Did I make up hearing a report a couple months ago that an American general in Iraq tried get Iraqi men to stop holding hands when they walked down the street and to quit kissing (which I suppose means kissing on the cheek as a greeting like many men do around the world)…
Just curious…
Have a good one…
Nope, never heard of it. I sort of doubt it.
There was a briefing book of some sort put out before the first gulf war that discussed how it was customary for Arab men to hold hands and kiss, and that this does not mean that they are “queer.” Presumably something similar was prepared for this war and presumably generals would have read it. The gay press would certainly have picked up on such a report and there has been nothing recently in the gay press that matches.
I’ve seen the 1942-43 US Army guidebooks for soldiers going to Iran and North Africa; both specifically made the point that Arab men may be seen holding hands, and that this should not be construed as their being “queer” (the word that the booklets used, incidentally).
Both booklets also offered the advice: “Never offer a Muslim pork, even in fun.”
Ah! Found my “Pocket Guide to North Africa,” published War and Navy Departments in 1942. Nicely done, and I imagine (at least I fervently hope) that there is an equivalent given to servicefolk going to the Middle East today.
Some quotes:
“If offered either drink [tea or coffee] by a native host, you should not refuse it or throw away any part of it. The polite thing is to accept three cups if they are offered, but under no circumstances to accept a fourth. To drink less than three is considered as ill-bred as to take more than that.”
You will also see Moslems [sic] smoking a herb which they call keef. It is a variety of Indian hemp, the powdered leaf of which is known in our country as marihuana. It makes the smoker careless and talkative, and is habit-forming and produces rapid moral deterioration in the smoker."
“When invited to a meal, you should sit on the floor with the rest. After grace (Bismillah) is said, you wait for the host to dip into the food before making your move. Eat only with the right hand; Moslems never use the left in partaking of food because that hand is used exclusively in attending to a call of nature.”
"DON’T enter mosques. Smoke or spit somewhere else–never in front of a mosque.
Don’t refer to the people as heathens; they are very religious.
Be kind and considerate to servants. The Moslems are very democratic.
Avoid any expression of race prejudice. The Moslems draw no color line."
And finally:
“We need the friendship of these people. We need their willing cooperation in maintaining ourselves in their country and we may require their active help in the fight against the common enemy. To be deserving of it, we must treat them with respect and dignity. Not to do so may make the difference between success and failure in the great undertakings now facing you and your fellow Americans.”