Definitions

I see I need to add a post with a definition...

We have these little shacks on base where local vendors come in to sell stuff. These are 'haji-marts'.

The Haj is the pilgrimmage to Mecca, and it's incumbent upon all good muslims to make the journey at least once in their lives. Rich people may do it yearly. The term of respect for someone who has made the trip is to pre-pend "Haj" to their name, and collectively they are known as "Haji".

It's also become a slang term among the Coalition for any Arab. Not quite a racial slur- just a kind of short-hand. The Iraqi guys we work with even call these places haji-marts when they're speaking in Arabic.