When Basra talked to me twice

Dr. Jassim Taqui,

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, August 9, 2021: It was stranger than fiction. I was exiled from Iraq in 1971 when I was 25 years old. I was punished because I refused to join the then ruling Ba’ath Party. I argued with the authorities of the Ba’ath Party that I was basically a man of science.

I stood first at the Science College of Basra University. The then Iraqi President Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr honored me with the Gold Medal. Hence politics was not my cup of tea. However, the authorities rejected my argument and expelled me from Iraq.

In July 1982 and after living 11 torturous years in exile, I received a letter from my elder sister telling me my mother was seriously ill. I decided to risk going back to Basra to see my mother, hoping against hope that the authorities would not arrest me. The gamble worked. I entered Basra through Kuwait when the Iraq-Iran war was at its zenith. Iran waged its counterattack and Basra was about to fall.

Foreigners who were working in Basra were leaving the city by road to nearby Kuwait. One of them questioned my wisdom of entering Basra in those grim moments. I replied,” While Basra is any city to you, it is my beloved city. I prefer to die in it.”

When I was moving in the streets of Ashar towards my house there, missile fragments were falling on my left and right sides of the road. It was the first time Basra talked to me; urging me to remain calm and proceed. Basra protected me and ensured also leaving the city safely after spending 7 memorable days with my family there.

The second time Basra talked to me was in 2013; after 31 years of the first post-exile visit. I booked my flight to Baghdad by Qatar Airways. However, I found myself stranded in Dubai Airport. I lost myself in the airport. The plane removed my luggage and proceed to Baghdad.

I asked the airport authorities about my options. They offered me to travel on the next flight to  Basra. They asked me if I would take that option. Quickly I answered, “I would kiss your hands and take it.” Basra city talked to me again. It ensured I go to it directly to embrace and kiss it again after the lapse of 31 years.

There was intense warmth and unique chemistry between me and Basra. That warmth continues to be even today. It would never disappear even when I pass away. My spirit would defy all odds and fly back to Basra. Thence, there would be no question of separation. We would have a reunion body and soul.