Price Hikes, Insecurity Mar Ramadan in Iraq

BAGHDAD, October 6, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Soaring prices of basic food stuffs, coupled with deteriorating security conditions, put a heavy tension on the usually joyful and spiritual atmosphere that used to color the month of Ramadan across Iraq.

"The advent of Ramadan and absence of food supplies the Iraqis used to receive during the fasting month have triggered a hike in the prices of basic food stuffs," Kamela Mahmoud was quoted as saying by Al-Quds Press Wednesday, October 5.

Iraq's Sunnis started fasting Tuesday while the country's Shiites started fasting Wednesday.

During the run-up to the dawn-to-dusk fasting month, Iraqi markets used to be overcrowded with all kinds of goods and families would tour these markets to buy their needs of basic food stuffs.

Many people this year, however, have been suffering to find a place where they can buy the basic food stuffs. If they do, the problem of skyrocketing prices poses another challenge.

Iraqi families have been used to receiving food supplies since the imposition of the notorious embargo. These supplies contained basic food stuffs, provided by the Iraqi government.

With the ousting of Saddam Hussein's regime, some Iraqis hoped things would get better and so will the monthly ratios of the food supplies. But that proved to be a far-fetched dream, like many other dreams in the war-ravaged country.

"We counted on the government food supplies as they contained the basic food stuffs such as sugar, rice, tea, fat, beans and other basic food stuffs," the Iraqi woman said.

"But these supplies have no longer contained even the most basic food stuffs for over a year now."

"What can I do to feed my ten-member family," she charged.

Violence

Deteriorating security conditions in the occupied Arab country contributed an additional reason for price hikes.

"Insecurity has mainly contributed to the crisis of price hikes," said Ahmed Gada'an, merchant.

"Tight security measures taken by the Jordanian authorities after the Aqaba bombings have added additional cost on Iraqi merchants. Cargos may get stuck for more than a week on the borders before being allowed into Iraq.

"This affects prices of the cargo, and consequently Iraqi consumers have to pay."

A Jordanian soldier was killed on August 19, in a rocket attack near a US warship in the port of Aqaba.

Since the US tanks rolled into Baghdad April 9, 2003, Iraq has fallen in the grip of insecurity with car bombings and shootouts almost a daily occurrence.

At least 25 Iraqis were killed Wednesday, and about 87 wounded in a car-bomb blast targeting a mosque in the city of Hilla, south of Baghdad.