Finally freed from ISIS, this man celebrates his freedom by smoking – a lot
A majority of people think smoking is bad for the smoker and others, but it’s hard to not support Mohamed Ahmed Saleh’s smoking habit when you hear his reasons.
Saleh spoke with Rukmini Callimachi, a veteran reporter for the New York Times, in Badoosh, Iraq. As Callimachi got out of the car, Saleh asked her team for a light. Callimachi said she noticed at that point that several people were “wearing” cigarettes.
1. Yesterday, my team made it to the furthest point I've gone northwest of Mosul to the locality of Badoosh, where we interviewed residents: pic.twitter.com/N6m49qGf1d
2. I noticed that everywhere we went in Badoosh, residents were "wearing" packs of cigarettes, like this gentleman: pic.twitter.com/xFGBLU55up
She asked Saleh about it, who told her his his village near Badoosh was liberated from ISIS just 10 days ago. He said ISIS fighters would not allow people to smoke, so cigarettes became a symbol of freedom for them.
3. His name is Mohamed Ahmed Saleh, and he's a cow herder, and he asked my colleague to light his cigarette when we got out of the car: pic.twitter.com/KPUHoseaHi
4. His village near Badoosh was liberated 10 days ago & he launched into a diatribe about IS & how happy he is to be able to smoke again pic.twitter.com/DWELiETHAk
A brand called Akhtamar Classic was the only one that could be found in the territory after ISIS took over, and while a packet used to cost 750 dinars ($0.63), under ISIS, “it spiked to 20,000 or $17.” Saleh couldn’t afford that, so he had to pool his money with friends.
8. He couldn't afford $17. So he & 4 friends pooled money to buy 1 pack of 20 cigarettes. Here's how he broke them up 2 make them last:
9. He said he and his buddies used to go out with their cows into the fields and smoke covering their faces like this to reduce the smoke: pic.twitter.com/8OCixf8dnQ
10 Then they used to brush their teeth & spritz each other with perfume before heading back. At a checkpoint he said an ISIS guy sniffed him
When ISIS left, Saleh told Callimachi he chain-smoked four packs of cigarettes.
“I just like to walk around holding it in my hand because I can,” he said.
Other residents of the area told her a similar story. People under ISIS control near Mosul also lit up as the terrorists were driven out, according to prior New York Times reporting.
ISIS claims that smoking is not representative of Islam, and even severely punishes its own fighters for smoking, according to the International Business Times. The first a person is caught smoking they are subjected to 40 lashes, and following transgressions can include confinement, whipping or being placed in a “punishment camp.” Videos have also shown ISIS members punishing others for smoking by stomping on their heads.
Another young man around Badoosh told Callimachi that ISIS started with 20 lashes as punishment for smoking, but by the end they were “chopping fingers.”
14. ISIS punished smoking with 20 lashes. It was a punishment he could face, he said. By the end, he claims ISIS began chopping fingers
15. I've not seen that in ISIS media, but I heard it from 3 families in Badoosh. They claim ISIS chopped off the 2 fingers used to hold cig pic.twitter.com/WPcNqFMXrL
Saleh’s story, as told by Callimachi, inspired people on Twitter.
16. In all I interviewed 6 ppl who'd smoked in defiance of IS' ban. "I'm addicted," said 1. "But I also wanted to do it to show resistance." pic.twitter.com/dCP2owxJsn
@rcallimachi Amazingly touching. I too hate smoking but see the point. ISIS/et al cannot survive the strength of human spirit but oh, the sad road.
Smoking kills... But in ISIS territory there's a whole different meaning to that. Fantastic thread by @rcallimachi bit.ly/2oUrfyc
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