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June 10, 2007Scouting in Baghdad. Yes, Baghdad.Amid death and chaos, the Scouts revive an idea of fun for children Armed with rakes and wheelbarrows, a group of Iraqi Scouts and Guides is clearing a patch of Baghdad woodland. For many it is their first “normal” outing with friends in more than four years of violence. The concrete bunker and taped cordon that guard them from unexploded bombs give this Scout camp a slightly edgier feel to jamborees in Britain, where a grazed knee or getting lost represent some of the biggest hazards. For 13-year-old Fahad Abdul Sammed, however, it offers a rare chance to leave his house and play with his friends. “For the last few years I have not had any fun. This is the first time I have gone away from my family,” Fahad said. “We want to teach the children about team spirit and how to be a good person,” Abdul Salam, chairman of the Iraqi Scouts, said. Joining the Scouts provides an opportunity for children to come together, whatever their ethnic background, he said, hoping that this would eventually help to ease the sectarian tensions that have fuelled the chaos in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. “We would like every boy and girl in Iraq to join the Scouts — whether they are Shia, Sunni, Christian or Kurd,” Mr Salam added. The green zone youngsters, aged 12 to 17, signed up only two days ago but Scout clubs have re-emerged across Iraq over the past four years, with the total number of boy and girl Scouts rising from, in effect, zero to about 150,000. You’ll want to read it all. From the UK Times Online, h/t Lucianne.com. http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/06/10/scouting-in-baghdad-yes-baghdad/trackback/ 7 Responses to “Scouting in Baghdad. Yes, Baghdad.” |
June 10th, 2007 at 3:28 am
[...] in Britain, where a grazed knee or getting lost represent some of the biggest hazards source: Scouting in Baghdad. Yes, Baghdad., The [...]
June 10th, 2007 at 8:30 am
[...] that glows when events are the darkest. The Anchoress has heart warming story about ‘Scouting in Baghdad.” Just the kind of story that makes you feel better on a Sunday morning.Last 10 [...]
June 10th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup…
Happy Sunday to all! It’s another beautiful global warming day. Spend some time at the pool catching some rays, go play some golf, just get outside in the warmth that Mother Nature has provided.
This pinup is by Edward D’Ancona, with a wee…
June 10th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Do a Good Turn Daily……
Via the Anchoress, a nice piece in TimesOnline on the revival of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Iraq. Iraq actually has a long tradition of scouting, which was introduced by the Brits in the 1920’s. It was……
June 10th, 2007 at 9:21 am
*grins* That is so cool!
June 10th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I’m ashamed to admit that this brought tears to my eyes. It says so much about the larger US society failing to come to grips with the problems of Iraq, whereas the much-maligned soldiers are in there trying.
June 10th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Don’t be ashamed, MaxedOutMama. Touched me also. If I thought I might have kept them, I’d go rummaging thru the attic and find my old GS handbook and my badge sash. It’s the most an old Curved Bar’er could do, yanno?