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Saddam: A Monster becomes a Martyr
By Atul Singh, England
Massive condemnation of Saddam Hussein's execution has been heard not only from religious leaders but also from political leaders like Gordon Brown, the man likely to succeed Tony Blair, who called the execution deplorable. People around the world are disgusted by the hanging which evoked 18th century vendettas rather than 21st century principles of justice.
"[The execution] evokes memories of colonialism when inconvenient leaders were summarily executed by the European empires." -Atul Singh
Americans have lost all legitimacy in Iraq. Millions of sound-minded people (in addition to those who look for excuses to fuel anti-American sentiment) believe that the hanging was carried out with the consent and encouragement of the American administration. Indeed, Saddam's execution was the culmination of Bush Jr's personal vendetta against him. "After all, this is the man who tried to kill my Dad," Bush has said on numerous occasions, confirming for many that he waged the Iraq war to eliminate Saddam. Sadly, the focus is not on the atrocities Saddam committed but on the treatment meted out to him by the Americans.
Adding insult to injury, Saddam was hanged on Eid al-Adha, one of the two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. The festival commemorates the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims worldwide. It is also a commemoration of Prophet Abrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac to God and, therefore, is a time when violence is abjured. The timing and manner of the execution has offended the Muslim community, especially, the majority Sunnis.
Certainly amongst the Sunni Arab population, Saddam is now seen as a martyr who took on the mighty imperialists and paid the price. People in the Arab world are convinced that America invaded Iraq to secure oil and to eliminate Saddam. This execution has confirmed this popular perception and further soiled America's already tarnished image.
Saddam's execution will have massive repercussions. Support for American policies in Iraq will be much harder to generate. The European perception of America, already at low ebb, is likely to fall dramatically. The execution has also upset countries in the developing world in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It evokes memories of colonialism when inconvenient leaders were summarily executed by the European empires. Even India, which has just entered into a nuclear deal with America and still enforces the death penalty, condemned the execution.
America's reputation has taken a battering. The soft power that America commanded over the last 60 years has further declined and the world is now deeply suspicious of the superpower.
