Eatery represents hope in Baghdad

By TIARE RATH

INSTITUTE FOR WAR & PEACE REPORTING

BAGHDAD — The last few years have been rough on Hassan Abid, the owner of a fish restaurant on Abu Nawas, a once-vibrant street east of the Tigris River.

He was forced to shut down his restaurant after the American invasion and the ensuing violence.

“No one was coming ... to have a good time,” he said.

Car bombings and other attacks became so frequent that the authorities closed off access to the street, which was lined with numerous restaurants, teashops and an amusement park.

Late last month, Abid reopened his restaurant, which specialized in serving “masgoof” fish, prepared on open coal grills. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was Abid’s first customer.

The reopening of the restaurant, along with other shops on Abu Nawas, symbolized the growing hope among Baghdad residents that the worst of the violence that has gripped the capital for nearly five years may finally be over.

After years of fearing to venture out, Baghdadis are once again flocking to open-air markets and once popular restaurants.

“It was important to reopen the Abu Nawas after the security improved,” said Mohammad al-Fazily, a spokesman for the Baghdad city government. “People are looking for hope and for a chance to breathe.”

The Ministry of Defense reported last month that violent incidents in the capital have fallen by 70 percent since February. Residents have responded by returning to the streets.

The government is also planning to renovate and open other public areas.

Checkpoint

Not that life has completely returned to normal. It can take up to 30 minutes to pass through a checkpoint at the entrance to the street. Vehicles are still banned from the area to reduce the chances of a car bombing.

And Abid, 37, still worries that the tight security measures will discourage visitors from coming to his restaurant. Those who do visit the area normally travel from nearby districts and leave relatively early in the evening.

Still, the signs of growing optimism are undeniable.

“I expect life will return to this street as before,” said Fazil al-Ebadi, 50, who works as a guard at one of the reopened establishments on the street. “The security situation has improved and the area is constantly guarded. This will encourage people to come back.”

X Tiare Rath is the Middle East editor for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Material for this article was gathered by IWPR reporters in Iraq whose names are being withheld out of concern for their security. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.