英国卫报：萨达姆雕像的倒塌：美军如何制造神话(5)（在线收听）

As president, Saddam had modelled himself partially on Joseph Stalin.

作为总统，萨达姆在一定程度上效仿了约瑟夫·斯大林。

Both were peasant outsiders who, with exceptional ruthlessness, had made their way to the top.

两人都是外乡人，都是靠自己的冷酷无情爬上了高层。

Saddam imitated Stalin's style of propaganda, promoting images of himself smiling and enriching the Iraqi people: a benevolent uncle.

萨达姆模仿斯大林的宣传风格，宣传自己微笑的形象，让伊拉克人民觉得他是一位仁慈的大叔。

He even grew a similar moustache. Like Stalin, he also raised vast numbers of statues to himself.

他甚至还留了同款胡子。和斯大林一样，他也为自己建造了大量的雕像。

Many Islamic traditions ban the representation of human figures, particularly religious figures.

许多伊斯兰教传统禁止画人物，特别是宗教人物。

In terms of Iraqi history, though, Islam is a relatively recent arrival.

然而，在伊拉克的历史上，伊斯兰教的到来相对较晚。

Mesopotamia, as the region was once known, has ancient and glorious traditions of art, including statuary, stretching back thousands of years.

美索不达米亚这个地区曾经很著名，有着古老而辉煌的艺术传统，包括雕塑，有着几千年的历史。

Representations of figures are deeply embedded in Mesopotamian culture: there could be no ban on them.

人物形象深深植根于美索不达米亚的文化中：不可能被禁。

Under Saddam's rule, it was possible – even necessary – to make images of him.

在萨达姆的统治下，有可能——甚至有必要——画他的肖像。

All schools, public buildings and businesses had to display his portrait.

所有的学校、公共建筑和企业都必须展示他的肖像。

Saddam's iconography was a distinctive blend of military swagger and historical references.

萨达姆的肖像很独特，既彰显了军威，又具备历史参考价值。

Some of his equestrian statues depicted him with sword drawn, pointed in the direction of Jerusalem: his rearing horse was flanked by rockets.

他的一些骑马的雕像刻画了“他拔出剑，指向耶路撒冷的方向”的形象：他的马被火箭包围着。

He was occasionally sculpted wearing the Dome of the Rock on his head, the Islamic shrine refashioned as a helmet.

他偶尔会被雕刻成头上戴着岩石圆顶的形象，伊斯兰神殿被改设计成了头盔。

His images used costume and props to link him to Hammurabi, the Babylonian lawgiver; Nebuchadnezzar, enslaver of the Jewish people;

他的形象所使用的服装和道具将他和巴比伦立法者汉谟拉比联系起来；尼布甲尼撒，犹太人的奴隶；

various caliphs; Saladin, the defeater of Christian crusaders (who, like Saddam, had been born in Tikrit); and even Muhammad himself.

各种伊斯兰教主；萨拉丁，基督教十字军的征服者（和萨达姆一样出生在提克里特）；甚至是穆罕默德本人。

The essence of all these historical figures was supposedly distilled down into Saddam, uniting the Iraqi people and Mesopotamian history, reaching out across the whole Middle East.

所有这些历史人物的精髓都被归结为萨达姆，将伊拉克人民和美索不达米亚的历史结合在一起，延伸到整个中东地区。