Shiite Woman Saves Sons from Saddam

Published June 1, 2003 at 12:00 AM EDT

Sabiha Mohammed Ismail sits between sons Ibrahim (left) and Saad.

Saddam Hussein's fearsome intelligence services killed thousands and had spies throughout Iraq.

But as NPR's Nick Spicer reports, a plucky Shiite woman in Baghdad -- Sabiha Mohammed Ismail -- hid two of her sons in her home for two decades, even though the agents came frequently to arrest and execute them.

The brothers grew up unbeknownst to their next-door neighbors, reading hundreds of books, and coaching their mom in how best to lie to the interrogators.

She even succeeded in persuading Iraqi officials they had already put to death her sons... who were just upstairs.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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