An Interview with a teacher who worked in the Marshes

YOURSELF.

How long were you at college before you started teaching?
I was in the Teacher Training Institute for 5 years. I am still studying.

How long did you teach at the school in the Marshes?
Two and a half years. All new teachers from Basra go there.

What subjects did you teach?
Maths, English, history, geography and art.

Are you glad you are finished there?
Yes, most definitely. Let me say, no teacher wants to stay there, it is simply “too dangerous”.
One teacher that I was with, was crying because she did not want to teach there.

Was your home far from the school?
Yes, I travelled four hours every day, two there and two back. We were given a little financial
assistance for transport, but not enough.

SCHOOL

How long was the school day?
Five and a half hours.

Were the classes mixed?
No, first girls would be taught. They would go home, then boys. So the five and a half hours
would be for the one group, and after they went home, five and a half hours for the next group.
Each group has different teachers.

What was the average age of the children you taught?
Twelve to thirteen years.

About how many children in a class?
About fifty nine, maybe more. They would sit three in an old desk in a classroom that had
windows without glass or doors. Some of the children sat on their bags on the floor. There are no
air conditioners in the classroom. Sometimes there are malfunctioning fans.

What are the conditions of the schools like?
In my area the Garamsha tribe was predominant. Their sign was that of the gun. Buildings are
poorly made. Always needed paint. No care is taken of the building.
I also want to add that not far behind my school was an empty field that had many abandoned
cars on it. These were either stolen cars or the cars of people who had been kidnapped. And
many of them were smart cars!

Did you come across corruption in the schools? If yes, in what way?
Well I was moved by the School Inspector because he said:“your life is in danger”. I exposed a lot
of Arabic grammar exam marks that had been changed. When you are told “he has relatives”, it
means someone in the clan will ‘get you’. These people are dangerous. I was moved to Basra.

CHILDREN

Do many children go on to higher grades?
Very few. They just want some basic education and then they go sheep herding. Also selling
vegetables and taking care of the water buffaloes, their most prized possession.

Generally, do children look healthy and well-dressed?
No, they are poorly clothed. Because of intermarriage many children have leukaemia. Many
babies die because of either dog or snake bites, Smallpox and mumps. If babies are born with
abnormalities they are just set aside to die. There are many dead animals about, so the
environment is far from hygienic.

Are children respectful and courteous to teachers and parents?
No, in fact they threaten you. Once one of them spat on my T Shirt. They also easily throw
stones. They do these things if they get a bad report. Once, some of them climbed over the walls
and started threatening us. We responded and said we would call the police. That had a bit of a
calming effect, but they don’t really care about the police.

In teaching the children, did you feel you had the support of the parents?
Well, we had two P.T.A. meetings a year. The women came with bowls on their heads always
ready to sell something. They are dirty. The men are lazy. But I must say the women work hard.
O yes, the parents think nothing of threatening the teachers: “my child must get high marks or we
will kill you”.

The children have different tribal identities. Does this cause trouble among them?
O yes, there are fights all the time.

PARENTS

Are the parents themselves educated and therefore appreciative of schools?
No, they are uneducated. Many are illiterate. I would say the parents probably were educated till
about age 10! The Arabic they speak is very distinctive, they have a unique dialect.

What kind of work do the parents do?
They are basically shepherds. They mostly have little farms. The women sell milk, yoghurt, fish,
etc in the market. Also they come to the homes, but their milk is very dirty.

Was there ever any conflict with parents regarding the children?
Often. They do threaten you. Kidnapping is their main threat. Also boys form themselves into
gangs .and where they get their weapons from, no one knows. But they are well armed and some
of the tribes even have mortars. This is common knowledge.

Are they religious?
No. They are a “crazy” people. They have Sahera ( Arabic for witch doctor) who exercises a lot of
power among them. Their “ minds are so closed…like criminals”. Then you have the SAYYID, the
people who claim that their ancestry goes back to the prophet of Islam. Outwardly they are Shia,
but actually they do what they want to. All in all they are very superstitious.

