PRESS PACK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Annsley Rosner 212-782-9740

arosner@randomhouse.com

US Title: ESCAPE FROM SADDAM The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Journey

to Freedom

By Lewis Alsamari Praise for ESCAPE FROM SADDAM:

“For Alsamari . . . real life had already proved dramatic and terrifying, as this gripping memoir wastes no time in conveying. . . . The increasingly breathless account—filled with the best and worst of human

actions—comes across in vivid and telling scenes spanning Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, and the U.K. Alsamari’s moving personal story is representative of a more general plight, which, as broached in an eloquent

and thoughtful epilogue, has only grown more complex after 9/11.” —Publishers Weekly

“A hair-raising and sensitively wrought tale of an Iraqi soldier who deserted Saddam Hussein’s army in the early 1990s and headed to England to claim political asylum. . . . A sharply delineated personal

account charged with great emotional power.” —Kirkus

In 1987, twelve-year-old Lewis Alsamari accompanied his father to

Saddam Hussein’s Iraq on what was supposed to be a one-month

vacation. Six years later, Lewis was still trapped in Iraq and at the age of

eighteen, was conscripted into Hussein’s army. In ESCAPE FROM

SADDAM: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Journey to

Freedom (Crown; March 25, 2009), Lewis tells of his escape from Hussein’s brutal regime

and how he risked his life to return to the Middle East to save his family. While in Hussein’s

army, Lewis immediately goes through the brutal training period, accomplished through

regular beatings and torture by drill sergeants. While he dreams of desertion, he knows the

punishments all too well: at best, mutilation, at worst, lined up against a wall and shot at

point blank. Though Lewis succeeds in his training and is offered a prestigious posting,

working for military intelligence, he cannot stomach the thought of being a cog in the wheel

of a system he despises. With the help of his family he arranges to make the difficult

crossing into Jordan. His escape is fraught with peril: he is shot in the leg escaping his

military compound and must make his way across the desert alone, at night, pursued by

hungry wolves.

Having escaped to Jordan, Alsamari's trials are just beginning, as he finds himself in a

strange country with only a few dollars in his pocket. He begins planning and saving for his

next move: making it to England, where he can claim political asylum. Again, his journey is

a perilous one, as he buys fake passports, travels under assumed names, and is nearly stopped

by suspicious officials along the way. If he is caught before entering England, he will be

deported to Iraq—and if that happens, he’s as good as dead.

Finally in England, Lewis is, against all odds, able to find a well-paying job and starts going

to school and building a life for himself. He falls in love with a woman, and soon the two are

married. But then shocking news arrives: Lewis’ mother, brother, and sister, left behind in

Iraq, are being punished for his escape—interrogated and beaten by the same military

intelligence he was expected to serve, and left to rot in Abu Ghraib prison (while Lewis’

estranged father—who Lewis despises—has remained untouched thanks to his connections in

the regime). Frantic with guilt as he hears of his family’s brutal treatment, Lewis sets out to

steal the money he needs to buy their release from prison. Then he must risk everything he’s

accomplished, embarking on a dangerous journey to bring them out of Iraq to freedom.

ESCAPE FROM SADDAM is simultaneously an edge-of-your-seat true story and a unique

window into life under Hussein’s rule.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lewis Alsamari is an actor best known for his role as the lead hijacker in the award-winning film United 93 and the new Paul Greengrass movie ‘ Green Zone’ alongside Matt Damon. He lives in London.

ESCAPE FROM SADDAM by Lewis Alsamari

Crown * Publication date: March 18, 2009 * ISBN-13: 978-0-307-39401-9 * Price: $24.95 * 320 pages

Produto: JT - SPVARIEDADES - 8 - 22/06/09 8D - CYANMAGENTAAMARELOPRETO

TIROAOALVO

DIVULG

AÇÃO

DocaosnoIraqueàfamanaInglaterra

‘SecontinuassecomSaddamHussein,eujáestariamorto’FERNANDABRAMBILLAfernanda.brambilla@grupoestado.com.br

O ex-soldado Sarmed Al-Samar-rai fugiu do exÈ rcito iraquiano deSaddam Hussein, enfrentou lo-bos famintos para cruzar o deser-to, levou um tiro na perna e seagarrou a um carro para chegarclandestinamente‡ vizinhaJord‚ -nia. Com passaporte falso, seguiupara a Mal· sia atÈ , enfim, chegar‡ Inglaterra,ondepediuasilopolÌ -tico.SÛ issoj· dariaum filme, masahistÛ ria continua. Na Inglaterra,soubequeafamÌ liasofriarepres· -lias dos iraquianos por causa desua fuga. Sem dinheiro para ë res-gatarí os parentes da tirania dosHussein, desviou dinheiro de umbancoepagoualtoparaqueagen-tes ë traficassemí sua famÌ lia paraoOcidente. Adotou assim o nomede Lewis Alsamari, virou ator decinema e agora transformou a vi-dano livroFuga doIraque (Ed.La-rousse do Brasil, R$ 55). Curiosa-mente, seu principal trabalho co-mo ator foi no papel de um terro-rista no filme Voo United 93(2006), sobre os atentados de 11de setembro. O prÛ ximo projetodele: levar sua histÛ ria ao cinema.Oroteiro,comosevÍ , j· est· pron-to. Por telefone, da Inglaterra,Lewis falou com exclusividade aoJT na ˙ ltima quarta-feira.

