[New-imc] imc-baghdad /imc- iraq

Mon Mar 29 05:50:10 PST 2004

  Hi,
  I wish that i had some of the spare time that you have, man.
  unfortunately, I am too busy.. studying and working all the time. so I'm sorry for not having that much of spare time to read and write msgs.
  I will clarify couple of things, anyway:

  )) although that you have more experience with Indymedia more than I do, you just don't have the right to go blaming everyone for things happened in the past times.. without those "mistakes" that u don't like, nothing in the world, including Indymedia, can improve.
  *to light the candle is much better than to curse the darkness*

  )) almuajaha has decided more than 7 months ago, with a consensus decision, that it would no longer be apart of Indymedia. the reason was, the group was not ready yet to be exposed to so many internationals. 

  back in time, we decided once we founded almuajaha: members of almuajaha are free to participate with any political movement, group or party that they find themselves fit in, as long as they do not try to mix their political ideas with almuajaha policy. And from that point, members of almuajaha could join Indymedia network, individually. That is what Waleed Rabiaa and I have done.

  [so Petros, i guess you werent up to date with our news, but we've already said that before.]

  ))the only two things that were donated to almuajaha as apart of Indymedia network were (1) two Digital Video Cameras, from Jacquie soohen [when are you comin, jacquie?] and Andrew stern. (2) some money that Ramzi did a summary at that time to explain where did all that money go.
  if someone found that this information was incorrect, please let him/her speak out.

  I admit that neither almuajaha, nor the candidate group for IMC-Bag are representing the Iraqi society, and actually no one does, not even the so-called GC. We are trying to expand our membership to as more slides of community as we can. and that starts in Iraq with one way, students.((aaccording to 1997 population counting in Iraq, 51% of the society was under 15)) that means, we can reach half of Iraqis only through universities and highschools. thats basically what we are focusing our efforts on right now. Trying to introduce both almuajaha and Indymedia to as many groups of youth as we can.

  Please if anyone would like to ask/suggest/inquire something about Imc-baghdad and/or almuajaha... let it be briefy... Waleed has a full time job, Raed is often busy with NGO work and makin documentaries, I get too busy with study and activism thing ... three of us dont have the time to sit and write long emails currently.

  now you go guyz talk about new-imc policy as much as you like/want/need... i have to study Merchant of Venice now... i have E.Literature test tomorrow !.
  take care.

  Majid A. Jarrar
  for attachments: email the_majitrix at hotmail.com
  Mob: +1 914 360 27 10
  Sat. Phone (Thuraya): +88 216 6777 1320
  http://www.almuajaha.com
  http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Petros Evdokas 
  To: new-imc at lists.indymedia.org 
  Cc: the_majitrix at yahoo.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:15 PM
  Subject: [New-imc] imc-baghdad /imc- iraq

  On the emergence of an imc-baghdad /imc- iraq group
  ----------------

  Hi,

  Regarding the possibility of forming an imc-baghdad / imc-
  iraq group, I have a few short things to say now, and a
  whole lot more when the time comes for a dialogue on it.
  Please let me know when it would be the appropriate time to
  have our dialogue on that, so I can prepare some materials
  to share with you all.

  On the outset, I'm very happpy we seem to be moving forward
  with the project.

  On the other hand, I'm very worried: I see that in dealing
  with our Iraqi allies, it's as if  none of our mistakes, or
  short-sighted policies, have been addressed yet. Everything
  is being done only through the eyes of certain Euro/American
  activists who are somehow "connected" to Baghdad (some of
  these activists are not even remotely related to IndyMedia).

  Our policies toward our Iraqi colleagues have been biased
  from the start toward a Euro/American way of doing this kind
  of work. This is just another way of saying that our way of
  doing things, is giving birth to an entity there which is
  *ignorant* of, and alien to, the Iraqi political reality.

  We seem to be ready to plunge again into repeating the same
  problems which our own wrong policies generated in the cases
  of imc-nigeria (please look it up online if you like),
  http://nigeria.indymedia.org/
  (and let's not forget that some of the prime actors
  associated with that grouping, Euro/Americans and African,
  were involved in a scheme to defraud tens of thousands of
  dollars from the global imc-finance accounts, which we were
  barely able to prevent in time).
  Or, the more recent fiasco with our efforts to create an
  imc-egypt only a few weeks ago. A letter from our colleague
  there, Mojo Jay, from March 1, speaks loudly about our
  mistaken policies:
  http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/new-imc/2004-March/004921.html

  There are several more examples of our own stupid and blind
  policies, which the "old- timer" members of our new-imc
  work- group are aware of. For example:
  - our reluctance to talk politics, ensured that in the
  initial emergence of imc-russia and imc-turkey, these were
  operated by quasi- fascist organizations (it took a fierce
  struggle and a lot of effort for the liberation movement to
  regain control of them),
  - our eagerness to create an imc-iraq (2 years ago) almost
  led us to an alliance with a right- wing "contra" army in
  the north (formely known as the "no- fly zone");
  - our avoidance policy (we pretend that it is "respect for
  local autonomy"), led to the creation of 3 different
  hellenic(greek)- language imc groups, which don't speak to
  each other. This is almost as bad, but not as bad and
  embarassing as having two separate imc groups in the "third
  world" city of San Franscisco which not only do not speak to
  each other, but are actually fighting each other tooth and nail.
  - our overeagerness and naivity led to creating a
  dysfunctional imc-palestine, which still to this day refuses
  to see its problems as a dysfunction of collectivity and a
  symptom of non-cooperation, and pretends to itself and to
  others that they are "technical" problems. Our people there,
  in Palestine, have been repeatedly misled to think in these
  terms, by some of the individual "senior" imc activists who
  have been instrumental in the San Fransisco fiasco.

