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A Day in "Democratic" Iraq: The Attack on the Abu Hanifa Mosque and its Impact on Adhamiya
By Arkane Hamid
November 20, 2004
On Friday, November 19th, American forces and their allies, the Iraqi National Guard, raided the Abu Hanifa Mosque in the al-Adhamiya district of Baghdad. The raid ended with 4 worshippers killed, 9 injured, and not less than 45 captured by the invaders.
People of Adhamiya, who are followers of the Imam Abu Hanifa, were very frustrated. Raiding the mosque was unacceptable to them. Ali, a 35 year-old carpenter thinks, "It's a way to see the reaction of the Adhamiyans against that act, the capturing of the Imam Mouad Al-Adhamiy. But this wasn't the real reason why they raided the mosque." According to Ali, the real reason was to terrify the people of Adhamiya.
Mrs. Maysoun, a 42 year-old teacher was among the people inside the mosque. "I went to pray for God and ended lying on the ground in front of foreigners aiming their guns on our heads," she said. Hasson, a 63 year-old merchant said, "They want us to stop worshipping God, yet we would not because God is greater than them."
Saturday, in the same area of Adhamiya, fierce clashes started with many explosions. Bullets were flying everywhere so that no one could leave their house. Three houses and six cars were burned. The US military lost two Humvees along with their personnel. Some people reported having seen the next morning a convoy of six tanks towing the two Humvees.
Sulaiman, a 64 year-old retired resident in the area said, "I was just about to have my dinner when I heard a big explosion. My son, who is in his third year of medical school was studying in his room and was injured when the house collapsed on his head. He is now in Al Numan Hospital, and we don't care that we lost of our belongings, but my son.if anything happens to him I will attack the Americans myself!"
Monday in Adhamiya, the government imposed a curfew that runs from 6 pm until the morning. Fearful of future attacks and also obeying the curfew, the people of Ahamiya did not leave their homes. Allawi, a man selling vegetables in the market said, "My merchandise up till now hasn't changed. I have sold nothing." He then added, "If the situation keeps this way I can't continue because it's a big loss to me." Farouk, a 42 year-old bank manager said, "If this happens all goods will disappear from the market."
Prior to the raid on the mosque, Adhamiya already had large numbers of people who opposed the occupation. Abu Ali, who distributes the food rations from the government, noted, "So many of the families who receive the rations, that have been given since 1990, up till now have refused to take the goods from me because they have to take an election leaflet." He then added, "You have to take it [the leaflet] with the goods or else you don't get your ration. That is by orders of the government, and I have to obey them."
Most people, according to Ali, are refusing to accept their food ration as a form of protest against the election. He concluded, "The people don't want to lose their honor by participating in this illegal election."
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