Ten years later after the Iraq War began, I wake to hear Radio 4’s Today programme commemorate the event. I am shocked and appalled by the level of Orwellian newspeak inflicted on me. As if to disavow British involvement in the atrocity, they refer to an offensive started ‘by the United States and its allies‘. John Simpson’s reporting makes things a little better, with his human touch, but I can’t help but hear in his report an effort give us an upbeat image of what the prospects are for Iraqis ten years on: ‘The glass here is actually half full… time now to turn the page…’ Easy to say. I don’t share such disregard for the longevity of trauma and violence. Nor can I excuse the propagandistic attempts to distance ourselves from British involvement in this brutal war.
Ten Years Later
Posted on by NQF
Published by NQF
I am a Pakistani woman and filmmaker who grew up in London. I write and direct stories, both documentary and fiction, about the impact of violence on our lives; I am moved to understand characters and places that witness and survive violation and betrayal. I go against the grain of stories about a “clash of civilisations”, and explore our world as I see it: full of grey areas and nuance. I also blog and write about cultural difference and shopping (!). View all posts by NQF
Nasheed Qamar Faruqi 