If you ever see Saddam and his pals on TV they are either wearing Business suits, or Army uniforms and berets. This strikes me as odd, and it differs from other Mid-east leaders, e.g. Saudi’s, Palestinians, etc.
Anybody know why this would be so?
Both the government and the general society of Iraq seem to be much more secular than many other countries in the region, so many there may choose practicality, comfort or fashion over tradition.
Do Palestinian leaders wear very traditional clothing? Other than the scarf (sorry, I don’t know the proper name for it) he always wears on his head, I don’t recall ever seeing Arafat wear anything but Westen-style suits or military garb.
Saddam’s dress doesn’t differ from many of his neighbors. The leaders of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, and Pakistan wear western style clothing and have for many years. The Shah of Iran did, too.
Leaders of various countries may were national dress on formal occasions, but the regular wearing of national dress, when not generaly worn by the population on a day-to-day basis, would usually be symbolic of e.g. an affirmation of local culture and a rejection of foreign, usually western, culture.
The governing ideology in Iraq is, however, basically secular and western, and in this context the conspicuous wearing of national dress would make little sense.
Of the countries mentioned in msgotrocks’ post, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran are not Arab countries and their national dress would not be typically Arab. Nobody in Turkey wears a distinctive national dress and, while distinctive dress is common in Pakistan and Iraq, it is also not unsual to see public and government figures wearing it in preference to Western dress.
The reason Iraqi leaders, and most leaders of non western countries, do wear western dress is because western countreies dominate international politics.
They where the suits and stuff mainly when in the international eye; when they know the whold world will be waching. They want to be seen in a faverable light by the countries dominate world economy, and politics.
There was the memorable sceen of the Emperor of Japan signing the armstice ending WWII. He was not in the coustom of wearing western garb before this event. Trying to look a little more favorable in the eyes of the countries that handed him ths defeat, he ware a suit. Unfortunatly he wore a stove pipe top hat and siut that was about 50 years out dated! And wound up looking a liitle wierd anyway.
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- As I read it, the reason that some Arab countries’ leaders wear western dress is to show that the church does not rule their country, they do. For a brief period early in his rule, Iraq and Hussein were seen as possible US allies simply because Saddam refused to let the Islamic church politics run the country. - How good of a Muslim he really is we cannot say, but you may have seen that Saddam does become quite the follower of Allah when he needs to “identify with the people” and there’s photographers around…
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- As I read it, the reason that some Arab countries’ leaders wear western dress is to show that the church does not rule their country, they do. For a brief period early in his rule, Iraq and Hussein were seen as possible US allies simply because Saddam refused to let the Islamic church politics run the country. - How good of a Muslim he really is we cannot say, but you may have seen that Saddam does become quite the follower of Allah when he needs to “identify with the people” and there’s photographers around…
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Couple of misconceptions here.
1 There is no Islamic church.
2 The attitude of the US to Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with his attitude to Islam and everything to do with his attitude to Iran.
3 It is true that in recent years he has attempted to reposition himself and his regime in a slightly more Islamic way, and that this has more to do with garnering support (or, at least, less vigorous oppostion) from certain quarters at home and in the wider Arab world. Allowing for the different cultural milieu, I think it’s similar to US politicians invoking God or courting religious denominations. It doesn’t make Iran an Islamic state any more than it makes the US a Christian state.
Yes, Iraq is secular and does not see western clothing (of this sort) as odd. Compare with Iran, where a sort of Perisan Mao suit is de rigeur.
You are describing late 19C/turn-of-the-century formal wear. Basically, a “morning suit”, as worn awkwardly to this day (rented) by proud fathers at weddings in the US, UK etc. It was adopted in Japan over 100 years ago as “modern” when the country was westernizing like crazy. Japanese politicians and royalty still wear the top-hat-and-tails garb for very formal occasions, and I think it is worn in the emperor’s court. Though foreign, it has become a part of Japanese culture.
Because wearing one makes Saddam feel pretty. 