Inside Iraq today: for young teens in Baghdad, violence is a way of life.

* OBJECTIVE

Students should understand

* some of the reasons U.S. troops are in Iraq.

* how the war is affecting young civilians.

* WORDS TO KNOW

regime: a government in power; a period of rule * civilians: nonmilitary persons in a war zone * destabilize: to make unsteady or undependable * constitution: a formal statement of a nation's basic laws and principles.

* TEACHING STRATEGY

Ask: Why is Iraq so often in the news? Do you know anyone who is there as a member of the military or an aid group? If so, how does he or she feel about being there?

* BACKGROUND

The roots of the schism between Shiites and Sunni Muslims began with Muhammad's death in 632. Because Muhammad did not designate a clear successor, a bitter dispute arose between Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, and a powerful clan called the Umayyads. Sunni Muslims, who became dominant throughout the Muslim world, follow the Umayyad line. Shiites, who predominate in Iraq, follow the line of Ali.

* CRITICAL THINKING

NOTING DETAILS: What reasons did President Bush originally give for invading Iraq? (that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda terrorists)

DEFINING A PROBLEM: Which Iraqi group has lost power? Why? (Sunni Muslims; they are a minority of the population, but Hussein used force to keep them in power.)

* ACTIVITY

WRITE A PERSUASIVE ESSAY: Ask students to find three or four newspaper articles (print or online version) about life in Baghdad today. Discuss the articles in class. Then have each student choose one of the kids featured in the JS article and, as that individual, write a persuasive essay explaining why the U.S.-led war was or was not justified.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Power, authority, and governance: How the dictator-led minority government of Iraq was overturned, and what problems are affecting attempts to establish a new democratic one.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* al-Windawi, Thura, Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq (Penguin, 2004). Grades 5-8.

* Hassig, Susan M., et al., Iraq (Marshall Cavendish, 2003). Grades 5-8.

* Spencer, William, Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict (Lerner Publishing Group, 2000). Grades 6 & up.

WEB SITES

* At a Glance: Iraq unicef.org/infobycountry/iraq.html

* Iraq: A Brief History country.iraqiembassy.org

Al'a Swadee, 14, lives in Baghdad, one of the world's most dangerous cities. Car bombs explode daily. Armed robbers and kidnappers prowl the streets. Last fall, as Al'a walked to school with a classmate, masked men snatched him from the street. The men blindfolded Al'a and held him at gunpoint for three days, until his family paid $5,000 in ransom.

"It happened so quickly that I didn't understand what was going on," Al'a told JS through an interpreter. "The kidnappers called my family later that day and told them I would die if they didn't pay the money."

Al'a is a Shiite Muslim. Shiites were brutally repressed under Iraq's former Sunni dictator, Saddam Hussein. The Kurds, non-Arab Sunnis who live mainly in northern Iraq, were also kept down by Hussein and his Baath Party followers. After Hussein came to power in 1979, thousands of Shiites and Kurds were murdered.

In March 2003, United States-led forces invaded Iraq. A month later, U.S. soldiers captured Baghdad, the country's capital, and overthrew Hussein's regime. Thereafter, Sunnis lost their hold on power. Anger among many Sunnis has fueled deadly attacks across the country.

Since the beginning of the war, nearly 2,000 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq, and more than 13,000 have been wounded. For Iraqi civilians, the toll is much higher. No exact numbers exist, but one group estimates that between 23,000 and 27,000 Iraqis have been killed.

Bad Times in Baghdad

The dusty, garbage-strewn streets of Baghdad are among the hardest hit. Last July alone, at least 1,100 residents were killed. More than 60 percent of them died of gunshot wounds.

Violence has led many Iraqi parents to keep their children at home. According to the United Nations, fewer than 50 percent of students attended school on opening day in 2004, as compared with more than 95 percent before the war began. Al'a's father would not allow him to return to school last year after his kidnapping.

Eman Rozaq Gabal, 14, has not attended classes in two years. "My mother won't let me go anywhere without her," she told JS. "She is afraid I will be killed. I stay inside most days to help her clean the house and bake bread. I have no friends now."

Shortages of electricity, water, and gasoline, and a weak economy, further complicate the lives of Iraq's 29 million people. "We have no electricity most of the time, and no water," says Emir Alia Hadi, 13.

Fighting Terror or Fueling It?

When U.S. President George W. Bush announced his decision to invade Iraq, many Americans supported him. "Saddam Hussein has gone to elaborate lengths ... to build and keep weapons of mass destruction," the President said in his February 2003 State of the Union address. He also linked Hussein to the Al Qaeda terrorists behind the September 11,2001, attacks.

But no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, and most intelligence experts say that Hussein did not have ties to Al Qaeda. Those factors, plus rising U.S. casualties, have led many Americans to question U.S. involvement in Iraq. An Associated Press poll taken in early August found that fewer than 40 percent of Americans approve of the way the President is handling the war.

Some U.S. Senators have urged President Bush to rethink his Iraq strategy. "We should start figuring out how we get out of there," said Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska). "Our involvement [in Iraq] has destabilized the Middle East. The longer we stay there, I think, the further destabilization will occur."

