Saddam #2

The Egyptian (relatively) independent newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm (The Egyptian Today) has a variety piece on an Alexandrian by the name of Mohammed Bashar, 58 who happens to be a "screaming lookalike" (shabah saarikh) of Saddam Husain. Many a time has he walked down the street and people stare at him, then ask God to have mercy on his soul. In addition people have started to call him Abu Oday and Qusay (Saddam's two sons).

This fame, however, has resulted to him being chased by the "mafia of Saddam autobiographies and its brokers" who will just not leave him alone. A director had offered him the sum of money of his choice to act in a film about his lookalike, however after his initial acceptance he pulled out when he found that the film wanted to distort the sex life of the dear departed president.

Apparently this screaming resemblance did not kick in until he hit his fifties (and the American occupation of Iraq) and resulted in him being chased by Gulfies to be photographed together with Saddam.

And his wife's response to all of his: "Better that he resembles Saddam and not Bush, or he would be beaten up in the street!"

Speaking of which, does anyone have a link to the story of the Iraqi who resembled Bush? He seemed to be having an OK time of it.