Saddam
Verdict Could Tear
Iraqis Apart
By Dahr Jamail &
Ali al-Fadhily
08 November, 2006
Inter Press
Service
BAGHDAD, Nov 6 (IPS)
- The death sentence for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could
deepen a divide that threatens to tear Iraqis apart.
The signs on the street are
dangerous already. Several reports have come in of celebrations in Kurdish
and Shia areas, with strong protests in Sunni-dominated cities in central
Iraq.
Iraq is being ripped apart
by sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shias, and many fear that if
Saddam Hussein is executed Iraq could slide into civil war.
On Sunday the High Tribunal
in Iraq held Saddam Hussein guilty of ordering the killing of 148 Shias
in 1982. The verdict threatens stability because Saddam Hussein, a Sunni
Muslim, is seen by non-Sunnis to have run policies to the advantage
of Sunnis and the disadvantage of others.
Manny Iraqis in Baghdad say
the judgment was hastened for the benefit of the Republican Party in
the United States, which faces congressional elections Tuesday. The
party is expected to do badly primarily as a result of a widely perceived
failure of the Republican Administration's Iraq policy.
The sectarian split under
U.S.-led occupation has spiralled high enough to lead to fears that
Iraq is in a state of civil war already. The oil-rich nation of 25 million
comprises mainly Shias, Sunnis and Kurds, with the Shias an estimated
majority of 60 percent.
In the Shia dominated Sadr
City in Baghdad, and in other Shia cities like Najaf, Kerbala and Basra,
large numbers came out on the streets to celebrate. Much of the Shia
population suffered great repression during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Celebrations have been reported
also across Kurdish regions of northern Iraq, Like the Shias, the Kurdish
population was also heavily repressed under the reign of the former
dictator.
A day before the verdict
was announced, Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked Iraqis not
to "celebrate too much" when the announcement came.
Other Shia leaders have been
trying to sober down such celebrations, and even oppose the death sentence.
They say that execution of the former leader would make a martyr of
him, and give him a higher status than he deserves.
The picture of a split society
was completed by protests and anger in Sunni-dominated areas of Iraq,
particularly in Baghdad and in al-Anabar province to its west. Facing
repression now from a Shia-dominated government under U.S. influence,
Sunnis have adopted the former leader as one of their own.
In Baghdad's predominantly
Sunni neighbourhood al-Adhamiya, Iraqi police battled resistance members
armed with machine guns. In Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit, thousands
defied a curfew to carry pictures of Saddam through the streets.
The divisions were deepened
further when Iraqi army units attacked pro-Saddam demonstrators in many
areas. Sunni television channels Zawra and Salahedin that aired pro-Saddam
demonstrations were immediately shut down and raided by Iraqi security
forces.
The closure of the two networks
has infuriated Sunnis further. The move appeared similar to the U.S.-ordered
closure of the newspaper al-Hawza of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which
sparked his first uprising against occupation forces two years back.
In a country where sectarian
death squads are killing on average more than 100 people a day in the
capital city alone, another polarising event is the last thing Iraq
needs at this time.
One potential flashpoint
everyone is watching is the northern oil-rich city Kirkuk. The city
has a mixed population, including Sunni ethnic Arabs who were settled
there under Saddam's regime. Kurdish leaders want Kirkuk, and its wealth,
within an autonomous Kurdistan.
In the Shia-dominated south,
more than 100,000 Iraqis are fleeing their homes each week as Shia leaders
push for federalism, under which each ethnic group would take substantial
control of a region it dominates.
Execution of Saddam Hussein,
if it takes place, could worsen a pattern under which every 'success'
of the government under occupation has led to increasing attacks on
U.S. and Iraqi security forces.
This happened after Saddam
Hussein was captured by U.S. forces in December 2003 after they were
tipped off by Kurdish militia members. The attacks against security
forces rose dramatically after that. A similar pattern followed the
killing of suspected al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by occupation
forces.
It is not yet certain that
execution will be carried out. The verdict on Saddam now goes before
a nine-judge panel that has indefinite time to review the case. But
if the sentence is upheld, the execution must be carried out within
30 days.
Copyright © 2006 IPS-Inter
Press Service
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