Bangla blogs debate: Saddam or Bush – who is more guilty?

The year 2006 ended with the big news of Saddam Hussein’s execution in Iraq. Footage of his hanging was leaked on the Internet leaving many aghast at the manhandling he was subjected to in his dying hours. The blog world has been abuzz with outpourings of feelings towards the event and the rumble was felt in the Bangla blog world. In Bangladesh, the initial reaction among a section of bloggers was that of outrage, especially given that the execution was carried out on the first day of Eid, a day of great religious significance for Muslims. The video footage added fuel to this anger. Despite the fact that the execution was carried out by the Iraqi government, bloggers have had heated arguments regarding the role of the US in the entire scheme of things. This perception led to bloggers condemning the hanging itself.

While commenting on the video, Ali pointed out the anger that was spilling onto the streets of Iraq. In his post he also commented on Bush's failed policy in Iraq and the innumerable deaths that have mounted as a result if it.

Anrinya and Abu Saleh felt that Saddam’s hanging was less of an execution resulting from fair trial and more of a murder. Saleh also felt that the date of the hanging was dictated by the US as a warning and to Muslims in general. In his post he denounced the US aggression in Iraq and called for the Muslims to unite against such oppression and insult.

Fajle Ilahi also voiced his suspicions of a conspiracy with regards to the date chosen for Saddam’s hanging. He then used the occasion to ruminate on the current turmoil in post-Saddam Iraq. He blamed the allied forces of US and Britain, who, according to him, are working to appease the Jewish (and anti-Muslim) lobby in bringing ruin to an Islamic country. If Saddam deserved death for killing 148 people, he asked, what punishment ought to be meted to Bush and Blair for the far larger number of deaths and the chaos that they have brought to Iraq? Like Saleh above, Ilahi also called for Muslim unity to fight the aggression of the West.

Some other bloggers, while admitting Saddam’s atrocities, felt a surge of pity at his execution, especially after seeing the video footage of him getting heckled. In a way, the video and the inopportune date worked in tandem to create the image of Saddam as being more sinned against than sinner. As the discussions grew, some even went to the extent of calling him a martyr. At this point, Alvi called for introspection, saying that in the process of vilifying Bush, people ought not to beatify Saddam, a cruel dictator.

Interestingly, the death video also sparked a debate on the larger issue of death penalty itself. Citing some other cases where death penalty was awarded in India, Trivial Bytes wondered if capital punishment was an effective deterrent or whether it should be reviewed.

6 comments

  • Joseph M. Cachia

    My goodness, to what depths of depravity have we fallen!!

    Maybe the promoters of ‘Maltarightnow’ thought that, as the filming and photos, uncensored, unauthorized and pirated, were being shown worldwide, this was a very good excuse of getting along with the mainstream. But why then, do we pride ourselves that we shun the use of the death penalty?

    The execution’s cruel theatre and the condemned, surrounded by hooded guards, was more than enough to shame the many self-proclaimed ‘civilized’ people. Saddam Hussein was hanged until the spark of life drained from his flailing limbs. I am not sympathetic to tyranny, oppression or brutality, yet I felt only shame in observing the morbid dance of death surrounding his execution.

    Why then, do we have the cheek to deplore the showing of recordings of public beheadings? It probably seems appalling to us living in non-Muslim countries to think that children would gather round to watch an animal being slaughtered during Eid el Adha, while the brutal hanging of a human being is condoned. Didn’t the killing of a man, regardless of the criminal acts he is charged with and the semblance of a normal and respectable judgment, produce any sense of consciousness in us? Such manifestations do nothing but tend to deprive and corrupt anyone who sees or hears of them. The pictures of Saddam with a noose round his neck are nothing less than voyeurism in its worst form and should never have been shown.

    Judicial killings have still done a lot of damage, not only to the feelings and the consciousness of those who do it, but also to the different cultures of participants and viewers. This has turned the televised spectacle into a barbarian act. It seemed that there is a pervading sickness in the delight in death and destruction, and in the present case in the gallows, going through our media. Aren’t we capable of curbing our savage instincts and promote a civilized response?

    I never rejoice at the death of someone, because I love life. I don’t have any respect for a justice? system which uses the death penalty. Killing is always barbaric, whether it takes place in Iraq, in the USA or in any other place.

    ‘So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private citizens will occasionally kill theirs’ Elbert Hubbard

    Are we really in 2007??

    Joseph M. Cachia
    Email: jmcachia@maltanet.net
    31, St. Lawrence Street
    Vittoriosa – Malta
    Tel: 21807566 – 99866151
    Id: 698736 (M)

  • dianna campbell

    I think between President Bush and Saadam who’s the worse I would say President Bush. Because at least Saadam was honest what he was doing for the most part. And it would not be hard for Iraq people to find out who have done mass killing before US got there. Another thing. The USA people have not been paying attention what going in this world and Education we receive is poor and obsolete. They need a geography historical lesson about other culture of people especially in Iraq and the region. Some of the wars have been going on for 1000 years, between different type of people with different religions and values. Some are still vendictive of things happened in their family’s past, neghborhood past, religion past. You can not stop that type of war, what they feel is deep and they are more patient than US. You just can not come into the country and demand what you want. The election I do not believe it was an hones election. It’s very hard for me to have 100′ million people vote for the first time. Look we do not have it together, and Pres. Bush one the Presidency on a dishonest vote. So, how can you believe him, he as deceived Americans from day 1, and there is a lot of things that we are not aware of what he has done. I wached PBS13 all the time and they have interviewed about all the primministers in the middle east, and they have said some things that this was is Bush’s war, he want to be God and take over all the oil in the world. You can’t make another country do what they don’t want to or make them do it on US time frame. They are on a different time table, life styles, I believe PM of Iraq was chose by Bush he had paid him billions of dollars beleiving that this man can deliver. All along he has been working on both side of the fence, pretty much all sides of the fence. And last month he was getting ready to quit, until Bush promise him $$$$more money. Where have a zillion dollars have gone from US? Look at the elderly, disabled, children struggling workers in the US and look at Katrina! How can you talk about giving a country billions of dollars building up their country and we have one of our historical states blown up and the people are still homeless, sick, poor etc. NO WAR

  • If we treat war deaths as equivalent to the six hundred thousand plus found in Sadaam’s mass graves in Iraq, doesn’t it make sens to count the millions dead in the iran-Iraq war, the thousands dead from his Kuwaiti adventure, the thousand plus dead in his boombing campaing in Syria, and all those killed by his agents and fully funded allies from Gaza to the Sudan?

    Speaking as the former citizen of a country which supplied comrade Sadaam with Semtex which he tested on commercial jetliner bodies at Salman Pak (Chechoslovak TV Channel 1 showed film of such tests around Christmas one year to justify the government’s decision to stop production), I have very little sympathy with such an analysis, especially since present-day Iraq has net population in-flows and double digit economic growth.

    Just asking.

  • […] 原文: Bangla blogs debate: Saddam or Bush – who is more guilty?作者: Aparna Ray译者: Leonard校对: Portnoy […]

  • The biggest mistake, first the US and the Iraqi leadership made, was to get into revenge mode. No problem can solved, if there is rancour and vengeanece. The US wanted to better the situation, but sadly they haven’t.

  • […] Debate en Bangla Blogs: Saddam o Bush – ¿Quién es màs culpable? […]

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