The President says that setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops would only aid the insurgents. "A policy of retreat and isolation will not bring us safety," he told a veterans group in late August. "The only way to defend our citizens is to go after the terrorists where they live."

Many intelligence experts, however, say that the war in Iraq has not disrupted terrorism but made it worse. Studies by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. State Department have concluded that Iraq is now "a training ground" for a new generation of terrorists.

Since the war began, thousands of Islamic extremists have gone to Iraq from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries. They have joined Sunni insurgents. These foreign fighters, who oppose the U.S. presence in Iraq, are said to be killing dozens of innocent Iraqis each day.

A New Constitution

Shiites and Kurds dominate Iraq's transitional (temporary) government, which was elected last January. They want a federal system of government. Sunnis, who are outnumbered, believe that such a decentralized government will be to their disadvantage. A key concern is economic: Iraq's oil production is mostly in Shiite areas in the south and Kurdish areas in the north. Sunnis fear losing their share of the earnings.

This was a major stumbling block in the constitution that was drafted last month. Sunni leaders refused to endorse it. As an October 15 referendum (popular vote for final approval) on the document nears, there is widespread concern that violence will increase. An additional 1,500 U.S. troops have been sent to join the more than 138,000 soldiers already stationed in Iraq.

Despite the challenges ahead, many Iraqis are grateful to U.S. troops for liberating their country from Hussein, who is now on trial for his crimes. "We lived in fear before," says Eman's brother, Hassan Rozaq. "We are free now."

The threat of violence does not keep Hassan, 13, from his job--a necessity for many young Iraqis. He earns about $65 a month washing cars. "I fear the explosions," he says, "but I must work to help my family."

Like Eman, Hassan no longer attends school. This worries their mother, Ammera. She believes that her children will have no future unless Iraq's government and its army, now being trained by U.S. troops, can bring peace and stability to Iraq. "My children are walking blindly through life," says Ammera, "because they are not learning."

Words to Know

* federal: a type of government in which power is divided among regional leaders.

* insurgents: members of an irregular armed force that opposes a civil authority or government.

* Shiite (SHEE-ite): a member of the Shiah division of the Islamic religion. Fewer than 20 percent of Muslims worldwide are Shiites, but they form a majority in Iraq.

* Sunni: a member of the larger of the two major divisions of Islam worldwide, although a minority in Iraq.

* weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, biological, or chemical explosives that can cause large-scale destruction.

Your Turn

THINK ABOUT IT

1. Why do many Sunni Muslims resent the U.S. and the current Iraqi government?

2. Do you agree with President Bush's decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein? Why or why not?

IRAQ

Iraq is a largely Arab nation bordering the Persian Gulf. United States and coalition forces invaded Iraq in March 2003 and toppled the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Those forces remain in Iraq, which is plagued by violence. A transitional government plans to hold national elections in December.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA 169,236 square miles.

POPULATION: 29,000,000; 75 - 80% Arab, 15 - 20% Kurdish, 5% Turkoman, Assyrian, and others.

GOVERNMENT: The Iraqi transitional government, headed by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, will rule until a permanent government is elected.

ECONOMY: Iraq's economy is dominated by oil, the major export and source of foreign revenue.

PER CAPITA GDP: $2,100.

RELIGION: Shiite Muslim, 62.5%; Sunni Muslim 34.5%; Christian and others, 3% (estimates).

LANGUAGES: Arabic, Kurdish (in Kurdish areas), Assyrian, and Armenian.

LITERACY RATE: Males, 56%; females, 24%.

LIFE EXPECTANCY: Males, 57 years; females, 60 years.

QUESTIONS

1. What is Iraq's capital?--

2. What are the two major rivers flowing through Iraq? --

3. Which Iraqi city lies closest to where those two rivers meet?--

4. Which four cities lie on or within the borders of the Sunni Triangle?--

5. Which ethnic group is located in northern Iraq?--

6. Why are insurgents staging violent attacks in the Sunni Triangle?--

7. British troops are training Iraqi police in which city? --

8. Which body of water is located closest to 30[degrees]N, 50[degrees]E? --

9. The ruins of Ur lie closest to which city?--

10. What is Iraq's main export?--

ANSWERS

1. Baghdad

2. Tigris River, Euphrates River

3. Basra

4. Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi, and Tikrit

5. Kurds

6. They oppose the presence of U.S.-led forces and the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government.

7. Basra

8. Persian Gulf

9. Nasiriyah

10. oil

* Match each person or place in the left column with the correct description in the right column.

--11. Al Qaeda     A. minority of Iraqi population
                      that once had control
--12. insurgents   B. terrorist group behind the
                      September 11, 2001, attacks
--13. Kurds        C. non-Arab, non-Muslim
                      population in northern Iraq
--14. Shiites      D. irregular armed force
--15. Sunnis       E. Muslims who are a majority
in Iraq

11. B

12. D

13. C

14. E

15. A

James Palmer in Baghdad