KARBALA MODE: INAUGURAL EDITION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 001118 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SOCI PREL IR IZ SUBJECT: KARBALA MODE: INAUGURAL EDITION This is a PRT Karbala Reporting Cable (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified; handle accordingly. Not for distribution on the Internet. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Karbala Mode is a vehicle for capturing observations and anecdotes about life in the "world Shi'a capital" that otherwise might not be reported. In this inaugural edition, we ponder Persian pills, hear from "the Mahdi" and his friend, learn why taking credit for good deeds is not always advisable, and see how the Iranians offend local sensibilities at a trade fair. End Summary. The Ecstasy and the Agony -------------- ¶2. (SBU) We regularly receive reports of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) arresting persons involved in the illicit drug trade in Karbala Province. In early April, for example, the ISF announced that it had taken 150 alleged local dealers into custody. Knowledgeable contacts say that the most widely available contraband substance here is Ecstasy, which is smuggled in pill form from Iran. Most users reportedly are under- and un-employed male youths who are too secular to seek solace in religion and too jaded to find life without drugs anything but agonizing. "The Mahdi" is on the Phone... -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Entertainment options here may be limited, but Karbalans' creativity and sense of humor are not. Cell-phone cameras are the medium of choice for locals seeking to poke fun at their own society. Clips depicting real and bogus ISF interrogations of hapless rubes currently are all the rage among phone-film cognoscenti. One (probably staged) example viewed by PRT officers recently showed a pudgy, bearded man with kohl-rimmed eyes claiming to be the Mahdi handcuffed to a chair while being taunted by the person (apparently a police officer) holding the phone. "If you're the Mahdi, why don't you set yourself free?" the interrogator asks as the detainee squirms and shouts imprecations. Inasmuch as cell phones, particularly those with cameras, are expensive and thus more likely to be in the possession of those with means, such clips suggest that lampooning the ignorance of common folk may be as popular a pastime among secular elites in Karbala as it is in Washington. ...and on the Couch -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The followers of extremist Karbala imam Mahmoud al-Hasani al-Sarkhi are considered a credulous cult by the chattering classes here. A well-to-do business owner underscored this perception when he related the following tale to PRT members several days ago: Sarkhi was seated on a couch in his study and called his servant to bring two glasses of tea. The servant asked why two glasses, when Sarkhi was by himself, to which the imam replied that the Mahdi -- whom the servant, because of his low level of spiritual development, could not see -- was seated next to him. Ecstatic, the servant asked whether he could kiss the Mahdi's hand or the hem of his gown, to which Sarkhi curtly replied "no" and shooed him away to bring the drinks. Once the tea was served, Sarkhi closed the doors to his study and proceeded to drink both glasses. He then summoned the servant to remove the empties. When the latter, upon arriving, asked whether the Mahdi had enjoyed his tea, the imam replied yes. He then stated that the guest had departed, and -- proffering a 10,000-dinar note -- said "he left this for you." Modesty is the Best Policy -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Some of our contacts, worried that Iran may be stealing a march on the PRT in terms of public recognition for reconstruction efforts here, have urged us to make a greater effort at publicizing our (much larger) contributions Qgreater effort at publicizing our (much larger) contributions to Karbalans' welfare. Leaders in Tehran, they claim, insist that a "gift of Iran" placard be attached to anything donated by the Islamic Republic, even to small items such as water-coolers. The more religiously inclined among our friends here, however, have a different take. They regard Iran's actions as self-aggrandizing, and -- while acknowledging that it can be helpful for Iraqis to know about America's good deeds -- insist that the important thing is for God to know. They cite a Qur'anic verse encapsulating their perspective: "To be charitable in public is good, but to give alms to the poor in private is better and will atone for some of your sins. God has knowledge of all your actions." Trade Fair Faux Pas -------------- ¶6. (SBU) On March 10, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Hasan Kadhumi Qomi inaugurated an Iranian trade and industrial fair in Karbala with 150 participating Iranian companies. According to locals, who described attendance at the five-day event as light, many of the items on display were manufactured goods: Farm equipment, tires, pumps and hand BAGHDAD 00001118 002 OF 002 tools. Foodstuffs such as pistachios and cooking oils also were shown, as were home and decorative items, including carpets, linens, furniture and mirrors. Displays ran toward the garish, with red-white-and-green bunting, Iranian flags, gilt-framed posters of Ayatollah Khomeini and blaring Persian music throughout. There were no direct sales; Iranian officials evidently intended the fair to be more of a &political presence" event. Bizarrely, according to a woman Provincial Council (PC) member who attended the fair's opening, a plough producer used what appeared to be either real or mock-up Katyusha rockets to decorate its booth. She said it was not clear whether the company wished to show that it also makes the rockets or to identify its wares with presumed symbols of Iranian technical prowess. Either way, the PC member commented, the rockets' presence was extremely offensive to Karbalans, whose memories of the deaths of many of their husbands, brothers and sons in Iraq's long (1980-88) and bloody war with Iran remain raw. HILL