Paragliding Over Mosul Our World

This is not what you imagined when you think of Iraq. People think of

danger, but not from this. Paragliding off the side of a

mountain, just 20 minutes outside Mosul in northern Iraq, one of the

world's most dangerous cities. Trying to meet these daredevils on

their turf is no easy task. Mosul is the headquarters for Al-Qaeda in

Iraq. Since the US-led invasion ten years ago, the City has seen almost

daily bombings and assassinations. In recent months, Sunni protests

against the Shia dominated central government in Baghdad has brought

tens of thousands onto the streets, making the city even more tense.

For the 200 strong members of the Falcon Aviation Club, it is also

home. Although they may prefer it here. Especially nine-year-old

Yousef, the youngest member, who cannot wait to get in the air. His

father was a military pilot who flew in Saddam Hussein's Air Force.

He is the leader of the group. He has always loved flying.

TRANSLATION: When I was a little kid, I used to build paper planes.

The walls of my room was filled with pictures of drawing as of

planes. If I heard a plane, I would run outside to see it. But it is

not an adventure just for the boys. There are 18 female members. Dr

Nawal has been flying even longer than the captain. A Christian, the

freedom she feels when she is with the club reminds her of better days.

TRANSLATION: I remember the days when we used to go to breakfast in

Mosul wearing our flight suits. No- one said anything. Before the fall

of Baghdad, we had a lot more freedom, especially as Christians.

His older son captain -- Yaseen is one of the best paragliding people

in the group. The 19-year-old student is proud to follow in his

father's footsteps. He is proud to be from Mosul. TRANSLATION: The

world does not see Mosul as it is. The world sees it from the outside.

They focus on the security situation with the terrorism, the

American occupation and the destruction, they do not know much

about the people of Mosul, how loving and educated they are.

Flying is his 42-year-old's new passion. It changes every two

minutes. Recently divorced, she wants to take on new challenges.

love life, I love sports. Such as swimming and tennis. That is my

favourite. I look to everything positively. I do not have negative

thoughts on someone or anyone. every take off is a success. I had

seen the same person crash three times. I wonder why he keeps going

back. Why is he doing this? But for these fliers, it does not matter.

If you face what they do every day, a bit of a bump here and there is

not the end of the world. Paying out here, I'm reminded that there

is so much more to Iraq offenders war and conflict. These people are

tar''s middle class. But we do not normally get to see their lives. --

Mosul's middle class. It is too dangerous for me to film freely, I

am a target. So the captain and his team offered to film their lights

themselves. He is on his morning commute, along with hundreds of

thousands of others in Iraq's third largest city. Once a prosperous

place, security was not on their minds before the invasion.

TRANSLATION: Of course it was better before 2003. One police

officer could have looked after half of the city. He saves violence

has become so ordinary that its absence is extraordinary. -- he

says. But losing people you care about us not get any easier.

TRANSLATION: It is a very painful thing. I expect the same thing to

happen to me any day. You try to make new friends, but after a few

years, you realise the friendship is not the same. His best parts

business pays the bills, but it is trying to restore the flying club

that gives his life meaning. As he receives an award for service to

his community... I realise how important the story of Mosul's

right is taking. -- pride. When there is time to rest, he wants to

be at home. Just enjoying the pleasures of being together as a

family. TRANSLATION: Even if I move to a modern, beautiful city with

the buildings and lots of greenery, it still does not compare to living

amongst my people and my family, on the land that I was born on, and

God willing, will die on. For Dr Nawal, sport is part of her day,

every day. Here, she teaches a gales gym class in Mosul. A girls'.

TRANSLATION: The best part of my day, when I am with my students. My

relationship with them is more of a friendship than a teacher student

relationship. Her faith, another central part of her life. Being a

Christian is not easy in Mosul. In fact, this church is outside of

town. Nearly two-thirds of Mosul's Christian population before the war

have fled. Tens of thousands of people driven out when militants

began a violent campaign to force Christians from what was once

Iraq's most diversity. For Dr Nawal, the worst day of her life was when

a bus carrying Christians was bombed. TRANSLATION: I was on the

first bars, while my daughter was on the third one. After the first

explosion went off, I caught my doctor and I said, what is going

on? She said it was OK. -- would my daughter. After the second

explosion, my communication broke down. I kept trying to call her and

then I could not reach her. When they were moving the injured, one

of the students asked me if I was Tamara's mother. She told me that

she was injured. Her daughter has now recovered. Even if you live in

one of the most dangerous places on earth, there is no escaping the

weekly shopping. Or feeding the family. All while being a pioneer

for Arab women. She was the first female hang-glider in the Arab

world, the first women to parachute in her province, and neither age

nor family has changed that. TRANSLATION: I love flying. My love

of flying runs in my blood now. Even when I see skydiving on the TV,

I feel like joining them. Her life now seems relatively peaceful. But

more and more, Dr Nawal things about leaving Iraq. -- thinks.

TRANSLATION: It is getting worse. It is true that sometimes it is

quiet, but it might just be the calm before the storm. A scene like

this could be anywhere in the world. And they enjoy a night out. But

there are different dangers. He says that he has had near-misses. I

ask him if his mother worries. TRANSLATION: About what? We do not

tell them until we are actually home so they do not get worried and

keep trying to phone us. She worries all the time. They are a

tight-knit group that look out for each other. But some things cannot

be escaped. TRANSLATION: Fee was part of my day? School. -- the

worst. Yaseen wants to show us a different side to Mosul. Eager for

any chance to be an ambassador for he city. No talk of leaving for him.

