Hw 25: Riverbend

After reading the forward and introduction to Baghdad Burning, I learned a lot about what is going on in the war in Iraq and what to further expect when I continue reading the book. In the forward to Baghdad Burning Soueif reports to us about Riverbend and her blog “Baghdad Burning”. Soueif informs us what we can expect when reading the book, he states, “ Baghdad Burning makes painful reading. It also makes enjoyable - even fun- reading. It is certainly necessary reading.”(Soueif, page ix) Riverbend's blog tells how she feels about the war, what her and her family experience and the effects that the war is having in her country that affect her life daily. In the introduction to the book Ridgeway gives us more facts about what is happening in the war and how Iraq has progressed over history. Ridgeway talks about the background of Riverbend's culture, he also informs us about what Iraq was going through with the Gulf War until the war that is currently going on in Iraq. Ridgeway reports to us about the troubles that post-war Iraq is facing, mostly because of religious issues and since the post-war Ridgeway states, “ Postwar Iraq has seen the formation of gangs inspired by Islamic fundamentalism, that have made a habit of kidnapping women who in their eyes flaunted Islamic law in clothing and behavior.”(Ridgeway, page xxii) What I thought I knew about the war in Iraq has drastically changed after reading all that is going on in Iraq and how it is affecting the everyday life of the people who live in Iraq. It makes you think about how the circumstances would be drastically different if the war we were fighting was in our country rather than in Iraq. I did not know a lot of the information about Iraq and the religious groups that reside there. After reading the introduction, I learned a lot more about Iraq and can better understand what the people have been and are still going through.