[Marxism] Saddam's arrest arouses resistance, complex of views in Fallujah

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't know much about the source. But this has the ring of a rich
presentation of the complex of views among many Iraqi Sunnis as the
former absolute ruler and international representative of the
country's sovereignty (and also misruler and betrayer of the nation)
among Iraqi Sunnis who long to restore the independence and honor of
their country.
Fred Feldman


The Aftermath   E-mail this
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Jo WIlding, Electronic Iraq, 16 December 2003

December 16th -- "It started about 3pm in Fallujah. From the time it
was announced that Saddam was caught, until about 3pm, everyone was
astonished. There was no reaction, just waiting, to see if it was
true. There was a rumour that he was seen in Fallujah, so people went
out cheering. Explosions started, people demonstrated in the streets,
with lots of heavy firing till midnight, rockets, RPGs."

We rang Rafah in Fallujah. Her husband was a prisoner of war for 17
years in Iran. "It's not just resistance and mujahedin now, it's
everyone. The mujahedin were holding their RPGs openly in the street,
not even bothering to hide them, not hiding their faces. Everybody is
in the street demonstrating so there are thousands, you wouldn't
recognize individuals.

"The Americans are using some kind of weapon, sort of small globes of
white light that split into smaller lights and as they get nearer the
ground it turns to gas. They're thrown out by aircraft, a fighter
plane rather than a helicopter. We don't know what it is. People think
it's a polluted substance or something and some people think it's some
kind of sleeping drug to calm things down because they lost control of
Fallujah and Ramadi yesterday. The aircraft has a very loud voice
which is working on people's nerves, it's like sound bombs or
something.

"The people took over the mayor's office and looted everything. They
burned the Islamic Party and the Al-Naseri party buildings, throwing
all the equipment out of the windows and burning the offices. On
Tuesday at 12, midday, they hit the train. It was full of equipment
and food for the Americans, and they took all of that, so then the
Americans started going into the town today to try and take control.

"They only have troops in the mayor's office normally and the rest of
the troops are outside, because they were always being attacked. Now
they've taken a school as a base, near the main street, and they took
over the mayor's office again, a youth centre, the train station and
the police station, so those are now occupied by the Americans and
lots of soldiers and tanks are in the streets, lots of checkpoints.

"The next few days are going to be hell. I sent my 2 girls to school
today and they were sent back. There was no school because they were
afraid for security, so they haven't been to school for two days.
We've had no electricity for two days and we can't go shopping because
everything has been burnt, even vegetables, everything that was in the
way was burnt.

"In Ramadi it started about 4:30 on Monday, after the rumour spread
from Fallujah. My family in Ramadi say the Americans are using tear
gas. There are lots of explosions and low flying. They can feel it
right on top of the houses. They are using sound bombs. Resistance is
increasing more than you could imagine. Lots of people still believe
in Saddam and won't leave him, especially when they see him humiliated
on TV. Whoever captured him is not better than him."

Jinan Tahar, a primary school teacher in Al-Jaam'a, said "We are
celebrating because the slayer is gone that was torturing the people
for 35 years. I think he surrendered. I want the trial to be in Iraq
and the Iraqi people to try him because those are the people he hurt.
I wouldn't execute him because that would be a relief for him. I would
put him in jail for life so he can suffer more.

"I think resistance will decrease because most of them were with
Saddam and now Saddam is captured they will fade away. I think things
will get better because they announced there will be more focus on
reconstruction now they are not distracted trying to find Saddam."

Ghanim Al-Khayoun is the youngest son of the leader of Beni Ased
[Tribe of the Lions]. They are a Marsh Arab people from near Nasariya
and their marsh was drained. Ghanim is a history writer and an
intellectual. Many members of his family and tribe were killed. He
will be supervisor to whoever rules in Nasariya. He said in Nasariya
people went out on demonstrations to celebrate on the first day.

