The Reincarnation of Saddam Hussein
By Marjorie Cohn, Truthout 4-7-2004
"I am Saddam Hussein, president of the Republic of Iraq." So began the surreal public appearance of Saddam Hussein, his first since being dragged out of a spider hole by the "coalition forces" six months ago. The proud, defiant Saddam who ruled Iraq with an iron hand for nearly 25 years was back with a vengeance.
Describing himself as always in the third person, he said Saddam "respected the will of the people that decided to choose Saddam Hussein as the leader of the revolution. Therefore, when I say president of the Republic of Iraq, it's not a formality or a holding fast to a position, but rather to reiterate to the Iraqi people that I respect its will."
The sight of Saddam standing up to his accusers played well throughout Iraq. Even many who had endured atrocities under Saddam s regime saw him as the embodiment of their Arab land, shattered by bombs and occupied by Western infidels.
Yes, they suffered under Saddam. But Operation "Iraqi Freedom" has brought mostly misery to the people of Iraq. Tens of thousands of them have died in this illegal war. Almost 20 million of Iraq s 26 million people have less available electricity than before the war began, according to the General Accounting Office. The Iraqi security forces are suffering from mass desertion. And the judicial system is more clogged than before the war; assassination attempts against judges are rampant.
Many Iraqis sympathize with Saddam. "It s a humiliation, not just for Iraqis but for all Arab peoples," Aamer Eliisa, a Shiite, told the Los Angeles Times. Eliisa said Saddam has become "a symbol for all Iraqis."
Saddam s harsh words about Kuwait hit a chord with Iraqis. Akram Adil said: "He s right. Kuwait is a part of Iraq. He was defending our national rights ... Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq and trying to destroy our national economy."
Marjorie Cohn, is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Qaddafi s Daughter Joins Saddam's Defense Team
Abdul Jalil Mustafa, Arab News 4-7-2004
A daughter of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has joined a 20-member defense panel for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the team s chief Mohammad Rashdan announced yesterday.
Aysha Qaddafi, who holds a doctorate in law, has called us offering to join the team, and we welcomed that. She is now member of the defense panel for the Iraqi president, Rashdan told Arab News. The team includes prominent specialist in the legal profession from Arab and non-Arab countries, including France and Britain, who have already volunteered to defend the former Iraqi leader, according to Rashdan.
He revealed that the defense team had received threats to explode the building that houses our office if we go ahead with holding press conferences here .
Rashdan pointed out that a fresh attempt to get protection from the US-led multinational force had faltered. We have sent a fax message to Col. Jane Sharpal, the American officer in charge of giving permits for visiting the Iraqi president, but we have not got a reply, he said. We have also written to the Iraqi Bar Association and the Jordanian Bar Society, he added.
Saddam Hussein & The Judge
The following is an edited transcript of the translators' words as Saddam Hussein answered questions from judge Ra'id Juhi. Some parts of the conversation are missing, as the microphone failed to pick up everything the translators said. (Independent.co.uk 2-7-2004)
SADDAM: You [..] have to introduce yourself to me
JUDGE: Mr Saddam, I am the investigative judge of the central court of Iraq.
SADDAM: So that I have to know, you are an investigative judge of the central court of Iraq? What resolution, what law formed this court?
The judge's response could not be heard.
SADDAM: Oh, the coalition forces? So you are representing the occupying forces?
JUDGE: No, I'm an Iraqi representing Iraq.
SADDAM: But you are...
JUDGE: I was appointed by a presidential decree under the former regime.
SADDAM: So you are reiterating that every Iraqi should respect the Iraqi law. So the law that was instituted before represents the will of the people, right?
JUDGE: Yes, God willing.
SADDAM: So you should not work under the jurisdiction of the coalition forces.
JUDGE: This is an important point. I am a judge. In the former regime, I respect the judges. And I am resuming and continuing my work.
SADDAM: So, please let me - I'm not complicating matters. Are you a judge? You are a judge? And judges, they value the law. And they rule by the law, right? Right?
Right is a relative issue. For us, right is our heritage in the Koran, sharia, right? I am not talking about Saddam Hussein, whether he was a citizen or in other capacities. I'm not holding fast to my position, but to respect the will of the people that decided to choose Saddam Hussein as the leader of the revolution. Therefore, when I say president of the Republic of Iraq, it's not a formality or a holding fast to a position, but rather to reiterate to the Iraqi people that I respect its will.
Recht is een betrekkelijk begrip
Commentaar Wim Duzijn 2004
Saddam Hussein is een intelligente man en dat betekent dat er naar hem geluisterd moet worden. Het feit dat recht (bereidheid te luisteren) en propaganda (onwil naar anderen te luisteren) in het Westen aan elkaar gelijk worden gesteld bewijst dat de uitspraak van Saddam Hussein dat recht een betrekkelijke zaak is uiterst serieus genomen moet worden.
Wie werkelijk het recht serieus neemt, die zal het gedrag van Saddam Hussein zowel aan internationale rechtsregels als aan Islamitische rechtsregels moeten toetsen, met de nadruk op Islamitische regels, die daarom zo belangrijk zijn, omdat zijn tegenstanders de Islam (met name de Sharia) boven het Internationale Recht plaatsen.
