Iraq: despite continued violence, teens in Iraq are hoping for a brighter future: hope for peace in troubled times.

OBJECTIVE

Students should understand

* Many Iraqis are trying to maintain as normal an existence as possible in the midst of the war.

WORD TO KNOW

sectarian: of or relating to a sect, or religious denomination; limited in character or scope.

BACKGROUND

As JS goes to press, it is too soon to know whether December's elections will help heal Iraq's political wounds. Sunni Muslims objected heatedly to a lopsided vote in favor of the dominant Shia alliance. According to early-January news reports, the main Sunni group may collect only about 40 out of 275 seats, while Kurds may get around 50 seats and Shia 120 to 130.

CRITICAL THINKING

MAKING COMPARISONS: What risks and/or problems do Iraqi children face in order to attend school? (insurgent attacks, kidnappings, crowded classrooms, daily power outages; other answers acceptable)

GETTING STARTED

MAKING INFERENCES: Ask students about the cover. Were they surprised to see a photo of kids celebrating in Iraq?

ACTIVITY

SEEING BOTH SIDES: Ask students (individually or in debate teams) to list three reasons for U.S. troops to be immediately withdrawn from Iraq and three reasons to keep them there a while longer. Have students defend one side against an opponent, providing facts to support their arguments. Then have them switch and defend the opposite point of view.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* People, places, and environments: The problems and compromises faced by Iraqi children living in a war zone.

* Global connections: How the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq affects the Iraqi people, and the troops' families back home.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Anderson, Dale, Saddam Hussein (Lerner Publishing Group, 2003). Grades 6-10.

* Sinkler, Adrian, Iraq (Thomson Gale, 2005). Grades 6-12.

WEB SITES

* Iraq's Children in Shadow of War cbsnews.com/stories/2005 /03/ll/eveningnews /main679703.shtml

* Voices in the Wilderness: Voices From Iraq vitw.org/voices_from_iraq

Abdul Hassan Ali, 14, is a Shia Muslim. He lives in the dangerous Dora section of Baghdad, Iraq's capital. Insurgents often block streets in Abdul's neighborhood and attack Iraqi security forces. Criminal gangs kidnap civilians.

"There is fighting almost every day," Abdul says through an interpreter. "I don't go outside once I get home from school."

Despite these risks, millions of Iraqi teens, like Abdul, attend school each day. They are eager to get a good education and improve life in their troubled country.

Abdul wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He says that he may have to leave Iraq for a while. "If the situation doesn't improve, I'll have to attend a university outside of Iraq," he tells JS. "But I want to return here to help people."

Abdul's classmate, Wahaj Ghazi, is a Sunni Muslim. Wahaj, 15, says that differences between Sunni and Shia do not play out at school. "We're forbidden to speak about politics in the classroom," he says. "The teachers say we're all Iraqis, and we should be united."

A New Government

Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein, is a Sunni. Under his rule, the Shia were brutally repressed. He and his Baath Party followers also kept down the Kurds, non-Arab Sunni who live mainly in northern Iraq (see map, p. 11).

That changed in March 2003, when United States-led forces invaded Iraq. A month later, they toppled Hussein from command. As a result, Sunni Muslims lost their hold on power. Sunni anger has since fueled deadly attacks.

Despite the violence, hopes for freedom and a democratic government have taken hold for many Iraqis. Last December, about 70 percent of the country's 15 million eligible voters went to the polls. They cast ballots for a permanent government.

Nearly 7,000 candidates from more than 200 parties had campaigned for the 275 seats in Parliament (governing body). Shia, who make up more than 60 percent of the population, won the most seats. This has upset many Sunni.

U.S. officials say that members of Iraq's new government must work together. "It looks as if people preferred to vote for their ethnic or sectarian [religious] identities," says Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. "But for Iraq to succeed, there has to be cross-ethnic and cross-sectarian cooperation."

Once voting results are official, elected lawmakers will get to work. The Parliament will try to form a unified national government and select a Prime Minister and other leaders to govern the country.

Improvements in the Classroom

As U.S.-led forces work to reduce the violence, Iraqis are trying to regain a sense of normalcy. This includes sending their children to school, despite daily power failures and skyrocketing fuel prices,

Khalida Mohamed is the headmaster at the Ameel School in central Baghdad. She tells JS that enrollment at her school has increased in recent years. Some classrooms are now over-crowded, with up to 70 students.

"The Iraqi families tend to be very large, and many of them have moved to this neighborhood because it's relatively safe," says Mohamed.

Ayeh Saleh, a 12-year-old Shia, must share a desk with another student in their cramped sixth-grade classroom. But that has not dampened Ayeh's enthusiasm for learning. "I hope to study aeronautics, so I can work in the Iraqi [military] and help my country and my family," she says.

Hassan Ammuri, 15, is also a Shia. He wants to be a mathematician. He says that textbooks and schoolwork are better now than during Hussein's rule. "We no longer have to read about Saddam and past military battles," Hassan tells JS. "Now we also have lessons about computers."

The Challenges Ahead

As Iraqi students continue with their schooling, their new government faces many difficult tasks. In addition to providing security, it must tackle a 32 percent unemployment rate and a troubled economy.

Hashem Jewad, a 12-year-old Sunni, hopes that the government will provide more job opportunities. "My father is an engineer, but he can't find a job in his field," says Hashem.

In the U.S., concerns about continued violence in Iraq have led to heated debate. When should American troops be withdrawn? U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) is a Vietnam veteran who served in the Marine Corps. He has called for the immediate pullout of U.S. troops. "Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency," he says.

