233:
afraid I would be killed." He looked back to Saddam's time with nostalgia as "Saddam never executed people without a reason. He was as solid as a wall. There was no corruption or looting, it was safe. You could be safe." He went on to say that he hopes the two leaders viewed as responsible for the overthrow of Saddam, Tony Blair and George Bush, should be brought to justice.
293:, became an invalid after he was seriously injured in a 1996 assassination attempt. Uday, also a collector of bikes, had his collection made into three-wheelers so he could still drive them. After Saddam's fall Kadhem was able to get his hands on all of Uday's monster three-wheeled invalid motorcycles.
232:
in which he attacked the statue with a sledgehammer. He said "Saddam has gone, but now in his place we have a 1,000 Saddam's." and "When I go past that statue, I feel pain and shame. I ask myself, why did I topple this statue. I'd like to put it back up, to rebuild it. I'd put it back up but I'm
180:
Uday took up collecting motorcycles like Sharif, even stealing some from him. It was at this point that they had a falling out and Sharif refused to fix any of Uday's bikes. It was then that he was thrown in jail on trumped up charges and spent two years in Iraqi prisons.
216:
The legality of Sharif's motorcycle business and collection has always been murky and he has admitted that some of his bikes were stolen in neighboring countries and smuggled into Iraq along with dealing with the bikes looted from
161:
Sharif's association did not end there as Uday had Sharif build him a world-class gym. Sharif also developed a weightlifting program for Uday. Sharif supplied some supplements but Uday instead started abusing steroids.
195:
On April 9, 2003 Sharif had his chance to take revenge. Hearing that the Saddam regime had fallen he took a 10 kg (22 lb) sledgehammer and went to work on the statue of Saddam
Hussein that stood in
166:
Steroids affected him, he became an addict. The doctors said he should not mix alcohol and steroids, but he did and it drove him mad. He was trying to be a hero by taking more and more tablets. But he failed.
208:. While Sharif's actions with the sledgehammer only resulted in a small dent in the statue base and bloody hands, he does claim to have handed over the Iraqi flag that was placed on the statue.
241:
Kadhem had been a bike collector almost all his life but after the war his collection greatly expanded until he was arrested. In his collection there were a number of notable bike including:
154:, becoming a world-class athlete. Many of his sporting adventures held danger and he remembers that every time the Iraqi team did badly the leader of Iraqi sports, Saddam's son
204:
where the world's journalists had been staying. Seeing a crowd and a story, the reporters and their cameras streamed out of the hotel and video taped the
260:
that he found rusting in a farm in "Anbar province", an area of western Iraq notorious for insurgent violence since the 2003 US-led invasion.
205:
461:
466:
225:
invaded the country. His business finally caught up with him when in 2005 he was arrested in connection with dealing stolen bikes.
229:
190:
456:
347:
257:
158:, would order that everyone have their heads and eyebrows shaved and on at least one occasion, they were put in prison.
267:
motorcycle that Saddam
Hussein the revolutionary rode when on the run after the assassination of then Iraqi President
275:
140:
476:
151:
471:
264:
246:
303:
268:
402:
372:
250:
201:
136:
222:
112:
450:
197:
116:
422:
377:
290:
172:
155:
108:
228:
In a 2016 interview Kadhem said that he expressed his regret over his role in the
426:
132:
147:
431:
104:
131:
Kadhem Sharif was born in 1952 and like his father became obsessed with
120:
283:
218:
38:
111:. He attempted to use a sledgehammer to bring down the statue of
279:
101:
68:
52:
139:
for the first time. I bought my first one eight years later, a
403:"Famous Pictures Magazine - Fall of Saddam Hussein's Statue"
348:"American icon: Iraqi powerlifter belches around Baghdad"
371:
James Meek and
Suzanne Goldenberg (March 19, 2004).
200:
in
Baghdad. The square is directly in front of the
82:
74:
64:
59:
45:
31:
26:
86:Deputy coach of the Iraqi national wrestling team
396:
394:
164:
135:. "I was 12 when I sneaked out on my father's
146:As he grew up he also developed a passion for
427:"Iraq Chilcot inquiry: Bitterness in Baghdad"
8:
19:
346:Agence France Presse (AFP) (May 27, 2005).