FINALLY

Is there anything you would like to add that you felt we had overlooked?
Yes, something about marriage. Girls as young as 10 and boys 13/14 will get married.
One boy got married at about age 17 to two sisters! So many babies are born at home and
consequently die!
Also the ladies love tattoos very much. They believe it makes one more beautiful.

Also there is a practice I must tell you about. The Arabic word is fasiliya, which is the practice of a
woman or women being taken for compensation. The woman or women are taken from one tribe
to another tribe to cover some wrongdoing! And believe me she is treated worse than a slave.
She is always called a fasiliya and has no rights what so ever. She is not allowed, in many cases,
to even visit her family in her own tribe. You see during the time of Saddam Hussein a tight rein
was held on the Marsh Arabs. But now they are a law unto themselves. In Iraq, law and order is
just about non-existent at the present time!

An Interview with a Marsh Arab of Iraq

NOTE: The following interview is the opinion of an individual Marsh Arab and care needs to be taken that there are possibly errors in some of the facts stated.

Please tell me something about yourself

I was born in a village in the marshes of Qurna.

My mother and father were both fisherman.

Marsh Arab Location:

Where are the majority of the people of the Marshes located?

In the marshes which lie in the triangle of Nasariya, Qurna and Amarah in South Iraq.

Some Marsh Arab tribes in and around Qurna

·         The Al Meha live in Qurna and work at the Shell oil fields as supervisors at the Majnoon oil fields.

·         The Beta Sayed tribe is located between Qurna and Chibayish. The Sheik is Jabbar. They mainly work with the Lukoil company as supervisors.

·         The strongest tribe in Qurna is the Beni Malik tribe. Sheik Sabah al Malik has a good relationship with the US Ambassador.

Saddam Hussein tried to destroy the marshes by draining them causing many people to migrate to other places. Many migrated to the city of Basra. In what areas of Basra do they live?

People were displaced to the city centre in Basra

·         The Bait Wafi tribe live near new Basra sports city stadium near the internationl airport.

·         The Al Garamshe tribe live in Al Haafe near the power plants. The sheikh was assassinated last year (2015). He was a wealthy building contractor in Dubai.

·         The Al Sharambe tribe live in Aldeer on Route 6 between Basra and Qurna about 60km from Basra.

Marsh Arab Religion & Culture:

How many tribes are there?

About 40 tribes

Is there friction between tribes?...if so why?

Yes there is. Mainly for financial reasons and  getting jobs at the big companies – mainly oil companies.

In general how do the Marsh people view outsiders?

They welcome outsiders. They’re hospitable and assist them.

Many people from Baghdad visit the marshes and are welcomed.

If visiting the marshes it’s best to visit with someone who is from the marshes.

What religion do the Marsh people practise?

All (100%) Shia Muslims.

Qurnah has a small community of Christians who are respected.

Nasrani who are followers of Dawood. They sell gold and are wealthy. (Interviewer’s Note: The interviewee insisted that the Nasrani aren’t Muslims or Christians although “Nasrani” is the standard Arabic word for “Christian”. It still isn’t clear who this Nasrani group and what they believe.)

They all live together peacefully.

Do they practise it seriously i.e. do they pray at every prayer time, give zakat, go on hajj, etc.?

They aren’t extremists. (He stressed this point.)

They all follow Sayyid Ali al-Sistani.

The people of the marshes don’t practise the normal Shia practice of self-flagellation during Ashura as al-Sistani has instructed them not to do so. 

They aren’t very religious in that they don’t pray much or read the Qur’an, etc.

What are the main festivals celebrated by the Marsh people?

They visit Karbala and Najaf during Ashura.

They walk the approximately 500km to Imam Hussein’s shrine in Karbala.

During Ashura they re-enact the battle of Karbala.

Education

What language do the Marsh people speak?

Arabic and English and Farsi. They have a different accent and their own dialect of Arabic.

Are the people of the Marshes educated?

No, most are uneducated. Very few speak English.

They want to learn English to get jobs with the oil companies.

Do they have access to schools?

Yes, there are simple schools but need more infrastructure and furniture.

Do the M.A. place a lot of emphasis on female education.

Girls go to school. Fathers support them to get educated to get jobs in the future.

How well are you and your family educated?

