VIDEO - IRAQ, BAGHDAD - Tales of tainted merchandise, non-existent oversight, and government extortion may seem like headlines from sensationalist western media, but these are also just some of the problems facing pharmacists in Iraq today. Though the central government has taken steps to restore order to the pharmaceutical industry, a myriad of a problems remain for pharmacists, not to mention the patients themselves.

Though it functioned effectively even through crushing UN sanctions, the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the security vaccum immediately after in 2003 proved too much for Iraq’s Ministry of Health. It’s ability to regulate the pharmaceutical industry collapsed and as a result Iraq was flooded with black market and counterfeit medications. The Ministry also lost its ability to regulate licensing of
pharmacists, effectively nullifying the line between esteemed
tradesmen and common drug dealers.

Most of the countefeit and substandard drugs in Iraq came from
smugglers bringing in black market product from Iran and China. No
longer required, or rather forced, to undergo rigorous testing by the
Ministry of Health, these counterfeit drugs at best had no effect at
all and at worst could cause serious harm. The black markets stretch into every conceivable pharmaceutical niche, from Viagra to
anti-depressents, even skin care products.There is also no regulation of licensing of pharmacists, so Iraqi patients often have no idea if their pharmacist, or his products, are legitimate.

Lately the Ministry of Health has been attempting to extend its
oversight once again, but the program is still rife with problems.
While the government has been using the Iraqi Army and National Guard to crack down on fraudulent pharmacies, often corrupt soldiers will simply burglarize the business rather than shut down its operations. Even legitimate pharmacists are at risk of this kind of racketeering, often seeing their shops raided and robbed by the very police tasked with regulation. Cell phones and electronics, not counterfeit medications and drug dealers, are more often than not the target of these raids.

In this episode of Alive in Baghdad we talk to some of these Iraqi
pharmacists who have endured Police raids and a regulation vaccum all in the honorable pursuit of their tradecraft, bringing medicine and medical care to all those in Iraq who need it.

Even through the darkest days of the invasion and civil war, Iraq’s candy and pastry makers have endured it all. Some see the profession as just another trade to provide for their family, but many also see it as a creative outlet. Their traditional Zoond Al-Sit and Baqlawa
draw Iraqis from miles around just for a taste.

Iraqi pastry chefs not only put a lot of care into their creations, but some spend years developing specific specialties. The more unique their dish, the more their fame, and fortune, will grow. Sadr City in Baghdad is known especially for its unique creations, with Iraqis journeying from all corners of the country to sample its Zolabya, Sha’rya, Kanafa and Balorya.

These dishes don’t always come easy though. With Iraq’s unpredictable security situation, often times the price of ingredients will rise sharply and suddenly. This not only causes the price of sweets and pastries to fluctuate wildly, but will sometimes even cause whole items to be removed from the menu. Obviously this can be a devastating blow to a sweet maker who specializes in that item.

Fortunately for these sweets makers, security has been much less of an issue lately. With the threat of violence relatively diminished, more Iraqis are able to freely walk the streets at night and thus the bakeries are able to stay open longer, often late into the night.

In this week’s episode of Alive in Baghdad, we take you inside some of these pastry shops to talk to the chefs themselves about what it takes to be a candy maker on the streets of Iraq today. We only regret that it is only video and you can’t taste the dishes yourselves.

If you enjoy this episode, please feel free to support Alive in Baghdad, and don’t forget to check out the latest from Small World News - Alive in Gaza.

The Day of Ashura, which commemorates the slaying of Hussein ibn Ali, is one of the holiest days in Shiite Islam. Each year, millions of Shi’a pilgrims gather at shrines in Iraq to mourn the loss of Imam Husayn, a hero of Islam and a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Although in recent years the holiday has been heavily disrupted by violence, this year many Iraqis have noted a dramatic decrease in violence. With the exception of a suicide attack on Iranian pilgrims in Kadhamiya, Shi’a in Iraq were able to celebrate 2009’s Ashura Festival in relative peace.

Iraqi security forces were on high alert after the pilgrims were killed in a Shi’a neighborhood across the Tigris from Adhamiya. Over 20,000 security personnel were deployed to protect the pilgrims and worshippers. The calm of this year’s celebration largely escaped the notice of the media, as most attention has been focused on the events in the Gaza strip. For more, check out Small World News’ newest project, Alive in Gaza.

In this week’s episode of Alive in Baghdad we take you back to the Day of Ashura in 2008. Hear direct from the Iraqis themselves what it means to celebrate this holy day under all the stresses of the ongoing conflict in Iraq.

VIDEO - Iraq, Baghdad - Newspapers in Iraq have a long history during Iraq’s various regimes and government changes. These changes left a strong impact on writing, journalism, and educating the Iraqi population. There were very few newspapers or magazines in the 40s and 50s, and the number of news journals during the government of Abdul Karim Qassem was not more than five.

