#Wikipedia on #Syria and #Iraq in the light of #Paris

There is no excuse for what happened for what happens. Now that the news of Paris sunk in, lets consider the other side. The other side are the people of Syria, Iraq.. Countries where many people suffer beyond belief. They are from places that have a rich history, brought us many notable people and even when we look for it, we will not be able to find it in Wikipedia or Wikidata.

If there is one thing that is most often true about an "enemy", it is that you do not know them for who they are. Our true enemy is not the people from Syria or Iraq, they are the people that describe themselves as Daesh. By there own definition they are apart from Syrians and Iraqis.

This distinction is important and, it does not help that we know so little in any language about Syria, Iraq, the notable people, the history, the culture. The lack of knowledge is often seen as a necessary component of discrimination and the associated belief that the other is the enemy.

The war is now uncomfortably close, it hit Paris and who is next? Refugees have arrived in Europe and they have their story to tell. To understand these stories, it is important that Wikipedia has enough information to fill in the background. It is vital that Wikipedia, Wikidata knows about those who are not the enemy.,
Thanks.
      GerardM

#Sorrow

Yesterday I was at the mosque for prayers. After the prayers everyone was informed that the police had been around. They urged people to immediately call when people are behaving in a suspect manner, when suspect packages are seen.

To put this in perspective, 70% of the mosques in the Netherlands have had to deal with attacks against the people or the building in the last ten years. Another perspective is in the burning of a mosque in Sweden last week.

Yesterday I went to the hairdressers.. The barber told me that his uncle and aunt had been killed by ISIS. It happened since I was there last. Their children were with another aunt..

Yesterday some crazy people killed 12 people at the office of Charlie Hebdo. The papers, the news is full of it. It is awful.

All of this is what makes terror. The people who threaten to burn mosques are terrorists. The people of ISIS who indiscriminately kill people are terrorists. The people who burn mosques are terrorists. The people who killed the people at Charlie Hebdo are terrorists.

I am angry and upset. I will however not be terrorised.
Thanks,
       GerardM

#Wikidata - #Iraq has a parliament too

Given the #USA involvement in Iraq and given its traditional aim of bringing democracy to the world, you would expect both Wikipedia and Wikidata to have a wealth of information about Iraqi democracy and politicians.

The last list of Iraqi parliamentarians includes many red links and new elections have been held twice. The recent elections have a result and, ayatollah Al-Sistani has urged for the new parliament to convene. That makes sense in the light of the current fighting going on in Iraq.

Typically Wikipedia is great at providing back ground information. For Iraq there is room for improvement. I wonder where to find the Iraqi 2014 election results with all 325 elected members of the council of representatives. In the mean time Wikidata learned about more Iraqi politicians.
Thanks,
      GerardM