VocÍ imagina como seria sua vi-da hoje se n„ o tivesse fugido?Francamente? Eu estaria morto.Se continuasse no exÈ rcito, te-riam me levado para a inteligÍ n-cia. Acho que eu atÈ conseguiriauma boa patente, mas com a que-dadoregime(em2003), memata-riam. Isso se algum oficial n„ o meassassinasse antes. O que as pes-soas precisam entender È que eun„ o tive escolha. Eu precisava fu-gir. As pessoas que trabalhavampara Saddam s„ o t„ o perigosasquanto os lobos que eu enfrenteino deserto. Saddam explorava to-do mundo como se fossem obje-tos.Quandon„ otinhammaisfun-Á „ o,osdescartava.N„ oaceiteimesubmeter a ele.

Com o fim da era Bush, vocÍ est·mais esperanÁ oso em relaÁ „ o aofuturo do Iraque?Estoumuitootimistacomogover-no Obama, vejo como ele est· seaproximando do Oriente MÈ dio eissome anima.TambÈ m È um no-vocomeÁ oparaopovoiraquiano.SÛ sefalanoladonegativodainva-s„ o dos Estados Unidos no Ira-que,masfoisÛ assimquenoslivra-mos da brutalidade de Saddam.Sen„ ofosseisso,ficarÌ amosestag-nados,fechadosparaomundopa-ra sempre, atendendo apenas ‡ svontades de um ditador. Quandoeu tivesse 90 anos, veria um Ira-queigualzinho. … umrenascimen-to para o paÌ s.

Hoje vocÍ atende por Lewis Alsa-

mari. Por que o nome ocidental?Comecei a usar Lewis no meu tra-balho, no est dio. Quando obtiveminhacidadania,meconvencideque essa seria minha nova identi-dade.Est· nomeupassaportebri-t‚ nico: Lewis. … meu nome agora.

Oqueolevouaexporsuavidaemum livro?O que est· no livro È 100% verda-deiro.N„ oinventeinada,nom· xi-moalgumaslocalidades,porsegu-ranÁ a. AlÈ m de ser o relato de umsobrevivente, È um retrato positi-vo do povo iraquiano. As pessoasn„ o devem confundir o governode um paÌ s com o seu povo.

O que espera passar aos leitoresde seu livro?… uma histÛ ria feliz, com um finalfeliz, ent„ o n„ o deve ser lamenta-da, mas celebrada. AlÈ m disso, Èreal tambÈ m a participaÁ „ o depessoas desconhecidas, que meajudaram, e que sem elas n„ o te-ria conseguido escapar. O povoiraquiano È amistoso, hospitalei-ro. Somos assim: se conhecemosalguÈ m, levamos para dentro danossa casa e lhe damos comida.

Sua famÌ lia ainda est· com vocÍna Inglaterra?Minha famÌ lia se adaptou ‡ Ingla-terra e aqui vivemos felizes. N„ oestamos mais na mesma casa,mas somos muito unidos, maisdo que antes. Meus irm„ os estu-dam e È gratificante ver como mi-nha m„ e est· feliz. Ela parece terrenascido,agoracomoumaeuro-peia. Parece outra pessoa.

Seu pai, com quem vocÍ nuncasedeubem,foiumdosrespons· -veis por sua entrada no exÈ rcito.VocÍ j· se reconciliou com ele?A ˙ ltima vez em que estive no Ira-que foi em 1994. Meu pai mora l·com sua outra famÌ lia (È separadoda m„ e de Lewis) e est· muitodoente.Estou me preparando pa-ra voltar para l· no fim do ano pa-ra cuidar dele. H· muito n„ o nosfalamoseestoudispostoaperdo· -lo,masparaissoacontecerelepre-cisa reconhecer o que fez e o qu„ ograve foi o exÈ rcito para mim.

QuandovocÍ selembrade tudooque passou, h· algo do que se ar-repende?… claro que, se pudesse escolher,n„ o teria roubado um banco parapagar a fuga da minha famÌ lia. Seeutivessemaistempo,teriajunta-do dinheiro com meu trabalho,mas eu n„ o tive essa escolha.

Qual È a sua situaÁ „ o jurÌ dica?Apesardeojulgamentotermeab-solvido (o juiz optou por uma pe-na mÌ nima pelo desvio do dinhei-ro do banco, e ele n„ o foi preso), euescrevi uma carta ao banco e medispus a pagar o que devia. Elesme enviaram um comunicado di-zendoqueoassuntohaviasidoen-

cerradoeacontahaviasidoesque-cida. Hoje tenho dupla nacionali-dade, brit‚ nica e iraquiana. N„ ome esquecerei do sofrimento daminha famÌ lia por me acobertar(m„ e, tio e irm„ os de Lewis foramtorturados e passaram um tempona temida pris„ o iraquiana deAbu Ghraib), mas isso È passado.Minha m„ e mal fala sobre isso.

