Iraqis mock politicians over stained sofa in rare show of unity
Iraq’s political elite has made itself the butt of a nationwide joke — over a stained white couch. The social media meme “My couch, my honour” went viral among Iraqis after thousands of protesters stormed the ‘Green Zone’ on Saturday and occupied parliament. In the wake of the protests, photographs of the prime minister and speaker […]Erika Solomon writes for Financial Times:
Iraq’s political elite has made itself the butt of a nationwide joke — over a stained white couch.
The social media meme “My couch, my honour” went viral among Iraqis after thousands of protesters stormed the ‘Green Zone’ on Saturday and occupied parliament. In the wake of the protests, photographs of the prime minister and speaker of parliament staring solemnly at a white couch littered with a few water bottles and what appeared to be a smear of blood has prompted an explosion of mocking humour.
Hundreds have taken to Twitter and Facebook, posting images of themselves staring at their couches with concern. Some wept over their couches, others prayed over them.
“My couch is gone, and with it went the honour of my country,” Omar al-Iraqi posted on his Twitter page, with a photograph of a man staring at a chequered sofa.
The jokes — which are also a sarcastic jab at politicians who described the protests as “encroachment on the honour of the state” — have fostered a rare sense of unity that crosses the sectarian divisions usually separating Iraqis.
