“*Since the American invasion, women have become powerless.*”
—Iraqi journalist Huda Ahmed

Huda Ahmed, an award-winning Iraqi journalist, visited the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus to speak about her experience as a journalist in Iraq, and to provide some insight on what should be done in Iraq heading into the sixth year of the war.

Ahmed spoke about the change between being a journalist under Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime and being one today. She told of life before and after the U.S.-led invasion and delved into how Iraqis generally feel about what has happened, what they desire, how their lives have changed, and the best way to move forward.

Ahmed recounted conducting interviews for stories when Hussein was in power. She couldn’t ask difficult questions or be overly inquisitive, and was not allowed to criticize the regime at all. She points out that the consequence of criticizing the Hussein regime was the same for men and women.

Ahmed painted a picture of the changes in normal Iraqis’ lives since the war began in 2003. Then, she did not have to check her car for IEDs (improvised explosive devices) before driving; now, she is not allowed to drive. She also told of every home in Iraq being equipped with an AK-47 automatic rifle for protection. These are no longer the rifles that have been confiscated by U.S. forces.

Ahmed said that women’s rights in Iraq have “turned around backwards” since the U.S. invasion. She said that during the Iran-Iraq war, many women had to take jobs traditionally held by men, similar to what happened in the U.S. during World War II. Ahmed said that because of this, women were granted many rights. Ahmed also mentioned that in the 1980s, women were granted the right to vote under Hussein. “Since the American invasion, women have become powerless,” Ahmed said. She added that before, women were not forced to wear a head scarf or cover up, as Iraqi women are now encouraged to do.

“It’s not Iraqi law, but there are flyers announcing that you will be killed if you are not obeying Islamic law,” Ahmed said.

“There was no sectarianism before America invaded,” Ahmed said. “It all started in the press, where Western journalists’ and reporters’ first question to interviewees was always, ‘Are you Shia or Sunni?’”

“Before, most Iraqis simply identified themselves as Muslims,” Ahmed said. “Now, if you are Shia you are virtually not allowed to enter the Sunni neighborhoods. Even taxi drivers will only go to the boundary of their neighborhoods.”

Ahmed said that most Iraqis believe the U.S. invaded Iraq for four reasons: to obtain oil, to help Israel, to have greater influence over Iran, and to protect U.S. interests in the Gulf.

As for the future, Ahmed said that she is torn.

“Stop threatening us with leaving,” Ahmed said. “America cannot leave right now.”

She said that if Americans do pull out now, the amount of violence will increase dramatically and that no one knows who would rise to power. Further, she hopes that the U.S. will remain in Iraq for two or three more years.

Ahmed believes that the key to unifying Iraq is to communicate with everyday Iraqis. She says that one of the most important things is to make basic services more readily available. She stresses that Iraqi people only get one hour of electricity per day, and it isn’t on any type of schedule.

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