I am soooooo sorry to hear the news of your uncle. You’re family has gone through so much particularly from what you have decided to share through HTB, that it’s hard to imagine what your life is like when the cameras are not there. I feel bad that all I can do right now is to offer my prayers and condolences to you and your family. The next candle I light in church will be dedicated to your uncle and for the hope of peace for your country.

Thank you very much for your bravery and love for our country; Iraq. It has been an honor knowing you and watching your amazing videos. What a better way to commemorate your uncle? what a better way to honor his memory as everyone who saw this video will never forget him?

Keep on having faith and hope.

Your brother in peace,
Ahmed

I’m so very sorry for your loss - and in the larger picture, for the loss of decency and dignity in your world.

I am so sorry for your loss. Most Americans want this madness to stop, and most want Bush to do the right thing. I only wish we could make him listen.

I am so sorry to hear about your uncle.

Thank you for what you have done, putting your self at further risk to let us viewers see a bit of your life. I know it has changed me to see Hometown Baghdad - before, I was very upset about what was happening in Iraq and to Iraqi citizens, but to see you guys stories’ really makes it much more real to me.

Peace,
Alice

Good luck. Don’t give up. Your courage and strength are an inspiration.

Thank you all for your courage, your work, all what you have done! May peace prevail one day.

Love,
Nadia.

I shudder as I read that Ausama and Marwan are in ‘northern iraq’ where the violence is diminished because, well, Turkey is about to take it’s long awaited turn.

Message to the American people: the only way this occupation will end is if we show up in Washington, DC and protest and NOT leave until our demands are met. It isn’t rocket science. We protest like Ghandi would have.

I am so sorry that this happened to your uncle. Seeing the car riddled with bullets was heart wrenching. If American military had done that on American soil, the news would have been all over it, and they would have been prosecuted. Yet, in Iraq they somehow think it’s justified to murder in a militant fashion. It’s simply unjust.

God bless you & your family.

Kadhim

Please allow me to offer my condolences on the death of your uncle. It is tragic.

I’m the mom of an American soldier and experienced a number of emotions in watching your last video. Mostly sadness, though.

I’m sad that this all did not come out the way we all had hoped, or as quickly. I’m sad that there are some American soldiers who are brutal or, at best, uncareful. Your uncle’s life was precious and now it has been taken from all of you.

I do want you to know, though, that through this all - this occupation was done in the hopes of giving your country, your children, and my grandchildren a better, safer future. We had hoped that by deposing Saddam Hussein, your future would not include a life under the likes of Uday and Qusay. We had hoped that Islamic terrorists would not gain a foothold in Iraq. We were right on the first count, very wrong on the second.

But, please tell me, what to do…

Does hating American soldiers help your situation? Does a pulling out of the coalition forces hold a better promise of peace than the likelihood of increased violence by unrestrained militias?

Ausama, I am sorry…sorry for your family’s loss, and for your country’s loss. I’ve experienced loss, too…a friend who was a journalist that was killed in Iraq, a co-worker killed in a terrorist attack, soldiers who were known to family members who have been killed in this worldwide war against terrorism.

We all have a role to play. I’m hoping that love can supercede hate, that hope can overcome terror, that peace can conquer war. What we all do individually can make a difference.

God bless you and your family, and your country.

Thank you All So much for your very true feelings , I thank you because your comments gave me this warm feeling inside of me which I needed in this very special time , after watching this series myself , thank you all .

I feel sorry for the many many Innocent who lost their lives in this war ,and I give my condolences to their famillies , and I don’t mean just Iraqi people .

I don’t want this to be the end so I’m here , reading , responding , commenting .. and hopefully posting new things soon …

Thank you Again

Ausama
posting from Iraq

You know more about the situation in Iraq than most Americans - about the Hussein regime, about the Shia militias, and yet you support a continuation of the occupation. I would argue that American and Iraqi lives would be saved by an internationalization of the occupation via the United Nations. The choice of leaving Iraq and Iraqis to suffer from chaos and interfering neighbors versus a long-term American military occupation is a false choice. There is a third way, and it would save lives on all sides. Unless there is something more important than saving lives? Those who continue to argue for the American occupation of Iraq have suspect motives. See here: www.prwatch.org/node/5845

Ausama,

Your uncle’s murder is very upsetting. The best we in America can do in this particular matter, is try to determine who murdered him, and see to it that that person faces criminal charges.