I have a degree in Electrical Engineering.

My wife speaks a little English. She has completed High School.

My sister is a teacher and other sister is a medical assistant.

Economy

Do the people of the Marshes struggle economically or are they wealthy or somewhere in the middle?

Many are quite wealthy because of working for the oil companies.

What is the main source of income of the Marsh people?

Most In Basra work  in security – contracted to foreign companies –  and the Iraqi government

They’re uneducated and don’t know how to read and write. The Iraqi government use them to serve their interests. The Mad’an (as they are derogatorily called) will approach foreign companies to complain that it’s their land that they’re working on and the company will pay them out but the money will go to the militias who are behind them doing this.

Do both the men and women work to bring in income?

Women work as teachers, in hospitals and in government jobs.

Do children work to bring in income?

No.

Have the oil fields meant that they have financially benefitted?

Yes, we have seen that many people from the marshes are employed by the oil companies.

Shell is located in Majnoon – the heart of the marshes.

Needs

How did the people of the marshes view the US and British forces when they overthrew Saddam Hussein?

They welcomed the US and British forces.

What are the needs among them?

·         Electricity

·         Education

·         Jobs

·         Vets

Health

Women still give birth in the marshes.

There are small clinics in the marshes in some places but many more clinics are needed.

No medical experts work in these clinics. Medical assistants that have diplomas work in the clinics.

Drinking water is a problem in the marshes.

There is a problem with lot of water borne diseases such as typhoid as well as other diseases such as malaria

People in the marshes aren’t educated on how to deal with these diseases.

Do they need outside assistance in any way or are they able to manage on their own?

Assistance is needed from the outside. They don’t trust the local government. They believe that the local government is corrupt. 

The challenge of the Marsh Arabs

Location of the Marsh Arabs
The approximately 150 000 Marsh Arabs, also known as Ma’dan, are located in the marshes of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the triangle of the Southern Iraqi cities of Basra, Nasariyah and Qurnah. This is a Biblically significant area as Ur – the original home of Abraham – is located outside the town of Nasariyah and Qurnah is located on the intersection of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which is believed to be the location of the Garden of Eden.

Marsh Arab life and culture
The Marsh Arabs live off the marshes selling fish, weaving mats and other objects from the reeds from the marshes and raising buffalo being some of the main occupations. They are extremely poor and are dominated by their tribal sheikhs who tend to exploit them. A prominent feature unique to the Marsh Arabs is the “Mudhif” which is a long hall with an arched roof traditionally made out of reeds but some modern day mudhifs have been built with bricks. The mudhif is a community hall used for entertaining guests, community gatherings and meetings but for the men and boys only. Marsh Arab life is very hard as they venture out on their boats on the marshes fishing or gathering reeds often in the blazing Iraqi sun. Women can be seen carrying bundles of reeds on their heads or washing their clothes on the banks of a river. The difficulties of Marsh Arab life were made worse in the early 1990s when Saddam Hussein turned on them, draining the marshes, and so wiping out their livelihood. The Marsh Arabs, however, aren’t merely innocent people without their own sinful weaknesses. They are known to be militantly aggressive and thieves. They are made up of a number of tribes which are often embroiled in battles with one another. They are quite heavily armed. When visiting the marshes with Iraqis from Basra our Basra friends were quite terrified to stop in Marsh Arabs villages just to take photos as they thought that the Marsh Arabs may quickly gather and turn on us. However this wasn’t our experience as we were shown the usual Arab hospitality with some young men running off to buy us cold drinks and another offering us to have tea in his home. My South African friends who live in Iraq and had stayed in a Marsh Arab village for a few days were also shown the warm hospitality normally demonstrated by Arabs to guests in their homes. Many Marsh Arabs have moved to Basra where the city people despise them saying, “our troubles and crime are due to these country people coming to stay here.” They often squat on vacant land or possess empty houses and have to be paid to leave.

