BAGHDAD LIBERATION CELEBRATED LOCALLY.Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer Ramzia Knansho awoke a·woke v. A past tense of awake. awoke Verb a past tense and (now rare or dialectal) past participle of awake Wednesday morning to dramatic televised footage of the statue of Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. being toppled by Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops near her former home in downtown Baghdad. ``My God, I don't believe it!'' The North Hollywood woman wept at the recollection of the images of Saddam's regime crumbling. ``My family is so happy,'' said Knansho, who owns Dress Up Cleaners in Van Nuys. ``For 30 years, they live in darkness Adv. 1. in darkness - without light; "the river was sliding darkly under the mist" darkly . Now, thanks to America, they are free.'' With four brothers, two sisters and other relatives still in Baghdad, she was anxiously awaiting word, having last talked to her sister Dailla Knansho just as the 3-week-old war was beginning. ``She was crying, 'Ramzia, what will happen to us?' I told her, the Americans will come, don't worry.'' There was widespread joy in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. area over the fall of Baghdad The Fall of Baghdad may refer to the following:
``Our dream is becoming true,'' said the Rev. Noel Gorgis, 38, of St. Paul St. Paul as a missionary he fearlessly confronts the “perils of waters, of robbers, in the city, in the wilderness.” [N.T.: II Cor. 11:26] See : Bravery Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church  The Chaldean Catholic Church aka the Chaldean Church of Babylon (Arabic: of the East in North Hollywood. ``We breathed the air of freedom, when we saw the statue collapse especially,'' said Gorgis, who grew up in a village outside the northern Iraqi city of Zakho. The village was destroyed by the regime in 1974. ``This has big meaning for the Iraqi people. Now we can say different things than before,'' said Gorgis, who said as soon as he saw the broadcast of the statue crashing to the ground he rushed to tell his parents, who were visiting. ``The place was very close to where we had a store. I woke my parents and said, Come look, come see. My mom said, 'It's true?' ``She didn't believe Saddam some day would go out, he (was) so powerful. No one believed there would be the collapse in one day of this regime built on years and years, and that it would not stand even a couple of days. ``I said, Yes, it's true.'' Gorgis fled Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, after serving with his six brothers in the military. He then spent six months in a Turkish refugee refugee, one who leaves one's native land either because of expulsion or to escape persecution. The legal problem of accepting refugees is discussed under asylum; this article considers only mass dislocations and the organizations that help refugees. camp, fighting boredom Boredom See also Futility. Aldegonde, Lord St. bored nobleman, empty of pursuits. [Br. Lit.: Lothair] Baudelaire, Charles (1821–1867) French poet whose dissipated lifestyle led to inner despair. [Fr. Lit. and anxiety, before coming to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . He said his two sisters remain in Baghdad with their families, and he's eager to talk openly with them after years of guarded phone conversations. The demonstrations in Baghdad's streets, he said, are of a people whose ``life sentence'' of intimidation, torture and killing appears to have been lifted. ``In the future, we will live normal lives like others in modern life ... to talk, to breathe, to travel.'' But Gorgis said Iraqis, including tens of thousands who fled Baghdad, won't celebrate in full until they have proof that Saddam is dead, or no longer has any influence. ``Then they will really celebrate,'' said Gorgis, predicting U.S.-led coalition troops will be joyously joy·ous adj. Feeling or causing joy; joyful. See Synonyms at glad1. joy  ous·ly adv. pelted with olive sprigs, date-palm fronds and flowers. Not everyone saw the war as a freedom operation, however. One Iraqi merchant, declining to give his name, turned away muttering mut·ter v. mut·tered, mut·ter·ing, mut·ters v.intr. 1. To speak indistinctly in low tones. 2. To complain or grumble morosely. v.tr. that the war would ``set back Iraq 100 years.'' At a small market in Van Nuys, clerk Ihab Botros, 30, originally from Egypt, estimated that 90 percent of his customers were happy about the jubilation of Baghdad residents. One customer told him about the statue being toppled, then stomped the ground as though he were among the participants. Botros said he shared the sentiment. ``It's done, baby. That's good.'' At Valley College, Sanam Soleim, 21, of Valley Village said she was feeling good that the Saddam regime appeared broken. But as a child of war growing up in Tehran, Iran, Soleim said, she commiserated with the Iraqis' suffering during the conflict. ``I was 4 when the war (with Iraq) started,'' she said. ``I had lots of experiences, memories. It was just awful, traumatic. I'm really sad for the people, because I know what they experienced.'' Soleim, a Muslim, said among her friends there also is some trepidation trepidation /trep·i·da·tion/ (trep?i-da´shun) 1. tremor. 2. nervous anxiety and fear.trep´idant trep·i·da·tion n. 1. An involuntary trembling or quivering. over the United States' and non-Muslims' role in the future of the Middle East. And, while Soleim longs for a freer Iran, war ``is not the answer,'' she said. Bryan Oknyansky, 18, a architecture student who lives in Studio City, said the Baghdad street demonstrations made him feel like the war was going well. ``I feel safe,'' he said, saying he was late to class because he watched on television until the Saddam statue had been toppled. ``I feel we're working to help others.'' CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) - Sanam Soleim Valley Village (2) - Bryan Oknyansky Studio City (3) - Ihab Botros (4) Ramzia Knansho Van Nuys (5) The Rev. Noel Gorgis St. Paul Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church of the East in North Hollywood Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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