MUMBAI/PUNE, 1 January 2007 — The timing of the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain drew mixed but strong reactions from students of West Asian countries and Indians who had in one way or the other associated with Iraq.
Saudi students Ali Mohammed and Najib Mahmoud, hailing from Jeddah and studying Computer Science at Symbiosis College described Saddam as the last enlightened and progressive Arab ruler. Said Najib " From now, the Arab world will either have pro-American thugs or Al Qaeeda kind of fanatics'.
While some heaved a sigh of relief at the final demise of Saddam, whom they referred as a "brutal dictator" and compared him to Hitler and Stalin, while others lamented the passing away of the greatest Arab hero of the generation and referred to him as th second 'Salahuddin Ayyubi, the 12 century Islamic warrior who captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders.
Imad Khaazzer from Nasariyah in Iraq said it was the day millions of Shias like him had been waiting for decades. A number of the students termed the execution as gross miscarriage of justice. Several students blamed the Americans and other Western countries for trying to impose an "alien form of democracy" on the people of West Asia. For them, Saddam represented the most visible face of Arab resistance against neo-colonialism.
"Who had the guts to take on Israelis and rain Scud missiles in Tel Aviv other than Saddam? Who single-handedly stopped te Americans from over-running the entire oil fields of West Asia for more than a decade in the face of sanctions?" said Esam Ali Ahmed, a Doctorate student of English literature in the University of Pune and who hails from Yemen.
Research student Adnan Saadan, from Bagdad and a research student doing his doctorate at the University of Pune said that the decision to execute Saddam comes from an Iraqi court, but this has been dictated by the United States of America. " I have been following the developments in Iraq. Whatever happens in Iraq , is America's doing and nothing seems real" he said.
Saadan further stated that he does not believe that Saddam's death would stop the violence n his home country. "The bloodshed in my country needs to stop. More people are dying now than they did in three decades that Saddam ruled. Saddam should not have been executed on Eid Al Adha day. In fact, no one should have got death as punishment on an Eid day" he added
Dr. Mohammed Noori, an Iranian practicing dentist in Pune, said that Saddam's execution was not right. "Agreed that whatever Saddam did was against humanity and Iranians. But we need to question the role of the people who have held him guilty, a reference to US and United Kingdom.
Zahir Al Sabah, a Omanese student said " Saddam should not have been awarded a death penalty. He was the icon of the Arab world who stood up against Israel and the US. His hanging is at the behest of the US. It is quite likely there will be repercussion in the future" he added.
Indians who had worked in Iraq during Saddam's regime lamented the hanging and described it as being 'politically motivated' and as an 'injustice to the Iraqi people'. Retired Air Commodore Ashok Shinde of the Indian Air Force, who had been deputed to train the Iraqi air force pilots between 1979 and 1981 said that the execution of Saddam was highly political and that it was not a legal trial at all. "The trial was not fair".
Elaborating further Shinde said that Saddam might have been brutal towards the opposition, even in case of the Kurds, but it was not for America to try and execute him. We have seen Americans supply napalm and cluster bombs to Iraqis for use against Iran. American troops had killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. This is against democratic values.
Lavishing praise on Saddam, Shinde said "Iraq was a modern society during Saddam Hussain's regime. Women's education was encouraged and I saw women work predominantly as veterinarians and engineers. Towards the end of 1980s they were inducting women in their air force too," Shinde added.
Jagdish Pradhan, rail consultant based in Mumbai, recalls the positive memories of Saddam. Pradhan was deputed to Iraq as track engineering expert to work on a rail project connecting capital of Iraq, Syria and Jordan between 1979 to 1983. "Saddam's execution is an injustice to the people of Iraq and is politically motivated. My views may be a bit biased as I am emotionally attached to Iraq. I have in possession a letter sent to me by Saddam after I had drawn a sketch of his, which he liked and sent me a big box containing paints, brushes and drawing sheets" Pradhan said.
Former federal minister for railways and senior BJP leader Ram Naik recalled Saddam as a friend of India. "The news of his death is shocking. I have very good memories of him," he said and added that he came face-to-face with Saddam when he was leading the Indian delegation to the 15th session of the Indo-Iraq Joint Commission, which was held in Baghdad on 6th and 7th July 2002. I as a leader of the Indian team had a two hour meeting with Saddam Hussain. I say he was the friend of India because he stood by India. I was the last Indian politician who had met Saddam Hussain. He gave me and the delegation a cordial welcome. It was plesant and great meeting him. He looked very nice and gave me and the Indian delegation a cordial welcome" Naik concluded.
