12/15/2003: Father Saddam textbook page

[Undertoad]

Another one from an Iraqi blogger, this time Iraq At a Glance, published from Baghdad.

These days Iraqi schoolchildren are taught using the same textbooks they had before; they just tear out all the pages referencing Saddam. Most of them, that is. Iraqi blogger Ays found this page (translated, obviously) still in the book of his friend's ten-year-old brother. From Ays' blog entry:

My friend’s brother is ten years old, his parents said that he didn’t let anyone tear Saddam’s pictures from his books! Saying 'no, no, I love Baba Saddam' with a fear look at his eyes (which was certainly acquired from his parents). Anyhow, when we carefully examine such things, we can say that those pictures with the influence of the press and broadcasting could be dangerous things affecting on Iraqi children.

How could it not be? Ays goes on:

I can assure that a large proportion of children in Iraq hate Kuwait and Iran ..why?? because 'Uncle Saddam' said that they were our enemies. So we must start a new education plan to teach our children how to make friendships with all the good people, all the religion and all the countries, and forget the wars, terror and fear.

I love the children and I am worried about their life, they are our men and women in the future, so when we educate them well, let them live in boon and make them feel safe, I am sure that they will continue building our country , raising up their children on the same morals and make good relations with others, I mean prosperous Iraq will be built.

I feel humbled to see wisdom like this and the will to make their world a better place. The wisdom and the hope are beautiful beyond words.

I am reminded of (regular Cellarite) warch's steadfast belief in Mister Rogers, so deep that she could not believe that sitting close to the cracked television tube could hurt her. What if your own personal Mister Rogers turned out to be Saddam Hussein?

To infect the children like this is a horror. Seeing it makes me understand the current confusion a little bit more.

And that is also the importance of yesterday's (capture) images. Hopefully, for some children and some adults, those images of Saddam will replace the images in the textbooks.