Let Her Rest in Peace

Atwar Bahjat was not only brutally killed along with two of her colleagues this week near Samarra but her funeral ended bloody as well with shootings and a car bomb that left 3 people dead and 10 wounded.
What did this woman do in order to be murdered and also be shot at as she was carried in her coffin to her resting place in the Karkh Cemetery near the western neighborhood of Abu Ghraib.
Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi said two policemen were killed and five were wounded when the convoy was shot at as it headed to the cemetery. When journalists, relatives and friends were returning to Baghdad later in the day, a car bomb exploded leaving one soldier dead and five others wounded.
Luckily Al-Arabiya's team that went to the funeral returned safely to Baghdad.
Baghdad is passing these days through a very difficult period. The bombing of the Imam Ali al-Hadi and Hassan al-Askari shrine in Samarra had terrible repercussions. Many Sunni mosques were attacked and near 200 people were killed in what appeared to be sectarian violence.
Still something good happened later in the day that made me and I am sure most Iraqis happy. Sunni and Shiite religious leaders agreed on a charter of honor that prohibited the killing of Sunnis and Shiites. Political leaders also reached agreements to ease the situation.
The daytime curfew that was imposed in Baghdad and nearby provinces was lifted at 4:00 p.m. but driving will be banned in Baghdad for at least another day.
Walking through Baghdad's streets today, it was clear that children were having great time. They had no school and the city's empty streets were turned into football fields.
Police checkpoints checked the IDs of people who went out in their cars despite the curfew.
What is sad about this city is that Baghdadis haven't had a normal life since the war began almost three years ago, but I am sure Iraq's future will be bright same as its glorious past was.
Still this needs time.

Bassem Mroue
Baghdad, Iraq.