Q & A with the “Mosul Eye” Historian
Related Link An 'Independent Historian' Documents Life Under the Islamic State
This interview is accompanied by an article about the author’s blog.
With the rapid fall more than a year ago of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, and the seizure by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) of large swaths of the northwestern part of the country, it is difficult to get accurate information about what is happening there. A few citizens and activists, at great risk to themselves, are trying to shine a light on the situation.
Mosul Eye is considered one of most accurate chronicles of life under Islamic State rule. Its author remains unidentified. In an exclusive interview with Al-Fanar Media, he talks about his work and his city.
How did you decide to start blogging?
I’ve long been interested in blogging. In 2003, after the Iraq war, I started gathering everything related to the insurgent groups in an archive, which became huge and is still growing. This archive contains information about almost all of the groups, including some of their original documents such as leaflets and publications.
After the occupation of Mosul, I didn’t want to stop blogging, On the contrary, I was determined to document the first moments of this occupation for the sake of preserving history for the future, and for understanding the nature of events and how people perceive them.
So I started writing summaries in the form of Facebook posts on my personal account. Then, after consulting a friend, the idea of launching the Mosul Eye Facebook page emerged. I stress that I am not a journalist, but a historian, and that my purpose is to document events as they are, keeping my opinions separate.
Mosul Eye was specifically intended for English readers, because I believe that news about Mosul needs to reach the West; the Arab powers are not a real positive actor in the Iraqi crisis. But I have also started a page called “Maouris Milton,” for Arabic readers.