Iraqi porn dealer risks life to earn $10 (by selling 50 X-Rated DVDs)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

The pornographic video salesman is among many traders caught between two faces of the new Iraq, one liberated from the state censorship of Saddam Hussein, the other gripped by religious zeal. "I am scared but what else can I do? I tried lots of other jobs. I worked in a factory, but you just can't make any money in Iraq. It's the only way to support my son," he said on Wednesday.

---snip---

But like the tens of thousands signing up for the new, U.S. -trained police and army, selling pornography has become an especially high-risk profession in Iraq, where a religious Shi'ite-led government swept to power in January, raising fears in some quarters of an Islamic state modeled after Iran.

---snip---

The governmant says it is fighting police corruption. On Tuesday, porn video dealers attended the 40-day mourning ceremony for their slain 21-year-old colleague Amir. Gunmen killed him in broad daylight as he headed home, they said.

But it was business as usual on Wednesday in Bab al-Sharjee, where Abu Mustafa said 30 other dealers operate, despite the risks. He sells about 50 DVD videos a day, fetching a total of $10. But the goods are only offered to friends or long-time customers.

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-08-10T174548Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-212230-1.xml

[Kikosexy2]

1. Good to know..

that despite all the hell around them caused by Chimpie and Co., Iraqi men are still horny.

[Eloriel]

3. And willing to exploit women for their own gain. n/t

[StopTheMorans]

4. wow, a man in a war-torn country tries to make money by selling tapes

that deal with sex, and, as far as you know, consensual sex, and you're going to judge him. holy fucking high horse...

[Fenris]

5. You've hit on the greatest threat facing Iraqi women: PORNOGRAPHY!

It's not suicide bombers, firefights between insurgents and US and Iraqi soldiers, or even religious zealots that want to sujugate them.

It's a guy selling porn!

Jesus give it a fucking rest already.

[davidinalameda]

2. 50 for $10

that's a good deal