Project Reflection
For this project each student chose an individual genocide that they were interested in, after choosing the next step was to then research the conflict and receive all the necessary data. My choice of the genocides was the Kurdish genocide and afterwards had to find out how the genocide had occurred and what had caused it. A main part of the process was to decide what your main perspective was, after deciding we were to create a thesis statement that that was related to the genocide. Another key factor that was required was to find evidence and quotes that would prove your theory of the genocide and could support your thesis statement.
Cartoon Reflection
After looking at my most recent drawings I believe that my growth through a drawer has only improved because I am slowing down when I draw. For example my cartoon for this project was much neater and refined than my Rwanda cartoon, this is because I slowed down and took the tome to refine and neatly make it presentable. So I believe that if I keep up this slow but beneficial work then it will greatly improve on my drawing skills as a person and I will be able to draw successfully.
Op Ed
No Leadership = No Conflict
Najiba Khider Ahmed was a Kurdish citizen that had been affected by one of the Iraqi attacks upon her village. None of her family survived during the bombardment for her son and husband were killed in it while she was left blind and wounded. (“I had one son,” Ms. Ahmed testified at one point. “They Anfalized him. My nephew was also Anfalized. My brother was also Anfalized.”) the reason for this bombardment and all of the attacks on the Kurds was because the Iraqis were following a man named Saddam Hussein who had convinced them that killing the Kurds was right for hey were invaders and didn’t belong there. She now testifies against Saddam Hussein and is trying to show that he was the cause for all of the deaths and that without him no conflict would have occurred.
Without the powerful grip of control Saddam Hussein had over the Iraqis, the Kurdish genocide never would have happened.
Before the Kurdish genocide there was already tension between them and the Iraqis, for the Iraqis thought that the Kurds had invaded the country. Because of this tension Saddam Hussein decided to misuse the religion of the Iraqis and manipulated them into starting the genocide. And after he had full control of their faith he began to strike out at Kurdish towns.
Once he had convinced the Iraqis that the Kurds were intruders they were so blinded and worried for their country it infuriated them. Because he had them controlled he used their military to have them bomb the Kurds. These bombs were mostly composed of chemical gasses that had horrible effects on victims. An example of this would be when one of these bombs were dropped a person at close range would be totally desecrated, and even for those who were farther away would go blind or die coughing up their melted insides. “The explosions weren’t that loud,” he recalled in his native Kurdish. “A greenish smoke rose from the bombs. Several minutes later people’s eyes started to burn. They started to throw up, and then darkness came.” This was one of the victims of the bombing and who suffered severly.
Another factor that Hussein took away from the Kurds was their rights and used them to make the Iraqis much more violent towards them. He told the Iraqis that the Kurds did not have any right to be in their country so they could do what they pleased to them. This encouraged the Iraqis to rampage towns, this is when Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan or better known as Chemical Ali for he was the one who took charge in the attacks on the Kurds. The Iraqis then began to do more than chemically kill the people for they were much more furious than that.
A Kurdish boy named Taymour Abdullah was taken to the camps that the Iraqis would take them and enslave them in cruel conditions. ( He had seen four children weaken and then die of starvation.) this is an example of how the Kurdish people’s rights were stripped from them and were no longer important. His main memory was after the prisons, ( Taymour stepped into the cool night air and noticed at once that their bus, along with the 30 others in the convoy, had parked next to a large, shallow pit. Before he could take this in, however, a soldier pushed Taymour and his mother and sisters over the edge. Gunmen began firing.) his family died and he barely lived on to tell how Hussein had taken control over the Iraqis and how their anger was taken out on his people.
The Ba’athist religion which was adopted by the Iraqi people mainly was another tool that Saddam used to blame the Kurds. He was very fond of creating the religion to seem as if the Kurds were always meant to be eliminated. Once he had convinced them it was true the Anfal campaign took place. This consisted of large groups of Iraqis pillaging towns who had any type of rebellion against the religion or that were populated with Kurdish citizens. The campaign had eight stages in each attack, this would classify all that Hussein wanted dead.
What would the future of the Kurdish and Iraqis relationship look like if only one man had never gotten to corrupt both races? How many of innocent citizens could have been saved if only Saddam Hussein had not been able to take the most popular religion and turn it into a weapon? One clear answer for this is that if there is a leader who is willing to do the cruelest things and dehumanize people then they will try and most likely succeed in manipulating the people in doing something irresponsible. This is one of the greatest examples of these types of leaders, they have the ability to take over a country with words that are so intriguing that it can be almost impossible to resist.
