Since the former Iraqi leader was hanged on the first day of one of the holiest Islamic feasts where violence is forbidden, in an execution steeped in sectarian overtones, his public image in the Arab world, formerly that of a ‘tyrant’ and ‘dictator’, been transformed into one of admiration and respect.
The circumstances of the hanging of Saddam turned him into a martyr in the eyes of the majority of the Sunni world and Muslim leaders.
Protests broke out all over the Middle East, and main headlines in the world’s media outlets condemned the barbaric way in which Saddam was executed following a farce trail in which he was denied the right of a proper defence.
On the streets of many cities in Iraq, in Beirut, Palestine, India, Pakistan, and Egypt, Saddam emerged as an Arab hero who stood calm as his executioners abused him in the last moments of his life.
Discussion
No comments yet.