Writer Criticizes Pervasive Corruption in Post-Occupation Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Writer Mahir es-Saffar has criticized the systemic corruption that has permeated all levels of the Iraqi state in the two decades following the occupation, noting the plunder of billions of dollars in public resources. Drawing comparisons to literary figures such as Robin Hood, Arsène Lupin, and figures from Arab heritage like Urve bin el-Verd, Ali Zeybek, and Ahmed ed-Denif, es-Saffar argues that Iraq has failed to produce a single "honorable thief" who redistributes stolen wealth to the poor. Es-Saffar stated that those in power have seized the people's means of subsistence, leaving no legacy of resistance or aid for the impoverished in the public memory. Calling for solidarity with the homeless and the poor, the author asserted that current corrupt officials will be remembered in Iraqi history for their ignominy and that their fortunes will eventually vanish.