Saddam’s execution: Questions

In-depth Report:

According to the official reports, the execution was witnessed by 14 members of Iraqi government. This means that the voices, we hear in the video, belong either to the three executioners, or to Saddam Hussein, or to the members of the Iraqi government. If this is true, then:

  1. Who and why shouted, “Long live Muqtada Al-Sadr”, and then, “Muqtada, Muqtada, Muqtada”? Why would members of Iraqi government want to do this? This does not make any sense. If they didn’t, who did? Was the execution contracted out to the Mahdi Army? Who contracted it out, Americans or the Iraqi government? Why?

  2. Why the chanting, we hear in the video, sounds like a bunch of young guys from the street, rather than “distinguished” members of the government? One would expect members of the government to behave in a more professional way.

  3. Why the three executioners look, dress, and act like civilian guerrilla fighters rather than professional officers that would be expected to carry out a sentence of such historical and political importance in front of the members of the government?

  4. Who recorded the cell phone video and published it on the internet fully knowing that this would provoke a long lasting violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq. The video seems to clearly “prove” that the Shia government and Mahdi Army executed Saddam. Who wants and needs a bloody, full scale civil war in Iraq? The timing of the execution, that was carried out on the morning of the Eid al-Adha, can only be explained by a desire to upset both radical and moderate Muslims and therefore to increase the size and scope of the expected conflict.

It is highly unlikely that “the organizers” of Saddam’s execution did not and would not think about the above questions and consequences. What is really going on here?

Prof. Juan Cole’s comment:

I can hear the chanting of Muqtada, and also the name Muhammad Baqir (al-Sadr), whom Saddam killed in 1980.  Anyone hearing this in Arabic would say the execution was revenge by the Sadrists, including the Da`wa Party, which follows Muhammad Baqir.

http://www.juancole.com


Articles by: Lech Biegalski

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]