Timing of Hussein's Execution
Today, Dec 30 is the beginning of the Hajj.
To a Westerner this means little more than a 4 day festival where Moslems flock to Mecca to dance around a shrine to an ancient meteorite before trampling hundreds of themselves to death in some ancient misbegotten orgy of fanaticism.
To a Moslem, today is the beginning day of one of Islam's most sacred celebrations - Abraham's obedient preparation to sacrifice his son. Saddam Hussein was not just hanged on this day, he was hanged specifically during the morning prayers beginning the series of rituals leading to the Eid ul-Adha commemoration of the Prophet Abraham's supreme act of submission to the will of Allah.
Through out the next 4 days Moslems the world over renew their most basic tenant of faith, that their submission to the will of Allah is the only path to salvation. To a Moslem the hajj is equivalent to a Christian's Easter as the bearer of the faith's most central tenant.
Was the execution done on this day purposefully, or with full ignorance of it's context? In years not yet come, when Allied Forces capture the American President, try him for war crimes, and hang him on Easter Sunday, will we think it was perversely appropriate, or a calculated insult, or just more of the stupidity we've come to expect from the conquistadores?
Maybe it was a way to draw parallels between Hussein and Isaac.
But seriously, my impression is that the timing was an attempt to get it done before Id begins, since there is a law against holding executions in the next thirty days, and i think the court ordered it done within such a time period.
Interestingly, Sunnis begin Id today, and Shiites on Sunday; a government spokesman, when asked about the timing, said that Hussein was being executed on Saturday, a day before Id.
I think the timing is probably just stupid, but really stupid.
December 30, 2006 6:09 AM | Reply | Permalink