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

TRANSLATION: I would only lived in Iraq. The best country. As a woman

alone, she found it hard to film outside. There are more roles for

women in a city where extremists holds sway. -- rules. The moment

that I am flying, I even forget that I'm going down. I am so happy

that I forget I am landing. teacher who has moved back in with

her parents after her divorce, learning to fly makes her feel

independent again. When I fly, it is a big thing. The only thing that

brings her down is the violence in her city. I hate it. It is not good

for anyone. Not for us, not for the eyes of the world, when they see us

Back and the mountain, the group are showing the world a different

way to do you most -- Mosulese. This man wants to fly next. He is

desperate for it to be his turn. You're ready to go. You're ready to

fly. But he will have to wait. You have never flown from this high up?

Yes. What are you thinking?Nothing. I think I will be afraid. I try it.

Down below, local dailies are enjoying a day off. A barbecue and

the show. Not everyone is paying You would never think you would

find Iraqi men on the outskirts of Mosul doing the Gangnam Style. I'm

invited over to meet one family. Have you ever seen people flying in

the sky before? Everyone here wants to escape the pressures of life in

I want to see Mosul for myself. I have an invitation from the man in

Every day, the city is under attack. Just in the week before my visit,

nine soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing. A policeman was

beheaded, along with numerous assassination attempts and

kidnappings. The last time the BBC went their four years ago, it was

like this. With humvees and American soldiers. We are taking a

more low-profile approach this time. The cars have now stopped and from

this point onwards I will be travelling without my team. It is

too dangerous for two Westerners to travel together so we are being

separated. From this point onwards, I will be going alone. Without my

cameraman, I film secretly. Trying not to draw attention to myself. I

have been asked to take off my seatbelt because that is a sign of

We have just arrived at the checkpoint. This is the entrance

into the city and we are in a queue of cars trying to get in. It is at

this checkpoint did I feel most nervous because it is here, where

there are a lot of suicide attacks. The distance between areas

controlled by the army and those controlled by the militants is

disturbingly close. The area we are passing now is an industrial area.

It is a few metres past the main checkpoint. Apparently they use and

prepared for car bombs right here. It is quite a dangerous area. As I

move into the heart of Mosul, I feel the anxiety of the city. It

feels like a long time to our destination. We have just entered

the heavily fortified Green Zone, which is where the compound of the

Governor is. This area is protected by a high concrete walls and is

heavily guarded. Obviously you have to be an official to be able to

stay. Everyone else is out in the Red Zone. We are now inside the

Governor's Office. It is a waiting game now until he is ready to see

us. Now that we have arrived in town, we could be spotted, so our

clock is ticking. Downstairs, the man I am waiting for has arrived.

The governor, a Sony, is angry with the army, which answers to the

central government in Baghdad. Both the Government and the army are

predominantly Shia. TRANSLATION: We are always calling on them to leave

so that it -- so that the city goes back to the way it was before. So

that only the police are in charge of security. No another treat

civilians the same way they were treated by the American forces. --

not an army that treats. While I am there a group of builders arrived

to complain to the army about how she up army are treating protesters.

It is clear whether sympathies of He promises then many will take

action. I am surprised Heller pin he is about the split between him

and Baghdad. But he is frustrated that more than three years after

taking control back from the Americans these tensions can to new

to distract from rebuilding the city. -- continue. TRANSLATION:

When we were given back the city, most of the everyday activities had

stopped so it was crucial we get the civilians back to work. This is

On my way out, I try and taking as much as I can. Aside from

checkpoints, I also see a lot of cranes and building sites. In fact,

Prime Minister Leakey promised $100 million to rebuild the city. -- al-

Maliki. Everyone agrees it is a challenge are amongst all this

chaos. 1 minute things are fine and then the next... A car just

suddenly pulled up next to last and everyone suddenly felt very tense.

It was obviously nothing. Anything like that, you are busy on high

alert. Any kind of strange movement around it creates a bit of tension.

A world away from the tension and troubles in Mosul you would never

think that the place I have just experienced is the same place these

people call home. Having spent so much time with the Aldi -- Aviation

Club, I realise that despite losing so much, they have not lost

everything. They cannot escape the violence in their lives, but they

will not better define them. TRANSLATION: When I am flying in

the sky, it feels like my family are down below looking up at me,

seeing me as a shining star. It gives you an emotional high. Do you

find this attractive in a man when you see him fly? Very manly.You

like it in a man? TRANSLATION: It has taught me the love of giving to

other people. Some rare qualities, like courage and loyalty. In the

Flying Club, we are all one family. TRANSLATION: It has taught me

independence and self confidence without arrogance. There is a big

difference between the two. Berigan skills you, last of -- self

confidence motivates you and me to a better person. TRANSLATION: This

is a sport that makes men. It is damaged now? You're OK? Doubt there

you forget everything. Everything side, everything violent. All your

mind is on the flying. You feel you're free. It is for only the

boy's turn. His brother makes a few last-minute safety checks. He is

not worried. Are you ready? Yes. Ten may feel like a world away. It