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...
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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

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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