Iraqi citizens tell their story Iraqi doctor Hayder Abdulkarin (left) and Baghdad University professor Athraa Hasoon talk about life in their country during an interview Thursday. (photo by H. Marc Larson). Iraqis: Iraq is different than what media portray By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Tens of thousands Iraqi citizen deaths and the more than 1,000 deaths among coalition forces reported in the news overlooks the country's advancement to a peaceful and stable society, said two Iraqis who spoke with The News-Chronicle on Thursday. Athraa Hasoon, a biology professor at Baghdad University, will travel around the United States for three weeks, delivering a message of gratitude to U.S. families whose loved ones are serving or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq. Iraqis pray for the coalition troops, she said. "They saved us, or liberated us from Saddam. No one can liberate us from Saddam before," she said. She sees improvements at the university where she teaches. "The lab we have is very, very small and cheap," she said. That is changing. The university is acquiring access to the Internet, microscopes and satellites, she said. Hayder Abdulkarin, a doctor who gave humanitarian assistance during the war while volunteering with the Middle East Council of Churches in Iraq, also delivered a "thank you" to Americans. Both were traveling on behalf of Iraq-America Freedom Alliance, an organization advocating for democracy and the dismantling of terrorism. Seven organizations from Iraq and the United States comprise the alliance, including the Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq, the American Islamic Congress and the Assyrian National Federation. While Abdulkarin and Hasoon said they appreciate the U.S.-guided overthrow of Saddam, a June poll showed 33.5 percent of 2,830 Iraqis surveyed believed the military move was wrong. The Oxford Research International Ltd., an organization formed by Oxford University-studied analysts, reported that 13.2 percent of Iraqis thought the war was "right", while 27.6 percent believed it was "somewhat right." The war was "somewhat wrong" to 25.7 percent. Poll results aside, Abdulkarin has been in the United States for one month, representing the views of Iraqis who support the coalition and the war. So far he has visited Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. During Saddam Hussein's rule, 65 to 75 percent of medical equipment supplies were malfunctioning, he said. He was restricted from traveling outside of Iraq and is a general practitioner now because he was not permitted to pursue further education, he said. When Saddam ruled, he saw his relatives executed under Saddam Hussein's regime in 2001 at Abu Ghraib Prison and then had to buy the right to take back their bodies, he said. The alliance cites statistics that indicate since Saddam's reign ended, 3,300 schools have been repaired, while 75 Iraqi medical buildings have been renovated. Abdulkarin runs a private clinic in Samawa, in the south of Iraq. He sees 100 patients every day. If that many patients can come to see him, it is a sign of stability in Iraq, he said. "Each day 30 to 40 to 50 patients asked me about medical advice or management, so if it is not safe, how can all those people come and ask," he said. "There is bombs here and there, but this is not in all of Iraq. This is in small areas of Iraq, not all the time and all the day, not all the month, not all the week," he said. Insurgents come from outside of Iraq, he said. "The majority of Iraqis, they want peace. And they want someone to help them. They think there is a very strong partner, a very good partner willing to support them, willing to help them," he said of the United States. According to the June Oxford Research International poll, 11.8 percent of Iraqis surveyed believe conditions in Iraq are "much better," 31.8 percent said they are "somewhat better," 31.5 percent said they are "about the same," 18.4 percent said they are "somewhat worse," and 6.5 percent said they are "much worse." Hasoon and Abdulkarin are traveling in the weeks before the U.S. presidential election, but they said they are not concerned with which individual becomes president. The United States' decision to involve itself in Iraq was not made by one person, they said. "It doesn't matter for us if he's "X" or "Y", but the most important is the community of this country to help us because we are partners," Abdulkarin said.