But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld argues that an immediate withdrawal would be "a terrible thing for our country and for the safety of our people." President George W. Bush agrees. So far, he has refused to set a timetable for bringing soldiers home.

Achmed Khadum, 27, is a member of the Iraqi National Guard. He tells JS that U.S. forces must remain in Iraq for the near future. "We must work together," he says, "to secure and rebuild the country."

Words to Know

* insurgents: members of an irregular armed force opposing the government.

* Shia (SHEE-ah): One of two major branches of Islam. Fewer than 20 percent of Muslims worldwide are Shia, but they form a majority in Iraq.

* Sunni (SOO-nee): a member of the larger of the two major divisions of Islam worldwide, although a minority in Iraq.

IRAQ: A BRIEF TIME LINE

* 1914-1918 The Turkish Ottoman Empire, which had ruled Iraq for centuries, is defeated in World War I.

* 1920 The League of Nations gives Britain a mandate (order to rule) over Ottoman territory.

* 1932 Iraq becomes independent, but with strong British influence.

* 1958 Army officers overthrow Iraq's pro-Western government.

* 1968 The Baath Party takes control of Iraq.

* 1979 Saddam Hussein, a Baath leader, becomes Iraq's President.

* 1980 Iraq invades Iran, starting an eight-year war.

* 1990-1991 Iraq invades Kuwait for its oil. The U.S. defeats Iraq in the Persian Gulf war.

* 2003 The U.S. and allies, believing that Hussein is a threat to world peace, attack Iraq and drive Hussein from power.

* 2005 Iraqis elect a new permanent government in December.

Your Turn

THINK ABOUT IT

1. What changes have been made in Hassan's school since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein?

2. Do you think that U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq immediately? Why or why not?

Iraq

Iraq is a mostly Arab nation bordering the Persian Gulf. U.S.-led forces invaded the country in March 2003 and toppled the 23-year dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. U.S.-led forces remain in Iraq, which is troubled by political unrest. But in December 2005, Iraqi citizens elected a new permanent government.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA: 169,236 square miles, slightly larger than California.

POPULATION: 28,800,000 (see graph for religious/ethnic breakdown).

GOVERNMENT: The Parliament elected in December 2005 will choose the Prime Minister, who is expected to be a Shia Muslim.

CAPITAL: Baghdad.

LANGUAGES: Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian, and Armenian.

U.S. TROOPS: 160,000.

OTHER FOREIGN TROOPS: 23,000.

ECONOMY: Iraq's economy is dominated by oil, which is Iraq's major export. The economy has been damaged by the war and internal fighting.

PER CAPITA GDP': $2,100.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 32%

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

LIFE EXPECTANCY: Males, 57 years; females, 60 years.</p> <pre> Other

4% Sunni Kurd 16% Sunni Arab

15% Shia Arab 65% Note: Table made from pie chart. </pre> <p>QUESTIONS

1. What is the capital of Iraq?

2. What is Iraq's largest religious group?

3. Does that group mainly live in the northeastern, southeastern, southwestern, or northwestern part of Iraq?

4. Which ethnic group is located in northern Iraq?

5. What is the southernmost Iraqi city shown on the map?

6. What are the two major rivers flowing through Iraq?

7. What is Iraq's major export?

8. Iraq borders which large body of water?

9. What large non-Arab country is on Iraq's eastern border?

10. Which Arab countries border Iraq?

* GDP stands for gross domestic product; per capita means per person. The amount is the value of all items produced by the country in a year, divided by the population, and is often used as a measure of a nation's wealth.

ANSWERS

1. Baghdad

2. Shia

3. southeastern

4. Kurd

5. Basra

6. Tigris and Euphrates 

7. oil

8. Persian Gulf

9. Iran

10. Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

QUICK QUIZ

* Use a word from this list to correctly complete each sentence.

Baath Party, Baghdad, George W. Bush, eastern, Saddam Hussein, Independent Electoral Commission, insurgents, John Murtha, northern, Parliament, Donald Rumsfeld, security forces, Shia, southern, Sunni, western

6. The majority of the Iraqi people belong to the--branch of Islam.

7. In last December's national election, Iraqis chose 275 candidates who would fill the seats in their country's

8. U.S. Representative--has called for the immediate pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq.

9. The U.S. Defense Secretary,--,--has said that an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be bad for the U.S. and the safety of its people.

10. The Kurds are non-Arab Sunni who live mainly in--Iraq.

ANSWER

6. Shia

7. Parliament

8. John Murtha

9. Donald Rumsfeld

10. northern

RELATED ARTICLE: On the home front.

Nicholas Harman of Savannah, Georgia, is a typical 14-year-old. He plays soccer, likes going to the movies, and works on the newspaper at Oglethorpe Charter School, where he is in the eighth grade. But while his father, Rob, an Army infantryman, is stationed in Iraq, Nicholas finds that life is more of a challenge. "It's kind of hard to be the oldest in the house, especially when he's gone," Nicholas tells JS. "I have more responsibility." Nicholas has a younger brother and sister.

Nicholas and his family live on Hunter Air Force Base. His father has been in the Army for 15 years. The hardest part for Nicholas is not knowing how his father is doing. "I worried when they had the elections over there," Nicholas says. "When the elections were over and we got a call from my dad on Christmas, I stopped worrying because I knew he was OK."

Nicholas has mixed feelings about whether or not U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq. "A bunch of troops have died, and I don't really want anybody else to die," he says. "But I'm wondering if they do come home, if the [violence in Iraq] will stop or get worse."