Ali - Cast Off From Blogging Heaven, He Found His Truth Elsewhere

Marine returning a little girl to her mother, Iraq. Dry pastel and charcoal, single canvass size : 3' x 6' - AFD - DC

Iraqi Pediatrician, former Political Candidate, and Blogger Extraordinaire Ali caused Major Shockwaves throughout the Blogosphere when he left the famed Iraq The Model because of Philosophical Differences with the other two brothers. Ali however, soon landed on his feet, in a Big Time Way with his New Blog: Free Iraqi, where he exhibits a deft touch in writing about Iraq, Democracy, the Middle East, Terrorism, and Political Machinations.

And he discusses all that in the In T View: Ali - Cast Off From Blogging Heaven, He Found His Truth Elsewhere

It's The In T View: Ali - Cast Off From Blogging Heaven, He Found His Truth Elsewhere

In T View By MG; Greatly Assisted by DC

MG: Ali, Welcome to the In T View.How are You?

Ali : I'm fine, thanks MG.

MG: Ali, Is there True Evil in the World?
We know that people do Evil Things of course, you Iraqis have experienced that first hand, but is there actually, say a Demonic Presence in theWorld? And do you believe that a Satanor Shaitan actually exists?

Ali : No I don't believe in pure evil and I don't think of Satan as an individual soul although I used to believe in both. I think now that each one of us has an evil side and good one deeply embedded in his/her soul. Being "good" means in my opinion fighting the darkness inside us and encouraging our good aspects. I think it all comes down to weakness/strength and laziness versus the free part of our spirit.

Take for example this war on terror. I really don't like the way some people refer to it as a war between evil and good, although I must admit I used to look at it the same way not so long ago. There are some really crazy people on our enemy's side but they're a tiny minority and the description mad or insane fits them more than evil. On the other hand the majority are just weak minded people who surrendered to their fears and greed and I don't think they're evil or cannot be healed.

MG: Ali, Were you a Hulkamaniac growing up? A Big Professional Wrestling Fan as a youth?

Ali : I'm not sure what exactly do you mean by that. It must be one of these American things that only Americans understand, but if you mean I was aggressive or rowdy then the answer is no, I was more quite and my favorite times were spent playing chess hanging out with friends and reading. I always enjoyed playing soccer and basketball too.

Ali, the Fugitive Years:

MG: ~ Ali, you were a Fugitive from the Iraqi Army for Four Years. What was that like?

Ali : It was scary in two ways. 1st because the chance of being caught was not minimal at all and the punishment was horrible, and 2 nd because I thought that even if I didn't get caught how was I supposed to go on with my carrier and my life! It was almost impossible.

MG: ~ How Difficult was it to hide out from Saddam's Authorities?

Ali : It was very difficult, but you can always pay some people to minimize the danger. Such people can't and really won't care to protect you from all possibilities but they could limit the dangers and that's what I did although it didn't work all the time, as when these people get orders from people higher up it wouldn't matter how much you pay them and they would have to go after you themselves and the best they can do is to warn you in advance (for extra money) and then you'll have to disappear for a while until things calm down and those in charge get busy with other stuff.

MG: ~ When the Baathist Authorities raided the Fadhil Household looking for you, were you like, "What have I done to my parents and brothers?" Were you scared for your family?

Ali : My family was not in a great danger because my 'crime' was not one of those that the regime felt very threatened by but it was a very distressing incident. So yes, I felt very bad about what I have put them through.

MG: ~ Did you think about leaving Iraq?

Ali : Yes I did, shortly after that raid and I even paid money to get a faked passport because doctors were not allowed to leave Iraq and the punishment for any doctor who tried that was from 6 months to 5 years. I was determined to leave and I didn't have any destination on my mind or any real ideas. However I changed my mind at the last moment.

MG: ~ And you eventually joined the Iraqi Military. Was it a thought-provoking experience?

Ali : It was a humiliating experience but also a thought-provoking one. What I learned from that experience is to never compromise when it comes to my beliefs. Still it took me a lot of time to recover and regain my self respect.

MG: What's the Best Movie you've seen in the last six months?