VocÍ j· consegue dormir?H· cerca de dois anos parei de to-marremÈ dioseagoraconsigodor-mir a noite toda sem precisar de-les, mas ainda acontece de euacordar desesperado, com susto.As crises de ˙ lcera passaram, masainda tenho ataques de p‚ nico ‡ svezes. Ainda me sinto desconfor-t· vel perto de alguÈ m de unifor-me. Muitas vezes me forÁ o a meaproximar de um policial na rua eperguntarqualquercoisa,umadi-reÁ „ o ou a hora, para aos poucosir vencendo esse medo.

Como È a sua vida hoje?Tenho 33 anos e agora quero cur-tiravida,recuperarotempoperdi-do com tanto sofrimento. Tenhomeus amigos, saÌ mos para nos di-vertir. Mais para frente, penso emformar a minha famÌ lia e morarcom ela aqui na Inglaterra.

O que o levou a aceitar o papel deumdosterroristasqueparticipa-ram do atentado de 11 de setem-bro no filme ë Voo United 93í?Admito que no inÌ cio tive muitoreceiodeaceitaroconviteesÛ pu-deaceitar depoisdemeencontrarcom o diretor, Paul Greengrass.Eleme deu seguranÁ a. … claro queminhas origens iraquianas pesa-ram na escolha e quase me fize-ram desistir, mas me encorajou achance de, tambÈ m por ser quemsou, interpretar de forma realista.N„ o compartilho dos ideais da-queles homens, mas compreen-domelhordoquemuitagente.Es-tousatisfeitoporterfeitoopapeleacredito que ficou melhor do quesetivessemchamadoumamerica-no ou um ocidental qualquer. An-tes de ser iraquiano, sou um ator.

AtÈ a sua estreia no cinema tevecertas complicaÁ ı es, n„ o?Sim, n„ o pude comparecer ‡ prÈ -estreia do filme em Nova York. Eumorava j· na Inglaterra e n„ o medeixaram viajar, me negaram vis-to. O mais curioso È que haviamme deixado entrar no paÌ s poucotempo antes, para gravar o filme.

Qual È a sua definiÁ „ o de lar?Lar È onde a minha mente podedescansar e eu me sinto em paz.Hoje, n„ o consigo pensar em umlugar onde me sentiria assim lon-ge da Inglaterra. J· me sinto brit‚ -nico e, andando pela rua, cami-nho de cabeÁ a erguida, sinto quesouigualaqualqueroutrapessoa.N„ omesintoinferior,n„ omesin-to com medo. ::

Ao completar 18 anos, SarmedfoirecrutadopeloexÈ rcitoiraquia-no. A habilidade do soldado parafalar inglÍ s ñ uma heranÁ a de suainf‚ ncia na Inglaterra ñ o levarama ser recomendado ao serviÁ o se-creto, a elite de Saddam Hussein.Contr· rio ao regime ditatorial deseu paÌ s, Sarmed decidiu fugir,dando inÌ cio a um longo e doloro-so caminho rumo ‡ liberdade.

Ao escapar de sua base militar,Sarmed leva um tiro na perna.Sem ter tempo para se recuperar,

conta com a ajuda de estranhosparachegardevolta ‡ casadafamÌ -lia, em Mosul. Seu pai, contr· rio ‡deserÁ „ o, se volta contra o filho.

Para dar sequÍ ncia ao plano dedeixar o Iraque, Sarmed tem a co-laboraÁ „ o do tio Saad, que o levaatÈ um grupo de beduÌ nos e com-praaajudadogrupoparaatraves-s· -lo pelo deserto. AtÈ a Jord‚ nia,porÈ m,h· muitoapercorrer,apÈ ,e perseguido por lobos famintos.

Em Am„ , ele finalmente conse-gue pedir asilo ‡ Inglaterra. Sem

obter a empatia das autoridades,o iraquiano decide recorrer ameios ilÌ citos para chegar ao paÌ sñ um passaporte falso e uma peri-gosaescalanaMal· sia.AtÈ encon-trarpessoasinfluentesparaajud· -lo, ele teve de se estabelecer nopaÌ s e arranjar um emprego parajuntar dinheiro e poder, enfim,dar continuidade ‡ saga.

J· na Inglaterra, Sarmed n„ o seesquece da mensagem proferidapor Saad na despedida: ì o ho-memgenuÌ no jamaisesquecesua

famÌ liaî . A vida nova, com outroshorizontes,eumasegundaidenti-dade (Lewis Alsamari) n„ o escon-demaafliÁ „ odesaberque,duran-te sua fuga, a polÌ cia iraquiana foiatr· s de sua famÌ lia.

Os parentes foram torturadospara que contassem ‡ s autorida-des o seu novo paradeiro.FiÈ is aoente querido, porÈ m, mantÍ m osegredo de Lewis. Um novo planoÈ traÁ ado,ent„ o,pararesgatarsuafamÌ liadocaos.(ofimdessahistÛ -ria est· no livro ao lado). ::

CRUZADA

DIVULGAÇÃO

“SósefalanoladonegativodainvasãodosEUAaoIraque,masfoisóassimquenoslivramosdeSaddam.Senãofosseisso,ficaríamosfechadosaomundo”

“QuandoassistiàquedadaestátuadeSaddam,grudeinafrentedaTV.Malpudeacreditar.Eraummilagre.Opovoiraquianojátinhaperdidoaesperança”

“Noiníciotivereceiodeaceitaroconvite(paratrabalharnofilme‘VooUnited93’).SóaceiteiapósmeencontrarcomodiretorPaulGreengrass”

