Issues In Perspective with Dr. Jim Eckman

There is perhaps no better evidence of Saddam Hussein=s demented mind than the Mother of All Battles Mosque, a recently opened in Baghdad. It is a vast, newly constructed edifice of gleaming white limestone and blue mosaic that Saddam oversaw from blueprint to completion. Each aspect of the mosque illustrates Saddam=s egomania and his attempt to rewrite the history of the 1991 Gulf War, which he called the Mother of All Battles. It is a piece of propaganda, aimed at his mortal enemy--the United States. Nearly every aspect of the mosque symbolizes something.

· First, the minarets. The outer four, each 140 feet high, were built to resemble the barrels of Kalashnikov rifles, pointing skyward. The inner four, each 120 feet high, are in the form of Scud missiles of the kind Iraq fired at Israel in 1991 during the War. At their peak, these inner minarets are decorated with red, white and black Iraqi flags.

· Second, a special sanctum inside the mosque contains 650 pages of the Koran written in Saddam=s blood. Official legend has it that he donated 28 liters of his blood (50 pints) over two years and that a famous calligrapher, Abas al-baghdadhi, mixed it with red ink and preservatives to produce the handsome calligraphy now laid out page by page in glass-walled display cases.

· Third, there is a reflecting pool that encircles the mosque and is shaped like the map of the Arab world. At the far end, a blue mosaic plinth sits like an island in the clear water. The plinth is a reproduction of Saddam=s thumbprint and atop is a stylized reproduction, in gold, of his Arabic initials.

In a country where millions live in abject poverty on $10 to $13 a month, this mosque costs at least $7.5 million. From this mosque and others he is building, Saddam has set out to make Baghdad the undisputed center of Islamic architecture. For example, a few miles from the Mother of All Battles Mosque, are two others being built that will dwarf it. Over five times the size, one of them will be known as the Mosque of Saddam the Great and will be completed in 2015. The message that Saddam is sending is that he is the natural leader of the Arab world.

From the Mother of All Battles Mosque, Saddam wants Iraqis to view the Gulf War as another glorious chapter in their history. The Gulf War in Saddam=s eyes was a victory. Hence the Kalashnikov rifles and Scud missiles as minarets. Also, his egomania is evidenced in other aspects of the Mosque. The outer minarets are 43 meters in height, for the 43 days of American bombing at the start of the Gulf War. The inner minarets, 37 meters in height, for the year 1937; numbering 4, for the fourth month, April; and 28 waterjets in the pool beneath the minarets, for the 28th day--37-4-28, for 28 April 1937, Saddam=s birthday.

In short, Saddam=s mosque in Baghdad is a poignant testimony to his egomania and his distorted view of history. His architecture is propaganda, the propaganda of a man who has delusions of grandeur, which are destroying his people. In many ways, he sees himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar, who once dominated the entire Fertile Crescent. Saddam will never dominate that much territory. In fact, 2003 will probably see the end of his reign. In feeding his egomania, he is really destroying his country. He is a tragic figure of modern history.

See the most helpful article by John F. Burns, The New York Times (15 December 2002).