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HBO: In order to tell this story, you had to put
yourself at great risk. Why did you do it?
Omer Salih Madhi: I was desperate to get the story out. I'm an
emergency room doctor, and I've worked in
one of Baghdad's worst hospitals since 2001,
and I've experienced horrible scenes since the
war started. And I always felt weak,
desperate, and unable to do anything but just
watch people die. So when I started to do
journalism, I always thought that I should do
something about the emergency room. And
when I started making films, always in my
mind was this idea of doing a film about the
emergency room.
It was quite difficult to do this film, not only
because it's risky, but because it was very
difficult to get permission (from the Iraqi's).
And getting people to speak to me inside the
hospital was really difficult. But finally I got
enough material to make the film, and I'm
happy that it will now be broadcast here in
America.
HBO: Americans have a very limited view of what's
actually happening in Iraq. What is the reality
of life there like today?
Omer Salih Madhi: Well, the reality is Iraqi civilians are living in
constant fear, and they're scared that they
might lose their lives at any moment, either by
explosion, or being kidnapped, or killed. Iraqis
are really isolated from their government.
They're living in neighborhoods under the
control of the insurgents, or under the control
of militias or gangs. You don't have any real
authority that you can go to and seek help. If
you're being threatened, or you're scared, you
just have to deal with it on your own.
People are desperate and crying for help.
They're angry at the government. They're
angry at the insurgents, and the militias. And
they're angry with Iraqis killing each other,
and they don't understand why.
It's very difficult to get this story out to the
world because we are really isolated. It's very
difficult to find people to speak to you,
especially in Baghdad and in other violent
provinces. And in addition to these difficulties,
journalists are at risk. They are under threat
from Al Qaeda. They are under threat from the
insurgents. They are under threat from the
militia, and also under threat from the
government itself.
Unfortunately my government is really
unhappy about my showing this film to the
outside world. That's why they gave me a
hard time to get permission. And after I got
permission, I faced a lot of difficulties. I think
my government wants to show the world that
everything's fine, that they are doing a great
job. But the reality is the government is
isolated from average Iraqis. We see them only
on the TV, and we hear their speeches which
have nothing to do with our lives. We live
under continuous threat, and we are scared
twenty-four seven.
HBO: Based on your experience, are things there
improving as the American media would have
us believe?
Omer Salih Madhi: When I left Iraq at the end of August, 2007
and came here things were really bad. I'm still
in touch with a lot of people there, with
friends and relatives in Baghdad, and the
truth is, things aren't improving. Yes, the
casualty figures are decreasing. But the
reason for this is a lot of people have fled
Baghdad, or fled Iraq to neighboring
countries.
And also neighborhoods are now segregated
into purely Sunni or purely Shi'ite
neighborhoods, and those neighborhoods are
isolated from each other. People are staying in
their neighborhood, and they never leave it,
unless they have to do something urgent
outside. If they want to leave it, they have to
make sure they avoid the other ethnic
neighborhoods. That's why the casualty
figures are decreasing. But it's not okay that
one person should be killed.
So really things aren't improving. There's the
problem of the refugees. There's the problem
of people who've been forced to leave their
houses, and there are other people who
occupy their houses because they were forced
to leave their homes. So, what sort of
improvement is that?
The other thing since I came here, I've heard a
lot of Americans asking if it was worth it to
remove Saddam, or why Americans are still
fighting in Iraq. I think after five years it's too
late to ask these questions. We have a reality
now on the ground. And I hope Americans are
thinking what can be done to fix these
problems. What sort of help can they provide
the innocent Iraqi civilians who are suffering
every day? The American troops are really the
only neutral, powerful authority available
there. People are suspicious of the Iraqi
government. They're suspicious of the Iraqi
security forces because there are a lot of
kidnappings by people wearing Iraqi Interior
Ministry uniforms. So people really don't feel
safe when they see the Iraqi security forces,
beside of the well-known infiltration of those
forces by the militias.
So the only safety they feel is when they see
the Americans because they're not connected
with any militia or insurgency group. There
are some people who are attacking the
Americans, but the main violence is among
the Iraqi themselves. And by targeting
civilians and creating this fear and suspicion
inside people they can control them.
HBO: What does the future hold for the Iraqis?
Omer Salih Madhi: I wish I knew. I mean, the situation is really
bad. People are really scared and full of
hatred, and also they're angry about what's
happening, and continues to happen. I don't
see any solution in the near future, but I'm
hoping the Americans can do something for
the Iraqis because we are really helpless.
We're caught in a civil war, and we've done
nothing wrong, we just wanted to live a decent
life, like anybody should live. But we've been
targeted for many reasons. And a lot of people
are killed. Personally, my family was targeted
several times. They're now living outside Iraq.
So I hope this film will give Americans the real
picture of what's going there. There are no
services, there's no electricity, there's no
water, there's no fuel for cars, or generators.
Life is really difficult, with no electricity, with
no fans, with no air going, and in winter you
freeze because there's no electricity for hot
water. I'm hoping that by going public with
this story I'll get more reaction from people,
that they'll listen to me, they'll know I'm from
the inside, that I'm carrying the real picture,
and I'm telling you the real story.
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