2/8/90: A Day of Reflection

It's that time of year, again. That time, when each Kuwaiti soul reflects on a day when the land they cherish & adore have been raped & stolen by a once trusted neighbor & friend; a day which for many of us will never be forgotten.

I can sit & write down about what goes inside my heart & mind during this time of year (or whenever I get a recollection of the invasion anytime throughout the year) but right now I choose to go light, & save the take for later.


To be continued...

To Be Continued...

Forever We Shall Still Remember...

Insecurity… suppression of freedoms... fears... killings... rape...environmental catastrophes...

Those are few of the terms associated with "war" & "Invasion"...

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, & till this very day the wounds are still present...

We will always remember this day & that painful memory as it's our duty to never forget such a horrific history. Writing about this aching past on this particular day of each year does not mean that we only remember the invasion just on this very day. That sorry memory is never out of our minds regardless of whether we talked about it or not. It is forever deeply carved in our hearts & souls.

I’ve always been open about how much I hate to talk about politics... a huge part of that hatred I'm sure is an effect of the invasion. Ever since that hurtful event, I’ve always hated to be reminded of it, & worked hard to avoid anything that would help me recall that time, including special TV shows, series, theatrical plays, articles in newspapers, & the history/political related educational lessons in our text books.

But regardless of me wanting desperately not to be reminded, I refused at the same time to forget about it. How could I? How could anyone ever forget, no matter how hard it is to remember all that pain? I was only 6, so some might say that I was too young to really know how hard it was, & that I barely remember. I hate it when they say that. Because, even if I was 6, & even if I really didn’t know what was really going on as to my child mind couldn’t really muster the meaning of “War” & invasion”, I still could “feel” the pain. I could feel it reflected on me.

I could still sense the fear my little heart felt whenever I heard a loud bang in the air… whenever a chopper flew nearby, & whenever I heard something bad was going to happen…

I remember being afraid of being in the garden to play on the swings for fearing that a rocket might land on my head all of a sudden as I was playing…

I could remember wondering who those Iraqis were & why were they here…

I could remember my mom recalling another name besides Saddam of another hater who also wanted to invade Kuwait in the 60s…

I remember not being able to go out & visit relatives all throughout the invasion time…

I remember feeling sad & worried (even though I couldn’t really comprehend it) over my cousin who was taken as a POW on this very day…

Those are just a bunch of many upsetting memories I have…

& they say I can’t remember?!

Those scattered terrifying scenes hear & there were & are enough for me to forever recall that sad history… & to never forget…

*****

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Links:

• http://www.freeq8.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Invasion_of_Kuwait
• http://www.pows.org.kw/

Kuwait Can Never Forget

No. I did not forget.

I did not forget that last Saturday, the 2nd of August, was the 18th cruel anniversary of the Iraqi invasion. Just exactly 18 yrs ago, I was just a little child, but I could remember.

I could remember the pain & fear I felt every time I see or hear a helicopter or any other plane. I could remember the fear of playing in the garden & “Hosh” & refusing to play in the swings. I still, remember the day my mom went frantic searching for me thinking I was abducted by the Iraqis searching our house at the time. I was oblivious to the real danger I was in, yet I could sense the fear around.

True, I don’t remember that much, & surely I was laughing & playing with the kids my age, but I knew that there was something serious happening. Why did we have to go live in the basement of our neighbor’s? Why did everyone around me spoke differently & weird? Why Iraqis were in Kuwait? I just couldn’t grasp what it really meant to be invaded.

But as I grew up I learnt exactly what was happening. I knew what “Invasion” really means. I knew Kuwait was taken from us against our will.

Well, thanks to God, & everyone who helped us get our freedom back, & now we only have memories of that hateful time Iraqis invaded us. And God willing, it will always be just a memory, a painful memory of those agonizing months in the minds of the people who experienced them.
On August 2nd from each year, Kuwaitis still & will always remember the hurtful invasion.

We will never forget.