Iraqi 'Porn Strike' on Kurdistan 'Amounts to Declaration of War'

A scandalous porn image was recently released by an Iraqi newspaper showing Iran, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan as five men in underwear, and Kurdistan — as a young girl (adult film actress Piper Perri) whom the men are staring at in a sexually suggestive manner.

The picture caused indignation and fury among Kurdish MPs from all the political parties and social media users.

The Iraqi media outlet's behavior shows cultural differences between Kurdistan and Iraq and makes the need for the region's independence more evident than ever, Kurdish MP Shakhawan Abdullah said, commenting on the newspaper's cover.

"Our two different cultures is one of the reasons behind our separation. The publishing of this image unmasks their real face. It shows how they eye our women, honor, territory and wealth. They showed this in practice during the Anfal campaign and in the assaulting of the Yazidi women," the politician told Rudaw.

According to the politician, the creation of an independent state is essential for the Kurdish people and would be the best response to such behavior.

"This action of belittling and staring at the honor of women is what can be expected from them," Abdullah continued.

Shirn Raza, a Gorran MP in the Iraqi Parliament, also severely criticized the image, saying that the newspaper's move is a sign of disrespect toward women.

"We strongly condemn this disgusting action," she said. "Publishing this meme amounts to a declaration of war against the Kurdistan Region. We will be filing a lawsuit against this paper," she added.

In her turn, Rezan Sheikh Der, an MP with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), stressed that such insults shouldn't be ignored, noting, however, that the situation can be resolved only "through negotiations and constructive dialogue."

The residents of Iraqi Kurdistan went to the polls on September 25 to vote on an independence referendum for the autonomous region amid pressure from Baghdad and neighboring countries.

The voting was held in the region and several adjacent territories, disputed by Baghdad and Erbil with almost 93 percent of the voters having supported Kurdistan's independence.

Following the referendum, the Iraqi authorities have called on other countries to withdraw their diplomatic staff from the Kurdistan Region and demanded the deployment of Iraqi troops to Kurdish-controlled disputed areas.

These steps came following a decree adopted on Wednesday by the Iraqi Parliament in order to punish the Kurdistan Region for having organized the vote.