Freedom Square offers refuge for Basra residents
Basra residents are finding respite in Hurriyah Square, where they can sit and talk freely without militias imposing their strict Islamic rules.
BASRA, Iraq — No one in the southern Iraqi province Basra believed that families would flock to Hurriyah (Freedom) Square to see and sit by the new monument after it was greatly ridiculed in newspapers and on social networking sites for its appearance — some described it as a large eggplant surrounded by horses. People from out of town changed their opinions about the monument once they arrived in Basra and heard the residents’ stories about it.
The plan to build a "Freedom Monument" in Basra was announced together with plans for other statues in Iraq, which were also criticized.
