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Childhood stories Non-tech

The Orwellian Surrealism of Saddam Hussein-Era School Assemblies

How schools were the most important part of the brainwashing machinery.

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Childhood stories Non-tech Unpolished thoughts

Home Country

Sixteen years old and a naïve devout typical Sunni Iraqi boy, I had a big solid identity with all sorts of strongly-held beliefs. An average Iraqi teenager, with a regular mix of nationalism, belonging, and a general tribal tendency of connectedness with everything and everyone around me, although with a dash of rebelion. Being a […]

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Childhood stories

Stories from my Childhood – Catching up on Homework

Two years after an eight-year exhaustive war with Iran from 1980 – 1988, in an ill-fated, immoral, and reckless endeavor, Saddam Hussein decided to invade Kuwait on August 2nd, 1990. The result was, according to Wikipedia, a “decisive Iraqi victory”. This started an avalanche of geopolitical transitions in the area that essentially destroyed Iraq. The […]

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Childhood stories

Stories from my Childhood – Playing Hide-and-Seek in Baghdad

Twenty years ago or so, in a hot Baghdadi summer afternoon, my aunt’s family visited us for a sleepover, a frequent event that was exciting for myself and the other kids; my brothers, sister, and cousins. It was always thrilling to have extended family over. I loved the freedom and the relative chaos at the […]