In The Name Of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Islamic City Bulletin - March 21, 2003 - Muharram 18, 1424

While observing the current "Shock and Awe" Show Down in Iraq, one may wonder if the Spanish Monarchy, the current ally to the U.S. government, has coached the American War Hawkers in the thrilling art of bullfighting.

A lot of bullfights are organized as charitable events. This philanthropic aspect makes it somewhat easier to pay for the show and justify its inhumanity.

To ready the bull for the ring it is often handicapped - although this is officially illegal but that is a minor technicality. One of the tactics used is to smear Vaseline in the eyes of the bull to blur its vision.

In 1991, the bull - Iraq - is prepared for the ring. Ms. April Gillespie, the US Ambassador to Iraq, rubs Vaseline in the Iraqi regime's eyes by assuring Saddam that the US does not interfere in regional disputes of other countries. The game is now ready to begin and the Iraqi beast is ready to let loose in the Kuwaiti coliseum.

After the bull is prepared for the showdown the bullfight consists of three stages. In the first stage, the matador taunts the bull, making it furious and livid. When the bull charges it is stabbed repeatedly.

Our handsome and elegant US matador enters the ring displaying his shining weapons. The fight managers have studied the behavior of this Iraqi bull and know very well how the bull reacts to different incitement. The cycle of sardonic taunting is started and as the bull reacts the stabs of "Desert Strom" are delivered. The bleeding bull wimpishly retreats to his corner.

"We are in the process of destroying an entire society. It is as simple and terrifying as that. It is illegal and immoral."

Denis Halliday, after resigning as first UN Assistant Secretary General and Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq. October 1998

The second stage is the longest part of the bullfight where the bull is worn down with deep penetrating spears thrown into the bull's back. The blades of these spears continue to carve and dig into the bulls back throughout the fight, causing bleeding and tissue damage.

Between 1991 - 2003, the spears of sanctions and routine bombings of the no-fly zones wear out the Iraqi beast. This second phase of the fight leaves a bleeding infrastructure and Half a Million Iraqi children as part of the tissue damage that the Iraqi bull sustains. Former Secretary of State, Madam Madeline Albright cheers this stage and says, "this was worth it".

In the third and final stage and in the midst of the sounds of bellowing trumpets and roars of spectators, the matador goes for the kill. He stabs the bull between the shoulder blades. He aims for the bull's vital organs, often missing, leaving the bull to agonize and near death. Often, the bull does not completely succumb. It retains consciousness, even as the matador and his team begin carving off pieces of the bull for distribution as trophies.

In our ring with the Iraqi bull, the final stage is now set. Among the roaring trumpets of US corporate media, Construction bidders, Oil giants, and exhilarated war supporting spectators it is time to go for the kill. Our razor smart bombs may not always hit the vital organs of Iraq but instead, hit parts of the body that will be much more agonizing. But that's OK - it is all part of the SHOW. We know our winning trophy is secure.

The bullfight purports to be a battle to the death in which either participant, bull or matador may die. In reality, the bull never has a chance to win, and the bullfight is only a cruel spectacle of chauvinistic dominance.