Ghastly Abu Ghraib

Ghastly Abu Ghraib
by Jennifer King, Managing Editor

May 11, 2004

"The Heretical Housewife"

Managing Editor Jennifer King The Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad was, for many years, Ground Zero of Saddam’s torture regime. Dissidents were fed, feet first to prolong the agony, into human shredders. Perceived enemies of Saddam were pierced, hung from hooks and flayed - then thrown to their deaths in the pits below. Those unfortunate enough to still be alive were killed by guards who stomped on their necks. Abu Ghraib was the site where Saddam had opponents tortured by dipping various body parts in acid. He also had them set upon by ravenous dogs and sent their mangled remains - with his regards - back to their families in garbage bags. Nearby, at al-Hillah, some 15,000 bodies were buried, found with their hands still tied behind their backs and bullets lodged in their brains. A bit farther away, at Kirkuk, thousands more were thrown into pits, machine gunned and buried over with bulldozers. Mass graves containing the mute evidence of Saddam’s brutal sadism continue to be uncovered, and Iraqis continue to come forward with tales of horrific torture and missing relatives.

Yet, today cyberlink the words, “Abu Ghraib” and “torture” and you will get something quite different than Saddam Hussein’s killing chambers. Viewers around the world were recently treated to images of United States soldiers amidst humiliating images of Iraqi prisoners. One hooded Iraqi was shown connected to phony wires and standing on a box. Allegedly, he was told that if he moved off the box, the wires would detonate. There were several shots of nude Iraqis, some piled up and others allegedly depicting sexual acts. In one photo, a smiling woman guard is pointing at a hooded male prisoner who appears to be masturbating.

Predictably, these photos received wide coverage, followed shortly by various denunciations. Hassam Zaki, spokesman for Arab League chief Amr Mussa, stated, “We roundly denounce this mistreatment and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners. The U.S. should punish everyone involved in these savage acts.” Kofi Annan - providing more outrage than he has shown over the whole hideous “Oil for Graft” program - declared himself, “deeply disturbed”. Britain’s Daily Mirror, not to be outdone, the next day published photos of British soldiers hitting Iraqis with rifle butts and urinating on them. The veracity of these photos is in some doubt, but the American ones appear to be genuine.

That American MPs would act in such a manner is indeed reprehensible, although it should be mentioned that we do not know what manner of circumstance preceded the photographs. Let us not forget Rodney King and the selective clips played by the media which most arguably resulted in the 1992 L.A. riots. For example, alleged terrorists recently captured by Americans have been caught - while handcuffed - trying to chew through vital helicopter cables. And we have more than ample evidence of terrorist brutality - from Fallujah to Danny Pearl. People interested in what our real enemies are capable of are welcome to peruse the website at (www.abrahamic-faith.com). A strong stomach will be a necessity.

Nevertheless, the perpetrators of this humiliation should be punished and excoriated. Americans simply do not behave this way, regardless of the provocation. Denoting this prankish and juvenile behavior as “torture” is absurd, but American troops should know better. We have set ourselves to a higher mission, and our actions must be impeccable. Performing and then documenting these actions on tape, with apparent pride in said actions, is repugnant and reprehensible.

Furthermore, it should be easily discerned that these media bombshells will be useful weapons in the hands of our enemies. One can imagine the howls of delight in the halls of the Left - finally, further proof that John Kerry was right in 1971 and that American troops are a bunch of neo-imperialist baby killers. The American media are often willing accomplices who need little ammunition in order to perpetrate these myths. These soldiers have just handed them a whole arsenal full.

Likewise our friends on the vaunted “Arab Street”. The volatile young men of the Middle East need no further proof of the “Great Satan” than those “facts” our media cheerfully provides. One can imagine the Friday sermons in the days ahead. These MPs have given the mullahs further reasons to excuse the failures in their own dismal societies, by blaming the infrequent lapses in ours.

For these reasons - lack of compassion, poor judgment and an utter failure to uphold the American code - these soldiers should be tried and censured as the military deems fit. “Torture” they did not commit. For that, we have to go back to Saddam and his reign of terror. Our trained and professional American military put a stop to it, and for that the Iraqis - and indeed the world - should be grateful. Given our media’s selective outrage we should not be surprised when they are not. ***

Photo of Jennifer King courtesy of staff files