So in the early hours of the morning, the news that Saddam Hussein had been executed. Sadly I suspect that it will further divide Iraq, and certainly will change little in the disintegration of the country, as can be seen by the differing reactions in Sunni and Shia areas of the country. There are also awkward questions coming up in discussion forums as, amongst a number of issues, people consider the fact that he was executed before a number of other cases against him had been prosecuted – cases that have awkward questions with regards to the involvement of the west. Having said that the BBC seems to be getting in relatively quickly with a comment piece implying that even after his death Saddam will continue to haunt Bush – probably the biggest certainty after the events of this morning.
Tag Archives: Saddam Hussein
Coincidence
Sometimes coincidence throws up some interesting combinations. Take yesterday as an example. The big news of the day was the verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein, and more specifically the sentence of execution. More4 has recently started showing the excellent West Wing from the beginning, and last night they got to Take This Sabbath Day which focuses on President Bartlet, a devout Roman Catholic, as he struggles to decide the fate of a man convicted of two murders. Throughout the episode you get many of the major characters in the programme stating their position, and there is a very moving final scene with President Bartlet talking with his priest, who he has been trying to contact since the beginning of the episode.
Certainly on an occasion when opinions on the death penalty are being discussed in the media, especially as a result of the reaction of many in Europe – including our own Prime Minister – and the Church to the sentence, it serves as a good reminder of the issues, and also how Christians deal with them.