Free Iraqis Pimp Their Rides
Subtle? No.
Tasteful? Er, not really.
Refined? Nope.
Utterly Awesome? Absolutely!
These are conflicted times for Baghdad’s tightknit community of car-heads.
The fall of Saddam Hussein has enabled them to create their dream rides like never before. Hussein’s notorious son Uday and his cronies personally controlled all car imports into Iraq. Uday was also a car freak known for on-the-spot confiscations of any vehicle that caught his fancy.
The end of the Hussein era opened Iraq’s borders to an unrestrained flow of new and used cars, along with exotic parts and Western car magazines. The MTV show “Pimp My Ride” is now a popular feature on Arabic satellite television; Bilal Hussein, the Mustang driver who dreams of flaming mufflers, is a big fan.
But the dictator’s ouster also unleashed a new era of Baghdad lawlessness that makes owning a head-turning ride a dangerous hobby. In addition to the threat from roving gangs of opportunistic carjackers, there are armed fundamentalists, both Sunni and Shiite, who might view an overly showy car as sinfully extravagant.
“We have the Mahdi Army on one side, Al Qaeda on the other side, thieves everywhere, and we’re caught in the middle,” said Hussein, who also sticks to safer streets.
From what I know of gearhead culture, it’s pro-innovation and pro-freedom. It’s the very antithesis of totalitarian oppression, so this is a great development. I’m pleased to see many of these guys are buying and working up American cars, too. Good luck to them.
Great reporting here from the L.A. Times, and a good use of their Iraq bureau. It tells me about a subculture I had no idea existed. It doesn’t sugarcoat the dangerous situation these guys face, but it’s not a politicized whinefest either.
___________
{Post by See-Dubya}
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Hey, maybe they’ll do the Baghdad 500 next.
So it wasn’t about oil, it was about pimping their rides?
Maybe we should have never gone into Iraq!!!!!
The beauty of a country’s freedom is people being left to their own vices and devices, as long as no one else’s life, liberty, and property are harmed. The fact that Iraq now has a free society will certainly open themselves up to outside influences, both good and bad, is actually a good thing. All it takes is self-restraint and self-discipline to deal with any problems that come their way.
Come to think of it, Americans could use a little of that as well.
Damn See-Dubya, ya ruined my boycott of the L.A. times.
What’s especially cool is that they only pay about 40 cents per gallon! Talk about solving Detroit’s headaches! Think of all the SUVs that could be put to good use burning all that cheap oil!
all American cars =D
i agree see-dub…totally awesome.
wait, that BMW looked like a mustang.
not saying much for BMW…
Hopefully the environmentalist won’t get their hands on them any time soon.
Two American cars (i.e. Mustang and Probe)
Great find see-dubya! Keep em coming!
Just think…a whole new spare parts market for the Ebayers!
Now when bikini clad girls show up on the cover of an Iraqi car mag, we can put that “Mission Accomplished” banner back up.
(Seriously, I love freedom and innovation – especially in the face of adversity.)
So, that’s where all that polyester fabric went.
I couldn’t agree more. Freedom is a wonderful thing and AMERICA leads the way to that freedom. Too bad liberals will never get that simple concept. Maybe freedom to “pimp” my ride can be an ice breaker. Liberals are the untimate pimps.
.oO think I will play “America the Beautiful” one more time.
Iran, before a crackdown recently, had a budding video game community not much unlike our own that were buying American games like Counterstrike and World of Warcraft. Unfortunately the imams shut them down (in a “you will cease doing this or we kill you” sense) and the subculture has gone underground. But it was inspiring to see a young generation of computer gamers who when interviewed absolutely loved American video games and culture and could care less what their oppresive government wants or says.
So this article was nice gem to read, I hope these gearheads in Iraq can continue their new-found freedom.
This is the kind of thing we need to hear about more often!! Freedom means having FUN, too!
Please tell me that isn’t the same Bilal Hussein who was the AP stringer.
He is the one in the center of the photograph with the Mustang.
Totally awesome! Nifty rides > 4.7 million displaced Iraqis since 2003.
Grunt–I did a double take too, but no, they’re different. Here’s another shot of Mustang Bilal.
And here’s Associated (with terrorists) Press’s Bilal.
I wonder if they would trade a tank of gas for a pair of fuzzy dice?
well don’t you just have a Jamesian sick soul?
We must stop this right now. Those Iraqi ride pimpers are contributing to global warming, and we have to make sure they’re all back to ye merry old camel carts and donkey-pulled wagons before it dooms us all!!!!!
