The Real Crime of Saddam Hussein

On July 2, 2004, Saddam Hussein's pre-trial began. That day, the Muslim world glued itself to the television set to have one more look at the "Butcher of Baghdad." The list of charges, read by a young judge working for the new Iraqi puppet government, covered crimes dating back even before Saddam came into power in 1979. They included just about everything from the killings of Sunni and Shi'i ulema to atrocities related to the invasion of Kuwait.

Make no mistake, Saddam had this coming; and the Ummah may yet be better off without him, depending on what follows. Ambitious people in the Muslim world must witness what happens to bullies who abuse their power. (They also need to see what happens when American or European overlords no longer find their thugs useful!) But Muslims ought to want more than simple, cheap revenge. That is why the circumstances surrounding the coming trial will trouble all Muslims who pray that the fall of Saddam Hussein will be a step toward a political culture that nurtures decency by sticking with the rules given us by Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).

The Creator says in the holy Qur'an:
Do they seek a judgment of Ignorance? But, who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah? (TMQ, Surat ul-Ma'idah, ayah 50)

In his tafseer, Ibn Katheer said that Allah thus denounces those who reject His ruling while accepting judgments not based on the Shari`ah. In a preceding verse, Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) also says, "And rule between them by that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their vain desires away from the truth which came to you" (ayah 48).

The implication of the ayahs is clear enough: Saddam Hussein is being charged with the wrong offence, by the wrong people! What then is his true crime? Torture, murder, and the oppression of the weak are merely the results of not ruling by Islam in a Muslim territory! Observing the limits set by the Deen and watched by his people, Saddam might have led Iraq (as any leader today should) by the light of Islam, thereby avoiding the horrors he now must pay for.

However, Saddam was kept in power by American and British intervention, and took the role that he was given to fill, that of an oppressive dictator, rather than the strong Muslim leader who rules only by what Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has given to us. In reality, the ex-dictator ruled no differently than the family of Saudi Arabia or Hosni Mubarak, the leader of Egypt, do now. They and all other "Muslim" leaders, still have their jobs so long as they obey their masters. Nevertheless, bringing them to the justice of Islam remains a neglected duty for us, the Ummah.

Of course, this pre-trial of Saddam Hussein is another transparent attempt by Washington to give legitimacy to its new puppet government in the eyes of Muslims. Replacing a secular Baathist mindset of Saddam with a secular American mindset doesn't make anything better. Both are equally bad for Islam! It ought to be the Muslims alone, with Islamic law, who charge Saddam with his true crime and send a message for the Muslim world that oppression shall be broken.

But yet again, we Muslims bow down and accept that other countries with different systems of values and religious ideas can do better for us, simply because they have more money and more power for the time being.

We Muslims will live in complete misery until we live under complete Islam. Allah did not teach humans salah only, while neglecting their government. Allah knows what is best for His creation, as individuals and as societies. Therefore, applying Islam correctly in all spheres of life, including the governmental, will naturally lead to victory for all humanity, as promised.

Saddam Hussein will get just what he deserves from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). The obligation given to us in this situation is punishing Saddam-and others like him-for not ruling by Islam. To ensure that such torture and oppression does not continue, we must work hard for the Islamic State that will never allow for anything other than Allah's laws. (Submitted 8/24/2004)