A mudhif being built

Marsh Arabs after gathering reeds

Marsh Arab religion
They are Shia Muslims without any known believers in Jesus Christ amongst them. Being staunch Shia Muslims their allegiance is to Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and Hussein, one of the sons of Ali. Massive portraits of Ali and Hussein are displayed on walls, bill-boards and sides of buildings throughout the area. Although Muharram is the first month of the year in the Islamic calendar it isn’t a time of celebration but of mourning the death of Hussein. They don’t have any singing or weddings during this month. Hussein died in the battle of Karbala in 61 AH (Islamic calendar) on the 10th of Muharram (10 October 680 AD) and so Ashura – which means “ten” in Arabic – is particularly a day of mourning where the Shias dress in black and show outward expressions of mourning but many people cook and give free food and gifts to others during this time. The Marsh Arabs get together during Ashura and re-enact the battle of Karbala and the death of Hussein. Then forty days later they observe Al-arba’een – which means “fortieth” in Arabic – which is the Shia pilgrimage to the shrine of Hussein in Karbala, south-west of Baghdad and 500km from Basra. Many of them walk to Karbala but some do go by car or public transport. Although Shia Muslims practise self-flagellation the Marsh Arabs don’t adhere to that practice as their Shia religious head, Ali al-Sistani, has issued a fatwa – an Islamic interdict – against the practice.

Reaching them with the Gospel
As stated before there are no known believers amongst the Marsh Arabs with only two missionaries endeavouring to reach them with the Gospel. The challenge is great for a number of reasons.
1) The Marsh Arab Shia Muslim mind-set and culture is a deterrent for them to accept Christ.
2) Iraq is a volatile country with ISIS, Shia militia and the Marsh Arab militant aggressiveness.
3) It’s difficult for foreigners to get to the marshes without Iraqi assistance due to the many police road blocks that have to be passed through where foreign nationals have to produce their passports at each of them. As mentioned earlier non-Marsh Arab Iraqis have a fear of going to the marshes.
 4) Living in or near the marshes is difficult, if not impossible, for foreign nationals as visa stipulations would only allow foreigners to have their work in cities such as Basra.
 5) The Sheikhs dominate and determine who will be allowed to work in the villages.
 6) The Marsh Arabs living in the cities aren’t always easily identified and it’s inappropriate in Arab culture to ask people what community they’re from. Marsh Arab women are identified by tattoos on their faces but many younger women are no longer following that practice.

 So do we then neglect to take the Gospel to the Marsh Arabs, for whom Christ died, because of these challenges? May it never be! God loves them and desire their salvation and will give his people the wisdom to overcome these challenges for their salvation. We don’t reach out to them because they’re good people – they aren’t – but we reach out to them because they’re sinners in need of a Saviour. Would it not be better if they served a risen Saviour rather than a dead Imam?

 For more information on the work amongst the Marsh Arabs please visit the website www.marsharabtrust.org or email info@marsharabtrust.org

WHAT DO YOU ‘SEE’?

Dearest friends…the story is told of a blind believer who met the old saint who had been on the road for a long time (Gal.5: 16). Seeing the old saint, and not having the sunniest of days, thought to ply him with a question. “Is there anything worse than being born blind?” “Yes”, replied the old saint who certainly was not mealy-mouthed – “there is - having no vision!” When you hear or see Iraq on the news, what do you ‘see’? Is it the vast numbers of unemployed, who despite being in one of the richest oil nations of the world, cannot find work? Do you ‘see’ such large scale corruption that ranks Iraq as one of the most corrupt countries in the world? Do you see ISIL or ISIS battling the inefficient Iraqi army? Our vision is that we ‘see’ God building His Kingdom. God is on the move - He is working (John 5. 17). Here in one of the hardest places in the world where the evilness of men’s hearts is not in any way restrained by the rule of law; an opportunity has been created by The Kingdom for Kingdom work. Let me put this another way - the kingdom of darkness has created an opening for the kingdom of light and life and love. You see, had Iraq enjoyed peace and prosperity, then the Church would have been attacked. Had Iraq been a nation at ease, the Church would have been oppressed, but evil has provided a distraction that allows His work to continue among poor women who simply need to hear and see THAT JESUS LOVES THEM. The Lord said that the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy (John.10:10). These realities, certainly true in Iraq, generate enough sadness, so there is little attention focused on the few serving Christians