Tribute to Saddam Hussein
On behalf of the Iraq-Palestine Committee
By Husayn Farajullah Zaki Al-Kurdi
Saddam Hussein was born April 22, 1937, in the town of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, Iraq. A son of Iraq's humble toiling people, he was an orphan at birth. He spent his early childhood in the home of his mother and his step-father, who was also his paternal uncle. As a child he was most sensitive to the plight of those who were deprived and suffering, traits which were to characterize his life and work until his martyrdom at the hands of his country's enemies in Baghdad on December 30th, 2006.
Saddam, whose name signifies one who steadfastly confronts evil, ran away from home at the age of 10 to obtain an education, an act which was contrary to the routine enforced on peasant lads under the British-sponsored monarchy which ruled Iraq at that time. He was encouraged and supported by his illustrious maternal uncle, Khairallah Tulfah, who had spent five years in prison as a result of anti-colonialist activities. Before him, Saddam's grandfather had fought the Turkish occupiers. Saddam traces his ancestry back to Ali Ibn Abi-Talib, the fourth Caliph of Islam whom the Shi'ites of Islam profess to venerate.
As a young man sensitive to oppressive conditions and yearning to serve his people, Saddam gravitated towards the Ba'ath movement and Party, which was and is the embodiment of Arab nationalism, interweaving the basic elements of freedom, Arab unity and socialism, features of genuine Arab liberation. He was to emerge as the foremost leader and active protagonist of Ba'athism and eventually to be recognized as the greatest of Arab heroes and martyrs.
Known as one of the most courageous and audacious of the Ba'athist youth, he enthusiastically volunteered to participate in the dangerous attempt to eliminate the crazed Abdul-Kareem Qassem, who had seized power in Iraq in 1958, when the decrepit British-leashed Hashemite monarchy had run its course. Wounded in the unsuccessful attempt to rid Iraq of its misleader, Saddam made a daring escape up the river and ultimately into exile in Egypt.
He returned to Iraq in the wake of the revolution in 1963 that overthrew Qassem after a number of mistaken and disastrous policies had revealed to the general populace the utter bankruptcy and hopeless failure of that regime. Unfortunately for the Iraqis, this revolution was aborted because of the efforts of corrupt and archaic self-serving political elements, led by such as Abdul-Salam 'Arif and his successor-brother. Saddam was subsequently captured and jailed along with many of his comrades and co-strugglers. His resolute conduct throughout this period garnered him renown and respect throughout Iraq as he lived up to his name as the determined opponent of corruption and mis-rule.
The third time proved to be the charm for the Iraqi revolution. During a two-week period from the 17th to the 30th of July, 1968, the Ba'ath achieved its goal of opening the path to freedom in Iraq. A 31-year old Saddam once again led from the front, as he always did. The initial seizure of power had to be augmented with the ouster of a couple of self-seeking politicians of the antiquated variety, who sought to ride the coat-tails of the Ba'ath-inspired people to attain political power for themselves. Saddam personally, and in a most elegant and efficient manner, saw to it that the opportunistic deadwood was ushered out of Baghdad and into exile. A general cleanup, initiated in 1963, re-commenced, and an assortment of ill-wishers including various reactionaries, royalists, politicians-for-hire, religious obscurantists and Communists were held in check as Iraq embarked on its great strides in the advancement of its people and of the Arab cause.
Aided by Saddam's indispensable leadership, Iraq became a modern, prosperous country with its people educated, literate, cultured and cared for. It assumed the forefront of the Arab Ba'ath struggle to unify the Arabs, break the shackles of foreign imperialist and Zionist domination and build a progressive, socialist society guided by principles of equity and justice. Oil proceeds were nationalized and utilized to serve the needs of the people. The Ba'ath reached out to Kurds, leftists and others in an effort to rehabilitate recalcitrant individuals and bring them into the fold of a prosperous and principled social system.
