Iraq Museum reopening tells story of a hijacked country
February 26, 2009
Even the reopening of the Iraq Museum was a shock that reminded many in Iraq of a country that has been hijacked.
Thousands of works were on show but Iraqis were nowhere to be seen enjoying the occasion. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki might have reveled as well as the few dignitaries he had invited for the highly restricted opening festivities.
But ordinary Iraqis, who own the museum and the country, were kept several kilometers away by armed guards. Even the skies were cordoned off by helicopter gunships.
Everything deemed precious and important still stands behind sandbagged redoubts as is the case with the Green Zone where the government and U.S. administration and military headquarters have cowered.
The museum, one of the finest in the world, was looted – thanks to U.S. invasion troops – and still thousands of its magnificent pieces are missing.
No matter how hard Maliki and his U.S. protectors try to show that things are normal, the reopening was an illustration that their dreams of a 'democratic’ Iraq have no place on the planet.
What have become real in Iraq are the chaotic conditions mired by sectarian and ethnic strife as well as the heavy boots of foreign troops. These have become the realities of the country and the reopening of the museum was an aberration.
Even the officials in charge of antiquities were not happy with the showcase and most of them boycotted the reopening.
As I watched the televised occasion, I only felt pity for those administering the country.
Even our museum, which once UNESCO ranked as one of world’s richest in archaeological treasures, is being used as a 'political tool.’
Those who claim to have the world’s most powerful army failed to protect it when their invasion troops landed in Baghdad in 2003.
The current government reopens it but has no plans on how to protect and prevent a repeat of the looting.
The helicopters that guarded the skies and the troops that kept the public several kilometers away will not be there for long.
Instead of this showcase, the government should have first worked hard on how to protect ancient Iraqi treasures and sites that are still being looted.
Does the government have the guts to reveal the names of thieves and looters with connections to officials who are still serving in its ranks?
The Iraq Museum has turned into a symbol of a country for the destruction and ruin of which several forces have collided.
The reopening merely reminded us of what used to be a venue for Iraqi school children and droves of daily visitors and researchers and now is being used for propaganda purposes.
We fear the display of its artifacts will give looters and thieves yet another opportunity to strike.
Otherwise, one cannot understand the persistence on reopening the museum at a time experts, antiquities officials and politicians from the Culture Ministry overseeing it stood steadfastly against the move.