PALAVRA

336 págsR$ 55

LewisAlsamariOjovemqueescapoudoexércitodeSaddam,brigoucomlobosnodesertoedesvioudinheirodeumbancoparalevarafamíliaàInglaterracontasuasagaemlivro

AP PHOTO/TONY GUTIERREZ REUTERS/ DIVULGAÇÃO AP PHOTO/MICHEL SPINGLER

ESCALAPB PB ESCALACOR COR

8D VARIEDADES JORNALDATARDESEGUNDA-FEIRA,22.6.09

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re so

ldie

rs la

zily

acc

epte

d hi

s for

ged

docu

men

ts to

the

chai

n of

Iraq

i str

ange

rs, t

he b

eaco

ns o

f lig

ht a

s Lew

is ca

lls th

em, t

hat p

rovi

ded

unqu

estio

ning

hel

p an

d al

mos

t alw

ays l

ied

on

his b

ehal

f. Ev

en o

n re

achi

ng Jo

rdan

, a p

lace

of r

elat

ive

safe

ty, h

e kn

ew

his f

ake

pass

port

was

one

ins

pect

ion

away

from

a b

us b

ack

to B

aghd

ad.

“My

sens

es w

ere

so h

eigh

tene

d,” h

e re

calls

. “I b

asic

ally

had

a y

ear a

nd

a ha

lf w

ithou

t sle

ep in

Am

man

. �er

e w

as a

brie

f per

iod,

whe

n I h

ad

a jo

b, a

cle

an p

lace

to st

ay, a

girl

I lik

ed a

nd w

as st

udyi

ng a

t the

Brit

ish

Cou

ncil,

that

I th

ough

t I co

uld

stay

. But

the

min

ute

I let

my

guar

d do

wn,

so

met

hing

hap

pens

, and

I re

alise

I’ll

be n

ever

safe

unt

il I g

o.”W

hen

a ra

ndom

pas

spor

t che

ck fr

om a

bor

ed p

olic

eman

on

a st

reet

cor

ner e

xpos

ed h

is il

lega

l sta

tus,

he a

nd a

peo

ple

smug

gler

on

Am

man

’s H

ashe

mite

Squ

are

hatc

hed

anot

her c

onvo

lute

d es

cape

pla

n,

aim

ing

to g

et to

Eng

land

via

Kua

la L

umpu

r on

a fa

ke U

AE

pass

port

. �

anks

to a

n Ir

aqi a

rchi

tect

in A

mm

an, w

ho fo

rged

his

doc

umen

ts,

and

a M

alay

sian

girl

he

kiss

ed o

n th

e fli

ght f

rom

Am

man

, who

un

know

ingl

y to

ok h

is re

al ID

with

her

thro

ugh

cust

oms,

he w

as in

an

asy

lum

lodg

e an

d a

ston

e’s th

row

from

a n

ew li

fe.

“I w

as e

xhau

sted

whe

n I g

ot to

Lon

don,”

he

says

, with

out b

othe

ring

to re

coun

t the

man

y ad

ditio

nal o

rdea

ls of

det

entio

n an

d ill

ness

that

ne

arly

pre

vent

ed h

im fr

om a

rriv

ing

at a

ll. “M

y bo

dy w

as a

skel

eton

, I

had

huge

dar

k ci

rcle

s und

er m

y ey

es, I

lost

som

e of

my

hair

and

I was

m

alno

urish

ed. I

did

n’t p

ut p

ictu

res o

f me

in th

at st

ate

in th

e bo

ok.”

He

was

, tho

ugh,

out

of I

raq

and

the

clut

ches

of t

he m

ilita

ry. B

y 19

96,

Lew

is ha

d se

ttled

in L

eeds

, in

the

nort

h of

Eng

land

; he

foun

d a

job

and

cont

empl

atin

g a

care

er in

law

– h

e ev

entu

ally

com

plet

ed h

is LL

b in

20

04 –

and

eve

n fo

und

time

to m

arry

a lo

cal g

irl. B

ut h

e co

nced

es it

was

al

l an

illus

ion

of h

appi

ness

. �e

trau

ma

of w

hat h

e w

ent t

hrou

gh m

ade

norm

ality

a re

mot

e co

ncep

t. “I

still

hav

e a

real

sens

e of

inse

curit

y. I a

m

alw

ays l

ooki

ng o

ver m

y sh

ould

er, l

ooki

ng b

ehin

d m

e w

hen

som

eone

pa

sses

me

in th

e st

reet

. Whe

n I w

as g

oing

thro

ugh

inte

rrog

atio

n

trai

ning

in th

e m

ilita

ry, y

ou w

ould

get

hit

on th

e ba

ck o

f the

hea

d, a

nd

that

real

ly tr

aum

atise

d m

e. S

o, I

am a

lway

s in

fear

of t

hat,

bein

g hi

t fro

m

now

here

. Eve

n to

day,

I nee

d pe

ace

and

quie

t in

the

mor

ning

. I h

ave

to

be q

uiet

, no

TV,

just

som

e cl

assic

al m

usic

.”H

is ti

me

in L

eeds

, tho

ugh,

was

n’t a

lway

s so

plac

id. H

is e

scap

e pr

ovid

ed h

im so

me

pers

onal

free

dom

, but

it a

lso

mea

nt a

serie

s of

brut

al e

ncou

nter

s with

Iraq

i int

ellig

ence

for h

is fa

mily

bac

k ho

me

in

Bagh

dad.