  All these speak to the fact that we (the new-imc work group)
  need to have a set of political and organizational
  principles to follow, because our work is essentialy
  political. We are radical political activists, and free
  media activists, and yet, look at our dialogues here: as we
  help the emergence of new imc groups through new contacts,
  we hardly ever touch on issues of politics and media! We can
  not be doing the work of expanding the imc- network, which
  is the unofficial organ of the globalised resistance
  movement, by *ignoring* politics and organization.

  In the case of the candidate group for imc-baghdad /imc-
  iraq, we have some very good people involved and I'm happy
  that Imad, an Arabic- speaking member of imc-beirut who has
  had personal contact with some of our people in the Baghdad
  project, is part of that process. But, we still need to talk
  politics, and organizational needs.

  One primary thing to address is that there have been
  thousands of dollars so far, which came from various imc
  locals, individual imc members and member- groups, and imc
  supporters, which were poured into this imc-baghdad /imc-
  iraq project for a year now. Hardly *any* other candidate
  imc group has received so much financial and organizational
  help so far, and there has been no discussion among us about
  whether this is at all valid.

  There is also the relationship of imc (global and local) to
  the Al-Muajaha group and its publication, which we *must*
  clarify to ourselves, and to that group.

  There have been fundraisers for "imc-baghdad" which generate
  funds that are being funnelled into Al-Muajaha through our
  own indymedia mechanisms, while Al-Muajaha says it does not
  want to be a part of IndyMedia. There is some madness built
  into all of this which we need to clarify.

  The Al-Muajaha website until recently, had the words
  "Imc-Baghdad" written on it for many months, identifying it
  as a member of our network. This was not the work of our
  local Iraqi colleagues, but it was the work of "experienced"
  Euro/American IndyMedia activists, who are not making
  themselves accountable to this process (the creation of a
  new imc group). Essentially, they have misled our Iraqi
  friends into forging an unprincipled relationship with the
  rest of IndyMedia, almost bordering on fraud, which
  unfortunately, instead of shaming our Euro/American
  activists, puts our Iraqi colleagues in a difficult,
  somewhat embarassing position. We need to clarify all this,
  and we need to give to Iraqi colleagues *clear*
  instructions: there are forces within IndyMedia which seem
  to be their allies, but if they continue on that alliance it
  will destroy the project in the end.

  There are political events (gatherings, fundraisers,
  presentations) taking place in the US and Europe in support
  of Al-Muajaha, promoting it as "the only independent
  journalist organization in Baghdad". This is not the work
  of our Iraqi colleagues, but of imc activists in the US and
  Europe.
  {On this issue, I must say, there are more than 50
  country-wide armed resistance organizations active in Iraq
  right now, none of which are connected to the old regime,
  and all actively engaged in the battle against the US/UK
  occupation - not *one* of them uses Al-Muajaha for their
  announcements, or for articles, or for communiques. My
  feeling is that this is because of Al-Muajaha's particular
  relationship to IndyMedia - we do not seem to be worthy of
  their trust. We need to rectify this. Building a process of
  political trust with the community of resistance, is essential.

  A lot of these resistance groups issue communiques, operate
  in print, radio, and video, (as journalists). Who are *we*
  to say they are not independent? What sort of arrogance is
  this? Just because Euro/American imc activists are unable to
  understand or relate to the traditional and indigenous Iraqi
  political process, does not automatically mean that the few
  progressive Iraqis who talk to us are the "only
  independents" there. This is a dangerous political game to
  play.}

  Actually, I believe we need to do our work quite
  differently, if we are to be deserving of an alliance with
  resistance groups in many parts of the world, not just in
  Iraq. But for now, the project at hand is imc-baghdad /imc-
  iraq.

  Let's find ways to encourage our colleagues there to look at
  the political realities of Iraq, the realities of global and
  local IndyMedia groups, and let's see how we can build
  something coherent which *works*, makes sense, and is part
  of a radical political process as well as the evolving free
  media movement.

  Let's find ways to give to Majid and Imad support in putting
  together an imc-baghdad /imc- iraq group which will be
  relevant to Iraqi and global political realities, and will
  have the organizational maturity to handle itself in a
  dangerous place in a dangerous time, as a radical and free
  media project. In this burning red hot- spot of the Empire,
  how can we go in any other direction?

  We need to talk more about the politics and the
  organizational issues surrounding this project.

  Petros
  -------------------

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