“Omnia vincit amor; et nos cedamus amori”. Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to love. If only Virgil was an Iraqi, he might’ve seen it differently today…
Even dating is perilous in polarized Baghdad.
The new taboo on Sunni-Shiite romances is only one of many impediments to love in this war-ravaged country. Religious authorities have forbidden casual dating. Women fearful of the bloodshed have become prisoners in their own homes. Couples have shunned posh restaurants once filled with lovebirds because they fear suicide bombers or kidnappers.
“This is the age of cellphone love,” said Omar al-Azzawi, 33, an Internet cafe owner who has a Sunni father and a Shiite mother. “If I marry someone, we’ll have to get married on the phone. We’ll probably have to make love on the phone, too.” [washington post]
phone sex…now there’s a lucrative market niche in the new Iraq.
The Muslim Romeo and Juliet? Reminds me of when things were at their worst in Ireland and dating someone from the “other side” could get you killed.
It wasnt as bad as Baghdad, but having the wrong name in the wrong area could cost you your life. I have heard the same thing is going on in Baghdad. Dont be in a Shi’a area if your name is Yazid.