Bea

tings

and

inte

rrog

atio

ns w

ere

the

pric

e th

ey p

aid

for

his a

bsen

ce, a

nd h

e so

on so

ught

way

s to

brin

g th

em a

ll to

the

UK

us

ing

the

mea

ns h

e hi

mse

lf us

ed. H

e la

cked

imm

edia

te a

cces

s to

the

requ

ired

$50,

000

to se

cure

thei

r pas

sage

, but

wor

king

at b

ookm

aker

s W

illia

m H

ill h

e ha

d ac

cess

not

onl

y to

larg

e su

ms o

f mon

ey, b

ut th

e m

eans

to tr

ansf

er th

em e

lect

roni

cally

in se

cond

s – o

ne sw

ift tr

ansf

er

late

r and

the

mon

ey w

as o

n its

way

to th

e pe

ople

traffi

cker

s. �

e go

al

of d

eliv

erin

g hi

s im

med

iate

fam

ily to

Brit

ain

had

been

ach

ieve

d, b

ut it

w

as li

ttle

surp

rise

whe

n th

e m

issin

g m

oney

was

not

iced

; the

oth

erw

ise

mod

el e

mpl

oyee

was

soon

faci

ng c

harg

es th

eft.

And

alth

ough

the

judg

e to

ok le

nien

cy a

nd k

ept h

im o

ut o

f jai

l, ev

en g

oing

as f

ar a

s to

desc

ribe

Lew

is’s

stor

y as

one

of t

he m

ost r

emar

kabl

e he

’d h

eard

, his

co

nvic

tion

ensu

red

he w

ould

be

unab

le to

pur

sue

his c

hose

n ca

reer

. In

retr

ospe

ct, o

f cou

rse,

faili

ng to

carr

y on

as a

solic

itor p

rove

d to

be

a ble

ssin

g. L

ewis

foun

d a j

ob in

an u

psca

le d

epar

tmen

t sto

re, w

here

he

met

an a

spiri

ng ac

tor w

ho w

as g

ettin

g a l

ot o

f wal

k-on

par

ts o

n lo

cal T

V

serie

s. “I

wen

t dow

n w

ith h

im o

ne w

eeke

nd an

d in

stan

tly lo

ved

it,” h

e re

calls

. “I k

new

this

is w

hat I

wan

ted

to d

o. M

aybe

I w

as in

itial

ly at

trac

ted

to th

e gla

mou

r of i

t, an

d di

d a s

mal

l act

ing

wor

ksho

p at

a co

llege

in L

eeds

. I r

emem

ber a

n im

prov

sess

ion

whe

re I

had

to w

alk

dow

n so

me s

teps

, op

en a

door

and

say ‘

Whe

re h

ave y

ou b

een?

’ and

I sim

ply c

ould

n’t d

o it

with

out c

rack

ing

up la

ughi

ng. I

t too

k m

e ove

r a w

eek

to m

aste

r tha

t. Bu

t th

en I

wen

t to

Lond

on, e

nrol

led

in th

e Lon

don

Aca

dem

y of M

usic

and

Dra

mat

ic A

rt, g

ot an

agen

t and

the s

mal

l rol

es st

arte

d co

min

g.”

Even n

ow, w

hen I

go to

sleep

, I see

imag

es of

the es

cape, t

he wo

lves, t

he pe

ople c

hasin

g me

The T

op 10

Arab

s in Am

erican

sport

s

We sp

end o

ur wh

ole

lives in

Iraq p

erform

ing

on so

me lev

el, lyin

g to

autho

rities

or be

ing ni

ce to

officia

ls, so

I don

t thi

nk it

s unn

atural

at al

l

Out

of I

raq

is n

ow o

ut in

pa

perb

ack

in E

urop

e, p

ublis

hed

by

Ran

dom

Hou

se.

The

US

impr

int,

Esc

ape

From

S

adda

m, i

s no

w a

vaila

ble

in

hard

back

from

Cro

wn

publ

ishi

ng.

Lewis,

who

se E

nglis

h ha

s a cl

ear n

orth

ern

acce

nt fr

om a

child

hood

in

Man

ches

ter a

nd h

is su

bseq

uent

life

in Y

orks

hire

, sm

iles a

t the

en

quiry

that

bec

omin

g a m

ovie

star

was

the p

erfe

ct m

anne

r to

cele

brat

e th

e Wes

t’s f

reed

oms –

“I n

ever

thou

ght a

bout

like

that

, but

may

be o

n a s

ublim

inal

leve

l it’s

true

” – b

ut h

e qui

ckly

lear

ned

that

actin

g w

as

som

ethi

ng h

e cou

ld n

o on

ly d

o, b

ut ac

tual

ly ex

cel a

t. “I

thin

k ev

eryo

ne in

Ir

aq is

an ac

tor,”

he s

ays.

