InfoAnda - Iraqi coach looking to restore life to Halabja

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Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Iraqi coach looking to restore life to Halabja AFP - Wednesday, December 3 AMMAN (AFP) - - Halabja will forever be remembered as the place where thousands died in 1988 when Saddam Hussein targeted the Kurdish city with a deadly poison gas attack at the height of the Iran-Iraq war. But a former basketball player, who bears the personal and emotional scars from the old Baghdad regime, is determined to bring a little hope to what he describes as a 'dead town' by creating a basketball school there. Rizgar M. Raouf told AFP that having attended the Peace for Generations training camp - the brainchild of Prince Feisal Hussein of Jordan - he had been inspired to set up such a school, having already done so in his home city of Sulamaniyah. "It is really a dream to be here," said the 29-year-old. "I want to prepare a programme for my country, especially for Halabja. "It is a dead town where the people are sad and disconsolate. "I believe there can be two gains. First, to teach the kids that sports can uplift you and, secondly, by bringing the families to watch them play that they can cheer for them for at least an hour and forget their troubles." Raouf, who is married with a five-year-old daughter Harmi, said he has been inspired by an old Kurdish saying. "We were blind and we don't want our kids to be blind," he said. There are problems to be overcome. Two schools have been set up, one with American basketball coach Deborah Packwood that has a mixture of boys and girls, but the legacy of Saddam's rule is still reflected in people's attitudes. "A lot of Iraqis don't accept them (the schools)," said Raouf, who is one of seven children of four boys and three girls. "They don't like people to work hard. Saddam taught us that. You have to pull a man down once he reaches the top. However, we have some friends who help us as volunteers. "This is what keeps me going. You can't leave people in the desert, you must bring them water." Raouf, who has a Master's degree, is intent on giving children, between the ages of 12 and 14, the chance that he missed out on when he was young. "I was taken away at the age of 13 in 1991 and played basketball," he said. "However, when I returned home my father hit me because one of the conditions of being taken away was that you were given a paper which declared you as being a member of the Baath Party (the ruling party of Saddam)," added Raouf, whose father and grandmother were both murdered by Saddam's regime. Raouf said that things had got better for him sportingwise after the first Gulf War in 1991. "After the 1991 Gulf War I was able to play basketball freely (Kurdistan had gained a certain amount of autonomy) and I was selected for the 1998 and 1999 national side which was hoping to go to the 2000 Olympics. "However, I was in a quandary as my political affiliation was to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and I would have had to declare that had I gone to Baghdad (where Saddam's son Uday was head of the National Olympic Committee). "I went to the party and asked what should I do and they replied 'It is our destiny to be free, so stay in Kurdistan'." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Extra jump rope for lingerie models pre-showAP - 1 hour 33 minutes ago Kazakh film scoops prestigious Indian prizeAFP - 2 hours 22 minutes ago Classic holiday stories inspire during tough timesAP - 2 hours 27 minutes ago YouTube cracks down on 'sexually suggestive' contentAFP - 2 hours 34 minutes ago Berlin festival to spotlight prescient Cold War cinemaAFP - 2 hours 50 minutes ago Enlarge Photo An Iraqi Kurdish militant looks at names of civilians who were killed in a chemical attack by the by the regime of Saddam Hussein in 1988 in the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabja. A former basketball player, who bears the personal and emotional scars from the old Baghdad regime, is determined to bring a little hope to what he describes as a 'dead town' by creating a basketball school there. Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Wall Street plunges as recession becomes reality World AIDS Day highlights big challenges 20 years on Love handles increase death risk: study Saudi king says 75 dollar oil price 'fair' World's oldest person dies at 115 years View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

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