[Dean's World] Dave Price: Victory, Unity, Hope

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Victory, Unity, Hope
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1185748179.shtml


   What's Arabic for [1]Cinderella story?

     BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis from the Shiite south to the
     Kurdish-dominated north poured into the usually treacherous streets
     Sunday to celebrate a rare moment of joy and unity when the
     national team won Asia's most prestigious soccer tournament.
     The revelers spanning the country's sectarian and ethnic divisions
     danced, sang and waved flags and posters of the team after Iraq
     beat three-time champion Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take the Asian Cup.
     ...
     "We are celebrating because this team represents all Iraqi sects,"
     said Awas Khalid, one of the thousands of Kurds who celebrated the
     win in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdish north, where
     secessionist sentiment has been on the rise.
     "This team is for everyone," Khalid said, as revelers around him
     waved Iraqi and Kurdish flags and chanted "Baghdad is victorious"
     in Arabic instead of their native Kurdish language.
     ...
     Al-Maliki later issued a statement on the team's win in flowery
     Arabic.
     "There is a big difference between The Lions of the Two Rivers who
     struggle to put a smile on the faces of their people and those who
     work in dark corners strewing death and sorrow in the paths of
     innocent people. We are proud of you. You deserve all our love and
     respect," it said.
     President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, ordered an additional $10,000
     reward for the players and twice that for Sunday's goal scorer
     Younis Mahmoud, a Sunni Arab, who scored on a pass from Mulla
     Mohammed, the team's only Kurdish player.
     ...is an Iraqi national identity.
     >Maybe all of this will amount to little in the end. But at least
     for today, Iraqis have a victory for moderates as well as the
     nation.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070729/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_070717170929;_ylt=AhjxHyBd9Dd_d3.e3u6WKltX6GMA