Baghdad struggles over banned books
By Uthman al-Mukhtar
FALLUJAH - Abdullah al-Dulaimi named his book after an ancient Arabic proverb
and pitched its fiery message at the United States and its Iraqi allies.
He said his 200-page polemic, entitled What Is Taken By Force Must Be Retrieved
By Force, discussed "the necessity of fighting the Americans and
punishing those who co-operate with them, from politicians to civil servants
and translators".
The book was finished a year ago but has yet to make it to market. Established
publishers did not touch it, Dulaimi said, because they feared it would land
them in trouble with the authorities. "They assume I'm calling for violence and
extremism," he said.
A university-educated mathematician in his mid-forties, he denied
encouraging terrorism, insisting he was merely being realistic. "The invaders
would never think of leaving this country unless there is resistance ... The
political process is a complete failure," he said.
Dulaimi said he was turned away by more than 32 publishers, even though he had
offered to pay from his own pocket for the print run.
The publishers may also have been put off by Dulaimi's failure to secure a
permit from the Culture Ministry - a legal prerequisite for all new books in
Iraq, indicating that they have been officially declared free of content that
is immoral, seditious or liable to incite violence and sectarian hatred.
Yet Dulaimi's dream of seeing his work in print is about to come true. A press
in his native Anbar province has agreed to produce his book clandestinely.
"I have found a lifeboat," he said. Praising the "cheap price, excellent design
and quality paper" offered by the press, he said copies of his book would soon
be available in shops throughout Anbar.
He also has an eye on the foreign market, namely nearby countries such as
Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. "I am sure my book will be praised
there," he said.
Legacy of insurgency
Police estimate there are at least 13 printing presses publishing illegal
materials in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar, a former stronghold of
Sunni Arab insurgents influenced by al-Qaeda. Officials say the illicit books
often promote the dangerous ideology of militant groups trying to regroup in
the region.
Recent months have seen rising unrest in Anbar. Security officials have warned
that the Awakening, a tribal militia funded by the US military and the Iraqi
government, is facing a fresh challenge from the insurgents it was fostered to
fight.
"Illegal books are not a form of free expression," said Fawzi al-Malhami, the
official in charge of overseeing publications at a branch of the Culture
Ministry in Fallujah, a major Anbar town and former insurgent stronghold.
"Some of the books are as dangerous as TNT," he said, referring to a chemical
compound commonly used in explosives.
Mohammed al-Obaidy, an Anbar police sergeant, compared the printers operating
illegally to criminals involved in kidnapping or narcotics. He said his team
was trying to track down printers and authors, most of whom used pseudonyms, in
the hope that they would lead to insurgent networks.
"Armed groups pay for the books because of the importance of media in Sunni
areas," he said.
According to Obaidy, a recent raid on an insurgent's house near Fallujah had
led to the discovery of more than 100 illicit books on "extremism and
violence", stored alongside ammunition.
"The insurgent confessed to distributing the books among those whom he believed
shared his ideas," Obaidy said.
Another Anbar police official, Lieutenant Jawad Saadi, said illicit presses had
spread throughout the province in the days when it was a stronghold for
militants. While it was no longer clear who funded the trade, he believed most
of the books were paid for individually by authors, or through donations.
Market forces
In shops across the province, books produced outside the law can be identified
by their sensational names and by the absence of any address for the printing
house. Typical titles include: Iraq's Invasion Paves the Way for the Destruction
of Jerusalem; The Proportion of Jews in the American Army; and Mosques
Against the Occupation.
Such texts stand in sharp contrast to books that have been printed
legitimately, which typically address social or religious themes. Popular
titles in this category include: How to Raise the Iraqi Child in a Changed
Environment; 1000 Questions for the Iraqi Family; and Civilized
Islam.
The owner of an old bookstore in a rundown Fallujah district said he chose his
stock according to demand.
"We buy books that have provocative, attractive titles," said the owner, who
asked not to be identified. "They are sold by middlemen who tour Anbar in small
trucks. We stock what we think works for the market, regardless of the author
or publisher."
According to Nabeel Khalid, owner of a bookstore in Ramadi, capital of Anbar
province, the illegal books typically attract men between the ages of 18 and
40.