We kunnen wel net doen alsof de Iraanse Ayatollahs heiligen zijn, maar dat zijn ze niet. De Ayatollahs (met name de conservatieve, theocratische machtaanbidders) zijn fanatieke gelovigen die een afgod aanbidden: Khomeini, een geestelijk leider aan wie welhaast goddelijke eigenschappen worden toegekend.
Khomeini is een fundamentalistische schriftgeleerde die eist dat de wet van de Islam boven alle andere wetten wordt geplaatst (de man regeerde bij goddelijk decreet en heeft met behulp van een fatwa de intellectueel Salman Rushdie jarenlang in een totaal isolement geplaatst).
Wanneer we de Islam (die groter is dan de schriftgeleerde Khomeini) op de eerste plaats zetten dan kan alleen maar gezegd worden dat Saddam Hussein als Soennitische moslim boven de Ayatollahs met hun afwijkende Islamvisie moet worden geplaatst.
De Shia is namelijk weinig meer dan een (sektarische) afwijking binnen het pluralistische geheel van de Islam en kan daarom nooit het recht opeisen een moslim die tot de meerderheid behoort te oordelen en te veroordelen.
Daarom mag je als verdediger van het Internationale Recht een man die tot de meerderheid behoort nooit uitleveren aan een kleine sekte die op een fanatiek, onredelijke wijze een minderheidsstandpunt verdedigt.
Het internationale recht is de vijand van het obscurantisme, en puur juridisch gezien (recht plaatst zich boven de partijen) is de Shia een obscure sekte die het meerderheidsstandpunt verwerpt zodat berechting van een Soenniet door een Sjiiet een onjuiste zaak is, zowel gezien vanuit het oogpunt van het internationale recht, als bekeken door de bril van het Islamitische recht, dat altijd diegenen die het dichtst bij de profeet Mohammed staan boven diegenen die de profeet ontkennen plaatst.
Concreet gesteld betekent dit dat voordat je Saddam Hussein kunt berechten de vraag gesteld moet worden welke religie de ware religie is: De Soennitische Islam, vertegenwoordigd door Saddam Hussein, of de Shiietische afwijking, volgens de meerderheid een ketterse perversie die verdedigd wordt door Iraanse Ayatollahs die zichzelf via een proces van zelfvergoddelijking boven de profeet Mohammed en zijn democratische volksreligie hebben geplaatst.
Jezus: Vijand Van Theocraten
8 Gij zult niet Rabbi genaamd worden; want Een is uw Meester, namelijk Christus; en gij zijt allen broeders.
9 En gij zult niemand uw vader noemen op de aarde; want Een is uw Vader, namelijk Die in de hemelen is.
10 Noch zult gij meesters genoemd worden; want Een is uw Meester, namelijk Christus.
11 Maar de meeste van u zal uw dienaar zijn.
12 En wie zichzelven verhogen zal, die zal vernederd worden; en wie zichzelven zal vernederen, die zal verhoogd worden.
13 Maar wee u, gij Schriftgeleerden en Farizeen, gij geveinsden! want gij sluit het Koninkrijk der hemelen voor de mensen, overmits gij daar niet ingaat, noch degenen, die ingaan zouden, laat ingaan. (Matheus 23)
Terugblik: ABC News Oct. 23, 2001
Here is the text of the e-mail, dated Oct. 18, sent by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to Christopher Love, 43, a Pennsylvania-based computer engineer.
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Dear brother in the family of mankind,
I read your e-mail message of October 2nd carefully and I have well pondered over your emotions regarding the victims of the two towers.
All I can say is presenting my condolences to you, and to reiterate the Muslims linguistic formula on occasion, like this: God has created us, and to him we return. May God give you long life.
I began this letter, by addressing you by the word "brother", although you are neither Iraqi or Arab, nor a Muslim, as can be seen by your name.
'Why I Called You Brother'
Christopher, do you know why I called you brother? Because I never forget, that all mankind come from Adam and Eve. They are all brothers, although they later became different nations and adherent to different religions. Hence, to our understanding, we are one family within the peoples of our earth.
In this family, there is vice and virtue, good and bad people. As long as a man safeguards his rights and duties, within himself, and with humanity, avoids transgressing other peoples' rights, greed, and harming others, and tries to be useful to others, only if they ask for his help, he becomes their brother. But, when any member of this family of mankind oppresses, exploits, unjustly wages wars on them, or lies and deceives others, he would be acting like a devil in the form of man.
I know that Arabs are far from being fanatic. Do you know why? Because, God, the Almighty, assigned them with the mission of delivering the messages of all religions to humanity, and not to Arabs alone. They have fulfilled their mission, so that all Christians is now indebted to Arabs for guiding them to Faith, which God wanted them to have when, He made it possible for them to reach you, or for you to reach them, so that you know what they believe in, and be affected by it.
I know that Arabs, in general, do not adopt fanatic stances against any people for religious reasons. But, can anyone guarantee that one fanaticism does not create another? Can anyone guarantee that the death toll and killing, inflicted upon Arabs and Muslims by the American armies, would not lead to a counter-reaction, whether that reaction is well guided, or is a random one, that pleases no one except those who carry it out? (ABC News 2001)
Yours truly,
Saddam Hussein,
Baghdad, Shabban 2,1422 H.
Oct. 18, 2001