So, on to Dhuluaiyah then.
The wrinkled old man sprays perfume around the sparse, dingy room, then holds out his hands and feet and instructs one of his visitors to tie him up, knot the cloth three times and blow on it. The lights die and small red flashes go off beneath the black cloak that covers a bowl of magic powders and water. The visitors feel pokes and jabs and things fluttering over their heads in the darkness — "birds," the wizard says. Water splashes from the bowl. The genies have arrived, and the questions begin.Posted by Alan at August 16, 2003 01:05 PMWill Saddam be found? A genie answers in the old man's voice: "Yes." Dead or alive? "Dead." And the $25 million question: Where is he? "Dhuluaiyah," he says. Dhuluaiyah is a village 55 miles north of Baghdad.
Thousands of magicians, fortunetellers and faith healers make up a huge world of Iraqi spirituality that thrives despite being considered by many Muslims to be sinful. But this man is different. He was Saddam's own sorcerer, and therefore, for Iraqis, his visions of the dictator's demise carry special weight.