Ali : I liked "Dr. Patch" by Robin Williams. Other than that I don't remember any really good movie and maybe it's because I didn't have the chance to see many movies lately.

Dragonfly by MG

MG: Ali, if you could make an important change or changes to the draft of the New Iraqi Constitution, what would that change or changes
be?

Ali : Remove the two phrases about Islam and make a clear separation between religion and the state. I think that's the main problem that wasn't dealt with in a good way. I would also remove the part about the Ba'ath party banning because I don't think it belongs in such an important document that draws the basic lines for Iraq's future and it would only make the Ba'ath immortal in a way. We have the "De-bathification committee" and I believe that's enough.The rest seems ok to me.

MG: What was your experience like with the Iraqi Pro-Democracy Party in the previous Iraqi Election?

Ali : It was a great experience filled with joy, pride and hope that made other difficulties less annoying. It made me feel that that I can be part of the decision making process in my country even if in a very small way, that I and other average Iraqis like me can actually make a difference no matter how small, something I've never experienced before.

MG: Is Politics in your Blood now and will you be running as a Candidate in the next Iraqi Election?

Ali : Politics is in my blood but I'm not going to run for office in the future. I was a candidate in the beginning in the last elections but I withdrew my name after some time. I thought I could serve much better from behind the scene especially that I don't like most politicians and would never get along with them or even learn how to communicate with people in such an environment filled with hierocracy.

MG: Is there a Position or Ministry in the Iraqi Government you would like to be in charge of?

Ali : No.

MG: With all the Terrorism directed at the Iraqi people, do you see a parallel with Israel?

Ali : Yes. There may be other reasons behind terrorism directed towards the Israeli people but there are ones that relates to what's happening in Iraq. It's mainly the fear from democracy among Arab governments and the need to export crisis to outside their border that make them support terrorism in Israel and Iraq.

MG: And how Different would the World be if the Middle East was Democratized?

Ali : Very different. I think it would much more peaceful.

MG: Ali, Do you have any Bad Habits that you can share with us?

Ali : I smoke a lot.

Ali and Spirit Of America

MG: ~ Ali, you view your terminated association with Spirit Of America (SOA)
in a very negative light. Let me play Devil's Advocate here and ask: What Do You Think SOA Did In A Positive Nature as regards Iraq?

Ali : Nothing.

MG: ~ Why don't you think that SOA's
Kerry Dupont -- whom you described as acting with, "strange behavior", "unacceptable behavior," and telling "lies after lies" -- hasn't responded to your negative portrayal of her?

Ali : Because she couldn't. I told the truth and the truth is very powerful as you know.

MG: Ali, What does Love mean to you?

Ali : Life.

MG: Okay Ali, who's Prettier: Iraqi Women or Kurdish Women?

Ali : Kurdish women in Iraq are Iraqi women, and they tend to be prettier than Arab women generally.

Iraqis And Sex:

MG: ~ Ali as a Physician, I think we can converse about this topic, which I'm curious about. I have the impression that Iraq is sort of at the level of 1950s America, when it comes to Sex?

Ali : I don't know what was it like
in America in the 1950s.

MG: ~ Is Islam a Hetero-Sexually Friendly Religion or is it more conducive to
Homo-Erotic impulses with the Strong Degree of Seperation among the Sexes?

Ali : There's a great degree of separation between sexes but I think it's more the Arab traditions rather than Islam.

MG: ~ And since Islam doesn't allow Dating and your high schools are sexually
segregated, is there a lot of Same Sex Experimentation among Teenagers?

Ali : Actually Islam allows dating and it's written in the Quran, but it's stated that it should only be for good reasons, meaning if you want to propose to a woman you can date her and even in private. But of course there's not much dating in Iraq and it's mostly done in secrecy. As for same sex experimentations, we used to hear about some of that in school but I don't think it happens a lot.

MG: Ali, why is Riverbend just so Irresistably Sexy? Do you think it's the Bad
Iraqi Blogging Girl syndrome?

Ali : I don't find her irresistibly sexy. I think she has a very ugly soul and mind.

