Iraq offers cash ‘marriage bonus’ to bridge sectarian divide.
By on Oct 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Iraq offers cash ‘marriage bonus’ to bridge sectarian divide.
The Iraqi government is offering a $1,500 cash bonus “to married Iraqi couples from different sectarian groups in a drive to heal rifts between communities and foster reconciliation.” Sunni-Shi’ite marriages were commonplace prior to the U.S. led invasion, but are now increasingly rare.
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Can they marry more than once & still qualify?
Does gay marriage qualify?
How much can you get for getting divorced from your own sect?
Are we paying for this via the Iraqi government?
Can one of them marry Condi & still qualify? Even if it’s a woman?
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:16 pmWow…I’m sure that that $1,500 cash money will be a great comfort after they’re beheaded…
</snark>
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:17 pmwhat about in the US?
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:22 pmWho thinks up this stupidity? First they send Karen Hughes over there to make complete jackass of herself, now this. Sheesh.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:22 pmOh Jeez, now michael and the other lonely rightie extremists will be looking for love in Iraq.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:28 pmAnother idiot idea from the White House to Iraq. Now we know who’s ruling the Iraq country. Maybe the White House should start reading a little about the Iraq culture and the Muslim culture before making any more stupid suggestions. I say appoint George W. Bush as the leader of Iraq and be done with it. Watch the Iraq people join together and hang the Iraq leader real quick. What’s really sad is Americans really don’t know about Muslim culture either that’s why the Media can say what ever the White House tells them to say.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:31 pmNow other countries know US culture and language yet Americans barely know American history. What’s truly sad is 90 per cent of Americans don’t know the two appointed Supreme Court Justices would we soon vote to take away their rights to vote. Talk about dumb.
What a boneheaded idea. Not only will it do very little to “heal rifts”, but it cheapens marriage down to a business transaction. Is there any length of time a “mixed” couple must stay married? Are they required to live together? Gee — do you think people might get married just for the money?
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:33 pmas if women weren’t already chattel in that society…
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:38 pmso we set them against eachother by destroying their churches and blaming both sides. then we try to get them to stop killing eachother by offering tax breaks (to a country that is in a civil war and overwhelmingly unemployed) if they put down their guns long enough to get married. then their tradition of shooting the AK’s off in the air in celebration sets off the two familys to wipe eachother out before they even cut the cake. BRILLIANT!
http://www.ni4d.us
gravel08.us
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:39 pmAnother idiot idea from the White House to Iraq. Now we know who’s ruling the Iraq country. Maybe the White House should start reading a little about the Iraq culture and the Muslim culture before making any more stupid suggestions. Comment by Jackie — October 2, 2007 @ 3:31 pm
I went to the Reuters article and this program seems to be the idea of the Iraqis themselves – nowhere in the article was it suggested the White House had anything to do with it. The program was introduced by the Sunni Vice President.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:45 pmFrom the Reuters article:
Um Ubaida, a 25-year-old Sunni civil servant, looked pale and expressionless as she went to receive the wedded couples bonus to help with her debts. She married last year and had a baby two months ago, but has not seen her husband for seven months.
“My husband is missing, he went to visit his brother in prison and he never came back,” she said.
I too, think they they could easily become targets.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:50 pmSeveral months ago a girl was beaten to death by her own relatives and others for just dating someone out of her religion.
I’d like to hear what the official US stance on this is.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:56 pmHey, Mighty Aphrodite is back, maybe she’ll convert to Sunni Islam and her husband can convert to Shiaa.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:57 pmThey can use the money to set a memorial for her dead kid.
These people would get married without the incentive. I think the message here is that the Maliki government is not concerned about mixed marriages and this plan advertises that as its unlikely $1500 would cause people to marry.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:57 pmThey can use the money to set a memorial for her dead kid.
Comment by RUCerious
OWNED.
October 2nd, 2007 at 4:40 pmWhat the fu*k was the point of Think Progress adding registration and login if the trolls are just going to keep trolling?
Either get rid of the fu*king trolls or get rid of registration. Their is no reason to have both.
October 2nd, 2007 at 4:43 pmWell I guess it explains what happened to a part of the missing $10 Billion cash.
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:55 pm>nowhere in the article was it suggested the White House
> had anything to do with it.
Uhm and where oh where do you think Iraqis get the funds to DO anything these days?
Oil revenues? bwhahahahahaahaha!
I’m sure all the right-tards that are so up in arms about thier tax dollars being used to help american children are going to want to make sure thier tax dollars arent being used for something as ludicrous as this. You guys should demand an investigation! At this rate, I’d say its likely the democratic congress will cave in and give you one!
This is just what I’ve been saying for weeks,,, we’re literally paying for peace, trying to stuff every open hand with cash in the hopes it will be too full to squeeze a trigger or plant a bomb. My question is, how much taxpayer money should we spend trying to bribe the iraqis to play nice?
When the money runs out, what will they do then?
We drop 75 million on one of saddams old henchman who used to be fighting us and AQ takes him out by making a high bid on one of his cronies anyway.
Where does this end?
I guess we can always follow bigfoots wisdom that “debt doesnt matter”, because we’ve had debt before. By that logic of course, we will live forever, because we’ve woken up for the past 10,000 days so logically it follows we’ll wake up tommorow just the same.
Debt doesnt matter.. wrack up as much as you want… Bigfoot must be a financial planner.. bwhahahaha. “Gee son, you got a credit card offer for 5000 $ credit at 33 percent interest? Go ahead, charge it up, debt doesnt matter, we’ll get someone from the Government Accountability Office to help you with your bills. After all, thats what they’re there for, to balance the books, not run wars! Running wars is the job of draft dodging politicians!”
moron..
October 3rd, 2007 at 1:17 amYeah, so they get $1,500 and then get murdered afterwards?
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:04 am>Yeah, so they get $1,500 and then get murdered afterwards?
no no jay.. don’t you watch the news anymore? violence in iraq has dropped 100%. I dont see a single story about it anymore, so it must be true. actually, the only thing that dropped 100% is the reporting of the violence.
damn creepy, if you ask me, that they could effect such an expansive media blackout. shows how much control they have over the flow of the information, when they make an active attempt.
supposedly, the actualy violence merely dropped a conveinient and easily digestable exact 50 percent.
50 percent. exactly.
now theres good round, american numbers, that even rednecks who dont know the difference between “accountant” and “accountability” can understand and parrot.
October 3rd, 2007 at 4:52 amDoes gay marriage qualify?
Comment by Zimzone — October 2, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
They probably don’t have gays there either. ;)
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:37 pm>They probably don’t have gays there either. ;)
If they truly didnt all you rightards would actually be willing to go there. :)
October 4th, 2007 at 5:57 am