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One man's jihad is not another's. "New Videos Show Graphic Saddam Images," by Qassim Abdul-Zahra for AP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
One of the most notorious dictators of the late 20th century, his hands bound behind him, was led up the stairs of the gallows by masked men in leather coats. A few seconds later, a trapdoor snapped open and _ with a crash _ Saddam was dead.He may have been the first chief of state executed in the age of the Internet and the camera phone. Probably because of that, his death was graphically documented on video, and available worldwide, within hours.
By several accounts, Saddam was calm but scornful of his captors, exchanging taunts and accusations with the crowd gathered to watch him die _ insisting that he was Iraq's savior, not its tyrant and scourge.
[...]
After his captors brought Saddam into the execution chamber, his hands _ which were tied in front of him _ were untied, then tied in the back, Haddad told the BBC.
"He said we are going to heaven and our enemies will rot in hell and he also called for forgiveness and love among Iraqis but also stressed that the Iraqis should fight the Americans and the Persians," Haddad told the BBC.
The New York Times reported that Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the national security adviser for Iraq, stood next to Saddam before he mounted the scaffold, and asked him if he felt remorse and fear.
"No," the Times quoted Saddam saying. "I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid."
Al-Rubaie told the Times that one of the guards grew angry. "You have destroyed us," he reportedly shouted. "You have killed us. You have made us live in destitution."
"I have saved you from destitution and misery and destroyed your enemies, the Persian and Americans," Saddam responded, al-Rubaie told the Times.
"God damn you," the guard said.
"God damn you," Saddam said, according to the Times.
[...]
In the video, one of those attending the execution called out praise for Dawa Party founder and Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, who was executed along with his sister by Saddam in 1980. The Islamic party has been locked in a fierce decades-old battle with Saddam's now outlawed secular Baath party. Muqtada al-Sadr, the powerful and radical Shiite cleric in Iraq, is a distant relative of the Dawa founder.
Saddam appeared to smile at those taunting him from below the gallows, and said they were not showing their manhood.
Then Saddam began reciting the "Shahada," a Muslim prayer that says there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger.
"Saddam did so but with sarcasm," Haddad said. But to others, Saddam's tone sounded calm and measured, neither sarcastic nor frightened.
Saddam made it to midway through his second recitation of the verse. His last word was Muhammad, according to a translation by the Associated Press.
The floor dropped out of the gallows, there was a crash and the chamber erupted in shouting.
Posted by Robert at December 30, 2006 10:23 PM
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Saddam,- No comment.
Posted by: tgusa![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 30, 2006 10:32 PM
Watched it on Google Video. It was pretty lame. Bye bye Saddam.
Posted by: Jesus Christ Supercop at December 30, 2006 10:43 PM
Go to hell saddsam, some forget his polluting of the gulf during the 91 battle in despeeration,I dont.
Posted by: tgusa at December 30, 2006 10:45 PM
He will have all eternity to think about his life of "jihad" .. “where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out” (Mark 9:48)
Posted by: TheRegulator at December 30, 2006 10:55 PM
Saddam: "I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression"
... when not hiding like a weasel, from infidels, in a rat-hole!
Posted by: Alert at December 30, 2006 11:02 PM
I dont understand why us (Americans) should be so happy that Saddam was executed. He's done nothing to us, what's with this obsessive preoccupation with him and his crimes?! Frankly, I could care less about his victims when those who perpetrated crimes against the American people are running free.
Posted by: george_rem at December 30, 2006 11:20 PM
As long as Osama and Zawahiri lives there is no justice for us Americans.
Posted by: greatcometof1577 at December 30, 2006 11:32 PM
I agree with Saddam's statement.
Saddam was an evil man managing a whole lot of evil influences in a crazy place. You have to give him some credit as a manager. Everybody talks of the 350,000 people he killed, but nobody talks about Iraq’s population doubling from 15 million to 30 million under the relative calm he was able to hold together. History may look back at his methods in a different perspective. Regarding Jihad, Iraq is a greater threat to the West in 2006 than it was in 1979.
I’m glad he’s gone and hopefully his passing will rub salt into the secretarian wound. But I thought he faced death bravely. He had a wild ride, up to and including the last three feet.
Posted by: pez at December 30, 2006 11:39 PM
Have to agree with George and Pez. Saddam hated religious nuts, and controlled them via often brutal, murderous methods. After watching the ongoing Shunni-Shia civil war, I can understand why he did what he did a little more. His actions against the Kurds is beyond comprehension, however.
Posted by: Bingo at December 31, 2006 12:02 AM
I saw the video clip taken from a cell phone and it reminded me of those Al Qaeda beheading tapes with the chanting, shouting and grainy video depicting evil incarnate. Saddam was demonic, but they should have allowed him to die with some dignity as he was quite a pathetic creature towards the end. Instead those uncivilized Arab savages were shouting and dancing around his body in a dark like basement as if they were preparing to eat his flesh. He deserved to die, but his death will not make the situation better in Iraq. It will continue in a downward spiral of violence.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=863ce7d4a3
Posted by: Bonniea at December 31, 2006 12:09 AM
Yeah I watched the video too.
