Akbar From Iraq Rising And So Is He

Boy Puzzled - MG/DC

He Posts Thoughtfully. That would be Akbar, standing out amongst the Second Generation of Iraqi Bloggers with his Fine Blog:
Iraq Rising, Akbar is a Iraqi Engineer living in England far away from his Beloved Homeland, a Place he Dreams of returning to some day...

It's: The In T View: Akbar From Iraq Rising And So Is He

MG: Hello Akbar, How are things going for you?

Akbar: On a personal front, not too bad. I suppose that living in a western country does give me the piece of mind to say that. But my thoughts are always with my relatives in Iraq, and so i worry about them constantly.


MG: Do You come from a Large Family? Have lots of Brothers and Sisters?

Akbar: I have one brother and one sister, both much younger. And like most Iraqis and Arabs in general i have a very large extendid family. My father has 6 brothers and my mother has 5 other siblings, so you can imagine how many cousins i might have..lol


MG: Do you have a Pet? Can you tell us something about your Pet or Pets at the moment?

Akbar: No pets at the Moment. I used to have a dog named Saddam actually, but he died from a broken heart.


MG: What do you find Sexy in a Woman?

Akbar: Besides a beautiful figure I like women who are artistic and kind hearted.


MG: Are Americans too sensitive to Criticism?

Akbar: Not sure about that one. Most of the Americans that i have met in person can take a joke pretty well, but i do find the blog commentators to be too sensitive. I suppose its the subject matter at the end of the day.

MG: Are Iraqis too sensitive to Criticism?

Akbar: Iraqis are sensitive about everything. We are all psychologically disturbed. Majnoons.


MG: So are the Saudis ever going to allow the Ladies the right to Drive?

Akbar: Not in this millenium. I doubt it. The Saudis are cursed with being the so called keepers of the faith and Ka'ba. They will be the last nation on earth to free themselves from the shackles of religion.


MG: Why do Iraqis find Pringles Potato Chips irresistable?

Akbar: Hehehe, I don't know. I guess its the pop and crunch.


MG: You say in your Blog, that America and the West, "have always dealt favourably with the majority of the dictators of the region for as long as they continued to serve Americas economic and geo-political interests at a time when the cold war and the communist threat was the priority for the Pentagon." My question to you, Akbar, is what Democratic Regimes were in effect at the time, for the U.S. to deal favorably with?


Akbar: Ohh dude, this question is too deep for me to answer today..Maybe i'll write another blog about it..Ill Pass if you don't mind...lol


MG: And could you name some of the Great Islamic Democracies of the past 1000 years, when the U.S. or the West's support for Dictators was non-existent or minimal?

Akbar: Well IMO Democracy is a relatively new creation and has very little to do with religion....To answer your question..I guess there hasn't been any.


MG: In other words, Akbar, where were all these Great Eastern Islamic Democracies, when the West wasn't involved in the East? To me, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of Democracies were flourishing in the Islamic East, Pre- or Post-Western Influence.

Akbar: Again...I'll pass on this question..


MG: Akbar, are Islam and Democracy Really Compatible? Or is Democracy mainly a function of a Western Heritage?

Akbar: Democracy only thrives in plural non-religious based societies..So i doubt Democracy and Islam are compatable in that sense...But they can coexist if the two are seperate...


MG: Akbar, what is a Dream Date to you?

Akbar: With Nichole Kidman on a desert island.


MG: What's a Dream Meal to you?

Akbar: My mother's cooking.


MG: How did you become interested in Blogging, and how did your Blog:
Iraq Rising come about?

Akbar: Like everyone else after the war i wanted to know as much as possible about the latest developments going on in Iraq, and eventually i found out about the Iraqi and non Iraqi blog scene.. the diversity of views and opinions eventually drove me to put my two cents in, so to speak, and create Iraq Rising. I really just wanted to have a forum to tell the world about my opinion regarding Iraq and Arabs.


MG: Are there other Blogs besides your own that you like to read and can recommend?

Akbar: Most of the Blogs that i like i have linked to at my site...My favourate of which is 'Karfan's' at Syria Exposed..He is just too funny. And his writings about the Ba'ath regime in Syria mirrors those of Saddams Ba'ath in Iraq when i lived there.


MG: How were you or your family members affected by Saddam and the Baathists?

Akbar: I don't think there is a single family which wasn't affected by Saddams crazy Ba'ath. even those who were part of his gang have in some way or other been greatly damaged by that currupt and disfunctional system. Personally we kept ourselves to our selves and tried to keep out head down as much as possible. My parents are in the medical profession so they managed to escape most of the bullshit. However my aunt's Husband was executed by Saddam in the 80's on account of being a political activist. (a long and sad story, which i will write about one of these days).


MG: What would you say Is or Was Special about your Mother?

Akbar: She is one of the kindest and most couragous people ever. She, like most Iraqi women suffered greatly in Iraq. She spent most of her time in Iraq treating and caring for sick children as a professional Pediatrician. I always remember her crying when she couldn't save a baby or child for lack or medicines or medical resources. I hope that the next generation of mothers will never have to go through all of that again.


MG: Akbar, How Many Fingers Do I Have Up At The Moment?

Akbar: Do ghosts have fingers??


MG: Akbar, what's the Funniest Joke you ever played on a Family Member?

Akbar: I drove my fathers brand new car into a lake one day. I was trying to reverse, but went straight ahead into the water... (He wasn't amused.)


MG: What makes you Laugh?

Akbar: At the moment i'm a South Park nutt...Love it....''Screw you, I'm going home''' Cartman


MG: What makes you Cry?

Akbar: I never cry..I'm a full blooded macho Arab.. we don't do that sort of thing...


MG: What's your greatest hope for the Children of Iraq?

Akbar: Never to know what the sound of an explosion or a gun souns like.. I still have nightmares about things like that.. I still wake up in the middle of the night when i hear a loud thud...And its been 15 years since i last left Iraq.


MG: Akbar, if you had $10 Dollars American to Spend on either
Birth Control or Beer, what would you choose? And why?

Akbar: Beer my friend...Beer... A nice bottle of Ice Bud


MG: Have you ever Cheated an Iranian?

Akbar: Not possible. don't even try...Iranans are just too damn smart.


MG: Should Iran be allowed to develop Nuclear Weapons?

Akbar: Not while the Mullas are in charge...they can't be trusted..


MG: What's the Biggest Mistake the U.S. has made in Iraq?

Akbar: Not jacking off Saddam in 1990.


MG: What's the Best Thing the U.S has done for Iraq?

Akbar: Do I really need to answer that..It's obvious..no?


MG: What's your favorite place to visit in Iraq and why?

Akbar: I want to go back to the days of my childhood where my cousins and i used to go fishing in the tigres every day in the summer...Beautiful.


MG: Favorite TV Show of All Time?

Akbar: Star Trek The Next Generation.....Captain John Luc Picard was my hero.


MG: What Book that you read had the most influence on your life?

Akbar: Computers for Dummies. LOL


MG: What World Leader do you Admire the Most?

Akbar: Living...Tony Blair. Dead..Winston Churchill.


MG: Would you Invite Moammar Ghadaffi to your Birthday Party?

Akbar: Why not...Maybe he can bring his crack squad of Female Body guards with him..we can all sip taquila and smoke cubhanas in the back yard.


MG: Thanks Very Much, Akbar, for a Nice Interview, and Final Question: Have You ever Seen a Ghost?

Akbar: No bother at all... Only you my little Ghosty friend.