Internet Cafes in Baghdad

Since the fall of Saddam, Iraqis have been taking advantage of newfound freedoms. One of these freedoms is the use of the internet without government interference. Chatting with friends and relatives in other countries via the internet is cheaper than using the phone. Email, browsing the internet, and visiting chat rooms were almost unknown in Iraq before the war. Saddam's regime had blocked many sites to prevent the flow of information from outside to inside Iraq. Omran Chadirji, a partner in one of these internet cafes, says, 'The former regime carefully monitored all emails. Free services like Yahoo and Hotmail were banned.' So far, about ten internet cafes have opened in Baghdad, and it seems that more are set to open. Throughout the city, posters and advertisements announce the opening of new internet cafes 'coming soon to this location.' However, the owner of one cafe states, 'The internet does not come cheaply to Iraq. Just installing satellite internet equipment costs about $4,000,' in addition to computer costs and rent. Another acute problem is power outages. However, Mr. Omran adds, 'We have a power generator, and in case of a power outage, a backup system ensures that information on the computers is not lost.' Paying $2 per hour for internet access is still not affordable for everyone. Sarmad Al-Bahrani, who has a degree in scientific fields from an American university, says that when he returned to Iraq in 1991, he could not find work in the computer field. The only possible job was working for the government. The internet cafe owner states that he did not learn about computers in school but acquired his skills during the six years he spent in Jordan. It seems that these days, Iraqis do not have to leave Iraq to gain experience with computers.