As he does not have his own means of transportation, Ali relies on a traditional, somewhat complicated and costly method to move items. He ships books in boxes and has them transferred to a carrier to be taken by bus to their destination. He then picks up the books there and carries them to the exhibition location. Ali does everything alone, although it entails a great deal of effort, money and risk. He takes great pride in his work.
Ali's promotion of literature reveals that some Iraqi cities have a thirst for reading and exploring new books. This has encouraged some personalities and civil society organizationsn to work with and support him, such as by providing halls for his exhibitions.
In contrast with such cooperation are the threats that Ali receives. In addition to becoming a victim of indiscriminate violence in Iraq, Ali is also vulnerable to the individuals and political and religious authorities who want to ban or prohibit certain books. He has been prevented from holding exhibitions in some intensely religious cities. Ali said he had received several death threats because he had exhibited books that went against religious and social trends. “Some cities have banned publications by the poet Nizar Qabbani. Other cities prohibit the novels of Ahlam Moustaghanemi, and the list goes on,” he said.
Threats, however, do not deter Ali from continuing to promote books. When asked why he makes the effort and endures the risks, he said, “The joy in some people's access to certain books makes me forget the threats and risks.” He expressed his discontent at these efforts at prohibition, stating, “Banning and outlawing books are two of the most important reasons for the collapse suffered by the country.”
It seems that a new generation of youths is emerging in Iraq, one that enjoys reading. Ali told Al-Monitor that he has had experiences with this generation, whose members he said, are trying to find answers to questions that others never dared ask before. Previously, they might have been deemed political or religious crimes. This is cause for optimism in future Iraqi generations.
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