Christmas is almost here. Soon, we will slaughter the chickens, peel their feathers in hot water and cut them into nice pieces in preparation for Christmas dinner. Soon, we will break the shells of the snails, wash them and prepare them to be fried. The Christmas goat won’t escape the fate of the other animals; it would be chased, slaughtered and prepared for Christmas dinner as well. Christmas in Nigeria will be delicious, tasty and different.

It sounds strange to talk about Christmas this way, but cultures around the world are different. Therefore, progress, success and happiness mean different things to different people around the world. America is in a war with Iraq, but not enough thought has been given to the differences in culture.

Iraq is separated from the United States by centuries of history and culture. In America, our freedom was gained by a revolutionary war, but in Iraq, the bridge to freedom is being built with landmines and bombs. Guns and bullets are being used like nails and hammers to construct democracy for the Iraqi people. The blood of innocent people is splattered on this haphazardly constructed bridge towards democracy. Brave men have died; innocent civilians have been killed. Why?

It will take a tremendous force for them to buy into the American way of thinking. That force is not the force of bombs exploding, nor is it the force of bullets piercing lives. That force is the will of the Iraqi people.

A poll done by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority showed that only 2 percent of Iraqis support the U.S. coalition. A lot of the insurgents who are fighting every day come from the 98 percent of Iraqis who do not support the coalition. Shouldn’t more attention be paid to the culture of these people? What kind of people are we, when we decide that every problem can be solved by death, bombs and bullets?

Success in the war on terror should be measured by how much terrorism has decreased. The war on terror is a failure, because terrorism around the world has risen dramatically since Sept. 11. Afghan’s opium crop, which is the source of billions of dollars to terrorists, is booming. Ninety percent of the heroin sold in Europe is produced in Afghanistan.

There have been more than 100 terrorist attacks since Sept. 11. Most recently, suicide bombers struck American and Israeli embassies in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Is the world getting safer or more dangerous?

The spread of terrorism can be compared to the spread of wild fire. We might need to burn down some parts of the forest to get to the main source of the fire. Eventually, however, we must fight the flames with water. Terrorism cannot be fought with more terror, just like fire cannot be fought with fire. Ultimately, the only way to peace is through peace. In the long run, poverty alleviation and education would do more in fighting terrorism, because education leads to better understanding of cultural differences.

This Christmas, I would go back home to the sound of traffic roaring and market people bargaining and screaming. I would go home to eat goat, snails and chicken. A world value survey conducted by an international group of social scientists decided that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. Differences in our cultures cause us to have different definitions for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Despite popular understanding, not everyone measures success by GDP. The fact that only 2 percent of Iraqis support spreading democracy through this war is a huge problem.

In this time of “jingle bells” and Christmas carols, I would like to wish everyone at Iowa State a merry Christmas. More attention, though, should be paid to the voices of the Iraqi people. We need their voices to guide us through a culture that is much different from the American culture. Only 2 percent of Iraqis support spreading democracy through war; we should have listened.