IRAQ: Hand on belly, foot in mouth

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By Tina Susman in Baghdad

One perk of being a woman in Iraq today is bypassing the long lines of men waiting to be frisked at most public buildings and at the entrance to the Green Zone in Baghdad.

Women zip ahead and enter a curtained area labeled ‘Female Search,’ to be frisked by a woman out of sight of prying eyes. These private moments can lead to some odd encounters. ‘Oh, you have a baby!’ one female searcher said cheerfully after running her hands over my belly. In reality, a parasitic infection was causing my midsection to swell, but what to do? My mind raced in the stifling heat of the closet as I tried to suck in my gut while pondering a response.

If I told her I was ill, she would be embarrassed for having mistaken my bloated abdomen for a pregnancy. Or she might think I was another flabby American inventing a medical excuse for my extra girth. The solution was obvious.

‘Yes, I have a baby,’ I said, grinning like a happy mother-to-be as I gathered my belongings and headed into the sunshine.