CPTnet
26 March 2012
IRAQI KURDISTAN REFLECTION: Ten thousand eyes were watching

Kathy Moorhead Thiessen

An activist friend of CPT Iraqi Kurdistan once said, “Kurdish families are very connected, but also everyone knows everyone in Kurdistan. When you become an activist you have to be concerned not only about your blood connections but you have to be concerned about 10,000 people who know about you and hear everything you say and watch everything you do.

Muhammad Salah Mahdi, our partner, translator and friend, met CPT in 2006. At that time he was a driver. He noticed quickly that driving for CPT put him into an unusual situation; the team  invited him  to sit together with them at meetings and asked for  his opinion and advice. He took the opportunity to increase his English proficiency, which helped him in his other job, as an elementary school English teacher. Gradually he added to his job description: driver, translator, advisor, friend and activist.  The team began to appreciate his ideas about how to send out messages to the Kurdish people. He joined  with the team in various actions such as dressing his truck with signs and an “injured” mannequin to illustrate the issue of Turkish and Iranian cross-border bombing and shelling.

On 14 March 2012, Muhammad  came to the CPT house with a plan.  That day the new prime minister of Kurdish Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, visited Suleimaniya  to discuss the split in the government with the opposition party, Gorran (Change) List. When Muhammad heard of this visit he decided this was the day for him to become a lone activist without the safety net of saying he was working for CPT.  He knew the eyes of the region would be upon him. He expected the media would pick up his message. He hoped that Barzanni would see his lone figure through the tinted glass and think for a moment.  His hand written banner read, “Don’t be afraid of reform. Start with yourself. Make history for yourself.”

Muhammad drove his truck out to the gates of Gorran hill. He stood by himself with his sign. Barzani’s cavalcade moved past him without any obvious acknowledgement.

But he was right; 10,000 eyes were watching.  The television media spent more time on his story than Barzani’s visit. Photos and written releases were on many of the Kurdish internet news sites. Muhammed’s family was not happy with his decision. Why did it have to be him to do this action? Why would he bring himself to the attention of the government? Did he not remember that such activity can be very dangerous in this society? People from across the region phoned to say they had seen him. Some of these were congratulatory, others wondered about his sanity.

Muhammad is not afraid. He wants a government who listens to the people, who treats them in a fair and wise way. This action was his way for him to tell them they deserve such a government and express his hope that someday corruption will end and real democracy will rule in Kurdistan.