Chaos and violence are the common picture of society in this part of the world, but day to day life in Kurdistan is radically different.
Serious crime is very unusual here. When, in the course of the encyclopedia project, I asked if there were Kurdish serial killers, famous murders or major bank robberies, the answer is a very bemused but firm NO. Of course there is crime, but it mostly very minor and serious crime is likely to be a dispute over land or a family conflict.
Recent NZ crimes such as the rape of an 87 year old, a one month old baby bashed to death and a couple of tourists robbed in their camper van are incomprehensible to Kurds. And Roast Busters is just plain inconceivable here for a least a dozen reasons.
I never hesitate to walk anywhere at night even if the street lighting if not great. Bag snatchers, pickpockets and shoplifters are unheard of and I have never seen anything approaching a fight. Apparently last week a couple of shots were fired in an incident of road rage, though I find that hard to believe. Shop keepers and restauranteurs don't cheat you, though of course the airport taxis are a pack of rogues like every where in the world.
The stuff left outside shops over night is mind boggling. This photo is of furniture shop that was closed for Friday. The sample furniture is actually moveable making it very very easy to steal, but no one even touches it. When I pointed out to a friend that in NZ it would be stolen or smashed, he just asked 'Why?'. Why indeed.....
One guy was telling he that his mother lost the key to the front door and never bothered replacing the lock. It has remained unlocked for over two years.
One of the contributing factors is that alcohol is not central to social life and it is very rare to see a drunk, even though alcohol is freely available and cheap.
With increasing internal Arab migration, dirt poor Syrian refugees and increasing numbers of Iranian migrants, it is doubtful if things will stay that way, but right now this city is one of the safest places I have ever lived in.
Serious crime is very unusual here. When, in the course of the encyclopedia project, I asked if there were Kurdish serial killers, famous murders or major bank robberies, the answer is a very bemused but firm NO. Of course there is crime, but it mostly very minor and serious crime is likely to be a dispute over land or a family conflict.
Recent NZ crimes such as the rape of an 87 year old, a one month old baby bashed to death and a couple of tourists robbed in their camper van are incomprehensible to Kurds. And Roast Busters is just plain inconceivable here for a least a dozen reasons.
I never hesitate to walk anywhere at night even if the street lighting if not great. Bag snatchers, pickpockets and shoplifters are unheard of and I have never seen anything approaching a fight. Apparently last week a couple of shots were fired in an incident of road rage, though I find that hard to believe. Shop keepers and restauranteurs don't cheat you, though of course the airport taxis are a pack of rogues like every where in the world.
The stuff left outside shops over night is mind boggling. This photo is of furniture shop that was closed for Friday. The sample furniture is actually moveable making it very very easy to steal, but no one even touches it. When I pointed out to a friend that in NZ it would be stolen or smashed, he just asked 'Why?'. Why indeed.....
One guy was telling he that his mother lost the key to the front door and never bothered replacing the lock. It has remained unlocked for over two years.
One of the contributing factors is that alcohol is not central to social life and it is very rare to see a drunk, even though alcohol is freely available and cheap.
With increasing internal Arab migration, dirt poor Syrian refugees and increasing numbers of Iranian migrants, it is doubtful if things will stay that way, but right now this city is one of the safest places I have ever lived in.
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