“We s

pend

our

live

s per

form

ing

on so

me l

evel

, ly

ing

to au

thor

ities

or b

eing

nic

e to

offici

als,

so I

it’s n

ot u

nnat

ural

at al

l.”A

succ

essio

n of

smal

l rol

es in

TV

dra

mas

– in

clud

ing

one a

s an

Iraq

i as

ylum

seek

er –

bui

lt hi

s res

ume,

and

his e

thni

city

was

soon

pro

ving

an

adva

ntag

e as H

olly

woo

d be

gan

depi

ctin

g th

e unf

oldi

ng W

ar o

n Te

rror

. H

is bi

g br

eak

cam

e in

Uni

ted

93, t

he d

ram

atisa

tion

of th

e one

pla

ne th

at

faile

d to

find

its t

arge

t on

the m

orni

ng o

f Sep

tem

ber 1

1th,

200

1. B

ut

play

ing

the r

ole o

f Sae

ed al

-Gha

mdi

, the

lead

hija

cker

, was

n’t so

met

hing

he

initi

ally

foun

d ap

peal

ing,

des

pite

the i

nsta

nt k

udos

ass

ocia

ted

with

w

orki

ng o

n su

ch a

high

-pro

file p

ictu

re w

ith a

dire

ctor

, Pau

l Gre

engr

ass,

who

se m

ost r

ecen

t cre

dits

incl

ude t

he se

cond

and

third

Bou

rne…

mov

ies.

“It d

idn’t

real

ly w

ante

d to

be a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith it

at fi

rst,”

he c

onfe

sses

. “Bu

t I m

et w

ith P

aul a

nd h

e ask

ed m

e wha

t it w

ould

take

for m

e to

take

the

part

. I sa

id th

at I

wan

ted

the g

uy to

be h

uman

, not

to d

emon

ise h

im. H

e sa

id th

at’s

exac

tly w

hat h

e wan

ted,

too

– th

at th

ese p

eopl

e wer

e naï

ve k

ids

brai

nwas

hed

into

thes

e bel

iefs

. It t

urne

d ou

t to

be a

big

mov

ie fo

r me.”

Of c

ours

e, hi

s pas

t stil

l man

aged

to re

surfa

ce. H

e was

n’t al

low

ed in

to

the S

tate

s for

the p

rem

iere

s bec

ause

of h

is cr

imin

al re

cord

, and

his

failu

re

to se

cure

a Br

itish

pas

spor

t mea

nt th

at tr

avel

for fi

lm p

roje

cts r

equi

red

leng

thy v

isa ap

plic

atio

ns. H

e is,

thou

gh, c

urre

ntly

in B

eiru

t film

ing

Blac

klin

e: �

e Bei

rut C

ontra

ct, w

here

NO

X m

anag

ed to

visi

t the

set a

nd

take

thes

e pic

ture

s, an

d ha

s aga

in b

een

cast

by P

aul G

reen

gras

s for

a

part

in G

reen

Zon

e. H

is fli

ght t

o M

oroc

co, t

houg

h, is

colli

ding

with

TV

in

terv

iew

s in

Lond

on fo

r the

pap

erba

ck re

leas

e of O

ut o

f Ira

q.

It is

a d

elic

ious

con

tras

t to

the

life

he m

ight

now

be

lead

ing

had

he

stay

ed in

Bag

hdad

. But

he

does

con

cede

that

he

was

onc

e pa

rtia

lly

draw

n to

the

life

of m

ilita

ry in

telli

genc

e off

er. “

Com

ing

from

a p

oor

back

grou

nd, w

ith li

ttle

mat

eria

l wea

lth, I

und

erst

ood

that

this

cou

ld

be a

gua

rant

eed

ticke

t to

a be

tter l

ife, f

or m

e an

d m

y fa

mily

,” he

says

. “A

t tha

t tim

e, th

ere

wer

e no

gua

rant

ees o

f rea

chin

g th

e U

K, s

o it

was

ce

rtai

nly

an o

ptio

n lo

oked

at.,

And

, bei

ng th

e pe

rson

I am

, I k

now

I w

ould

hav

e pr

obab

ly w

orke

d ha

rd to

mak

e th

e be

st o

f it.

“�at

’s no

t a m

oral

cho

ice,”

he

expl

ains

, “th

at’s

an u

nder

stan

ding

th

at I

know

how

it w

orke

d in

Iraq

und

er S

adda

m. �

ey g

et th

eir c

law

s in

to y

ou, a

nd th

ey g

o de

eper

and

dee

per a

nd th

e po

ison

get

s str

onge

r. �

ey m

ake

you

offer

s of l

uxur

ies,

man

sions

and

car

s, th

ings

you

cou

ld

neve

r im

agin

e ow

ning

, and

they

pro

mis

e yo

u al

l tha

t if y

ou d

o yo

ur

job.

I kn

ow I

wou

ld h

ave

been

suck

ed in

. And

afte

r goi

ng th

roug

h al

l th

at, i

f I w

ould

hav

e su

rviv

ed th

e B5

2s in

200

3, I

wou

ld h

ave

prob

ably

be

en d

raw

n in

to th

e in

surg

ency

as w

ell.”

�e m

oral

choi

ce, t

houg

h, e

vent

ually

won

out

. He u

nder

stoo

d w

hat

mili

tary

inte

llige

nce w

as al

l abo

ut, a

nd th

at h

is lif

e wou

ld h

ave b

een

unde

r co

nsta

nt th

reat

– b

oth

from

the g

row

ing

band

of a

nti-S

adda

m fo

rces

and,

sh

ould

he s

tep

out o

f lin

e, th

e arm

y its

elf.

