Two Flags over Iraq to Open in Spring

Construction Begins on Two Flags over Iraq

Since taking over the Six Flags Corporation 24 hours ago, new CEO Mark Shapiro has announced the largest changes to the second largest theme park company in the world. Plans are for the construction of the first Western amusement park in the Middle East. Although not the first venture for the Six Flags Corporation outside the United States, it will be the first in the region known more for rocket attacks than rollercoasters.

Two Flags Over Iraq will be the first of potentially 3 new parks in the region. The other two parks are to be located in Iran and Syria after the invasion of United States forces in the spring. The site of the Iraqi park is slated for the Sunni enclave of Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi Recreation and Tourism Minister and Mayor of Tikrit, Wael Ibrahim Ali, believes that the addition of the new park will pave the way for Democracy in Iraq. "Distracting the young people from the realities of their lives is the key to Democracy" Ali said in a noon press conference Wednesday. With plans to build a water park near the amusement facility in the next 3 years, Tikrik may be the center of Sunni entertainment by the end of the decade.

Mishaan al-Jubouri, Middle East Theme Coordinator for Six Flags Operation, said that there will be more of a Sunni flair to the park. From the "Camel Rally Iraq" area which will mirror the more familiar NASCAR theme in the southern United States to more macabre theme of "Kurdistan Land" where rides will center around the gassing of the hated Kurdish minority. "We understand that the park is not for everyone" conceded al-Jubouri when asked about the more hateful themes. "We are making this park truly Iraqi. This is who we are."

Although the park will not allow women, children, Kurds, Armenians, Persians, Assyrians, Israelis or Mexicans, it is expected to bring in much needed income to the Tikrit region.