"Saddam was a poker player. He gave an interview in 1990 or 91 talking
about how you have to use your cards even if they are not strong. You
fake it and pretend you have strong cards. It was said about a person
from ancient times who was like Saddam that he acts like a lion with
me but in wartime he acts like an ostrich. In Iraq in general, we have
the habit of showing our muscles, trying to prove we are strong, but
whoever shows off will lose from the first fist. His children died
with more honour than him.

"I don't just blame Saddam but the Iraqi people as well who supported
him through fear or love or greed. I wouldn't call those people
'resistance' and they will fade away now Saddam is gone. I think
Saddam surrendered and begged the Americans not to kill him. Really he
was not even a dictator but a thief."

"I once beat Uday playing billiards in the hunting club. I saw all my
friends whispering, because whenever they play with Uday, they will
lose, they are scared, but what people saw of Uday was just a media
thing of him being strong, evil and brave. Really he was just a
coward. Qusay was much cleverer. He was planning to be in charge one
day.

"To me his trial is not important. I would judge him by the laws of
the Quran. If he committed one crime, he would have to be killed. How
many times should we kill him? Some people think knowledge is over
religion, which is why Saddam started showing religious interest in
the last ten years to try and regain points."

Ammar, a 28 year old shopkeeper from Adamiya, told us, "The resistance
had very good luck yesterday, about 10am. They hit 3 American humvees
in front of the big Abu Hanifa mosque and 2 in Anter Square and 3 in
Al-Saleya, 9 altogether. There were at least 5 men in each car and
don't think any survived. Twelve Iraqis were killed. Two of them were
mujahedin and 10 were civilians.

"If you have time, if you want to see something, stay here until 4
o'clock. Something is going to happen. If you like you can watch from
my roof. The rumour goes around telling people who have shops to stay
indoors at certain times. It won't start dead on 4 but we will stay
indoors after that time and not go out walking.

"Those operations have nothing to do with Saddam. We don't love him -
he's killed and tortured people, but because they are invaders,
because they have occupied our country, they don't deserve to stay
here. Some Shia people started shooting in the air, but if anyone has
courage, he should write God's name on every bullet and fire them at
Americans. Every one is needed for the Americans, not for the air.

"I think resistance will increase now. A lot of people didn't fight
before because they did not want to be called pro-Saddam, but now he
is gone, it's pure jihad, and there is no reason not to fight.

"When I saw Saddam shown on TV in that way I was really sad. It's not
really right for him to be judged by US. The problem was that we were
humiliated by Americans. Arabic nations should take a lesson from
that. The Interim Council is not much better than Saddam because they
came from outside the country and they didn't live the suffering and
they have not much time left in power because even the Americans don't
accept them."

Next to Adamiya is Kadhmiya, a Shia district. Sa'ad lives near the old
secret police HQ, now occupied by US soldiers. The resistance, he
said, is not from Kadhmiya but, "We weren't as happy as when we heard
that Uday and Qusay were killed. It's not because we love Saddam but
because he was captured by Americans not by Iraqis. As Iraqis we do
sympathise with another Iraqi even if he made mistakes, because he was
caught by an American.

"We have a saying, 'Me and my brother against my cousin, but me and my
cousin against the foreigners. I would defend Saddam against
foreigners, but between us, he deserves what he's getting because he
caused the deaths of lots of people. I was not a Baathist. Saddam
didn't hurt me but he took us into wars we weren't meant to be in. He
spent money on stupid things and didn't give enough to the people.

"Some of the shooting was celebration but in truth after a while it's
just because there are lots of weapons, so mostly people are just
trying their guns. I bought a new gun quite recently and I fired it
just because it's new and I wanted to fire it. I am happy he's caught
but I'm not happy because he was caught by Americans. They're not here
for the benefit of Iraqis but for their own benefit.

"I think his trial should be public and he shouldn't be executed,
because no one will benefit from that. He should be jailed for life so
he will see the changes. Resistance could increase or decrease but if
the US doesn't keep all the promises it made, it will face Shia people
as well, because now there is nothing to stop them, no fear of being
called pro-Saddam and as you know there are more Shia than Sunni
people here."

