EDITORIAL: A Helping Hand for Iraqis

EDITORIAL: A Helping Hand for Iraqis - 2004-05-30. What you read here is the official view of the U.S. government. Nizar Joudi wrote to his wife from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq one night before his right hand was to be amputated: 'God willing, God will replace my hand with an even better one.' It was 1995. The corruption and extravagance of Saddam Hussein had destroyed Iraq's economy, and the regime needed a scapegoat. Mr. Joudi and other Iraqi businessmen were tried in a 30-minute session for using foreign currency. Their severed hands were delivered to Saddam Hussein by order. Today, seven of those men have regained their hands thanks to the efforts of concerned Americans. Doctors in Houston, Texas, connected prosthetic hands that function largely like natural hands to their arms. President Bush welcomed the Iraqis at the White House and said, 'I am honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen whose hand was cut off by Saddam Hussein along with the hands of six others. They are examples of the dictator's cruelty.' A plastic surgeon in Houston removed the black crosses that had been tattooed on the foreheads of the Iraqis by Saddam's jailers. One victim, Basim Al-Fahdi, said many other Iraqi prisoners endured worse fates. He said, 'We were the lucky ones. Thirty thousand were handed over to the executioners in Abu Ghraib.' The Iraqi secret police recorded the amputations on video. Iraqi journalists obtained a copy of the tape and gave it to Dan North, an American journalist. North made a documentary about the suffering of prisoners in Saddam Hussein's jails. This film drew the attention of Marvin Zindler, the news director of Houston television, to the difficult situation of the Iraqis. He worked to raise funds for prosthetic hands for the seven Iraqi men and other expenses, securing private donations from medical facilities, transportation owners, and hotels. Salah Zainad, one of the recipients of a prosthetic hand, is grateful for what goes beyond just a hand. He said, 'We have freedom in Iraq now. We can say whatever we want. Under Saddam, we whispered.' In response to a question about the mistreatment of American soldiers at Abu Ghraib, Mr. Zainad said, 'The Americans who committed such acts will be punished. Under Saddam, such mistreatment was rewarded.'