- UMM QASR, Iraq --
Somewhere inside a vast, sprawling U.S. prison compound near Baghdad, the
man known as Prisoner No. 152333 remembers the praise that the Americans
lavished on him just a few months ago.
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- He was the first mayor of the first civilian government
in postwar Iraq. He was a crucial voice of support to the foreign invaders
when they desperately needed local allies. The American army awarded him
a certificate for his "truly historic" assistance to the U.S.-led
coalition. It said his "leadership and dedication" were "an
inspiration to leaders throughout the world."
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- Today, Najim Abed Mahdi is a forgotten man. He is in
his fourth month of detention in a U.S. jail cell. His career as an English
teacher is ruined, his family has gone without income for three months.
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- The respected 53-year-old educator, widely known as Teacher
Najim in his hometown of Umm Qasr, is among thousands of prisoners in the
notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
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- No charges have been filed against him and he appears
to be the victim of a Kafkaesque ordeal that began when he was swept up
in a raid by American soldiers.
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- "I think it's a great injustice," said his
brother, Hassan Mahdi, a chemist at an oil refinery near Basra. "He
was a patriot who helped the coalition while the old regime was still in
power. We all want to know why he is still in prison."
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- After months of raids by American soldiers, more than
10,000 Iraqis are in U.S. custody in Iraq. Entire families, including children
as young as 11 and men as old as 75, have been swept into detention. Most
are denied the right to lawyers or trials. Many are believed to be innocent.
A recent U.S. review recommended that 963 of 1,166 detainees should be
released.
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- A year ago, Teacher Najim was the first community leader
in southern Iraq to give public support to the invading forces. When almost
everyone else was afraid to take sides, he had the courage to criticize
Saddam Hussein and give crucial help to the U.S.-led coalition when it
was struggling for legitimacy in the southern port city of Umm Qasr. When
the coalition needed a leader for its first civilian government, it turned
to him.
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- He led the government of Umm Qasr from early April until
the end of August. It was a stressful time. He worked 18 hours a day, seven
days a week, helping British troops rebuild the war-ravaged town.
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- Hussein loyalists tried to assassinate him. British troops
gave him an office in their military compound and an identity card that
described him as the "chairman of cabinet" in Umm Qasr.
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- In an interview with The Globe and Mail last year, Teacher
Najim talked of the challenges that faced him as mayor, saying: "My
most important aim is to make our people have a sense of freedom, to rebuild
a new life."
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- Certainly he impressed the British and American troops.
He was awarded a "certificate of achievement" for his "exceptional
service" to the U.S. Army's Civil Affairs brigade in Umm Qasr. "The
assistance you provided the coalition forces in rebuilding Umm Qasr is
truly historic," said the certificate, signed by Jeffrey Williams,
an army official.
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- Teacher Najim left the mayor's job last fall to return
to teaching. His wife, Iman al-Asadi, said he was disgusted by corruption
on the local council. Others said he was tired of interference by Islamic
militants.
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- A few weeks later, he took a part-time job with a U.S.
freight company that was opening an office in southern Iraq. In November
he made a business trip to Baghdad, where he stayed at a friend's home.
Shortly after arriving, on Nov. 26, he went to dinner at the home of his
friend's son-in-law, a former foreign ministry official in the Hussein
regime. U.S. troops raided the house and arrested all the men.
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- "Where else in the world could this happen?"
his wife asks.
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- "He was the first to work with the coalition, and
this is how they treat him. What is the difference between Saddam Hussein
and these people?"
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- The Umm Qasr council has appealed to the U.S. military,
pleading for Teacher Najim's release. Perhaps because it was uncertain
how to address the foreign occupiers, the appeal referred to the Americans
as "your highness." There was no response to the appeal.
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- © 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
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