, as are new business startups. And the Iraqi gross domestic product has grown from $18.9 billion in 2002 to $33.1 billion in 2005. More importantly, fear throughout the country is dissipating."
GILLY-KHAILANY: No one hears about the great work of the civil society organizations: the young, energetic, democratic activists who are traveling throughout the country, going to rural villages and teaching people about democracy, teaching them what their rights are and what it means to vote. Then we have the environmental activists who are campaigning for national land preserves of the beautiful deserts and wetlands of Iraq. Also, there are all the economic successes. Small businesses are popping up every day. The entrepreneurial spirit is showing itself throughout the country. Schools are being built every day. But one of the biggest success stories to me is that Iraqis are no longer afraid.
"It’s a far cry from the country Gilly-Khailany was forced to flee as a little girl in 1981."