Why Arab intellectuals are now praying for Saddam
By Neil MacFarquhar in Damascus
March 27 2003
Normally, the appearance of Saddam Hussein on television prompts catcalls,
curses and prayers for his demise from a regular gathering of about 20
Saudi businessmen and intellectuals, but Monday night was different. When
he appeared, they prayed that God preserve him for a few more weeks.
"They want Saddam Hussein to go and they expect him to go eventually, but
they want him to hold on a little longer because they want to teach the
Americans a lesson," said Khalid Batarfi, the managing editor of the
newspaper Al-Madina, describing the scene in a sprawling living room in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
"Arab pride is at stake here," he added, describing a sentiment sweeping
the region from Algeria to Yemen. "American propaganda said it was going to
be so quick and easy, meaning we Arabs are weak and unable to fight. Now it
is like a Mike Tyson fight against some weak guy. They don't want the weak
guy knocked out in the first 40 seconds."
From the outset, there has been ambivalence in the Arab world towards the
war in Iraq, tipping towards outright hostility as Baghdad, the fabled
capital of Arabian Nights, shudders under wave after wave of bombing.
The region's governments, edgy about the idea of a US-inspired regime
change, have been trying to both placate Washington and siphon the anger
off their streets, permitting larger and larger demonstrations. Anger over
the war could alienate virtually every regime from its people as never
before, some analysts believe.
The public recognises that leaders like Saddam abuse their people, but the
suspicion that the US is embarking on a modern crusade overwhelms other
considerations.
Since the creation of Israel in 1948, followed by repeated military
setbacks, Arabs have felt humiliation in their own neighbourhood.
The supposed benefits of breaking free of colonialism proved a lie - they
could not choose their own governments. Fed on rhetoric about lost Arab
glory, they have long waited for some kind of saviour.
This week, it seemed that the Iraqi people, or whoever exactly was fighting
the American military, might win that role.
"If Saddam's regime is going to fall, it's better for our future, for our
self-confidence and for our image that it falls fighting," said Sadik Jalal
Al-Azam, a Syrian author and academic. "People ... are willing to put
Saddam aside for a much greater issue."
Arab governments opposed the war in Iraq from the outset. They shared no
great love for Saddam, but replacing him by force seemed a bad precedent.
"If they do not like 100 regimes around the world, are they going to change
all 100?" asked Buthaina Shaaban, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Foreign
Ministry.
Long-time rulers have begun making noises about reform. President Hosni
Mubarak, of Egypt, recently announced changes lightening his government's
repressive hand, including abolishing the special state security courts for
ordinary crimes.
Educated elites across the region once cherished the idea that the US would
push area governments to become more democratic, but gradually abandoned
hope. Promises for Iraq have rekindled that hope, although the Bush
Administration's changing justifications for invading Iraq - from concern
about weapons of mass destruction to the need for a new regime - have cast
doubt on its sincerity.
"The US has always supported the dictators who rule our countries," said
Haitham Milhem, the 72-year-old lawyer who heads the Human Rights
Association of Syria. "If they create a real democracy, then any
dictatorship will fear its neighbour, but we doubt America will leave a
democracy in Iraq."
Much of the doubt comes from the perceived double standard in American
foreign policy in the Middle East. Washington pushed the invasion of Iraq
on the grounds that Iraq was flouting UN resolutions to disarm, Arabs point
out repeatedly, while doing nothing about similar resolutions demanding
Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian lands.
"Some Arabs fear the war may prove to be the kind of watershed event not
seen in the region since 1967, when the Israelis defeated the Arabs in the
Six-Day War.
"In 1967, our expectations, our dreams were very high," said Sawsan Shair,
a Bahraini columnist. "After the war the shock was terrible, and we are
still suffering the effects."
http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/26/1048653750468.html
