UNDERSTANDING THE MIDDLE EAST:
History, Religion, and the Clash of Cultures
400 pages
Copyright © 2007 by Beechmont Crest Publishing
First edition, 2007
0-9748330-6-1
C H A P T E R 10:
Saddam Hussein's Iraq
1979: a year of change for Iraq
Nineteen seventy-nine was a very eventful year in the history of Iraq. Saddam Hussein stayed busy throughout 1979, solidifying his hold on power, and terrorizing his enemies.
The year got off to a turbulent start in February, when Shiite Islamists loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini swept aside the government of the Shah of Iran. This event made Saddam and Hasan al-Bakr take a closer look at Iraq’s own Shiite population. In the aftermath of Khomeini’s success in neighboring Iran, many of Iraq’s Shiite Islamists were making dangerous suggestions. Some even dared to allude to a future Islamic revolution in Iraq.
Ba’athist security forces raided al-Da’wa enclaves throughout Iraq’s Shiite areas during the spring and summer of 1979. Many rank-and-file al-Da’wa members were imprisoned and tortured. Others were killed. The regime also arrested al-Da’wa’s leader, Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr, in June.
Since Baqir al-Sadr was a senior cleric, the Iraqi government was initially hesitant to throw him in a common jail, execute him, or subject him to torture. The Ba’ath Party now had a virtual stranglehold on the population of Iraq; but even the party had to exercise caution where matters of religion were concerned. A brazen act of violence against an ayatollah might provoke a general insurrection among the Shiites. Worse yet, some Iraqi Sunnis would object strongly to the killing of a cleric---even a Shiite one.
For the time being, the regime placed al-Sadr under house arrest. This proved to be only a partial restraint. Borrowing a tactic that Ayatollah Khomeini used during his exile, al-Sadr tape recorded messages exhorting his followers to rise up and resist the Ba’athist government. Al-Sadr’s followers smuggled cassette recordings of their leader throughout the country, and al-Sadr’s voice inspired disaffected Shiites all over Iraq.
In July Hasan al-Bakr suddenly announced that he was stepping down from the Iraqi presidency. Saddam Hussein was sworn in within hours of the announcement. Al-Bakr became one of the relatively few Iraqi leaders to peacefully retire—further evidence of close relations with Saddam Hussein. Qasim, Nuri al-Sa’id, King Faisal II, Prince Abd al-Ilah, and Bakr Sidqi had all been removed from positions of authority through assassination.
The cigar and the "traitors" list
Now the official ruler of Iraq, Saddam began his administration with a purge of the Ba’ath Party. Only weeks after assuming the presidency, he convened a general meeting of Ba’ath officials. He surprised the attendees by announcing that a “Syrian plot” to overthrow the regime had been rooted out. According to Saddam, the Syrians had recruited some Iraqi confederates within the Ba’ath Party itself. One official---who had been previously tortured---was brought out to make a tearful confession of involvement. Saddam then revealed that he had a list of the remaining conspirators---all of whom were conveniently present in the meeting hall.
Saddam began reading the names of the supposed conspirators. After he read each name, Iraqi security agents descended from the back of the room and plucked the unlucky man out of his seat. As the list grew and more men were led away, the remaining attendees began feverishly shouting their love, loyalty, and admiration for Saddam Hussein. Saddam smoked a large cigar while reading the list. He also paused occasionally to make a display of his feelings of hurt and betrayal.
In all, sixty-eight Ba’ath Party members were arrested in the meeting. About one third of them were later executed. Most of the victims were guilty of expressing too much enthusiasm for the hypothetical union with Syria. Others were simply suspected of disloyalty to Saddam.
(end of chapter excerpt)
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Copyright 2005 Beechmont Crest Publishing
