Opinion: Neighbourhood Watch

An initiative undertaken by young people in our neighborhood of al-Shaab is a fine and admirable one. They collected 5,000 dinars from every house and within three days, they had installed a fluorescent light in front of every house so light up the area at night, a time when terrorists used to attack innocent people. They were acting in response to the deteriorating security situation and the escalation in attempted killings and abductions. Not satisfied with making our neighbourhood light, they formed teams of three to five people to safeguard the neighborhood until early morning. And they did not collaborate with any militia belonging to any political group. Our neighborhood's young people are courteous and brave, and they volunteered to act without being asked to do so. It was a sense of patriotism that urged them to launch their initiative after the security forces failed to provide adequate protection. I hope that the young people in every neighbourhood in Iraq may copy this initiative and follow their example in ridding Iraq of the darkness that has engulfed us.