341:
339:
337:
16:Iraqi wrestler and weightlifter (born 1952)
366:
364:
325:
323:
321:
319:
18:
315:
304:Picture of Sharif with his motorcycles
329:
7:
206:falling of Saddam Hussein's statue
14:
230:Firdos Square statue destruction
191:Firdos Square statue destruction
278:, formerly the property of the
1:
78:Iraqi national wrestling team
37:al-Yabani ("the Japanese" in
171:Kadhem Sharif talking about
49:1952 (age 71–72)
493:
462:Iraqi male sport wrestlers
405:. Famous Pictures Magazine
249:was part of the escort of
188:
373:"The day the statue fell"
90:
467:Iraqi male weightlifters
276:Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
98:Kadhem Sharif al-Jabouri
253:, Iraq's first monarch.
457:People of the Iraq War
178:
289:Saddam's eldest son,
256:1947 - British-made
91:Updated on 2007-07-25
401:Lucas, Dean (2007).
27:Personal information
271:half a century ago.
143:," Sharif recalls.
23:
269:Abd al-Karim Qasim
350:. sundaytelegraph
95:
94:
484:
443:
441:
439:
425:(July 5, 2016).
414:
413:
411:
410:
398:
389:
388:
386:
385:
368:
359:
358:
356:
355:
343:
332:
327:
176:
55:
34:
24:
492:
491:
487:
486:
485:
483:
482:
481:
447:
446:
437:
435:
421:
418:
417:
408:
406:
400:
399:
392:
383:
381:
370:
369:
362:
353:
351:
345:
344:
335:
328:
317:
312:
300:
239:
237:Bike collection
214:
202:Palestine Hotel
193:
187:
177:
170:
129:
51:
50:
32:
22:
17:
12:
11:
5:
490:
488:
480:
479:
474:
469:
464:
459:
449:
448:
445:
444:
416:
415:
390:
360:
333:
314:
313:
311:
308:
307:
306:
299:
298:External links
296:
295:
294:
287:
272:
261:
254:
238:
235:
223:Saddam Hussein
213:
212:After the fall
210:
189:Main article:
186:
183:
168:
128:
125:
113:Saddam Hussein
93:
92:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
76:
72:
71:
66:
62:
61:
57:
56:
47:
43:
42:
35:
29:
28:
20:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
489:
478:
477:Living people
475:
473:
470:
468:
465:
463:
460:
458:
455:
454:
452:
434:
433:
428:
424:
423:Bowen, Jeremy
420:
419:
404:
397:
395:
391:
380:
379:
374:
367:
365:
361:
349:
342:
340:
338:
334:
331:
326:
324:
322:
320:
316:
309:
305:
302:
301:
297:
292:
288:
285:
281:
277:
273:
270:
266:
263:1957 British
262:
259:
255:
252:
248:
244:
243:
242:
236:
234:
231:
226:
224:
220:
211:
209:
207:
203:
199:
198:Firdos Square
192:
185:Firdos Square
184:
182:
174:
167:
163:
159:
157:
153:
152:weightlifting
149:
144:
142:
138:
134:
126:
124:
122:
118:
117:Firdos Square
114:
110:
106:
103:
99:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
70:
67:
63:
58:
54:
48:
44:
40:
36:
30:
25:
21:Kadhem Sharif
436:. Retrieved
430:
407:. Retrieved
382:. Retrieved
378:The Guardian
376:
352:. Retrieved
291:Uday Hussein
245:1914 - This
240:
227:
215:
194:
179:
173:Uday Hussein
165:
160:
156:Uday Hussein
145:
130:
109:weightlifter
97:
96:
83:Now coaching
472:1952 births
251:King Faisal
175:'s drug use
141:1966 Fatboy
133:motorcycles
451:Categories
409:2007-07-16
384:2007-07-25
354:2007-07-25
330:Bowen 2016
310:References
148:wrestling
127:Biography
432:BBC News
169:—
105:wrestler
33:Nickname
438:July 7,
121:Baghdad
115:at the
65:Country
284:Kuwait
265:Norton
247:Norton
219:Kuwait
137:Harley
100:is an
39:Arabic
274:1957
221:when
102:Iraqi
60:Sport
440:2016
280:Emir
150:and
107:and
75:Club
69:Iraq
53:Iraq
46:Born
282:of
258:BSA
119:in
453::
429:.
393:^
375:.
363:^
336:^
318:^
123:.
442:.
412:.
387:.
357:.
286:.
41:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.