[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Saddams execution - A muslim point of view

Most muslims I know happen to be Sunni muslims. We all feel that Saddam should have been tried for his trial and if the outcome is death then so be it. No one disputes that he is guilty of horrific crimes against his own people, and fellow muslims and for that he should be punished.

The thing which was upsetting for us was the manner in which he died and the timing. The month of Hajj is one of the most sacred in the Islamic calender, both to Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Altho he was executed before the day of Eid Ul Adha (which is the 10th of the islamic month), the fact that he was executed in this month left a feeling of sadness and disgust at fellow muslims who carried out the executuon.

Additionally he was not able to recite the full Shahadat (Islamic Oath) and the trap door was opened mid way through. This is especially distasteful considering the punishment was carried out by muslims.

People will argue that Saddam offered no compassion to the Kurds that he killed, to the Shiites he killed, to all the innocent lives he took. But if the government that has replaced his is supposed to be a better one, than offering him that dignity/compassion at his time of death would have been the best way of showing that the govt in Iraq is a lot better than Saddams.

His execution has been witnessed by millions of muslims worldwide and from an Islamic perspective I think the image of the government in Iraq has been severely damaged. Its ironic that the death of such an evil dictator has elevated his status over the democratically elected govt thats replaced him, but this could have been avoided with a bit more thoughtfulness as regard to the timing and the manner of the execution.