Free to Blog, Free to Die

"If we are intended for great ends, we are called to great hazards."

- John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), English Catholic

While on my trip I ran across this interesting article about Iraqi bloggers in the April 20, 2004, edition of USA Today. These men and women are taking advantage of the new Internet cafes that are springing up in Baghdad to make their voices "heard around the world."

Ali Wathak, owner of the Twin Towers Internet Cafe, says "People are enjoying their newfound freedoms. It's a civilized country. We need to get connected to the world." Evidently, business is booming for Wathak. As USA Today reporter Cesar G. Soriano researched this article, all ten of Wathak's computers were in use.

Users pay 1,500 Iraqi dinars (about $1 U.S.) an hour for access to the internet in these cafes, which is pricey considering the average salary for a doctor in Iraq is only about $150 a month. Some Iraqi bloggers are soliciting donations to help defray these costs. 

As I read Soriano's article, I found myself wondering if I would have the courage to air my views in a place where speaking up could result in harm to me or my family. I like to think I would, but like most Americans who take freedom of speech for granted,  I've never had to worry about being physically hurt, maybe even killed, for expressing a viewpoint that someone else might disagree with. Many of these men and women take that risk, especially if they are pro-American:

"We get threatening e-mails from Palestinians and Arab-Americans who write, 'You are traitors. If I were in Iraq, I would shoot you...' Some of the messages are hostile...A German reader, who Ali says is 'anti-everything,' would like to kill the Fadhils for their pro-American comments." 

You may like to take a look at some of these blogs. Here are a few links: Salam Pax, Iraq the Model, Iraq at a Glance and Healing Iraq. Reading them will certainly provide you with perspectives that you're not likely to get from our media in the U.S.

Update: Fellow journalist, Duane, at Progressive Musings has provided me with two more Iraqi blog links. One is Baghdad Burning. The other is A Family in Baghdad. Both are worth a visit.