Two birds with one noose
In response to Amy's comment, "Why now?":
From Juan Cole's excellent analysis in Salon. (You'll have to watch an ad to get to the whle thing).
The tribunal also had a unique sense of timing when choosing the day for Saddam's hanging. It was a slap in the face to Sunni Arabs. This weekend marks Eid al-Adha, the Holy Day of Sacrifice, on which Muslims commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for God. Shiites celebrate it Sunday. Sunnis celebrate it Saturday –- and Iraqi law forbids executing the condemned on a major holiday. Hanging Saddam on Saturday was perceived by Sunni Arabs as the act of a Shiite government that had accepted the Shiite ritual calendar.
From Juan Cole's excellent analysis in Salon. (You'll have to watch an ad to get to the whle thing).
posted by Susan @ 12:53 PM
1 Comments:
At 3:47 PM,
Amy said…
Interesting. Thanks for posting the link - I've read some of Juan Cole's blog, he seems to be one of the most high-profile scholars on the issue.
I still don't get it, though - are the Iraqi leaders and their American buddies actually trying to incite more violence? Or are they truly so politically incompetent that they don't see the ramifications of their actions? it's often hard to tell malevolence from incompetence, but this seems so deliberate. You don't plan an execution during another trial of the accused, and right before sunrise on a holy day, without noticing. Right? Who gains from creating more unrest in Iraq?
Post a Comment
<< Home