Saddam Hussein kills himself in Yemen
Execution of tyrant Saddam Hussein continues to cause storm in Muslim World. Saddam Hussein al-Jaki, 15-year-old Yemenite youth, hangs himself after seeing pictures of former tyrant, after whom he was named. Egyptian folk singer Shaaban Abd al-Rahim, famous for his song 'I hate Israel' cautions that another song will be recorded after Saddam's hanging. You've been warned
The Website Ness Press, associate with the reformist opposition in Yemen, reported that al-Jaki, 15, tried to commit suicide twice after seeing pictures of Saddam Hussein's execution, but family members stopped him. On Wednesday, he successfully carried out his plan when he tied a rope to a tree, placed the noose around his neck, and hung himself.
Songs and sons for Saddam
For many Muslims throughout the world, Saddam was considered a tortured saint. As such, many children were named after him. British news agency UPI reported that two pregnant women in the Indian village of Hagdud decided that they if they give birth to boys, they will name them after the butcher from Baghdad.
The two are sisters who live in a village with a Muslim majority.
"It was wrong to hang Saddam Hussein. Had he been allowed to live in prison, he would have realized his follies and felt bad about his misdeeds some day," said Iklas Banu, a schoolteacher. She added that executing Saddam won't make people forget him.
Her sister Saida Banu, who also pledged to name her son Saddam, added, "Saddam Hussein was like a lion. That is why he refused to wear the black hood at the time of his execution."
Increased support for Saddam was revealed within the Muslim world and Iraq in the past week. An official in the municipality of Tikrit, Saddam's birthplace, said that residents of the town announced that they intend to hold a fundraising campaign in order to build a respectable grave for Saddam that will later serve as a pilgrimage site in his birthplace Ouja, where his bones were interred.
According to the report, the start of the campaign is expected to be announced in the coming days, and that members of Saddam's clan will be the first to donate. It was also reported that families came from all over Iraq in order to comfort Saddam's mourning family members.
The Egyptian folk singer known throughout the Arab world, Shaaban Abd al-Rahim, vowed to contribute his part to the issue. Abd al-Rahim became famous for his song "I hate Israel," which won acclaim in Egypt and elsewhere. In recent years, Abd al-Rahim has recorded songs about current events such as avian influenza, and a clip in support of Nasrallah during his war against Israel.
'Execute Iraqi PM'
The Egyptian Liberties Committee of Journalists' Syndicate was outraged at Saddam's execution. The syndicate announced that a conference will be held this upcoming Thursday during which the Egyptians will declare that they are standing by Iraq on the execution and the tragedy sweeping the country. The syndicate vowed in the announcement that Abd al-Rahim will dedicate a new song "to the shahid, the late president, Saddam Hussein."
The circulation of the cell phone video of Saddam’s execution and the calls in praise of Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who according to some reports participated in the hanging, have further fueled Sunni-Shiite tensions in the Muslim world.
Evidence of this heightened tension could be seen in Amman, Jordan, where 4,000 people took part in a march protesting Saddam’s execution, during which they burned effigies of US President George W. Bush.
The demonstrators called on Hamas and Hizbullah to strengthen their ties with Iran.
London-based Arabic language newspaper al-Hayat reported of a drop in support for Hizbullah among broad sectors of the Jordanian population and among the country’s political elite, which backed the Lebanese terror group during last summer’s war with Israel.
During the march protesters called on the Jordanian government to sever all ties with Iraq and close down the Iranian embassy in Amman.
“Execute Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his band of traitors who have committed a crime against the religion,” they chanted.
The protesters also called on Hamas to “stop the pilgrimage to Tehran until it withdraws its support for the criminal gangs in Baghdad.”