After the invasion in 2003, and the fall of Baghdad, more than 200 newspapers were published, some of the newspapers were daily, and the rest were released weekly or monthly. The majority of these newspapers belong to political parties, very few of them are completely independent, or working independently. Newspapers such as Al-Sabah are demanded by Iraqis due to the government information they normally publish, and the people living in Baghdad is longing to listen to a true word and a guaranteed sources. Other newspapers belong to political parties which are not liked by Iraqis, some of those newspapers are distributed for free and some are not, such as Tareek Al-Sha’ab and Al-Basha’er newspaper.

The Iraqi citizens now have a variety of newspapers, but it is still difficult to determine which are good or dependable and which are bad. It will still take time to see what direction Iraq’s new journalists will take and whether the new government will allow a free press to grow.

If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won’t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts and DVDs to spread the word.

VIDEO - Iraq, Amarah - Deep in the southeast of Iraq along the border with Iran lies the Governorate of Maysan. Approximately 800,000 Iraqis live there, most followers of the Shi’ite Islamic sect. During the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s Maysan province was the site of some of the biggest battle fields.

Because of the high Shi’ite population and their relation to Iran, the regime of Saddam Hussein viewed the people of Maysan as a threat. Saddam had the Ahwar, or marshlands, a major food source and the crux of many local livelihoods, completely drained. In addition, much of the local population was forcefully relocated to other areas of Iraq.

Most of the people in Maysan live in the capital of Amarah. The city’s infrastructure is especially poor, receiving negligible care and attention during the reign of Saddam Hussein, who viewed it as vengeance for the Shi’ite uprisings following the first Gulf War in 1991.

The conditions in Amarah did not improve after the invasion in 2003 as the citizens suffered a lack of proper water infrastructure. British forces were in control of the city in the early days, and much of the city was besieged with regular bombings, kidnappings and other acts of violence. Though many citizens of Amarah turned out and participated in large public demonstrations, because of the security situation, the city’s local council was unable to accomplish any social work or infrastructure repair.

By 2005, Maysan’s district councils began to accomplish some improvements. Working in tandem with the Sadr Movement and the Iraqi National Guard, the councils distributed plans for various reconstruction projects throughout Maysan. Factional conflict broke out briefly between members of the Mahdi Army and the Iraqi National Guard in early 2006 forcing a temporary suspension of the reconstruction projects, however it was quickly resolved and the community services councils were able to return to work again.

Since 2007 the security situation in Maysan has largely improved. With a dramatically reduced threat of violence, the local services organizations and community services councils are able to rebuild much of Ammarah’s infrastructure, including large road and bridge reconstruction projects.

Just over a year ago, Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a journalist and correspondent for Alive in Baghdad, received a knock at his door. It was just after 11:30 at night, outside Ali was greeted with an Iraqi National Guard convoy. Hearing gunshots, Ali’s neighbors frantically tried to reach him by phone, to no avail. When his cousin Amar finally arrived a few hours later, Ali was dead, shot to death in his own living room.

Horace Greeley once wrote that “journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it.” No one understands this twisted fate more than the journalists of Iraq. From Saddam’s police state through the American invasion and occupation all the way through the darkest days of the civil war, Iraqi journalists have endured all manner of peril and treachery in their quest to deliver truth to the people, and in some cases, truth from the people.

After Saddam took control of Iraq in 1979, journalists lost all freedom to express their own views. Saddam’s Ba’ath party dominated all media - radio, newspapers, television, everything. Behind his long winded speeches on personal hygiene and endless slide shows of exotic flowers, Saddam ruthlessly persecuted any journalist he suspected of treason. Many were imprisoned, tortured or executed. Even after Saddam’s deposing in 2003 however, journalists in Iraq still found themselves on the wrong side of the powers that be.

During the American invasion, coalition forces are alleged to have had an unofficial policy of targeting journalists who were unwilling or unable to report from Iraq exclusively through it’s system of “embedded” reporters. While the US military viewed the process of embedding as simply one means of controlling battlefield information, many journalists questioned the ethics of siding so closely with one source, some even calling it propaganda. The response from coalition forces was not kind. Occupation forces weren’t the only threat they faced however. With the invasion came the civil war, and journalists were exposed to yet new terrors.

Though print and radio journalists were sometimes able to operate in relative anonymity, journalists in the booming satellite television news industry found themselves vulnerable to all manner of militant and criminal groups in Iraq. With their faces broadcast directly into the homes of millions of Iraqis, they quickly became a favored and convenient target for even the most unsophisticated militants in Iraq. Even without the exposure of satellite television Iraqi journalists still found little shelter from the violent chaos of the civil war. Ali is one such case.

On this first anniversary of our brave correspondent Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi’s passing, we offer you this week’s episode in his memory. Hear the tales of just a handful of the Iraqi journalists fighting every day to report the truth from Baghdad, and in some cases, fighting just to stay alive in Baghdad.