Lynddie’s Smile

Of all the photographs of the Iraq sex scandal it is perhaps the one that shows a female private holding an Iraqi man on leash that leaves us seething. Pictures of sexual humiliation and torture - pyramids of naked Iraqi men, simulation of sodomy and fellatio, able-bodied men cowering as dogs snarl at them - all pale in the face of the message in this image. An image that shot Lynddie England, the young soldier with a Mona Lisa smile to instant infamy. And now jail.

Torture by the military, sexual or otherwise, is nothing new. Some of it is validated by law, to extract information or debrief. But these images push the envelope a little too far. So much so, that Bush was compelled to issue a statement that went, "These acts were wrong...Torture is wrong, no matter where it occurs." How staid. What a contrast to the fire and brimstone of "We’ll smoke ’em out". Or, the haughty swagger of, "If you’re not with us, you’re with them". Further, as a damage control measure the CIA stopped using interrogation techniques like, ’stress positions’, sleep deprivation, denial of pain medication etc. Things that in no way address the issue of the blatant sexual outrage that happened at Al Garaib.

As time passed, more such pictures and happenings came to light. Some Afghans spoke up about similar experiences. But nothing can match the sense of shame and degradation that Lynddie’s picture inspires. That it touched Arab sentiment to the core is well borne out by the fact that a street-play in Jordan used this image. It is significant because other than Saudi Arabia it is Jordan that has been America’s ally in this so-called war against terrorism.

But what is it that made this image so powerful? A number of factors, all of which contribute to driving home the point that the Iraqis are a powerless and dominated people. For one, the picture equates the Iraqi with a dog. It’s common knowledge that Muslims consider dogs to be unclean and unholy. Two, a woman and that too, a white woman holds the leash. In an absolutely male-oriented society like the Arab there can be nothing more degrading than being under the power and control of a woman. It’s castrating, to say the least. Three, it denotes subservience. For a people who are fiercely independent, who for centuries have never been subject to foreign domination this is a severe blow to their self-esteem. Four, being photographed. Humiliation in itself is bad but a photographic record of such a state robs the victim of all sense of privacy. Pain, suffering, shame are up for public consumption. Five, lack of touch. In none of the pictures do we see the Americans touching, or establishing any physical contact with the prisoners whilst subjecting them to such degrading sexual humiliation. The Iraqis exist as a dirty, sub-human species unfit to be touched.

And finally, Lynddie’s smile. Inscrutable. Is she feeling proud, happy, victorious? Difficult to say. But what can’t be denied is the element of pleasure. We don’t smile when we are unhappy. Whatever be the mystery behind her smile it sure shows that she is not uncomfortable with her situation. The picture’s power, its ability to arouse a sense of injustice and anger, lies in the smile. There is a detached quality about it. It conveys to the viewer that Lynddie and the larger group participating in such acts attach no shame or stigma to them.

There’s something pathological about her ability to smile. Apparently while deposing in court later she just couldn’t stop smiling. True, she tried to hide it but smile she did. (Of course, the three-year prison sentence wiped it out.) The pathology of the smile can very well be an outcome of military training which is aimed at de-humanising. For example, basic target practice uses the cut-out of a human head instead of a bull’s eye, whilst the instructor shouts, "Shoot your enemy." To kill in the army one needs to be inhuman. Killing for a cause, money, passion, revenge, etc. has a personal element. But the soldier is denied any personal, emotional investment. He is programmed to kill without any feelings and believe he’s doing a service to the nation. This view finds corroboration in popular films that portray the soldier as a patriot. Further, sentiments like yearning for home and children, loneliness, difficulties of everyday living, etc. heighten the idea of selflessness. Unfortunately such eulogising disregards the dark side of the army. Something that is brought home by the chilling smile.

Lynddie’s smile gives expression to the neurotic element in the soldier’s mindset. Military training dehumanises the enemy by reducing it to a faceless mass waiting to be eliminated. This, coupled with the absence of societal and familial mores leads civility being replaced by brutality. In dehumanising the enemy the army dehumanises itself too. Thus, Lynddie reduces the Iraqi to a dog but in the process she reduces herself to a de-humanised entity, a being incapable of any feelings. In other words, Lynddie is just a product of the strategies that have gone into military training. In fact, secretly the US Army must be happy with itself for having created such a perfect instrument of war.

Sad that she won’t be hailed by her creators but there could be a silver lining. Lyddie England, the high-priestess of Al-Garaib, the temple of sadism, could very well be cheered by the Iraqi resistance. She along with her colleagues have done them a major service. Together, they have aroused a deep sense of outrage by upsetting Arab self-esteem and their highly valued notions of maleness and virility. It’s a secret anger. The repercussions would naturally be secret. Today, Iraqi resistance’s kidnappings and killings are condemned in the Arab and Islamic world. But this is routine stuff and carries as much weight as America penalizing a handful soldiers.