Rich Iraqis flaunt lavish lifestyles as war rages just 100km from doorstep

[tigergorzow]

Rich Iraqis flaunt lavish lifestyles as war rages just 100km from doorstep

August 26 2017 12:51 AM

Iraq's devastated cities

It's within 100 kilometers of one of the most war ravaged cities on the planet — but life for the other half near Mosul contains a level of luxury many could only dream of, a report on the Sun said.

 

Erbil sits within around one hour’s drive of Iraq’s besieged second city that was only liberated from ISIS control around one month ago.

As Iraqi forces work to rid the terror group from the north of the country, another side of life in Erbil has emerged online through a young generation trying to create a different narrative via social media.

They include Instagram user Hawar, who runs My Erbil Lifestyle — a glamorous account in which she shares pictures of lunches in garden restaurants, shopping trips, travel and cosmetics with her 4000 followers.

The tourism website also showcases a different side to the ancient city which it describes as “one of the fastest-growing travel destinations in the world.”

The site features a local UNESCO world heritage site, shopping malls, luxury hotels, plastic surgery clinics and events like start-up bootcamps or family hip hop battles.

It boasts of the famed Kurdish hospitality that has led to economic opportunities and a strengthening business sector.

Iraq’s first “gentleman’s fashion club”, Mr Erbil, formed by three local men also operates in the city, with an Instagram account filled with hipster beards and stylish suits.

Founders Omer Nihad, Ahmed Nauzad and Goran Pshtiwan use traditional dress in their garments and want to change the way Kurdistan is perceived internationally through their work.

“It is a harsh time we are facing and we wanted to overcome it with positive thinking and social changes,” Mr Nauzad told news.com.au earlier this year.

 

“We decided to come up with something that grabs people’s attention, something they can relate to … otherwise people wouldn’t care or listen.”

Different reality

 

 The images are a sharp contrast to the reality in other parts of the country as Iraqi forces work to drive IS militants out of Tal Afar — to the west of Mosul — in an enduring and bloody battle.

ISIS still controls towns of Hawija, Qaim, Rawa and Ana near the Syrian border and has subjected locals to horrific conditions including death, imprisonment, sexual slavery, detention and beatings under its reign.

This week, Oxfam said women and children fleeing Tal Afar district told of how they walked through the desert in 50 degree heat on a road that “smelled of dead bodies”.

Ahlam Ibrahim told the charity he fled his village near Tal Afar when bombing began.
“We left because we were afraid of the air strikes. We were so afraid for the children. The road was steep and rocky and old people were dying,” Mr Ibrahim said.

“It was so hard to walk and the road smelled of dead bodies. I lost my voice because I was shouting at my children to stay with me. They were so scared.”

 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/16171/Rich-Iraqis-flaunt-lavish-lifestyles-as-war-rages-just-100km-from-doorstep

[Boozer]

sounds like the U S Congress . 

[ChuckFinley]

3 hours ago, Boozer said:

sounds like the U S Congress . 

Sounds about right, no clue what is going on.  It all about them.  

[NextYear]

I wouldn't mind being rich myself but when I see things like this it makes me want to vomit that I want to be part of them

[jeepguy]

here seems to be what is going on , they are using the rich  Kurdistan region as a  prop too gain a hate to the folks who actually are going forward with prosperity  , and not  going backward ,  using the photo  example , sure that girl is in front of a nice car , but  she probably isn`t  the one that owns it ,  { and  also the report comes from the sun ,  }   ...   I do not think  the  video of the rich supper market attraction received  negative reviews ,  but it  did show how well that region is doing  , while  the dash holes were still kicking up  destruction  in mosul  ....   

11 hours ago, tigergorzow said:

Instagram user Hawar, who runs My Erbil Lifestyle — a glamorous account in which she shares pictures of lunches in garden restaurants, shopping trips, travel and cosmetics with her 4000 followers

these  sort of  business operations are what  we  are looking for ,   you have too rise out of the rubble to get back too the better life ...  only a month or so ago  mosul had been retaken ,  takes time too rebuild , can`t rebuild on  ---- .000 68    dinar  money ----    so  good job on  hawar to get out there and  do something  !   { j.m.o }  

[sandfly]

that's funny boozer,  you are right jep

[Rockymtnhi]

The U.S. should have taken their oil to pay us back for the war expenses.  When that was done then cut the rich elites off at the knees financially and force 90% of the oil money back to the general public and rebuilding their infrastructure.  Instead we let the graft and corruption just continue as usual and nothing changes.  People live on dirt floors with little food and electricity rationed.

 

And American Vets come back from the war in body bags or missing limbs and PTSD and get lousy care and not enough money to live on but the Bush's, Obama's and Clinton's just got wealthier and bought walled mansions to keep the deplorables away.