(Aug. 24) - In the latest sign that life is returning to normal in Iraq due to security gains, more Iraqis are hitting the beach this season.
In fact, Iraq may be witnessing its first shore season since the outbreak of the sectarian war in 2006, according to a report in The New York Times.
"I'm here to get away — from the bombs in Baghdad, from the sound of generators," said Aya Alshemari, a 22-year-old college student who was wearing a modest T-shirt and jeans. "We’re here to have a good time. There's no difference between Shiite and Sunni. We are all Iraqis."
Many have begun flocking to Lake Habbaniya in Anbar province, a former al Qaida in Mesopotamia stronghold that is now bursting with activity -- complete with sand, young people and loud music. Iraqi security officials said there has been no violence at the beach since it reopened this summer.
The shore is carved into sections for families and young men. Young women are encouraged to dress very modestly and kept under close guard by relatives.
"I want to wear less, but my brothers get mad at me," said Maha Abdul-Wahab, 23. Like most Iraqi women at the beach, she was baring little more than her feet. Most of the men sport baggy pants without shirts.
For more on this story, check out The New York Times.