"They are usually extremists who have lost a family member or friend and are
looking for something that matches their mood," he said.
Khalid maintained that the most popular illicit books dealt with themes such as
religion, armed struggle, the torture of women prisoners and abuses by the
American military.
Among the books produced legitimately, he said the bestsellers were academic
textbooks and travel guides offering tips on emigration.
Luay Salim, a 19-year-old man in Ramadi, said he had recently bought an illicit
book documenting the memories of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi jail at the
center of an infamous abuse scandal involving American guards several years
ago.
"I also bought a book that shows the American blueprint for Iraq's future," he
said. "Such books teach me things that the government and the Americans do not
want us to know."
Amir Abd, a 28-year-old, said he freely bought legitimate and illicit books. He
was careful to distinguish between them, he said, because as a business student
he could be penalized for citing texts printed without official sanction.
The printer's story
The illicit books are usually shoddily printed on Chinese or Iranian paper,
though some presses are able to produce better quality work.
Books sold with official approval are also often of poor quality. However, they
typically cost more than the illegal books because of the need to recoup taxes
and distribution costs.
A printer will typically charge five million Iraqi dinars (US$4,000) to produce
1,000 copies that do not have official approval. Such books tend to be sold at
cost price - roughly 5,000 dinars per copy. The producers do not need to pay
taxes, while distribution takes place through informal networks, keeping costs
down.
Mainstream religious leaders have criticized printers operating outside the
law.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Ali, a prominent cleric in Fallujah, likened those who
printed books by anonymous authors to "lumbermen who chopped trees by night".
"They do not know the difference between good and bad wood, or in this case,
good and bad books," he said.
The owner of a press producing illicit literature in Anbar, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said his livelihood depended on his German-built
printing machine.
He said he had bought the machine more than four years ago with a view to
starting a legitimate publishing business. However, competition from other
printers and the promise of higher profits had driven his operation
underground.
The printer said he now made good money from authors whose books had been
refused by other publishers and from customers who came to him in a hurry,
seeking a quick turnaround and low prices.
Nervous of being detected by the police, he had taken several precautions. He
only took orders for controversial books from customers who had been introduced
by trusted middlemen. Visitors to his workshop were received via a discreet
back door, rather than from the main entrance.
The printer distanced himself from the inflammatory content of some of the
books, saying "he had no power over the people who bought or read them".
Pointing to a recent product of his press, a book urging Iraqis to pay a
religious tax to insurgents, he said, "This could have been printed
unofficially anywhere inside Iraq or abroad.
"Anyone who writes such a book knows beforehand that he cannot get official
approval for printing it."
Authorities struggling
Malhami, the official in charge of publications at the Ministry of Culture in
Fallujah, said a body of government experts had been tasked with vetting the
content of new books.
"Books that are not approved should not be published unless offending passages
have been removed," he said.
He admitted, however, that the authorities were struggling to keep tabs on the
illegal book industry, as the security forces were preoccupied with battling
insurgents. Malhami urged the police to work more closely with the Culture
Ministry in the crackdown on the trade.
Insurgent propaganda may be the most poisonous product of the illicit presses,
according to the authorities, but it is not the only threat.
Among the guides to bomb-making and the exhortations to armed struggle lining
Anbar's bookshelves are also texts considered too salacious for public
consumption.
"Some of the books invite youth to be more relaxed regarding sex, and others
contain inappropriate poetry or stories," said Malhami, criticizing printers
for "advocating social and ethical decay".
Several publications also malign prominent tribes and leaders, seemingly to
settle local scores. A recent book described a tribe involved in the Awakening
as the "shoe used by the Americans to pass through the Iraqi swamp".
The diverse interests driving the market for illicit books could make it very
hard to eradicate. Amjad Saadi, a 33-year-old student from Ramadi, said he
sought them out because he believed information should be freely available in a
free society. He argued that curbs on the trade were pointless.
"Even if the presses were shut down, we still have the Internet," he said. "We
can get anything we want online."
Uthman al-Mukhtar is an IWPR-trained journalist in Fallujah.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