“I sp

oke t

o m

y unc

le S

aad,

a

vete

ran

of th

e Ira

n w

ar, a

nd h

e sai

d, ‘g

et o

ut o

f Ira

q, o

ther

wise

kar

ma w

ill

one d

ay ca

tch

up w

ith yo

u.’ L

ooki

ng b

ack,

he w

as d

ead

right

.”Le

wis

wat

ched

the 2

003

inva

sion

from

a ho

tel r

oom

in th

e Far

Eas

t and

gr

eete

d it

with

a m

ixtu

re o

f rel

ief a

nd tr

epid

atio

n. O

ne ch

apte

r had

bee

n cl

osed

, but

he a

lway

s fel

t tha

t situ

atio

n w

ould

be f

ar fr

om th

e dem

ocra

tic

para

dise

envi

sione

d by

the w

ar’s

plan

ners

. “I k

new

Sad

dam

wou

ld si

mpl

y be

pla

ced

by an

othe

r, pe

rhap

s mor

e elo

quen

t crim

inal

,” he s

ays,

cool

ly.

“To

be h

ones

t, I r

eally

stru

ggle

to w

atch

the n

ews.

I stil

l hav

e unc

les a

nd

aunt

s in

Iraq

, and

with

the d

eath

squa

ds, t

he co

rrup

tion,

the U

S ra

ids,

you

don’t

kno

w w

hat i

s goi

ng to

hap

pen.

Lik

e, I h

eard

they

chan

ged

the fl

ag

– as

if th

at is

wha

t we r

eally

nee

d rig

ht n

ow.”

�e

US

inva

sion

of Ir

aq, t

he o

vert

hrow

of S

adda

m a

nd th

e su

bseq

uent

slid

e in

to c

ivil

war

pro

vide

s Lew

is w

ith a

con

stan

t str

eam

of

confl

ictin

g em

otio

ns. I

t’s a

mes

sage

that

he

is ke

en to

stre

ss in

the

book

, pa

rtic

ular

ly a

s its

rele

ase

in th

e U

S is

boun

d to

spar

k ne

w d

ebat

es a

s to

the

right

eous

ness

of t

he B

ush

adve

ntur

e; h

is de

scrip

tions

of t

he e

vils

of

Sadd

am w

ill n

atur

ally

be

seiz

ed u

pon

by th

e st

ill ra

bid

defe

nder

s of t

he

war

. “Sa

ddam

was

a b

asta

rd, n

o do

ubt,”

he

says

. “Bu

t for

a lo

ng ti

me,

he

was

Am

eric

a’s b

asta

rd. H

is offi

cial

s wer

e no

diff

eren

t to

the

wol

ves

I con

fron

ted

in th

e Ir

aqi d

eser

t – n

eith

er re

spon

ded

to lo

gic

or re

ason

. �

e Ir

aqi p

eopl

e w

ould

get

it fr

om b

oth

ends

: Sad

dam

’s re

gim

e an

d th

e en

emie

s of S

adda

m’s

regi

me.

Whe

ther

you

’re a

sold

ier o

r a fr

eedo

m

fight

er, y

ou’re

sim

ply

a sa

ndba

g to

take

a b

ulle

t.“B

ut le

t’s b

e ver

y cle

ar th

at th

e sta

rtin

g poi

nt fo

r all

of th

is w

as th

e Wes

t’s

deca

de-lo

ng su

ppor

t for

this

man

. �ey

gav

e him

the m

oney

and,

indi

rect

ly

the w

eapo

ns, b

ut w

ithou

t eve

r onc

e dea

ling w

ith th

e rep

ercu

ssio

ns.”

Des

pite

the h

orro

rs o

f his

esca

pe fr

om Ir

aq an

d th

e ong

oing

ps

ycho

logi

cal p

robl

ems i

t beq

ueat

hed,

Lew

is is

still

kee

n to

retu

rn

to h

is co

untr

y. “I

’d go

tom

orro

w,” h

e con

fess

es. H

e has

pla

ns to

buy

a

hous

e the

re an

d w

ork

with

his

fam

ily to

ope

n a c

ance

r hos

pita

l, pa

rtly

in

mem

ory o

f his

gran

dpar

ents

who

bot

h di

ed fr

om th

e dise

ase.

In fa

ct,

he m

ight

be g

ettin

g hi

s wish

soon

er th

an h

e ant

icip

ated

. He h

as re

cent

ly

been

appo

inte

d a U

N co

unse

llor f

or m

alnu

triti

on, a

nd Ir

aq is

one

of

coun

trie

s on

the t

arge

t list

. Onc

e he h

as h

is U

N p

aper

s, m

oreo

ver,

he w

ill

no lo

nger

hav

e to

fear

the s

teel

y gla

re o

f the

wor

ld’s

imm

igra

tion

offici

als.

“It’s

incr

edib

ly iro

nic,”

Lew

is lau

ghs.

