The Flying Carpet to Baghdad | Book Review

The Flying Carpet to Baghdad

Author= Hala Jaber

Publisher= Pan Macmillan, London

Year of Publication= 2010

Price= $ 7.99                                 Pages= 298

[courtesy: The Education Today ; Bangalore]

Calamity, destruction, misery and tragedy always follow the War. During and in the aftermath of War, human loss is reduced to mere statistics, usually the mainstream media neglects the human cost of war focusing on other issues. After the Second World War, mankind witnessed numerous wars of varying nature in which millions vanished in thin air without trace, whose life, tragedies, miseries, plight and agony yet remains to be documented. In the tussle for hegemony between the Two Super Powers during Cold War the sufferings of humankind were unaccounted, and after the end of Cold War in 1990s with the breakdown of U.S.S.R, the world turned into a unipolar one, with Uncle Sam reigning supreme, who quite early discovered the New Enemy in Muslims who were in dire need of discipline and democracy, hence the need for undertaking the civilizing mission in the garb of operation democracy was felt, which happened clandestinely before the tragedy of 9/11 and overtly in its aftermath in the form of brutal invasions of Afghanistan and then lately of Iraq.

The media reported the invasion during its initial stages, and featured it regularly till the American forces conquered Kabul and Baghdad ousting the governments of Taliban as well of Saddam Hussein. The invasion and war later on could not provide sensational news stories; hence on the Media front it grew cold but occasionally it blew hot too. During the whole phase of coverage, media was supposed to be objective which mainstream corporate media could hardly be as it scarcely reported about the human loss and cost of war, by raising brutally honest and disturbing questions to the perpetuators of the Invasion. Journalists and reporters adhered to the editorial and corporate policies of their Publishing or Media Houses adamantly, but certainly there were exceptional cases like that of Hala Jaber, author of the book under review, a Professional journalist covering the war on Iraq, who pushed the boundaries of journalism beyond objectivity to human empathy.

Hala emotionally describes the story of two orphans and her struggle to save them, mired with her desire for motherhood for which she longs desperately but fate is unjust to her biologically but covering the war in Iraq offers her a unique opportunity to save Zahra who is burnt and injured in an explosion which kills her whole family except her infant sister. Watching her lying emotionless on bed,  Hala undertakes an uphill task of saving Zahra from the clutches of death, but ultimately the cruel hands of death snatch her away which Hala comes to know quite late, but doesn’t give up and tries to locate the dead body of Zahra with the help of Marla, a U.S relief worker, whom she describes as an exceptionally brave and adventurous young girl who is trying to rectify the wrongs of war that her Nation imposed on Iraq and in her strenuous efforts to provide a healing touch to the victims of war, she too becomes a victim of the War. The twin tragedy is written in such an empathic prose that the reader finds no escape but to salute the courage of Marla and mourn the loss of both Zahra and Marla.

Despite suffering the personal tragedy once again in the death of her helping friend Marla and would be daughter Zahra, Hala once again traverses Iraq which makes her desperately nostalgic, but she holds on to her conviction to bring change to one of the orphans, now Zahra’s younger sister Hawra. In her search to adopt her, she describes the havoc perpetuated by the war on the common Iraqis like Hawra’s family, environmental destruction and the sectarian divide which has transformed Iraq into a Nation within a Nation, where the boundaries and borders have been erected segregating Shias from Sunis and usually these sects clash violently against each other, all these are the brazen brutal, bitter fruits of Invasion.

Hala even describes her tryst with the resistance forces with whom she travels, being a witness to their convictions, fears, hopes, desires, ideology, sharing with them their vulnerabilities and witnessing them fight against the occupational forces from whom they wish to free their Nation. She vividly describes the siege of Fallujah and Sadr City and how she had a first hand account of the resistance there, and how the talk of the Balkanization of Iraq was doing rounds in elite Political circles.

Overall the book is gripping and spine rendering read, which makes you cry more than once, and inspires you to offer a helping hand to the victims of War and encourage you to stand up and speak against the Neo Imperial Ambitions of Uncle Sam whose price the common masses have to pay quite tragically.

Flying Carpet to Baghdad depicts how much more is needed and expected from those covering a War as humans rather than mere professionals and this story will remain immortal even if the War is forgotten.

Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com