We tried to talk to some soldiers as we were passing but they all said
they were under strict new orders not to talk to anybody. Fernandez of
41FA [he didn't tell us that, his helmet did] said "I think they did a
good job" but told us we'd have to go to the base for signed
permission if we wanted to write that down. There were two tanks of US
soldiers, guarded as ever by Iraqi soldiers, parked in front of an
empty petrol station.

As we drove away we were flagged down by a man with a biscuit wanting
to know if we'd asked the soldiers about the petrol shortage and what
they'd said. We told him no, just about the capture of Saddam. He
wanted to talk but not to give us his name. He works as a baggage
searcher at Baghdad airport, where the diplomats and businessmen come
in and out.

"When I saw Saddam on the television I had mixed feelings. I felt
pained, not because I love Saddam but because he is Iraqi and we are
Iraqi and we have love for our country. He's still an Iraqi and caught
by foreigners - it would be different if he was caught by Iraqis.

"I want to ask the Americans why they didn't block the borders with
neighbouring countries because lots of people came in from other
countries. Resistance is not only Iraqi, it is also outsiders coming
to help. The resistance might increase for a week but it will fade now
that Saddam is gone. I want him to be jailed for life, not executed,
because I want him to see how things will improve, but I want America
to keep the promises because we had hope when they came in and so far
they haven't done anything."

Sheikh Adnan Al-Ani is the Imam of the Al Hasanein Sunni Mosque in
Ameriya. He's in charge of 500 mosques in the area. "Intelligent
people of all communities, Sunni and Shia, have to make a union
because the situation is very delicate and could be used to provoke
civil war. I consider that Saddam has been gone for months, since the
invasion. I saw him as a dead man already.

"I would have no problem if Saddam was caught by Iraqis, but being
caught by Americans is not honourable. Americans have committed lots
of crimes as well. If Saddam is a war criminal then so is Bush and
they should be tried side by side. This is the only fair way.

"The resistance has nothing to do with Saddam. It's because they are
invaders and we have to resist the invader. Here in Ameriya the
schoolchildren went out and demonstrated and lots of young people. The
Americans tried to get rid of the crowd so they sat in front of tanks
and started cheering, long live Saddam. It wasn't really for Saddam
himself but for Iraq, with him as a symbol of Iraq, because people
know that chanting in his name will provoke the occupiers."

The streets of Abu Ghraib were mud tracks with more horse carts than
cars and haystacks leaning on the houses. Hekmet said there was lots
of fighting there. People felt really angry because Saddam was
captured by bastards. "This place turned to a warzone from about 6pm,
lots of shooting, RPGs, rockets. It wasn't about Sunni and Shia but
about a person who represents a country being caught by occupying
forces."

The clattering of metal gates was interspersed with explosions making
much the same noise but with more quaking through the ground. It's
normal, they say. On the north side of Abu Ghraib there are rivers and
bushes where people can hide, so it happens all the time, when
aeroplanes come in. The ones on the top of the hour are usually
controlled explosions of munitions collected and brought in to the
airport.

"People are fighting because they are comparing between now and
Saddam's time. The Iraqi army left weapons abandoned on the streets so
people collected them. In Abu Ghraib people have a lot of weapons. The
resistance is legal because we are fighting occupying forces. We have
so much petrol and now there is none in the petrol stations.

"Every day there are people killing ex Baathists and people killing
any person who works with the Americans. It's happening in Abu Ghraib
every day. They warn Iraqis to stop working with Americans or get
killed. Abu Ghraib is like a bee hive. If you touch it at all it will
all be very angry. If I knew where Saddam was I would go and release
him. I hate him but he is like the flag I used to hold."


Jo Wilding is based in Baghdad and wrote for Electronic Iraq during
the war.

Page last updated: 16 December 2003, 19:40


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