A Freedom Fighter or Terrorist - Essay Example

? A Freedom Fighter or Terrorist Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein was born in 1937 in a small village in Tikrit (Anderson, 2004). He had no known biological father in his life from childhood but had a step-father by the name of Ibrahim Hassan. His step-father was a known sheep thief and he taught the young Saddam his trade however this turned tragic when Saddam was caught in the act and forced to leave and stay with a far away uncle, Khayrallah Tulfah. His uncle enrolled him in school and tried to do the same in the military but the young Saddam was turned away due to bad grades. Out of anger and rage, he joined the radical faction Ba’ath. One of the Ba’ath’s objectives as a radical faction was to topple the existing regime of King Faisal II and form a Unitary Arabic State. In 1958 after a failed assassination attempt of General Abdul Qassim by the young Saddam Hussein, Saddam fled to Egypt where he enrolled in school to pursue a degree in law. After a short stay in Egypt, back in Iraq the Ba’ath faction managed to have in their control the city of Baghdad in 1963 and General Qassim was publicly tortured and eventually put to death. The group called Saddam back home and gave him the position of head torturer at the “Palace of the End.” However this did not last for long because the Nationalist soldiers deposed the Ba’ath and arrested several of its members in 1964, one of them was Saddam Hussein. A General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr, Saddam’s cousin, advocated for Saddam and had him released. He later on endorsed Saddam to the post of assistant secretary general of the Ba’ath Party and saw to it that he formed and made effective an unknown police force, Jihaz Haneen. In 1968 while Saddam was chief of internal security as well as the head of the Revolutionary Command Council, he participated heavily in the coup led by his cousin and he was an undercover agent always secretly searching for those opposing his cousin and intimidating them or even at times killing them. He became highly feared and popular for the next ten years always playing the position of the right hand man of his cousin. In 1978 he swayed his now aging cousin to step down as ruler of Iraq citing poor health and later on had the party heads choose an heir to the throne of Iraq. He outwitted everyone by having them choose him as the heir to the throne. During the first conference of the Revolutionary Command Council in 1979, Saddam’s first order of business was to have all the people he thought might pose a threat to his rule executed. These included judges, military men, legal representatives, bankers, reporters, religious leaders, his fellow party members as well as scholars. In a span of one month he had ordered the putting to death of about 450 people he claimed were foes of his regime (Arnold, 2008). These became known as the Pyramid of Skulls and to create more intimidation and fear among those who opposed him, he had some of these executions done in public and recorded then later on have these recordings delivered to rulers of the other Arab States. The Kurds who were a marginalized group had been calling for their sovereignty for as long as Iraq existed and they faced a lot of oppression and persecution under the reign of Saddam. 1987 saw the total demolish of their villages and killing of many of their own. It is reported that between 1983 and 1988, about 180,000 Kurds were killed by Saddam. These mainly took place in their oil rich province of Kirkuk because Saddam wanted the region to be owned by another tribe and not the Kurds who had been in that place for decades. Saddam had a lot of his people under his mercy because of external enemies like Iran who were always ready to strike. He assured them of their safety under his rule and used this strategy to control them while at the same time oppressing them. He increased his influence over his people by always making himself and his image a constant sign of intimidation. It is said that his portrait appeared in every learning institution, learning text book as well as every building in Iraq. It was a tradition for students to chant his name everyday before classes commenced. They would shout ‘long live Saddam and away with the Persians.” Students were often made to draw portraits of a combat zone between Iraq and Iran with the former always emerging triumphant. Saddam engaged Iran in a battle that lasted eight years mainly because the Iranian regime was being ruled by the Shiite. In 990 he ordered the invasion of Kuwait because Iraq and Kuwait had a difference that spanned years back over territory. These attacks led to a lot of resistance and outrage from across the world and even the United Nation tried to have Saddam avoid attacking Kuwait but he disobeyed this order. This led to the famous Persian Gulf War which was basically a US and Iran attack of Iraq that went on for about six weeks and had a turmoil effect on Iraq. One of the major results of these wars was the displacement of millions to countries outside Iraq such as Norway and Germany. This however was not always the preferred choice for many because once one left, his remaining family members would face the wrath of the Saddam forces and it was not possible to have those who had left come back to Iraq. It is after the Gulf War that the United States and other countries started imposing sanctions on Iraq (Alnasrawi, 2002). These sanctions made the living situation worse such that affording three meals a day for most middle class individuals became hard, the salaries paid were not sufficient enough and even those employed in the learning institutions earned as little as $1 down from a salary that in the past enabled them to buy a house and a car. Saddam’s greatest