WOW! PART 2: I truly don't understand.. why do some people mourn the death of Saddam Hussein?

Question

I merely asked a simple question to try to UNDERSTAND WHY people are mourning!! Thats why I asked! So you people who are so defensive please RELAX!! I am trying to see and learn the other side of this issue and all some of you do is retaliate against me personally! Try being open minded to people who ask questions! I am not debating or defending! This is a place to ask questions isnt it? Eve! No wonder there is so much bitterness in the world with defensibe angry judgemental people such as yourself. Get a life & if you cant deal with people stay off Yahoo!

I am a 42 year old woman, and no not involved in political issues around the world, but I truly do not understand how some can mourn the death of a man responsible for so much hatred evil suffering and death to so many people. Saddam was punished for his crimes but yet some don't see it that way. I understand and respect the fear of increased violence now that he has been executed. Fear I understand. Mourning him I do not.

Answer 1

I posted this answer to your original question, but in case you don't read it there:

Saddam Hussein is a Sunni Muslim, while most of the people in Iraq are Shiite. In the eyes of many Sunni Muslims, Hussein being in power allowed the minority Sunnis to have protection against discrimination and crime they experienced at the hands of Shia Muslims who had been in power. They greatly fear Shiite rule. Also, because of the terror of war, there has been some romanticism of the comparative stability of Saddam's regime, and some are wishing for the old days.

Ironically, the U.S. once supported Saddam's rulership because he is Sunni, giving a balance against an extremist Shiite government such as that in Iran when the Ayatollah Khomeini was in power.

Answer 2

It's rather simple. It's called hypocrisy to the extreme. Many leaders throughout the world are just as guilty of the charges leveled against Saddam (if not more so). And this includes your own president. Torture? Surely you've read the news recently about torture by American military personnel. Poison gas? The United States used poison gas as far back as WWI. Nuclear Weapons? The United States has the largest arsenal in the world and stands alone as the only nation to actually use such weapons. Killing his own people? Read about America's civil war. Invading a neighboring county? The USA has certainly invaded a few countries over the last century (including the current invasion of Iraq).

Yet Saddam stands virtually alone as the only current leader tried, convicted, and hung for such offenses. This is not justice, and it is will not ever be justice until it is applied equally and fairly. Instead, what we saw with Saddam was the leaders of powerful nations killing a man simply because they had the power to do so, while he did not have the power to stop them. That alone should be something to mourn about - if for no other reason than these crimes will never stop until all those who commit such crimes are punished.

In the end, if Americans truly want justice in the world, they should start with their own leaders and those of the nations closest to them. Until then, Americans simply don't have the moral high ground to judge others around the world (and that includes Saddam).

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By the way, a very controversial death just occurred and you seriously want people to relax? It isn't going to happen, lady. When you step into a raging fire, it is utterly foolish not to expect to get some burns (especially when you openly espouse one side of an issue - his hatred, his evil, etc.). If you can't take the heat, stick to safe topics like needlepoint. And that was not at all meant to be rude or dismissive, simply realistic. You want to hide behind a "sweet little lady asking a polite question" facade, which clearly isn't going to work if your words don't match the image you're trying to project.

Answer 3

Although I don't mourn for his death, but mourn what will become of his legacy upon the Iraqi people and US troops; Saddam may be mourned for because despite his "evilness," he was still a man- a husband, a brother, etc etc. Propaganda and censorship of news within Iraq during his regime also tend to create a image of Saddam as a hero of the people, doing "what is best" except to the people he was directly killing. Even when the "final solution" of the Jews was revealed, some former members of the Nazi regime still cried out for Hitler as a hero, a god, who brought back Germany from nothingness. Saddam, if you research some of his history, did some good in his reign, like stabilizing water and sewage connections throughout Iraq that prevented disease and gave clean water. Of course, I am not saying, he was a great man, because the slaughtering of thousands can never outweigh any other benefit. But these may be reasons why he is mourned for... some may see him as a man, one of them, a man that gives voice to his people who have no voice.

Answer 4

I answered your other question. I'm pretty sure I was reasonably polite, but if I said anything to offend you I'm sorry. Hopefully I'm not one of the people you were offended by. If I did sound defensive I wasn't being defensive against you, I was being defensive against all the thumbs down I expected to receive from people that didn't want to read a different opinion than their own.

Anyway, like I said before, I think it's wrong to rejoice in a human beings death. I'm not mourning his death but I'm not going to celebrate it either.

Happy new year by the way.

Answer 5

Our government supported him for years. When he decided he wanted more money for oil for his people,our country made him out to be evil. We only see whats on the news. The man never hurt our prisoners. Our Presidents get immunity when they serve from crimes. One man cannot do all that was claimed.

Answer 6

I honestly wish I knew why people are mourning him. He was an evil, evil man who caused much death and suffering. I just wish I had an answer to your question as to why people are mourning.

Answer 7

You shouldn't have to explain yourself, you have the right to ask whatever you want. I can't tell you how many times iv'e gotten mean e-mails, over my questions and answers.