Muhammad as-Sahhaf
Muhammad as-Sahhaf ( Arabic محمد سعيد الصحاف, DMG Muḥammad Saʿīd aṣ-Ṣaḥḥāf , often also al-Sahhaf ; * July 30, 1940 in Hilla or Babylon , Iraq ), also called Baghdadi Bob or Comical Ali , was Foreign Minister and later Information Minister of Iraq under Saddam Hussein . He became famous during the third Gulf War . The main reason was his absurd and completely implausible propaganda statements .
Life
Sahhaf first followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a cigarette seller from Hilla. However, he only lasted a month behind the counter. He studied English language and literature. But he sympathized more and more with the revolutionary Ba'ath Party , which he finally joined. After the revolution of 1968 he rose to head of military broadcasting. Two years later he became director of Iraqi television. Even then, his brother-in-law remembers, he displayed a certain stubbornness and was kicked out of office again in 1972 because he would rather broadcast the final of a wrestling match than a military parade.
He was then sent in 1975 as ambassador to India and Burma, and in 1977 as Iraq's permanent ambassador to the UN in New York. He made a career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became Head of Department in 1980, Undersecretary of State in 1983, Ambassador to Sweden in 1985, Ambassador to Italy in 1987 and State Secretary in 1990. Finally he was appointed Foreign Minister by Saddam Hussein in 1992 to succeed Tariq Aziz . He gave this post to Naji Sabri in 2001 . Then began the activity for which he became known - he became Minister of Information.
During times of war, Muhammad as-Sahhaf proclaimed the alleged superiority of the Iraqi army in regular press releases, glossed over and invented war successes. At the same time he suppressed real land gains and successes of the US troops . Due to the exaggerated way in which he did this, he developed more and more into a kind of comic figure in the course of the war, which was also reflected in the press - especially in the form of caricatures. His portrayals finally brought him his own fan base in the West, and he got nicknames like “Comical Ali” (parodistically based on Chemical Ali ) or, more rarely, in a German version “Lügen Ali”. In America he was also jokingly called "Baghdad Bob".
In particular, its held before the assembled public press release that are engaging US - soldiers ended in the face of superior numbers of Iraqi troops at the gates of Baghdad en masse their lives through suicide , caused a general amusement. In fact, US forces were reaching the outskirts of Baghdad at the same time, and the end of Saddam Hussein's administration was only a matter of hours. While Sahhaf was still talking about having finally repulsed and crushed the American troops, the noise of the battle could already be heard in the background. It was reported that even President George W. Bush watched the Sahhaf press conference on television with interest. Even when American tanks could be seen in the background during an interview in the open, Sahhaf said: "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never! We are winning this war, and we will win the war. This is for sure."
A short time later he went into hiding. On June 24, 2003, he faced the US troops. He was interrogated but was soon released because he was not on the list of most wanted people in Iraq .
In 2005 as-Sahhaf was on the air again on "Abu Dhabi TV". He now lives with his family in the United Arab Emirates and is writing his memoir .
Web links
- “Fantasy rhetoric ” on rhetorik.ch
- Among other things, a small film about Sahaf and an assessment not only aimed at this ( Memento from December 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- extensive satire with quotes, photos, etc.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Rulers.org: Sahhaf, Muhammad Saeed (Kazim) al-
- ↑ a b c d Republic of Iraq - Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Curriculum Vitae of Mohammed Said K. Al-Sahaf ( Memento of March 9, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ New York Times - Eyes Wide Shut
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sahhaf, Muhammad as- |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | محمد سعيد الصحاف; Muḥammad Saʿīd as-Saḥḥāf |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Iraqi politician, Iraqi Minister of Information |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 30, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hilla |