MG: What Impact has the Internet had in Iraq or what impact do you think it will have?

Ali : The Internet has a great impact in Iraq in letting Iraqis see what's going on in the world since it's still almost impossible to visit most of the world and I believe this effect the Internet has is growing. Our media is still old fashioned and controlled by political groups and therefore the Internet is a much needed other option.

Geo Triptych by MG

MG: Ali, can you share with us the reasons you left Iraq The Model? It's still
a bit unclear why you departed?

Ali : I think I explained that before but I can add that Iraq the model stopped to be a source for the truth as I saw it and was turning into a propaganda tool in the hands of the far right. That was not why we started the blog even if the right in America supports us and the left doesn't, which is not entirely true as many of our readers and supporters, (like Jeffery! {MG says: From Iraqi Bloggers Central}) were Democrats.

MG: Are you still on friendly terms with Omar and Mohammed?

Ali : We chose different paths but we are still brothers.

MG: Were you hurt when they Delinked your Blog?

Ali : Yes, but not shocked.

MG: Besides your own Blog: Free Iraqi, what other Blogs do you read and can
Recommend?

Ali : I used to read many blogs but now I'm too busy with the exam and other stuff. I still take a peek when I get the chance at Dean's world, Harry's place and Andrew Sullivan.

MG: Ali, you and your Brothers, haven't really talked about your Sister, all that much.
Can you tell us a little something about Her? Will she join you and the Brothers in the Blogosphere by starting her own Blog?

Ali : My sister is a very bright woman. She's an Otolaryngologist and married to one too. She and her husband are very hard working doctors. They have the most wonderful kid in the world, my nephew Mohammed.

Ali the PediatricianMG: ~ Ali, you are a Pediatrician. Why did you decide to become a Pediatrician? Was there something else you wanted to do with your life, when growing up?

Ali : - I like children a lot and I like my job as a doctor. The choices I had were limited because most studies were reserved to those who have connections or very high average from college. I hesitated between psychiatry and pediatrics and it was a tough decision for me.

MG: ~ Ali, Can you Describe to us, what it's like to be a Pediatrician in a
Nation undergoing a great deal of turmoil?

Ali : It's hard work and very frustrating most of the times. We still lack many basic supplies, instruments and medications though I don't see any real reason why that is the case. The only logical explanation is that those in the government don't care at all about Iraqi's health and real needs.

MG: ~ Do you treat a lot of Children for Trauma, both Physical and Mental from the aftermath of the War and the Terrorist/Insurgent attacks?

Ali : Our hospital has a specific unit called "pediatric surgery" and that's were children with trauma are treated by pediatric surgeons and it's a different specialization from mine which deals only with medical cases but it does involve minor surgeries. As for mental, I'd say it affects all children with various degrees but unfortunately there's not much care about this aspect and one reason is that we have a high mortality rate among children, mainly infants and neonates due to infections, malnutrition (due to ignorance more than poverty) and pre-maturity (lack of devices and medications). We need to focus on these as they're seen as more serious and I think they are.

MG: ~ When one of your patients passes away, does it hit you hard? Do you ever question God, why this young child had to die?

Ali : I never question God on that, and it does hit me hard but one bad aspect of being a doctor is that you face death every day and after some time you find yourself not very hurt which is scary and makes me try to think more of it whenever I face it and examine my feelings. One problem is that if you get too attached to one patient you would find it very difficult to deal properly with other patients for quite a time when you lose him or her. I think it affects most doctors but most don't like to talk about it.

MG: ~ And what research in the Field of Pediatrics or General Medicine excites
you the most?

Ali : Psychiatry, and I'm thinking seriously of specializing in pediatrics psychiatry after I finish my study although we don't have this branch yet here.

MG: Ali, if you could meet anyone in History for a Nice Cup of Tea and a Chat,
whom would it be?

Ali : Mohammed, because I want to know if the Islam we have today is really what he preached although I tend to think it's not.

MG: Thanks Very Much for a Nice In T View, Ali, and Final Question: Have You Ever Seen a Ghost?

Ali : I see ghosts from the past all the time but I'm not sacred of them anymore.