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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Porn Boom |
| 2003-09-11 |
| EFL: Outside the cinemas on Saadoun Street, groups of men loiter round film posters of naked women, whose private parts are crudely super-imposed with underwear drawn in colored pen. Behind doors in Baghdad’s main movie strip, there is no such teasing. Barely a seat is empty as hundreds of men, most puffing cigarettes, sit in total silence and darkness to enjoy scenes of nudity and sex for 1,000 Iraqi dinars ($0.50) a time. I think this is a good thing. The fall of Saddam Hussein liberalised Iraq’s cinema industry overnight. Pornographic movies which had circulated only secretly before suddenly came into the open. The smuggling of films from abroad became overt importing. And demand has proved high despite Iraq’s With no Ministry of Information censorship department to get round any more, most Baghdad cinemas are now showing primarily "romantic" and "sexy" films as Iraqis euphemistically call soft- and hard-core movies respectively. So that’s what that Iraqi meant when he cheered; "Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy!". The open proliferation of mainly U.S. and European-made porno films, and the pavement posters advertising them, has shocked Iraq’s religious leaders. "I’m shocked at how popular these films are! I mean, I can’t hardly find a good seat anymore." They hope the novelty factor will wear off and a new Iraqi government -- which the postwar U.S.-led occupiers are struggling to get in place -- will re-impose restrictions such as age-limits for cinemas and a ban on nudity. I don’t think the Iraqi’s are going to give up their porn without a fight. Some among the majority Shi’ite Muslim community are already taking matters into their own hands. In the mainly Shi’ite south, for example, Basra’s three cinemas closed for two weeks after young men on motorbikes turned up warning that if they showed "sinful" movies they would be burned down. When they re-opened, sex was off the agenda and it was back to Arabic movies and U.S. action films -- the staple of prewar cinema bills. I think Iraq needs a good "protection" program, someone who can protect these theaters for a piece of the action. Faris Sami, who owns a shop selling films on CDs -- including a fair sprinkling of "romantic" and "sexy" films -- is worried about the corrupting effect on teenagers and would like to see some restrictions back. But he is relieved not to be running the same risks as before when he and his business partner would secretly sell sex films to trusted clients and friends. "Uday (Saddam’s son) had a big campaign a couple of years ago. They put my partner in jail for three months," Sami said in his Baghdad shop. "For them, everything was allowed. For the people, everything prohibited." Exactly. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #18 But they heard all of the women in the were JOOOOOOOOOS. Watch out for that sticky spot |
| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-9-11 11:27:04 PM |
| #17 "Hand-outs", and this is absoulely revolting, are basically runaway and homeless children rented out as sex slaves. I don't know fore sure if it's legal anywhere, but I do know it happens in Eastern Europe. This is also where alot of the internets Child Porn Industry comes from. |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-9-11 10:38:29 PM |
| #16 Makes much sense to me. One of the first things the East Germans did when the wall came down was to storm the porn shops in West Berlin. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-9-11 9:43:55 PM |
| #15 "Charles, I'd be extremely surprised if that sort of thing was legal anywhere in Europe, though I suppose the sexual age of consent will vary between countries, as it does for purchasing alcohol." I wonder if Aris or someone else could enlighten us as to why the EU wouldn't enforce a UNIFORM age of consent when it comes to issues such as this?!? |
| Posted by: Flaming Sword 2003-9-11 6:23:35 PM |
| #14 Charles, I'd be extremely surprised if that sort of thing was legal anywhere in Europe, though I suppose the sexual age of consent will vary between countries, as it does for purchasing alcohol. PS What's a 'handout'?! Katz, LOL what an image. Nope, I don't think they'd be wise to try that approach. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-11 6:06:20 PM |
| #13 When I first saw the headline for this article, I thought a porn shop had been boomed. |
| Posted by: Katz 2003-9-11 5:13:47 PM |
| #12 I'd be gaurding the porn theatres now. The radicalists will call it 'sinful' and try to blow it up. That is, if they aren't watching with the Iraqi's. Also, Europe does have the porn industry down. Child porn, that is. Not the pictures, but the movies and 'handouts'. I even hear it's LEGAL at some places over there. Disgusting, no? |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-9-11 2:49:41 PM |
| #11 Why does the phrase"Balls to the wall"come to mind? |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-9-11 2:38:40 PM |
| #10 Yeah, I agree that in principle it's a good idea, but in practice there are more important issues. It wouldn't be auspicious if Iraq's first re-democratization was "whether or not to ban or censor jazz-mags." Besides, give 'em more than a taste of freedom now, and they won't want to vote for restrictive government in the future. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-11 2:07:42 PM |
| #9 Bulldog - The benefit of letting them vote on it is like the benefit of letting a child touch a hot stove. All the men will hypocritically vote to get rid of porn (out of fear that Saddam and Allah are watching), and then six months later will be scratching their heads and saying, "S@#% - what was I thinking? I didn't know my ACTIONS would have CONSEQUENCES." And they'll hopefully remember the lesson when it comes time to choose between the pro-freedom president and the Koran-thumper. |
| Posted by: Sade 2003-9-11 1:31:59 PM |
| #8 LH >>> I agree with you, however, we both know damn well that the Imans and their thugs will just go into action. Even if Iraq does emerge into a middle eastern democracy, it'll just be a target for takeover both internally and externally. The rest of the muslim world will turn it's back on them and most likely sanction takeover attempts to "save" them from the evil western powers. |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-9-11 12:29:04 PM |
| #7 Hey, go easy on 'em, LH. These guys've been through a lot lately. If they think they need porn, they need porn. It's not hurting anyone, and the wimmin probably appreciate the leerier eyes being pointed elsewhere. Let them have porn, beer, teevee, the lot. Without censorship. They won't go to the dogs, they'll be thinking like Westerners in no time. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-11 11:59:33 AM |
| #6 what iraq needs isnt porn. and what Iraq needs isnt a crackdown on porn. What iraq needs is debate, argument, among Iraqis, about whether and how they should regulate porn. and when theyre done debating, let them vote. And IF they decide to censor, the censorship had pretty damn well follow legal procedures, with the opportunity to defend in court, etc. And folks who want to argue to loosen the censorship had better have the right to so argue. No Council of Guardians, thank you very much. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-9-11 11:29:18 AM |
| #5 Nah, all they need is for the Mafia to roll in and start charging Imans protection money on all the mosques. After all, it's a dangerous place and they wouldn't want any more "Holy Houses of the Mentally Deranged" (TM) to blow up now would they? |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-9-11 10:34:45 AM |
| #4 So, how did they get them in? Via Iran??? Kuwait, which was going over to Shari'a around 9/11/01? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-11 10:33:41 AM |
| #3 Well, when the alternative is the Mecca Cola culture, where the only publicly acknowledged sex is Uday raping your daughter, your apt to switch rather quickly. |
| Posted by: af 2003-9-11 10:06:19 AM |
| #2 And isn't it GREAT, Murat?!!! But I should inform you that Europe has porn down to an art the rest of the world can't compete with. If you don't believe me, take a trip to Amsterdam or Hamburg. Nowhere in the US (that I'm aware of) can compete. Only the whiskey and democracy left. Hell, the prioritization's up to them. Basra used to be renowned for its clubs and casinos. Looks like that may be true once again. And won't their neighbours hate it? |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-9-11 9:49:03 AM |
| #1 They get damn fast used to the coca cola culture indeed! |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-9-11 9:40:49 AM |