Zaid from Iraq

I watched the whole series and I want you to know you have achieved all your aims. You have helped me understand a little bit of what it feels like to live in Iraq. I can empathise to the point that I am sitting here crying for your uncle. Before I must have seen a thousand bodies on the news and it meant very little. I am sorry for your loss and I wish you all the best in the future.

All my love to you and your country

M Johnson

The traditional media has transformed the war in something far that we cannot understand (despite having a post-grad degree on International Relations!).

I’ve tried to make a small contribution by linking this to my blog (in Portuguese - Brazil), so that my friends can watch and read too!

My best wishes to all the families featured and condolences for the ones you’ve lost.

Here in Spain we knew, BEFORE the war started, that the invasion was regrettable and it would make of Iraq a worse place to live in, that’s why we voted against our former president Aznar and elected Zapatero instead. On the other hand, americans were happy to invade Iraq at first, and only when things have come to the expected disaster they change their mind, and leave Iraq in worse conditions. That’s what they did in Vietnam too. You cannot go invading any country you want and trying to ‘install a democracy’, things don’t work that way. For example, Spain was a dictatorship 30 years ago (btw, EXACTLY 30 years ago, today is our 30th aniversary of our democracy) but we finally got a democracy by our own means.

PD: Gary L Varnam, god doesn’t exist and god can’t remove President Bush from office, only you can.

I completely agree with what you say about obtaining a country’s democracy through their own means, and most importantly desires. But God does exist, even if you don’t think so, because God is faith. And people do need that, particularly in this time. And yes, God can’t remove Bush from office. Because despite all the faith in the world, someone still needs to do something about it. And I can only hope that our young American teenagers, in particular, realize this. Because there is more to life than Paris Hilton and her jail sorrows.

I finally got a chance to watch the entire episode. I hope that you and your brother continue to be safe and that you will soon be reunited with your parents.

I am currently reading something that I thought you might find interesting, particularly in this moment of your life right now. It is called “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracian.

Tonight, my husband and I will light seven candles for your family. We are so sorry for your loss. It is ironic that your uncle died simply trying to buy bread, the staph of life, for his family’s dinner table. Its an odd thought because I am going to do the same thing for my family tonight, but I will not be attacked or die or have any fear in doing so. Life can be as cruel as it can be kind, but this war is absolutely unjust. May you find some comfort in knowing that we share your rage, sorrow, frustration and your sense of hopelessness.

You are not alone…

Then god is just a thought, because faith is just, sole and only, a thought. A thougth just like ‘hey, i have to study’, and by that definition, god is just one kind of neuronal behaviour in our brain (one kind of thought) and that’s very physical. Well, i’m atheist, but if that’s your definition of god then “god” exists.

(lol)

I have been watching these videos almost from the very beginning and so all of you presenting your vlogs seem as though you are friends. And so today I see the sorrow in my friends face and hear it in his voice. Your sadness is now mine. I will pray for you and your family. My father and little brother both died sudden violent deaths , two separate car accidents though, I have never experienced war. But I can sum what understand your shock and pain at hearing the news as I have received a similar phone call…… twice.

I have said it before, I used to be all for immediate withdrawal of the American troops for their safety. And no, I wasn’t one of the Americans who were supporting Bush’s war at the beginning. Half of the country had not voted for him, I was part of that half. But now I am concerned for the Iraqi citizens and so don’t think withdrawal is a good or right thing to do. Even though hearing the news that American soldier (s) killed your uncle.

Someone has already posted that what is needed is international involvement and I agree. It isn’t helping anything to bash the Americans but not be willing to be part of the solution. There’s an old saying here, ” If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem”.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss Ausama and to see and hear your pain. What you said “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” is beautiful. Thanks for sharing that with me. Thanks for sharing your life.

Billie

I mourn your uncle’s death.

Watching the Hometown Baghdad videos really tore me up.

Watching your videos I learned that you’re like any college student trying to get an education. Except you live in a war zone.

I learned that as you’re trying to get a college education members of your family can be killed randomly by American forces.

I aso learned that you’re an exceptional young man when you stated: “To light a candle is much better than cursing the darkness.”

Ausama,

May peace be with you wherever you go.

