"Our valiant army... heroism and corruption"... a phrase that caused the suspension of the broadcast of a television program

The Media and Communications Commission, which regulates the work of the media in Iraq, decided to suspend the broadcast of a talk show on the Iraqi "UTV" channel, for showing an episode that was deemed to include "insulting" the Iraqi army, as it announced in a statement.

The channel, which is owned by the son of a well-known Sunni politician, Khamis al-Khanjar, broadcast on the political talk show "With Mullah Talal", named after its presenter Ahmed Mulla Talal, Monday's episode entitled "Our Valiant Army is Heroism and Corruption."

This program often presents political topics related to political diaries, and many Iraqi politicians were invited to it.

In the program, Mullah hosted the actor Ayad Al-Tai, who is dressed as a brigadier general in the army.

The actor talks in a humorous and sarcastic manner for ten minutes, about the buying and selling of high positions and corruption related to officers obtaining money allocated to fake soldiers called "alien".

He then holds his phone claiming that he is speaking with a high-ranking official in one of the ministries, to ask him not to forget him in the upcoming job changes.

But this ridicule did not pass.

The Iraqi army is widely respected among Iraqis, especially after the victory over the Islamic State in late 2017. On the streets, posters praising the army, and programs and advertisements about its heroism abound.

In response to Ahmed Mulla Talal's program, the Ministry of Defense considered in a statement that "what (the program) discussed offends the reputation of the entire Iraqi army and erases all their sacrifices and heroisms and what they offered in order for all citizens to enjoy safety."

In turn, the Media and Communications Commission considered in a statement that what was presented in the program "is a clear insult to the Iraqi army and all its affiliates, and that this program poses a threat to the sectors of the Iraqi army and its cohesion in the field, especially since the army continues to fight ISIS terrorist gangs."

It also demanded that this paragraph be deleted from all social media sites and platforms affiliated with the channel.

In response to the commission's decision, Ahmed Mulla Talal refused to apologize.

And he said in a post on social media: "I harassed a hornet's nest, we moved from the stage of corruption and failure to the stage of corruption, failure, muzzling, dictatorship, and the next is worse. I will not apologize for revealing part of the truth, and I will not apologize to the corrupt."

There are widespread accusations of corruption against officials in Iraq.

This oil country is ranked 160 out of 180 among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International.

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