Originally published Sunday, October 12, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Saddam remains a hometown hero
In the hometown of Saddam Hussein, they still call the late dictator The President. Inside a hall that once held an office Saddam used once...
McClatchy Newspapers
AWJA, Iraq — In the hometown of Saddam Hussein, they still call the late dictator The President. Inside a hall that once held an office Saddam used once or twice a year lies his tomb. A sheet embroidered with gold covers the burial site: "There is no God but God and Mohammed is his messenger."
The old flag of Iraq, with three stars and "God is great," written in Saddam's handwriting, covers the head of the gravesite. The room is now a shrine to the man hated by many but also loved. Some love him only because life has become worse since he was deposed, they say. Others even think of him as an Arab martyr who died for his country.
On his old desk, a small television screen flashes pictures of Saddam — Saddam smoking a cigar, Saddam speaking with dignitaries, Saddam shooting a weapon, Saddam smiling and Saddam on trial. At the end of the slide show a verse of the Quran rings out and the show begins again.
Poetry about the late dictator adorns the room.
Behind the desk are pictures of the shoes he wore the day he was hanged, which is now considered a day of infamy. The execution is likened to a lynching, at the hands of the Shiite-led government.
Saddam was hung as he recited the Islamic creed and other men chanted "Muqtada," the name of the firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Here at Saddam's gravesite, men slip off their shoes in a show of respect and walk into the hall of Saddam. They walk to the tomb, hold up their hands and pray. Then they take pictures next to his grave to mark the occasion.
The room is quiet save the clicking of cellphone cameras. The curtains are woven with the words "The Hall of Martyrs," and a guest book is signed by hundreds, with notes to the man who once ruled with fear and intimidation.
"God rest your soul, father of martyrs and a crown on the heads of Iraqis always," one says.
"Visitor of the grave of the Sheikh of the Mujahedeen — the martyr of the Arab Nation," another reads.
Falah Hassan al-Neda, 35, the son of the head of Saddam's tribe, stands near the tomb.
"When I come here, it is like I'm coming to the grave of my father," he said. "Put aside the political mistakes ... he was our father; he was generous."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
More Nation & World headlines...
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
![]()
Senate Democrats split on health bill's fate
UPDATE - 01:23 PM
SC gov faces 37 charges he broke state ethics laws
U.K. started planning early for war, leaked papers show
Vaccine to kill nicotine buzz now in late tests by small drug firm
India's feeling bruised even before White House visit

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
8 seat pecon formal dining table and china hutch - $1500
A American Table, Chairs and Bench - $275
ATV POLARIS TRAILBLAZER - $1800
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
Give yourself a treat and visit Watson Kennedy's Holiday Open Houses
More minding the store
events for Monday, Nov. 23
- Two-week opening at Midori Inc.
- Sur La Table November sale
- Seattle Premium Outlets Thanksgiving Weekend ...
- 5th Annual Urban Craft Uprising
editors' picks
More shopping guides- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
247 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
165 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
160 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
131 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
121 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
91 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
62 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
57 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
56 - Ranking the Pac
53
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list




