A colloquial name for the 1968 oil spill and subsequent cover up that occurred when the BP pipelines in the Protectorate of Mesopotamia burst, flooding the Persian gulf and the Tigris and Euphrates in crude oil. The environmental disaster was followed by reports that confirmed long held rumors that BP had not upgraded their safety equipment in over a decade. The name came from a now famous political cartoon showing John Bull placing a doily atop a huge oil spill, representing the Mesopotamians anger with what they felt was a slap on the wrist for BP. The spill ultimately led to major protests, strikes and boycotts, culminating in the 1973 Mesopotamian referendum and the 1975 nationalization of BP's assets in the region. It is also credited with helping birth the modern Islamic environmentalist movement.The Oily Doily
The Scouring of Alexandria