Original U.S. / Coalition Psychological Operations Leaflet IZO 32534 Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2002–2003
Original double-sided U.S. / Coalition psychological operations leaflet produced during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Printed in Arabic, the leaflet uses Islamic sacred imagery and religious text, pairing the Grand Mosque in Mecca with the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina to invoke pilgrimage, faith, and moral legitimacy.
Leaflet Number: IZO 32534
Operation: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Conflict / War: Iraq War
Year: 2002–2003
Country / Theater: Iraq
Language(s): Arabic
Format: Original printed leaflet, double-sided
Provenance: Surplus copy retained outside field distribution. Acquired from the personal materials of an unnamed U.S. military servicemember. Never airdropped or field-distributed.
Translation:
Front: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And proclaim the pilgrimage among the people. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every distant pass. God Almighty has spoken the truth.”
Back: “The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Hajj is Arafah.’”
Imagery:
The front shows the Grand Mosque in Mecca filled with pilgrims surrounding the Kaaba, framed by Qur’anic text about the pilgrimage. The reverse shows the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, with a view of Earth and the moon above, visually linking Islamic sacred geography with a universal religious horizon.
Objective:
To use Islamic religious authority and sacred pilgrimage imagery to frame the message within familiar Muslim devotional language. The leaflet avoids overt military threat, instead appealing to faith, moral legitimacy, and shared Islamic reference points during the Iraq War.
Featured in American War Propaganda Leaflets, 1990–2022, Khajistan Press.
Exhibited in Khajistan: Office of War Information (O.W.I.) at Pioneer Works, New York, May 08 – Aug 09, 2026.
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