Troubled

By the way I had the same of what happen to ur uncle but thank god I ve just made a crazy turn and their bulets were a little bit away from me . but that really happens evry day till now and will continue …….I d like to say something ..
Force generates ( Force and hate )

Zaid Al Bender

By the way I had the same of what happen to ur uncle but thank god I ve just made a crazy turn and their bulets were a little bit away from me . but that really happens evry day till now and will continue …….I d like to say something ..
Force generates ( Force and hate )

Zaid Al Bender

To the rest of you…

The last time I was here in 2004 I watched Americans build a student center. State of the art. I’ll never forget the joy on the faces of the soldiers and the kids when it was opened. Two days after it was completed, it was looted and dynamited…by Iraqis.

A few days ago, 14 Iraqi policemen and soldiers were shot in the back of the head, one at a time, for the crime of putting on a uniform and trying to bring some stability to this place (their own faults not to be overlooked)…..by Iraqis.

A translator I knew, mother of 2, was abducted shortly after I left the last time. They found her three days later, murdered, with an electric drill for the crime of working with “foreigners”…by Iraqis.

The only reason they got to her was because after our crew left, there was no one to stick up for her in the secured area where we had found her a flat and she was expelled back into the street…by Iraqis.

And it wasn’t like she didn’t have money, or was even from the wrong “Sect”…she was just from the wrong “Caste.” They murdered her just as surely as the Sadrists with their drill. A colleague later reported that they laughed about it when they heard… “cultured” Iraqis, they were.

In 15 years of wars and disasters, I have rarely witnessed a people who are so cruel to each other when they want to be. The Balkans, Rawanda, Russia, Palestine…they pale in comparisson. The killing I saw there didn’t approach the level of relish that it takes on here. And those places were still very grim.

There’s plenty of guilt to go around here…

For all your hand wringing and angst about Bush and why you are in Iraq, you still drove in record numbers on memorial day weekend, despite gas being over $3 a gallon. Your daily consumption is over 20 million gallons A DAY (and don’t tell me it’s Republicans alone…).

Your power plants are fired by coal and natural gas, which is extracted and sent to them by other pertoleum burning machines. Overall, your energy consumption…that runs everything from your internet connection, to your vegitable market, to your Starbucks milk steamer…exceeds 20 million barrels A DAY.

But to be fair, You are not alone…Europe, China and India are right behind you. So spare us the copious, self flagellation you seem to revel in so.

And no amount of “Alternative Energies” now available could even possibly hope to match the sheer enormity of BTUs consumed, or even remotely keep up with rising demand worldwide. And there’s not going to be a magic breakthrough…

The computers you tap on every day utilize energy intensive processes for which there is no substitute. This video series was undoubtedly produced in a city that would burn in riot if that energy was interrupted with no hope of coming back on.

This is a grim fact of nature. It’s a catch 22 and we’re all snarled up in it.

Iraq’s grim fate? The misfortune of sitting on top of billions of gallons of it. But that may also be their salvation…if they can get radicals to stop shooting at anything and everything they take a disliking against, which is pretty much everything.

It is tragic what happened to his uncle. It is equally tragic what happened for several decades under their previous “leader.” (I suspect that Ausama is currently living in the “north” amongst that leader’s primary victims or in the only other city up there that functions, courtesy the elected councils that were established in 2003 by the 101st Airborne).

Did the Americans cause this present state of affairs in Iraq?

From the point of view that they removed a regime that apparently knew how to keep the pressure cooker of Iraqi society from exploding all over itself? Well….yes.

From the point of view that your leaders fell for the smooth talk of rich, London based Iraqi ex-pats that convinced them that Iraq was host to a cultured, secular society where everyone was in line for their turn at Oxford, but they just happened to have a bad leader? Well….yes.

From the point of view that if it wasn’t Americans coming here to secure one of the last untapped sources of energy in this region then sooner or later someone else would and they figured that they’d better get here first so it can at least be sold on an open world market? 9cause you won’t get a fair deal out of the other players in this game) Well…yes.

From the point of view that your soldiers arrived here to cheers and greetings (I was an EYE WITNESS to this) and were happy to help people build things, but an “insurgency” that had been placed underground months before sprang up and began targeting them with everything available and now they’re stuck out here, terrified out of their wits every day they go out. Well…yes.