/sarc off
Awesome! Now, if they can just some restored classic cars over there (muscles cars are my fav!!!!)…then i’ll be completely happy
Holy Crap! Quick! Stop people from being free, or enjoying simple pleasures in life, because there was strife and lots and lots of violence there!!! We can’t have people being HAPPY, now can we?!?!?!
MAKE THE HORRIBLE FREEDOM AND ENJOYMENT STOP RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!
/sarc off
Ugh. Red State, get a life man. Or a hobby.
Or, both.
Hmm no mention of high gas prices. I wonder if that is because they drill their own, and refine their own? I bet it ain’t $4 a gallon either.
Oh just for the lefties who want to snark on my snark in about 6 more months Iraq probably will be safer then any large metro area in America so yeah maybe I will go.
This is cool and all, and I’m glad to see it, but these pictures of the race are from 2005! Why is this news now?!
I’m seeing 5-6 cents per gallon but those number seem to be from a couple of years ago. I can’t seem to find anything current to which to link. Hmmm? It has to be out there. Regardless, if the 5-6 cents a couple of years ago is at all accurate, that beat the heck out of what we were paying then.
Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.
Methinks some snooty Democrat is trying to figure out how Iraqis can also be Rednecks. ‘Cause only red state white trash race around in souped up cars killing the planet. Next thing you know, we’ll read an article about Iraqis going huntin’ and joining the NRA.
Red State Skeptic #17, man its Independence Day eve. Where’s your patriotism? At least honor the troops for their sacrifice. How about:
Over 4100 American soldiers have died, so Iraqis could pimp their ride
So,
“The end of the Hussein era opened Iraq’s borders to an unrestrained flow of new and used cars, along with exotic parts and Western car magazines.”
Anyone doing title searches on those cars? Sounds like some of these roadsters could be real “hot” rods.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/16/america/16cars.php
http://wbipi.blogspot.com/2006/10/muslim-used-car-scam-is-new-updated.html
We need to go over and teach them boys about real muscle…1970 Hemi Cuda’s and Boss 429’s. Those guys are a ray of hope in the strangest way.
Only a liberal whack job would compare stolen cars (and I can tell you who majoritively steals cars here in Phoenix, hint they aren’t in the country legally) being used as car bombs in Iraq with an Iraqi who bought his parts with the freedoms he didn’t have previously and has to dodge militias and thieves to keep his car from being stolen or destroyed himself.
But then again I never claimed that people like you ever listened to their conscience.
alaskangrizzly #31
“an Iraqi who bought his parts with the freedoms he didn’t have previously”
Buying on freedoms, is that like buying on credit? My bank doesn’t offer Iraqi Freedom Loans. Can you tell me where I can get one?
AK, you know as much about the origins of those cars as you do about me and my conscience.
That BMW coulda been made in Greenville, SC
/just sayin…
First step: enlist in the military… yes I know this is unthinkable for a liberal like you but go with me here.
Second step: pick a profession like the infantry (no bias or anything because I was one) that garuntees you get sent to Iraq in the near future.
Third step: kill a few islamic terrorists who will try to kill you on a regular basis.
Fourth step: stop by Bilal Hussein’s shop and help him build a new hotrod that he couldn’t build prior to Saddam being overthrown and allow him to thank you and the freedoms your country represents.
/profit
The eviromentalist and other such lefties are too cowardly to go to Iraq
When I was deployed to Afghanistan there were two guys in Kabul that owned Hummers. Everytime I drove by them I thought, “You go!”
Of course, get some moonbats over there and they’ll be screaming about the environment.
Thanks Red State Skeptic. Thanks les. It’s not a party until you two show up.
Ummmm let me guess. Both were repossessed?
Men and their cars.
In Iraq.
Alright!
Bilal Hussein. Where did I hear that name before? Let’s see if one of AP stringers can help us out.
Sounds like life in some of our major cities. Own a real “head-turning ride”, and expect joy-riders or chop shops to look it over.
So where do they buy one of those bobblehead mohammeds for the back window?
Or at least a bitchin ‘68 Roadrunner with a 383 and dual quads under the hood.
Holy buckets waltere….I HAD one of those in my grasp until my dad KO’d it because he thought I would kill myself with it. He was right…thank goodness….otherwise I would not be posting here today.
Now I have a 70 Mach 1 with a Hi-Po 351C that makes me pee my pants when I jump it…(ok…ain’t a hemi-cuda or a 429…but hey…I’m old, fat and bald now)
I also have a 10 year old son and 6 year old daughter who think that car is the bomb. What fun we have…
We must end their freedom to drive what they want! How dare they do what they want to their cars with so little concern for the environment.
/moonbat off
We should be getting all the oil we want from these people for free. Instead we are excited that they are driving American cars while we have to park ours in the garage because of the high cost of gas… humans are one dumb universal bunch.