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Iraq
Forbidden vices and voices flourish in Baghdad
2003-04-29
When the Atlas Cinema last showed Blue Chill, people screamed: "Yes! Yes!" every time the actors began kissing, only to see the scratched reel jump to the next scene. Yesterday, they sat in awed silence as naked couples writhed on screen.
"The movie is much more beautiful now, because there's sex," said a beaming Mohammed Taher, 18. Since Saturday, when the theatre reopened with a freshly uncensored version of the low-budget American flick, he has seen Blue Chill three times.
Baghdad has gone through a revolution in the past three weeks, casting off decades of censorship and state control with shock and awe. Banned books, satellite dishes and video CDs are now sold on the street — as are alcohol and women.
Nobody knows how long the permissiveness will last. Many Baghdadis believe that once a new government is in place, some of their freedoms will disappear. [...]
Teenagers gape at Christina Aguilera's navel via brand-new satellite dishes illegal under Saddam.
Young lovers smooch in roadside cars, hidden behind tinted windows that were banned by Saddam because they prevented police from spying on motorists.
Prostitutes walk the streets in some neighbourhoods, beckoning passing motorists.
Bookworms excitedly leaf through political histories that could have gotten them tortured in years gone by.
Shiite Muslim religious leaders watch grainy video images of ceremonies from neighbouring Syria, banned for years out of fear that clerics might challenge Saddam for Iraqis' loyalties.
"Before, everything was forbidden except the air," said Mohammed Jabbar. "Now, we don't have electricity, we don't have water, but we are free."
Sahad Hashim, manager of the Atlas Cinema, couldn't be more delighted. Because of the lawlessness, he closes at 3 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. But he's still selling 800 tickets a day — double his pre-war box office.
Under Saddam, Hashim cut sexy scenes from his movies to conform to Information Ministry orders. When the Americans took over, he simply spliced them back in.
As well as once-banned videos and books, Amstel beer and Jack Daniel's whiskey are sold on street corners, In recent years, alcohol was forbidden from public places.
Posted by:True German Ally

#1  Democracy.....workin' on it, but looks promising.
Whiskey......check!
Sexy.....check!
Posted by: Baba Yaga   2003-04-29 21:11:29  

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