Inevitably, the imperialist and reactionary forces began concentrating their assaults on the Ba'ath and Iraq. They continued to cultivate the ephemeral Kurdish gangster mercenary factions and encourage the hide-bound fanatical forces that paraded under Islamic banners. The clerical fascists who took power over neighboring Iran in the name of Shi'ite Islam made it their top priority to subvert and defeat the Ba'ath, venturing to expand their newly-attained conquest of the Persian domain into Iraq and beyond. Iraq was forced to defend itself and the rest of the Arab nation that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern frontiers of Mesopotamia. A long war that lasted eight years ensued, with much human and material devastation, until the designs of the Ayatollahs were thwarted. Saddam ranged around the frontlines of the war, leading from the front as usual.
Following this failed attempt at the destruction of Iraq and foray of conquest into the Arab nation, Imperialism turned to its Arab puppets to accomplish their objective. The Kuwaiti emirs, Gulf Statelet satraps, Saudi monarchy, Egyptian puppets and the Syrian renegade ruling clique were mobilized to effectuate the next phase of the ceaseless attack on Iraq. The consequence was the 1991 Gulf War after Iraq had liberated "Kuwait" (a fictional entity created and sustained by Anglo-American interests) the previous summer and re-absorbed it into Iraq. This happened after the "Kuwaitis" were caught stealing Iraqi oil and reneging on their financial responsibilities after Iraq stood up to the would-be Iranian conquerors.
The Gulf War and more than a decade of a sanctions embargo blockade that followed wreaked immense havoc on Iraq. More than one-and-a-half million perished as a direct result, mostly children and women. Through it all, Iraq with Saddam and the Ba'ath managed to struggle to live up to their ideals of a progressive, educated, just society.
At last, in March 2003, the imperialists, Zionists and Iranian reactionaries got together and mobilized their resources, assets and hirelings to wage what they conceived as a final and victorious war of conquest. Faced with overwhelming military force, Saddam organized the mobilization of the resistance to the occupation. He counseled the people to withdraw from Baghdad to prevent the destruction of that ancient and noble city. He personally fought the invaders at the airport, rocket-propelled grenade launcher in hand. He made a final appearance in the city on April 9th, as the US helicopters hovered overhead. He exhorted the crowds to be steadfast and assured them of their eventual victory. He crossed the river the next day and went about organizing the forces of the resistance, which continue to grow and wage the national war of liberation.
The occupation forces were to capture Saddam later in the year and to hold him for over three years, offering him lavish terms of safe exile into plush surroundings in exchange for his capitulation and renunciation of his unswerving dedication to Ba'athism and the Arab cause. He unhesitatingly rejected all of their blandishments as well as the tortures which were inflicted on his person. His sons Uday and Qusay, along with his 14-year-old grandson, were martyred fighting the occupiers; a barrage of bombs, missiles, rockets and bullets being fired at an apartment in Mosul being the instrument of their deaths. The televised display of their bodies only served to re-affirm the glorious nature of their cause.
The dignity with which Saddam conducted himself at his sham trials and up to the scene of his martyrdom was witnessed by all in the world who cared to notice. Those who bore witness could not help but be amazed at the fortitude and calm certitude he displayed. Many who had denigrated him out of ignorance or sectarian malice were jarred into revising their opinions and forced to acknowledge his pre-eminence among the many historical martyrs and heroes of Arab history.
In his final will, dated December 26th, 2006, Saddam called on the Iraqi people to "not harbor grudges and to know the real enemy who harmed Iraq's people," admonishing them to strive for unity, stating that "The enemies of your country, whether they be invaders or Persians, found that the ties and reasons of your unity prevented them from enslaving you." He urged the people to cultivate love, kindness and forbearance to each other and to be patient and persevering, working for the good of all. He concluded by saying, "To this I invite you as united people who are sincere and loving to themselves, their nation and humanity, and who are honest with others and with themselves."
Only now, after he has gone, have a great many Arabs and other people around the world begun to realize Saddam's true value and appreciate his unmatched stature as revolutionary leader and liberator, as a light to the Arab cause and an exemplar of goodness and rectitude in a troubled world. To those who appreciate and seek such ideals in practice, he will be ever-present and his memory most cherished.
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