CITES:
1. "Witness to Genocide - Archaeology Magazine Archive." Archaeology Magazine Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://archive.archaeology.org/0901/etc/ir
2. ZIELBAUER, PAUL von. "Kurds Tell of Gas Attacks by Hussein’s Military - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?_r=1&>.
Najiba Khider Ahmed was a Kurdish citizen that had been affected by one of the Iraqi attacks upon her village. None of her family survived during the bombardment for her son and husband were killed in it while she was left blind and wounded. (“I had one son,” Ms. Ahmed testified at one point. “They Anfalized him. My nephew was also Anfalized. My brother was also Anfalized.”) the reason for this bombardment and all of the attacks on the Kurds was because the Iraqis were following a man named Saddam Hussein who had convinced them that killing the Kurds was right for hey were invaders and didn’t belong there. She now testifies against Saddam Hussein and is trying to show that he was the cause for all of the deaths and that without him no conflict would have occurred.
Without the powerful grip of control Saddam Hussein had over the Iraqis, the Kurdish genocide never would have happened.
Before the Kurdish genocide there was already tension between them and the Iraqis, for the Iraqis thought that the Kurds had invaded the country. Because of this tension Saddam Hussein decided to misuse the religion of the Iraqis and manipulated them into starting the genocide. And after he had full control of their faith he began to strike out at Kurdish towns.
Once he had convinced the Iraqis that the Kurds were intruders they were so blinded and worried for their country it infuriated them. Because he had them controlled he used their military to have them bomb the Kurds. These bombs were mostly composed of chemical gasses that had horrible effects on victims. An example of this would be when one of these bombs were dropped a person at close range would be totally desecrated, and even for those who were farther away would go blind or die coughing up their melted insides. “The explosions weren’t that loud,” he recalled in his native Kurdish. “A greenish smoke rose from the bombs. Several minutes later people’s eyes started to burn. They started to throw up, and then darkness came.” This was one of the victims of the bombing and who suffered severly.
Another factor that Hussein took away from the Kurds was their rights and used them to make the Iraqis much more violent towards them. He told the Iraqis that the Kurds did not have any right to be in their country so they could do what they pleased to them. This encouraged the Iraqis to rampage towns, this is when Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan or better known as Chemical Ali for he was the one who took charge in the attacks on the Kurds. The Iraqis then began to do more than chemically kill the people for they were much more furious than that.
A Kurdish boy named Taymour Abdullah was taken to the camps that the Iraqis would take them and enslave them in cruel conditions. ( He had seen four children weaken and then die of starvation.) this is an example of how the Kurdish people’s rights were stripped from them and were no longer important. His main memory was after the prisons, ( Taymour stepped into the cool night air and noticed at once that their bus, along with the 30 others in the convoy, had parked next to a large, shallow pit. Before he could take this in, however, a soldier pushed Taymour and his mother and sisters over the edge. Gunmen began firing.) his family died and he barely lived on to tell how Hussein had taken control over the Iraqis and how their anger was taken out on his people.
The Ba’athist religion which was adopted by the Iraqi people mainly was another tool that Saddam used to blame the Kurds. He was very fond of creating the religion to seem as if the Kurds were always meant to be eliminated. Once he had convinced them it was true the Anfal campaign took place. This consisted of large groups of Iraqis pillaging towns who had any type of rebellion against the religion or that were populated with Kurdish citizens. The campaign had eight stages in each attack, this would classify all that Hussein wanted dead.
What would the future of the Kurdish and Iraqis relationship look like if only one man had never gotten to corrupt both races? How many of innocent citizens could have been saved if only Saddam Hussein had not been able to take the most popular religion and turn it into a weapon? One clear answer for this is that if there is a leader who is willing to do the cruelest things and dehumanize people then they will try and most likely succeed in manipulating the people in doing something irresponsible. This is one of the greatest examples of these types of leaders, they have the ability to take over a country with words that are so intriguing that it can be almost impossible to resist.
CITES:
1. "Witness to Genocide - Archaeology Magazine Archive." Archaeology Magazine Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://archive.archaeology.org/0901/etc/ir
2. ZIELBAUER, PAUL von. "Kurds Tell of Gas Attacks by Hussein’s Military - New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/world/middleeast/23iraq.html?_r=1&>.
Op Ed Reflection
The writing that was required in this project was very different from all of my other writing for there were certain factors in it that would not be included in our original TEA paragraphs. Such requirements would be that the paragraphs and the sentences had to be shorter so there fore the total amount of paragraphs had to be increased. Also the story had to stay on topic the whole time and could not branch of to another topic, it had to stay on a direct path. All of these new additions to the whole Op Ed were interesting and had me struggle just enough with them so that I could learn how to make this new writing strategy useful.