Can someone tell me why with such an important event as this and with the entire worlds media fixated with iraq,
Why oh Why DO THEY USE A 1990s CAMERA PHONE HELD BY MISTER 'SHAKY HANDS' AT A RIDICULOUS ANGLE !!
Just wait till the conspiracy theorists see this one....
Posted by: BlowHammed at December 31, 2006 12:10 AM
I agree with your statement Bingo.
Posted by: Bonniea at December 31, 2006 12:11 AM
Yea -- the video was really poor at best. I've taken clearer video's of my kids water-skiing while our boat was bumping across the water. Maybe there was an earthquake before, during and after Saddam's hanging which might explain the 'steady hand' of the camera man.
Posted by: champ at December 31, 2006 1:05 AM
Watching a man die is nothing in which to revel. If he is an enemy, you kill him, make certain that he is dead, and move on.
He is gone, one less enemy. Celebrating death is primitive.
When they hanged Eichmann in Jerusalem and before that the Nazi "Bonzen" (Big Wheels) in Nuerenberg, there was no rejoicing in their deaths. They deserved to die, they were killed. Chapter closed.
at December 31, 2006 2:33 AM
ddams last letter to the people of Iraq translated into English here
http://civoc.com/society/?p=75
at December 31, 2006 3:50 AM
Oops I wanted to type Saddam
http://civoc.com/society/?p=75
at December 31, 2006 3:52 AM
Why are all the video clips from Iraq so poorly made? What's up with all the hand-held shaking and action happening offscreen. For only the price of a few cruise missles, the West should supply tripods to all the Iraqi population. It would be a most humanitarian thing to do.
Posted by: Xero G at December 31, 2006 4:17 AM
Saddam: "I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression"
What he really meant>>>>>
"I have spent my life in opulence and indulgence"
Saddam is inducted into Hell`s Hall of Infamy alongside Muhammad , Hitler , Stalin and Pol Pot.
at December 31, 2006 4:43 AM
Agree with pez, Bingo, Bonniea and Unicorn. I felt melancholic on Saturday when I heard the news. The newspaper on Sunday made me feel worse since they carried the image of the executioner tightning the noose around the neck of what looked to me as a defeated man, at the end of his road. Once the ruler of a country, dweller of palaces, commander of vast armies, controller of the fate of millions being treated like dirt. He lost his throne, his power, his money, his luxuries, his sons. During his trial, he looked very alone, very lonely old man. If he was a threat and had to be executed, at least he should have been treated with a little respect, a little dignity. I do admire him for his defiance till the grisly end.
Posted by: arjun.sevak at January 1, 2007 9:35 AM
I take back my post about the poor camera quality.
I didnt realise it was an illegal recording some random witness had secretly made.
Wasnt there an official one though?
Posted by: BlowHammed at January 2, 2007 10:41 AM
Well said George , Pez and Bingo .
Gary "War Nerd" Brecher , keeps on sticking up for us PALEO Cons and writes another brilliant essay
http://www.exile.ru/2006-December-29/war_nerd_eulogy_saddam.html
Read and learn
"Saddam Hussein. Saddam died beautiful. It's the truth and you know it. Fact is, the longer we stay in Iraq the better Saddam looks. He never had a tenth of our money or weaponry but he did what we can't: kept that bag of snakes in order.
Saddam told the ski-mask monkeys they weren't real men. And he had the right to say that too. Call him what you want, but Saddam was a man, a real man. One of the last. To me, watching that execution was like watching Planet of the Apes: a bunch of de-evolved primates killing the last man. Saddam looked like the 20th century in that overcoat and hat. He'd lost weight in prison. Never flinched, not once. You try that: going to the gallows with your blood enemies screaming insults at you. See if you can hold your bladder, never mind answer back as fast and calm as he did.And Saddam laughed at them, especially when they chanted the name of their pissant Imam, Moqtada al-Sadr. You can hear him on that jerky cellphone video sneering, "Moqtada?" And Saddam earned the right to laugh; he killed Sadr Sr. and kept Junior so terrified he didn't dare show his fat face until Saddam was gone and only the wimp occupiers were in charge.
Too F*&^%^G true .
He kept the Mustlim Brotherhood down , they were truly petrified of the guy . We , on the other hand would F*&K up a cup of tea for the invasion and occupation has been a huge boon for
a) The Iranians
and
b) the MB
I'd like to see all those pathetic ex Trotskyite NEO cons go to their deaths with as much pride . Those spineless shits are all too good at sending others to their deaths whilst feeding at the trough .
oink oink
at January 5, 2007 3:01 AM
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