“For

the p

ast 1

4 ye

ars,

I hav

e bee

n us

ing f

ake d

ocum

ents

, livi

ng il

lega

lly an

d tr

ying

to ge

t aro

und

with

an Ir

aqi

pass

port

and

refu

gee p

aper

s. I w

ill b

e goi

ng fr

om th

e ulti

mat

e out

sider

, to

havi

ng th

e rec

ogni

tion

from

the m

ost e

steem

ed b

ody o

n th

e pla

net!”

Afte

r sur

vivi

ng b

ulle

ts, w

olve

s, Sa

ddam

’s he

nchm

en an

d en

dles

s cyc

les

of p

hysic

al an

d m

enta

l tra

uma,

ther

e’s li

ttle d

oubt

he d

eser

ves a

n ele

men

t of

genu

ine f

reed

om. A

nd n

ow h

e won

’t eve

n ha

ve to

put

on

an ac

t to

enjo

y it.

63

The Insight

You start your book at a high tempo, where

you are being chased by wolves. What was

the reason for this?

You managed to stay clear of the global

politics and just concern yourself with seeing

the world through a young innocent’s eyes.

You’ve faced some mountainous challenges.

What does bravery mean to you?

Why?

You were conscripted at a young age. What

was life like in the army?

You now live in the West. In light of your past

experiences, after arriving in the UK, how

difficult was it to acclimatise?

I would have thought they tasted like

freedom?

Your book is on world-wide release. Can you

buy it in Iraq?

“The most compelling thing in humans is necessity, and my necessity was to get the hell out of Iraq.”

Insight_nov07_88-91.indd 89 27/10/07 01:52:31

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Thursday, September 24 14:29

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Lewis Alsamari at the International Film Festival of Marrakech to Yacout Info "I want to continue to break the western stereotypes of the people of the Middle East and to bring it into line with Middle Eastern characters as they really are." Lewis Alsamari

Born in 1976, as Sarmed Al-Samarrai, Lewis Alsamri is an actor and human rights activist now based in in England. He was granted asylum in the United Kingdom in the 1990s. He has appeared in episodes of television series such as Spooks and Crossroads. Lewis Alsamari have recently played a lead roleas the terrorist Saeed Al Ghamdi in the Universal Pictures in Paul Greengrass's OSCAR nominated and BAFTA winning movie United 93.

Yacout Info: How did you start in films?

Lewis Alsamari: Initially I trained as a lawyer in Leeds before moving down to London and fell in love with acting. This actually began in Leeds when I visited the set of a soap opera. I trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in London, began to get small roles, moved on to bigger roles, and moved on to a BBC TV series called “Spooks” about the British secret service.

Then I did a couple of docu-dramas for the BBC. One was called Black September in which I played the part of a PLO negotiator with the British government working on the release Leila Khaled

who was a prisoner in a British jail in return the release of hostages held in t(here hijacked aircraft which were lined up in the desert waiting to be blown up.

I also played the part of an Iraqi commander in the film Last Flight to Kuwait about the incident when nine or ten British secret service men boarded the last BA flight to land in Kuwait to assess the situation in Kuwait following the Iraqi invasion.

This compromised the position of the other civilian passengers who were used as human shields by Saddam Hussein. The incident led to a famous legal case brought by BA who tried to halt the screening of the programme. This was a very exciting film to be involved in as an actor. Then I was involved in the Paul Greengrass production UNITED 93. Initially I did not want to be stereotyped but they assured me that the role would be treated in a very human and sympathetic manner so I went ahead with it.

Q: How do you rate Morocco as a film location and a country to act in?

A: The first film I worked on in Morocco was Blackline in Tangier. It was my first experience of Morocco, which was great, it was very enjoyable to be back in the Middle East in such a rich, affluent atmosphere .It is the most affluent and welcoming country I have been in the Middle East, and I really had a wonderful time. In terms of production the Moroccan part of the team were very professional, rivalling British standards and were very well trained .I thought they gave a great deal of production value to the film.

Q: Your book “Out of Iraq” describes your harrowing escape from Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and his army and later your return to rescue your family. How did this experience shape your acting?

A: It added many layers and depth to my acting; it gave me an insurmountable pool of emotions that I can tap into in terms of creating high-level drama. I felt my experiences in Iraq which are still very fresh in mind and I found in challenging dramatic scenes this experience bring back many flash backs and memories which added to the force of my performance. Being hunted, shot and almost eaten alive in the desert by wolves was traumatic.

In 1993, there were scenes of violence that I went through which meant I could not sleep and my whole body shook, I had palpitations with the trauma, and I was absolutely drained. I am locked into situations, which I am trying to forget, but it is also part of my creative experience as an actor and it is good for the films! It enables my performances to be truthful and adds a lot to my acting. It does get to the point where I sacrifice my own health and well-being for the roles I act in so that they are truthful and valuable.

Q:Tell us about the film “Occupation” that you are currently acting in?

A: “Occupation” is a TV movie drama by Kudos Productions UK and the BBC which follows the lives of 3 British soldiers going into Iraq and their different reasons and motivations and I play the role of their Iraqi character called Younes a helper or fixer and the group befriend me, take me in and I work with them as a PMC (private security mercenary).

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Wednesday November 12, 2008Colin Kilkelly-Yacout Info

Mr. Lewis Alsamari

Editorial

In the service of our readers A year ago Yacout Info was launched with the aim of publishing a fresh perspective on Morocco in the English language, reflecting its rich diversity both from the Moroccan and...

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