Les Jones

News > Iraqi Cultural Differences

Via Roger L. Simon I found this link to Rantingprofs, which published a letter from a U.S. Lieutenant in Baghdad. It's mostly about relations between the miltary and the media, but one section is especially fascinating.

When taking the word of an Iraqi it is important to consider the education level of the man and his ability to understand his world around him. Many soldiers believe all Iraqis are outright liars but I believe they simply misinterpret the things they see. Most Iraqis never progress beyong what we would consider a 6th grade education. They have no knowledge of physics or geometry (which explains why they can't hit 5 story buildings with mortars) and they have no history besides that which the Ba'ath party taught (I have seen text books with my own eyes that claim Saddam discovered flight).

Many Iraqis in Jisr-Diyala believed American food gave us X-Ray vision and that we had mechanical enhancements implanted in our bodies. Many Iraqis believe our helicopters can see through rooftops into houses. In Iraqi basic training, soldiers were taught to defeat "the electromagnetic shields on the Abrahms tank by wrapping RPG rounds with wet socks."

Given that 80% of Iraqis are about as intellectually and emotionally developed as an American 6th grader, we must be very careful in trusting the average Iraqi's "eye-witness testimony." (AN ASIDE: Shortly after Ramadan and before Christmas I had a contracted Iraqi employee swear to me on Allah and his mother's life and all that was holy that the date was about Feb. 15. The conversation originated with him claiming he hadn't been paid his monthly wage. It ended when I learned he had no idea what day it was or when he was supposed to be paid. My pay records clearly had his signature showing he was paid only two week ago.)