George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 21

In Iraq, it was practically unheard of to be born an atheist. Nearly everyone was Muslim, either Shia or Sunni.

But what exactly are Shia and Sunni? And what is Islam itself?

Religion is notoriously difficult to define; its essence often feels beyond words. To better understand it, let’s examine Islam from an outside perspective.

In Arabic, Islam means ‘submission.’ This submission is to God, or Allah. The origin story of Islam goes like this:

Muhammad, deeply grieved by the death of two of his sons, retreated to the cave of Hira to observe the month of Ramadan and meditate. One night, as he slept, an angel appeared to him. This archangel, Jibril [Gabriel], possessed 600 wings and embraced Muhammad three times, leaving him breathless. The angel then commanded, ‘Read! Read in the name of your Lord who created all things. Your Lord is the Most Gracious, who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not.’

This marks the beginning of Islam.

The crucial point is that ‘Archangel Jibril came to Muhammad and delivered a revelation.’ Based on this event, Muhammad became the last prophet of Allah, and his words were compiled into the Quran, believed to be preserved in its purest form only in Arabic.

The Quran, meaning ‘to read’ or ‘the word of God,’ is recited in Arabic to prevent any distortion of its meaning. Prayers are performed five times a day, after ritual washing of hands and feet.

The Quran consists of 6,342 verses and 114 chapters, though it’s said that two chapters are missing. The earliest written versions of the Quran were also incomplete.

Legend has it that a paper containing verses about stoning and adoption was eaten by a goat while Muhammad was on his deathbed, as everyone was preoccupied with his passing.

That’s the basic overview of Islam.

Don’t worry too much about the goat story.

Now, you might be wondering, what’s the difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims?

Or perhaps you find this all incredibly dull.

To put it simply, concisely, pleasantly, and without causing offense, while carefully navigating the line between heresy and orthodoxy, the distinction is this:

Shia Muslims might say:

‘Allah! Following the teachings of our ancestors and Muhammad, we have prepared these ancestral offerings with red dates and white pears! In the name of Allah, protect our family!’

Sunni Muslims, on the other hand, might say:

‘The achievements of our ancestors are worthy of respect, but how can they possibly intercede between Allah and Muslims! That man is a heretic! There’s a heretic over there! Where’s the iron hammer!’

The core difference lies in their views on ancestor worship. To fully explain this, we’d have to delve into the period immediately following Muhammad’s death, but I won’t. There are other minor differences as well, but I won’t elaborate on those either.

I will mention, however, that Sunni Muslims constitute about 90% of the global Islamic population, while Shia Muslims make up the remaining 10%. The Middle East has the highest concentration of Shia Muslims.

The key takeaway is that these differing opinions have led to hostility between Sunni and Shia Muslims, despite their shared faith. Of course, as with any group of people, there are instances of friendship and cooperation between Sunnis and Shias. Think of North and South Korean soldiers at Panmunjom [the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea] sharing cigarettes before the axe murder incident [a violent incident in 1976]. Just because religions differ doesn’t automatically mean adherents will kill each other.

Additionally, the most well-known Islamic laws are Halal [permissible] and Haram [forbidden], but I won’t go into detail about those either. You’ll encounter them frequently enough here, so you can research them yourself.

Essentially, it’s about adhering to the rules one has set for oneself as much as possible, and believing that even if one falters, living a moral life will ultimately lead one to Allah.

In simpler terms, ‘Live righteously according to the rules, and you’ll go to Allah!’

Secularism is said to originate from this ideology, but fundamentalists view it as a deceptive trick and consider it inherently corrupt.

So, avoid making mistakes out of ignorance, and learn the local customs well.

Especially Halal and Haram. If you get them mixed up, don’t expect to get away with just a stint in military prison.

Military Advisory Group Mandatory Reading Order [Security Level 1]

Sender: George W. Bush

Recipient: Cutterless J. White

‘The President has mandated field cultural education for the Military Advisory Group and ordered that this document be read.’

‘The Brigadier General says the Military Advisory Group’s understanding of the field has dropped significantly.’

‘The Lieutenant Colonel specifically called us out for having the lowest education efficiency!’

‘The Captain says the trainees we’re educating are the worst!’

‘The Sergeant First Class says the trainees we educated are all morons!’

‘The Sergeant says the trainees we assisted…!’

Of course, seeing this mess, Karl Rove [a senior advisor to President George W. Bush] abused his authority to berate the Brigadier General, and that berating was passed down the chain of command. Seeing that, Karl Rove abused his authority again….

* * *

For citizens to resist an unjust regime, peaceful protests are the last resort. The high prices were outrageous. The Hussein Dinar [Iraqi currency], which Hussein revised from the beginning of 2001, was practically worthless due to inflation. You couldn’t even buy a loaf of bread for a day’s meal, even if you carried the money in a cart. Ration tickets, which I hadn’t used all year, were useless, and I had to siphon gasoline from my car’s fuel tank just to have enough to store at home, forcing me to walk to work.

Of course, even if you made it to work, you couldn’t actually work as you pleased. The story of ‘arriving at the workplace after a 3-hour walk, only to find an empty office’ was a common occurrence throughout Iraq.

In short, most people had no real ‘work’ to do. The only options for those without work were to find food, steal, or leave the country.

