You Toob Brute Shows the Real Saddam Execution

No dignified execution

I can only add to the sentiments if not indignation of Nkem in African Shirts on the death of Saddam Hussein since he has written his piece before me.

Generally, I have never been in favour of the death penalty because there is no really dignified way of observing a man die except on his deathbed surrounded by those with whom he shares the fellowship of love.

Even in America where an almost blood and gore manifestation of a Moses leadership reminiscent of the Old Testament during the Exodus would find resonance, the states of Florida and California recently suspended all execution activities on humane grounds that the science of killing still caused too much pain and discomfort, it probably unsettles the observers more than the person being killed.

It would appear a bit of modern-day civilisation is creeping in the polity of the death penalty; it can only be the right thing.

We cannot do vengeance right

However, it is interesting to note that even Jesus the leader of the Christian values that the Americans so profess did say that revenge, on the basis of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth was passé, there can be no closure, no restitution, no relief, no release if your life waits for judgment to be taken on those who have offended you, most especially if they have to die.

When the Scripture says vengeance is the Lord’s, there is probably something more at play than we see of the issues that surround us, what if the person that so offended us has now made peace with his God? Here we are baying for blood and flesh, the person with assurance and dignity takes the punishment meted out by his fellowmen who think he is off to hell, but then he is off to the comfort and bosom of his God. What a mystery.

The democracy of information rules

With this out of the way, let us return to the execution of Saddam Hussein, we were offered an official silent movie of the event, however, it became evident that the introduction of talkies did change the way audiences relate to films, someone of the You Tube generation was able to record the whole event and then publish for us to see, vision, sound and all, this is democracy and it is hightime the Iraqi government gave up on trying to find out who gave us this insight into their machinations.

How it could be that amongst the ruling Shia, they could not find people who could hold themselves in dignified reverence at the execution of a man who was once their leader. The ridicule of it all was exemplified in the fact that the man being executed was hoodless whilst his executioners and some of the people who taunted him wore hoods.

It showed how sectarian Iraq had become and how the rush to judicial murder was more an exercise of revenge that followed on from the circus of a trial that he had before. None of what happened as the trap-door swung open would do well to assuage the violence that plagues Iraq.

Dignified in death

If Saddam had anything to say, even at what was his most vulnerable, he was not the broken man we were told he was, in fact, he was a picture of dignity who berated the less-than-men who congregated like a Coliseum crowd that roared to the lions that ate humans or a rowdy mobs of idle hands who witnessed witch-burnings of old.

The savages who were about to eat Allan Quatermain would find a higher pedestal of dignified acknowledgement than these men who for good measure should be exposed for their public shaming.

As America tries to backtrack from being complicit in this rush to dispense of Saddam Hussein before the New Year, it would not be lost amongst the Sunni Muslims that Shia Muslims chose to perform this act in the middle of Hajj – a new schism could well develop out of this singular act – if only men could be more aware of the consequences of their actions.

This was botched execution which in no way would serve the justice and need for peace that the Iraqis do deserve in 2007.