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Muqtada al-Sadr brand Merchadise in Najaf (could be sad for Sadr)
EFL - If this report is right Sadr may be on the road to perdition - Iraqi styleIF HIS merchandising sales are any indication of his popularity, the United States army may have its work cut out removing Muqtada al-Sadr... No shop, business or street corner is without a poster of him in classic finger-wagging pose. And across the markets around town, a thriving trade is being done in Sadr memorabilia for all occasions. "The watches with his face are $10 (£5.64) each, and the keyrings and the medallions 1,000 dinars (£1,891) - weâve sold lots of them since [Sadr] started his uprising," said stall-holder Hamid Jassem, holding up what looked at first glance like a Sadr beer mat. "These circular photos do well, too - you can put them on your desk, your mantelpiece or your television." The only drawback to having oneâs face displayed everywhere is that in Iraq it is generally no guarantee of affection. Saddam Hussein appeared on posters, watches and even the money, yet in Najaf, like just about everywhere else, he was universally despised. ..[an intimidated local says] "If you complain about him, you will get his men coming round to your house to question you. That is why everybody puts his picture in their shops." Another flashback to the old days comes in the form of the al-Mehdi army "minders" who now chaperone all journalists. [where does Sadr get the $ to fund all these lackeys - Iran, local shakedowns?] They are not officially compulsory, but going without one carries the risk of being held at gunpoint by Sadrâs militia and questioned as a spy. this might imply that Sadr (aka Badr) will self destruct soon or might imply that he will torture the Najafites for quite a while - depending on how the $ flow in and how the locals react-- suppose for example Sadr had one of his lackeys bump off a local non cooperative Iman or two. Posted by: mhw 2004-04-26 |
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