A day in the life of an ordinary Iraqi

BAGHDAD - These are tough times for Mustafa Kubaissy, a 48-year-old shopkeeper in Baghdad. He has been leading a troubled life for the past three years since the US-led invasion of Iraq which ousted former president Saddam Hussein.

"Unfortunately our country has become a mess, with lack of essential items escalating prices and deteriorating security conditions. The only victims of this disaster are us, innocent people who have started to believe that life under Saddam Hussein's dictatorial regime was much better than is now," Kubaissy said.

He wakes up at five o'clock in the morning, washes and says his dawn prayers. These days he prefers to pray at home instead of going to his local Sunni mosque in his predominantly Shi'a neighbourhood. As a rule, he has learnt to avoid places of congregation and any crowds. He fears that one day his local mosque could be targeted by Shi'a militants.

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