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?
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?
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.
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.