From the perspective that their presence immediately acted as a deadly lure for every jew hating, woman degrading, fundamentalist religious fanatic in the entire reason to flock to the place and make it even worse? Well…yes.

From the perspective that they never expected to be dealing with people who in the wake of this tragedy with the uncle focus their anger on them, but have not one word of condemnation for the slack jawed, sectarian gunmen from their own towns who have turned this place into a charnel house and have everyone terrified out of their wits? Well…yes.

Iraq is not a black or white issue and the whole world shares in the blame…the Iraqis too. Until they get that through their heads and adjust to a few grim facts of life in a globalized world this stuff will never end, yanks or no yanks…cause there’s still a lot of revenge to be taken and this culture lives for it.

And david, your comment about “criminal charges” for whoever felt forced to open fire shows that you have no idea about the kind of stresses that happen in places like this. Until you have walked in this place, you can never know what goes on here. None of you can.

In the end…Don’t cry too hard for Iraq, because your turn is coming. All of ours is…welcome to the history of civilizations.

Za dom spremni

PS: Those of you who are working hard to eliminate your energy consumption and are trying desperately to deploy localized, alternative energy in this race against time, as we are, this message was not for you. I fear, however, that we are coming with too little, too late.

I dont blame you for wanting revenge on your uncle.. if some oocupiers came to my country, raped, killed my own people, and family - i would want revenge also.

You and your family are very strong, something i know, i would not have after such an incident. May god bless you and your family at this terrible time.

I agree with a lot you have said. Someone very close to me did two tours with the Army in Baghdad, so I know what you say is true. I thought about the soldiers who shot his uncle and was reminded that we are sending kids 17, 18, 19 and 20 into that hell. They are scared. I must confess, I’m 59 years old and those are just kids to me. I know they are terrified. When one considers what the Iraqi citizen is going through and the American soldiers are going through. How can the rest of the world just sit in their living room and watch ? It’s become to easy to cast judgement and wash their hands. I believe it’s time for the rest of the world to get over who started this and why , because it’s too big of a tragedy. I am an American who is angry with my current President for this, but ; I can also understand the responsibility we have now for the citizens of Iraq. So I’m a liberal Democrat who has changed my mind about immediate withdrawal. I wanted immediate withdrawal for the sake of those 17, 18 , 19 and 20 year olds , not because I had a different political point of view than the current administration.

And I too, believe , other countries need to get involved in helping Iraq, instead of just making themselves feel good by “American bashing”. I think when their next elections come, they should vote with Iraq in mind. Not for the person who does the best job at bashing Americans, but for the person who says they are actually going to do something to help.

There’s one thing I can’t agree with though. With all your reminders that we “need” this oil , I guess you didn’t stop to think that we could “do business” with the countries who possess the oil. I don’t think it’s right for our country or any-other to invade a country in order to take control of their resources. We “do business” with other middle eastern countries. And before you remind me about what a bad guy Saddam was , it’s my personal opinion we should not have invaded unless we were asked to. And remember, we were not told we were going in to save the Iraqi people, we were told we were going in because we were in danger of WMD’s. We were going in to save ourselves ……. was the message given.

Thank you for serving our country. My friend went in the Army when he was 17 yrs old. He’s 22 now, and suffers from PTSD, I hope you don’t. I’m grateful for those men and women who feel the call to duty and I respect them and care for them. That’s why I don’t won’t them sent into a war without proper planning, enough equipment or allies etc etc etc.

I hesitate to click submit, but I guess I will. Perhaps this was not the proper place to get on my soap box. My apologies if I have been rude.

Billie

You’ve made some very good points. I for one got a Prius in 2001 and put energy star windows in my house as well as being lucky enough to have Hardy Panel put up on most of the house, which also seems to help with extra insualtion. It’s a cement product. I got a Chillow at the Discovery store, which cools with room air like a reverse heating pad and I use it when I go to sleep to try and cool down rather than change the setting on the ac. Ceiling fans help with that bit of extra cooling as well without having to touch the ac. I live in a state that is working to build more and more wind farms. We’re a farm state and producing ethanol. I wish we could switch to producing it from grass rather than corn, but that could come in time. We also have a nuclear power plant in this state. It’s been here a long time. Architects where I live are putting green features in the exciting new buildings that are being built around here. The main thing is for people to make exisiting homes more energy efficient and stop building the McMansions. We have to stop paving over every bit of green space. I also live in an area where I can walk to shops, which is unusual in suburbia. Might I add that people should stop shopping for the sake of shopping or garage sale and buy “recycled.” Promoting slave labor around the world isn’t helping any of us either.

