More translated documents have been posted from the captured files of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, and one in particular contains a revealing look at the dictator himself. A speech handwritten by Saddam Hussein, apparently for the dedication of the Mother Of All Battles Mosque in May 2002, paints the picture of a man who wants to almost deify himself in the eyes of his people. For the occasion, he penned a paean to ... his moustache. No, I'm not kidding; here it is in its entirety (ellipsis in the original):

Arabs, including you, across their long history, have made their mustaches a symbol of their commitment and a mark of their willingness to bear the responsibility of their sex; as the uniqueness of the mustache was a duty of men alone, in all that glorifies family, people, and nation…

God has blessed us, and in us, he has blessed our mustaches, as well as any mustache jealous for his nation, his homeland, and his people, in the many and various duels that have become such that many of them seem a fantasy, rather than real actions against Iraq, which emerged proud and hale, with God’s will. The enemy has failed, as was God’s will also, to twist the courage of the people of Iraq, and the mustaches of Iraq’s good men,
including my mustache, the leader in hard times of strife, as in the times of building and virtue, and glory… from my mustache come these hairs.

Today, as I bequeath these hairs of my mustache to you, at the Umm-al-Ma`arik (TC: the Mother of All Battles) Mosque, I want you to remember the values that I have bequeathed to you. My history is part of your virtuous deeds, and your greatest of labors. I bequeath them to you to follow their example, and to retain the meanings that they hold, after putting your faith in the one almighty God, the able, the eternal, whenever a foreigner tries to force his way against your protection and values, or deviates from the path of honor, dignity, faith, and glory; the path of the people, and of the nation. Protect the hairs of this mustache with your protection of Iraq. Aid it with honor, and with the dignity of your nation and faith. God is Great… God is Great…God is Great.

This should prove that these documents are authentic. No one could make this up. This comes from document ISGP-2003-00014647, page 48 and 49.

Please note that I am placing all of the posts regarding these document translations into a new category, Saddam's Documents. I'll be reviewing more as the weekend progresses.

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Me And My Moustache:

» Protect the Hairs of this Mustache! from Dangerous Dan
CQ found this gem among the captured Iraqi documents that have been declassified and translated.  It's a speech Saddam wrote for the dedication of a mosque in 2002.  It's about his mustache.  Excerpts: God has blessed us, and in us, he has blessed o... [Read More]

Tracked on July 14, 2006 11:50 PM