So, what if you gave these people work, a purpose? What if you threw a rope to someone floundering in a swamp? Would they hesitate to grab it, checking its strength and condition?

‘Saddam Hussein, resign!’

Saddam Hussein’s resignation! That was the rope Hosang had been preparing for years.

‘Long live democracy!’

The reason they raised the banner of democracy was simply because the neighboring town across the border in Iran had adopted democracy and suddenly become prosperous. Afghanistan’s rapid growth and political stability were miracles achieved through massive aid from the United States and a national desire to restore the monarchy. However, in their hungry minds, the flawed equation of ‘democracy = prosperity’ took root.

In particular, the chaos created by Saddam Hussein was immediately apparent. Everyone naturally believed that Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship was the cause of their misery. People who hadn’t yet been conscripted gathered to form a protest group and converged on Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.

Surprisingly, Saddam Hussein hadn’t even anticipated the possibility of a protest until it actually began. This was partly due to the command system not being properly established after the rapid expansion of the military. Some police and soldiers who witnessed the scene recognized their fathers and younger brothers among the protesters and turned a blind eye to their march. Some even joined the procession.

‘I never imagined it would be this big.’

Hosang could only marvel at the spectacle unfolding before him. He had hoped to offer some resistance, but so many people had gathered. The hope that they might actually succeed burned brightly.

After Saddam Hussein became president, he began to govern based on secularism. As a result, the number of people whose religious fervor gradually diminished increased. Before anyone realized it, a small number of people began to prioritize ideology over religion. Once questions began to arise, they spread rapidly. For 22 years, the seeds of unrest were quietly cultivated without the citizens even being aware of it.

In some ways, this protest could be seen as a disaster that Saddam Hussein brought upon himself.

Therefore, even the stubborn Saddam Hussein might step down obediently if so many people gathered!

If Saddam didn’t step down, the military, witnessing the scale of the protest, might change its mind.

Long live Iraq! Citizens, rise up! The time for revolution has come!

Um, so what about Saddam Hussein’s most important thoughts?

‘I don’t think so!’

A vicious dictator! A villain! A devil! These were all images created by the Western world.

Looking at it that way, only fools must have been working at Western broadcasting stations. It seems they were short on things to report, so they resorted to such childish descriptions! Well, perhaps it’s proof of how effective Iraq’s information control was.

A hero. In Iraq, the word hero often referred to Saddam Hussein. He took on the most undesirable position that everyone else avoided.

Everyone uses these words when writing an autobiography. There’s a custom called blood revenge in Arab culture, a tradition of retaliating without fail if a family member or even someone from the village was murdered. The position Saddam Hussein took was the Director of the General Affairs Bureau. The General Affairs Bureau was a kind of intelligence agency responsible for maintaining public order, and that should give you a sense of how dangerous the position was.

When he became vice president, he achieved the nationalization of the Iraqi Oil Union, using this to block the West’s influence with the support of the communist bloc. It was a miracle created by Saddam Hussein’s skillful diplomacy.

Etiquette and manners were words that described Saddam Hussein, and the first president promised fair rule with 99.9% support.

Let’s stop there. Don’t we know another person like this?

Saddam Hussein erected statues of himself in Iraqi cities and towns and forced every household to display his image.

Those who refused were sexually tortured in torture chambers, and men became test subjects for all kinds of bizarre tortures until they died.

Saddam Hussein massacred 100,000 Shiites when they revolted against his rule.

Among them were innocent women and babies who hadn’t even learned to speak.

Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait to cover the national expenses incurred during the Iran-Iraq War.

In a foolish attempt to cover the military expenses of one war with another war, he voluntarily crippled his country’s human and material resources.

Saddam Hussein internationally mocked the misfortunes of others.

The price was the Iraq War.

Saddam Hussein is a fallen hero.

The difference between a hero and a villain is only a hair’s breadth.

The conclusion was that Saddam Hussein had no intention of stepping down.

Hosang hoped that the military would disband on its own or change its mind, but the soldiers guarding Baghdad were treated differently from ordinary soldiers. They were the elite of the elite, trained with about 20 years of fanatical brainwashing and Western-style special forces training.

After a few warnings were exchanged, Saddam Hussein didn’t hesitate. He proudly signed the document approving the armed suppression. Weapons made by exploiting the people’s blood were aimed at the people. What irony! Weapons bought to protect the people were being used to test their performance on citizens!

‘This is the kingdom I created! I will never step down from this position!’

Just as the Creator created the world, He also created the right to destroy it. Saddam Hussein firmly believed that if he created a wealthy Iraq, he also had the right to destroy it.

They are ungrateful people who don’t understand the reign he created. Who distributed the bread? Who built the store where you can buy bread? Who approved the company that could build the store? Who brought the gas and gasoline from Western companies to put in the cars you ride!

No! Don’t you know that just being alive is Saddam Hussein’s ‘mercy!’ itself! How can you rebel against the country’s parents just because you don’t like the discipline! Have you ever seen such unfilial children who only know how to receive and don’t know how to give back! If you receive grace, you should repay it!

‘Give these parricides a chance to ask for forgiveness!’

With that one word, the procession of 500,000 protesters was given a chance to go to Allah’s side.