vision was to have a secular Iraq and despite the sanctions and revolts by those outside Iraq, he was willing to go to any length to see to it that this happened. He killed many who opposed him while those who showed their support to his rule became very rich from the hefty returns they got from the oil reserves. This was especially so for those of Sunni background. Before the sanctions, people who supported him had lots to eat, they lacked nothing. Children were fully fed, educated and women were well educated compared to any other Arab country at that time. Saddam became loved and very popular with his people, providing the much he could. It was world wide knowledge that Saddam was a die hard fan of the former Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. He literally worshipped whatever Stalin did, idolizing his rule and crafts in leadership. War crimes against Saddam There are a lot of crimes that stood out during Saddam’s regime; these include; Religious Persecutions The Ba’ath Party that nurtured Saddam and laid his political foundation was made up mainly of Sunni Muslims. However the Sunni Muslims made up a small portion of the population of Iraq with the majority of the population made up of Shiite Muslims. The neighboring Iranians had Shiism as its National religion therefore Saddam thought that oppressing and finally getting rid of Shiism would enable him to achieve overall Arabization and free Iraq from control by Iran. This led to Iran-Iraq war that lasted for eight years and led to the loss of an estimated 4 million soldiers and civilians. The Dujail Massacre of 1982 The Shiite radicals who were opposed to Saddam’s rule and oppression tried to have him killed in 1982 July, however this did not pull through and Saddam retaliated by having the inhabitants of the city massacred. A total 148 people were publicly killed inclusive of children and women. It was an inhumane act that Saddam was convicted by in 2009. The Barzani Clan Abduction of 1983 The Ba’ath Party during its fight for freedom faced major opposition from a Kurdish revolutionary group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masoud Barzani. After the Iran-Iraq war that saw Barzani support Iran, Saddam retaliated by ordering the kidnapping of over 9,000 kinsmen from the clan of Barzani. To date a good number have not been found, with other killed and others found in mass graves in the south of Iraq. The al-Anfal Campaign The al-Anfal Campaign (1986-1989) was marked the most inhumane manner that Saddam ever disregarded human rights. He ordered the execution of any living thing in Northern Kurd which saw about 182,000 individuals of all gender and age killed using crude methods such as the use of bio-chemical weapons. One region had an estimated number of 5000 victims in 1988 and to create further hatred by his people of Iran, he accused Iran of the Halabja massacre and even managed to get the backing of the United States in the matter. Campaign against the Marsh Arabs Saddam oppressed the Shiite Marsh Arabs who resided in the Southeast region of Iraq by having their marshes destroyed. This led to the suffering and eventually death of lots of the Shiite Marsh people, hence resulting in their population reducing to 30,000 from 250,000. Their culture was completely destroyed as well and it is not known how many of these individuals fell victim to the soldiers' bullets, hunger or relocation. All that is known is that this group that had a blood link with the ancient Mesopotamians had their influence completely reduced. Post-Uprising Massacre of 1991 The United States convinced the Kurds and the Shiite to oppose Saddam’s rule in 1992, promising to support their efforts in an operation known as Operation Desert Storm. However when the war began, the United States did not offer the support promised. The withdrawal of these support led to an indefinite number of victims from the Kurds and Shiite sides. Saddam had at one point over 2,000 of the Kurdish insurgents murdered. Kurds feared falling victim to such a situation and risked passing the dangerous terrains of the desert and mountains to seek asylum in Iran and Turkey. By the end of the journey out of millions that began the dangerous trek, thousands had died on the way. It is however not right to concentrate on the much that Saddam did on the battlefield alone. His daily activities had almost the same effect as the mass killings he ordered in the war zones. He was known to have rape rooms, have his opponents tormented to death, his political foes had at most times witness the killing of their children so as to create fear and intimidation and also the mass killing by security personnel of non-violent demonstrators in the street resulting in blood baths all over. These interpret and reflect on the kind of policies that Saddam had forged to administrate over his regime on a daily basis. He was never afraid to admit that his security machinery engaged in killing the mass and even did this on national television citing that any act of radicalism would be met by death. He most of the time had the audacity to agree that he committed these acts of inhumanity because he got back from the United States until 1991 (Serena, 2011). Saddam a Hero and a Martyr The execution of Saddam Hussein on the holy day of Eid al-Adha by the United States made him a martyr. Those who wanted to celebrate the fall of a tyrant instead saw this as an act of disrespect and intimidation by the United States on the Arabs and the Islamic religion. Foes and friends alike became worried by stating that the US had given Saddam the best send off he did not deserve. Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak was the first Arab leader to condemn this execution. He told the Yediot Ahronot daily that he had sent word to the then American President, George W. Bush not to execute the fallen dictator on that holy day but he did not heed this advice. The repercussions would later on spread grief and pity for Saddam across Iraq and the Arab world. Countries such as Libya even stopped the celebrations that mark the holy day of Eid-al-Adha and its leader Muammar Gaddaffi ordered all Libyan citizens to hold a three day National mourning, an honor reserved for a Marty or a great leader (Souza, 2007). The degree of disrespect by the Americans on the holy day was heightened when all were given the chance to view the execution take place on live television. Children and women were the once highly traumatized by the execution as they it on television, most of them saying that the relevance and satisfaction that the event was meant to bring never was because the US instead turned him into a Marty. The same sentiments seemed to be shared by the jailed Saddam because as he was even being tormented, he kept on smiling with his torturers, probably realizing the significance his death would mark if he was executed on that holy day. Among the organizations that condemned the execution was the Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars, accusing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of being an American Puppet while on the other hand the Shias celebrated this execution, having fallen victim to Saddam’s brutality. After the fall of Saddam’s regime on suspicion that he had weapons of mass destruction (Hughes, 2002), a lot of Iraqis started questioning why they supported the west in its quest to have Saddam ousted and eventually killed by hanging. Some praised him for what he had done for Iraq and even said that much had been better and achieved during his reign than when he was ousted. A survey carried out recorded that out of five Iraqis; at least one was not employed. This is way above what they experienced under Saddam’s reign. A majority of these victims of joblessness has mostly been young people. The war has led to destroyed infrastructure and the new regime has reacted at a snail pace to correct this economic tragedy, a situation that never occurred while Saddam was the ruler. Electricity to the Iraqis has become a luxury with many having the pleasure of its access only for a few hours daily. A lot of Iraqis feel that the United States has a major say in their leadership by imposing on them leaders they oppose for instance the USA imposing to the Iraqis Prime Minister al-Maliki for a second term (Katzman, 2009) thus creating a month long of fear and war with his opponent Ayad Allawi before the latter gave in to pressure to step down. Iraqis crave for the basic needs they lavished in during Saddam’s reign such as clean water, source of power, security, fight against corruption and improved quality of education for their children (Clawson, 2002). In 2010 November about 800 demonstrators marched the city of Fallujah demanding better pay and fuel cost in the oil filled region. The same streets saw the demonstrators a few years back calling for the ousting of Saddam Hussein (Rouhi, 2011). These constant demonstrations are supported by the west and the revised constitution of Iraq as a way of showing democracy, a belief not shared by many Iraqis. The constant intimidation of rioters by security personnel and the harassment of the media make a lot of Iraqis feel like the level of insecurity is much worse than before (Fontan, 2008). Some Iraqis of Sunni background in Tikrit have been celebrating the birthday of Saddam annually as a sign of revolt to the west and the sitting government citing the loss of a hero and not a tyrant ( Sasson, 2003 ). Some claim that Saddam brought unity and peace in Iraq. It is reported that Christians are being persecuted in Iraq and it is suicidal to declare that one is a Christian (Fuller, 2003). The Kurdish Peshmergas are killing innocent Christians such as the Archbishop of Mosul, and Paulos Faraj Rahho. They burn churches and at times turn them into mosques in a bid to intimidate the Christians. Christians felt safe under Saddam because he was never a sectarian. He supported all religions and the minorities, a stand that the Peshmergas who are allies of the United States detest. To date, it is notable that most Iraqis rely on the Humanitarian Organizations for survival. References: Alnasrawi, A. (2002). Iraq's Burdens: Oil, Sanctions, and Underdevelopment: Issue 229 of Contributions in Economics and Economic History. Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Publishing Anderson, D. (2004). Saddam Hussein A & E Biography Minneapolis, USA: Twenty-First Century Books Arnold, J. (2008). Saddam Hussein's Iraq: Dictatorships Series. Minneapolis, USA: Twenty- First Century Books Clawson, P. (2002). How to build a new Iraq after Saddam. Michigan, USA: University of Michigan Press Fontan, V. (2008). Voices from Post-Saddam Iraq: Living with Terrorism, Insurgency, and New Forms of Tyranny: Living with Terrorism, Insurgency, and New Forms of Tyranny Praeger Security International California, USA: ABC-CLIO Fuller, G. (2003). Islamist politics in Iraq after Saddam Hussein: report. Indiana, USA: Purdue Hughes, S. (2002). The Iraqi Threat and Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction Indiana, USA: Trafford Publishing Katzman, K. (2009). Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security. Pennsylvania, USA: DianePublishing Rouhi, H. (2011). Memories of Iraq Revolution Indiana, USA: AuthorHouse Sasson, J. (2003). Mayada, daughter of Iraq: one woman's survival under Saddam Hussein. New York, USA: Dutton Serena, C. (2011). A Revolution in Military Adaptation: The US Army in the Iraq War. Washington, USA: Georgetown University Press Souza, L. (2007). Death Penalty: The Execution of Saddam Hussein. California, USA: Grin Verlag Read More