Jun 2, 2015

BAGHDAD — The features of death are seemingly found wherever one goes in Iraqi cities. In Baghdad, walls are covered with black banners with names of the dead, some of whom were killed in the war against the Islamic State (IS). Of these, most were members of the Shiite militias fighting alongside the security forces. The banners also carry the names of people killed in explosions over the last three months, as well as the names of victims of the tribal battles that have recently increased. These usually start as minor brawls but can develop into large-scale battles.

Death has become even more a part of everyday life in Iraq as it haunts Iraqis on the streets, in squares and in markets, claiming the lives of hundreds of people on a monthly basis. The security situation has not calmed down since the invasion of Iraq in April 2003. Terrorist attacks against civilians are increasing in ferocity, and IS has seized about a third of ​​the country's area, imposing a gloomy, fear-filled atmosphere.

This situation has brought about a new attitude toward the concept of death, as people have become very familiar with what was once a taboo subject. For example, mobilization songs against IS talk about death. A young singer, Salah el-Bahar, sang a song where death was so familiar that he even took a picture with it!

During the sectarian fighting that broke out between Sunni and Shiite armed groups in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, the cheapness of death led Iraqi citizen Saadoun al-Fatlawi to buy a plot so that his children and he could be buried in Al-Salam Valley cemetery in Najaf province. At the time, Fatlawi had concerns over not finding a place to be buried in after seeing sidewalks and roads full of dead people.

Fatlawi, a retiree who worked in the Ministry of Commerce, paid $500 for a cemetery plot that can accommodate about six bodies. To his surprise, however, when he wanted to buy an adjacent plot for his brother, the price had exponentially increased. Fatlawi purchased his land in 2007 and started looking for a plot for his brother about three months ago.