January 3, 2007 — The execution of President Saddam Hussein is another crime that should be added to the growing list of crimes committed by the United States since it invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003.

The spectacle of President Saddam Hussein’s execution, shown in pornographic detail to the whole world, was deeply shocking to those of us who respect propriety and human dignity. Saddam Hussein may have been “handed over to the Iraqi authorities” before his death, but his execution will go down – correctly – as a US crime.

Saddam was held in US custody right up to the end and only handed over to the Iraqis for the distasteful deed, his body whisked away immediately afterwards by a US helicopter for a hasty burial. Yet this was billed as an independent decision of a “sovereign state”, as if any such thing were possible under occupation.

One does not have to be any kind of Saddam sympathizer to be horrified that he should have been executed – and, so obscenely, – on the dawn of Islam’s holy feast of Eid al-Adha, which flagrantly defies religious practice and was an affront to the Islamic world.

By executing Saddam the US is sending a clear message that it gives itself the right to fabricate lies about Iraq’s possession of “weapons of mass destruction” to justify invading a sovereign Arab state and removing its leader because he no longer obeys orders from Washington. The US also found it essential to stop Saddam revealing secrets about its past enthusiasm in arming him and supporting him in his war against Iran.

“It may be true that Saddam was a brutal dictator, but the kangaroo court that tried him lacked any serious legal credibility. Yet no western leader was prepared to say so and Canada, which does not support the death penalty, did not strive hard to prevent it. Was it because there is one rule for western “civilized” people and another rule for “other” people?” Stated Khaled Mouammar, CAF’s National President.

The US plan for a “New Middle East” aims to stir up sectarianism and ignite civil wars so as to weaken the states in the region thus enabling the Americans to maintain their control and exploitation of the oil fields in the region.

CAF appeals to all Arab and Muslim Canadians to maintain their unity and dignity at these difficult times and to reject the US plans to foment Muslim-Christian animosities and stir up Sunni-Shia hostilities.

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For more information, please contact:

Khaled Mouammar

CAF National President

416-879-6766

benwalid@rogers.com

Mohamed Boudjenane

CAF Executive Director

416-493-8635 ext. 23

ed@caf.ca

www.caf.ca

Established in 1967, the Canadian Arab Federation is a national, non-partisan, non profit and membership-based organization. CAF represents Canadian Arabs on issues relating to public policy.

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