“Stuff happens ... and it’s untidy and freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.”

Those were the words of Donald Rumsfeld, as he attempted to explain the state of inaction that the American army took in 2003, as they watched thieves stealing antiquities from the Baghdad Museum, as well as other cultural institutions, while giving freedom a new meaning; where people are allowed to make mistakes and go bad.

The treasures of a country with a heritage like that of Iraq were stolen under the name of freedom, causing the closure of the Baghdad museum, to be added to the list of losses faced by Iraqi people during the American invasion of Iraq.

This week, and after nearly 6 years of its closure, Baghdad museum reopened its doors, after the return of most of its antiquities, which were found in Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.

Antiquities go way back to Assyrian and Babylonian periods. Others contained Islamic mosaic, jeweleries and other treasures, to make one of the greatest world collections, each collected from a different time, yet all sharing the same war experience.

The reopening of this museum may not mean a lot to Iraqi people who are striving for the luxury of living, but it is what I consider a baby step on the road of hope towards a strong Iraq... A proud Iraq.