Sadly, there are still so many powerful and uncontrolled
racist, religious and imperialist forces aligned against your country and too many good people mislead by the lies and
fraud committed by the present American administration.

GOOD LUCK.

I have known Iraqis and have always respected and liked them.
What is happening in Iraq is an abomination and it has diminished the West.

Iraq lost their security when Paul Bremer de-Baathified Iraq by sacking the entire Iraqi police force, army and public service.
It left Iraq without any essential services at all.

The influence of the Baathists could have been curtailed in other ways…perhaps by flattening the hierarchy, removing some of the “layers” the Baathists put in place. Whatever, there would have been more constructive ways of limiting their power over the Iraqi people and creating a more open and democratic public service. Bremer, however did not even bother to look for this revealing an incompetent understanding of organisational structure.

Iraqis need to consolidate and unify behind a nationalistic leader. But will this happen?

I don’t know what the future will bring. The forces which are at work in Iraq are dark and murky. Just when we think we understand, something happens which throws our reasoning out the window.

Insh’allah, may peace come to this country which has never done us in the West any harm, ever.

Your letter is beautiful and Ausama, you have succeeded. You have touched my heart and my life - and that of many others. You have shown so many the truth that we would not have known otherwise.

The quote is perfect. Peace to all of you.

This video made me :*(

For real.

xo CG.

Tu perdida es una perdida para todos nosotros, gracias por tu valentía y por continuar luchando.

G.

So it’s not only our elders, it’s also our little ones!

Long lives humanity!!

If I had the money.. I’d be doing whatever it takes to help out (that’s straight from the heart, and no, I’m not insane :P)

You rock my socks dude

Interesting name by the way, never heard that one before. Wonder what the meaning is..

Peace dude (yeah, I’m weird that way :D)!

P.S- I’d say more buuuuut.. it’d be embaressing. LOL

Poor excuses of Americans D:

thank you dear for your comments , my name means ” Lion ” in arabic ….

umm , but I guess you’ve heard the name before but probably in different spelling , I’m sure you’ve heard of Osama , so it’s the same … but it should be like the way I write it !

i’m here

thanx

Take Care now

That’s what I thought! -yays-

I agree.. should be spelt the way yours is spelt. It’s more fascinating that way

You take care too ^_^ Thanks for answering by the way

إلهة يبارك أنت وأسرتك
إن أنت لا تباليني يسأل. يمكن أنا رجاء يتلقّى [إميل دّرسّ] ك? (I admit it.. I used a translator on this one.. ^^; I’d take Arabic language courses but I can’t find one in Canada.. )

Random Question: Which do you prefer? English or Arabic? (lol)

I’m very sorry to hear about your Uncle. Sorry that you have to endure life this way.

I’m angry with the invasion of your country… it is a beautiful country and home to many good people, like yourself. Not enough people realise that.

Let’s hope your efforts (and the effort of everybody who contributed to the production of Hometown Baghdad) are seen by as many people as possible, to the degree of great influence… because too little people can see right now, and not do anything about it.

I wish there was much more I could do…

By the way, in Scotland there are many people refusing to live and houses and things like this until British and American troops to stop this invasion. Huge marches are arranged and I hope they amount to something.

Thank You Ausama.

I remember as a young child going to wakes for cousins and uncles, though all I knew at the time was that it was a party. It wasn’t until I was old enough to understand what a wake was that each one of those ‘family parties’ my parents took me too was really marking the death of a family member, the vast majority of which died fighting in our homeland against an occupying army. As you say, we have different customs, and I hope you understand I don’t mean any offense when I raise a glass to your Uncle’s memory and put the same words here that have been said at more wakes than I care to remember.

“May the road rise to greet you.
May the wind be at your back.
May the sun shine gently upon your face,
and the rain fall softly upon your fields.
And may you be in Heaven half and hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.”

That sure isn’t gonna get me far in the Middle-East xD

Thank you for everything you wrote for me / us , I’ve been reading everything … but honestly don’t know what to write