Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Tribal not Terrible HW: 32

I chose to summarize the topic of “Tribes and Cousins.” The whole marital situation in Iraq is puzzling to most, mainly because of interfamily marriages. Basically in some parts of Iraq the only people that are eligible to marry are you cousins. This is because in some parts the area could be inhabited by 4 to 5 major tribes and that’s it. So unless you want to marry your aunt and uncle or parents then the cousins are the only choice (Riverbend 87). So in reality it isn’t a big deal for cousins to marry because it is the way of life in those tribes and that is how the youth is taught as they grow up. Much too popular belief these tribes we speak of aren’t always the camel top dessert goers that people think they are. In fact many of the tribe members are wealthy well educated. “They drive around in Mercedes and live in sprawling villas fully furnished with Victorian furniture, Persian carpets, oil paintings, and air conditioners (Riverbend 88).” Most of the tribe members aren’t big fans of US involvement in Iraq. One of the most prominent members of sheikhs lost 18 family members form a missile fired upon him by US troops. Another lost 8 tribe members the same way. The American Gov. Wont let them participate in any matter having to do with the war; they just boss them around like children. The tribe members are pissed because they aren’t tyrant rebels who want to corrupt Iraq. Unfortunately the US troops do not have the ability to tell who is bad and who isn’t.(Riverbend 90, 91)

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