Excerpts from:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=54500%26SelectRegion=Middle_East%26SelectCountry=IRAQ
Bedi’a Mahmoud, 20, does not have any options for entertainment other than going to the cinema every week. “Cinemas are very bad places, and some people go there to find prostitutes,” said Mahmoud. “But even this is better than staying at home listening to the same political and religious arguments.”
According to health experts, the lack of entertainment is one of the biggest problems afflicting Iraqi youth. “Iraqis have to be careful in whatever they do,” said Maruan Abdullah, a spokesman for the Association of Psychologists of Iraq. “They’re often afraid that doing this or that might be against religious laws.”
Mahmoud recalled a recent incident in which he and his friends were berated by a group of Islamic extremists for sitting with girls in a restaurant. “When my friend tried to explain that we were just college friends, they shot him dead and warned us that we would be the next if we didn’t change our ways,” Mahmoud said.
Today’s Iraq has very few places available to the public for diversion. The capital boasts about ten cinemas that screen old movies and two dilapidated public parks, while restaurants generally close at 8:00pm. There are also two night clubs, but these are about to be shut down after having received threats from religious extremists. While there are two theatrical troupes working with children in Baghdad, both have received threats from extremists.
Children, meanwhile, express exasperation. “I need to go out, I need to have fresh air, I need to play,” said Barak Muhammad, 13. “I prefer to be killed having fun than die in my home between these four walls.”
Bedi’a Mahmoud, 20, does not have any options for entertainment other than going to the cinema every week. “Cinemas are very bad places, and some people go there to find prostitutes,” said Mahmoud. “But even this is better than staying at home listening to the same political and religious arguments.”
According to health experts, the lack of entertainment is one of the biggest problems afflicting Iraqi youth. “Iraqis have to be careful in whatever they do,” said Maruan Abdullah, a spokesman for the Association of Psychologists of Iraq. “They’re often afraid that doing this or that might be against religious laws.”
Mahmoud recalled a recent incident in which he and his friends were berated by a group of Islamic extremists for sitting with girls in a restaurant. “When my friend tried to explain that we were just college friends, they shot him dead and warned us that we would be the next if we didn’t change our ways,” Mahmoud said.
Today’s Iraq has very few places available to the public for diversion. The capital boasts about ten cinemas that screen old movies and two dilapidated public parks, while restaurants generally close at 8:00pm. There are also two night clubs, but these are about to be shut down after having received threats from religious extremists. While there are two theatrical troupes working with children in Baghdad, both have received threats from extremists.
Children, meanwhile, express exasperation. “I need to go out, I need to have fresh air, I need to play,” said Barak Muhammad, 13. “I prefer to be killed having fun than die in my home between these four walls.”
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