Posted on 12/31/2006 8:01:39 AM PST by Ellesu
Muslims gathered for prayer in Baton Rouge said Saturday morning that they are upset deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s execution was carried out on a holy day.
At the New Islamic Center of Baton Rouge at 235 E. Airport Ave., a congregation of a few hundred knelt and faced toward Mecca in prayer as Eid al-Adha, the most important feast of the Muslim calendar, got under way.
Also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, it commemorates the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to forfeit all things to God, including the life of his son, Ishmael.
“An execution on this holy day sends out mixed signals,” said Ahmad Suleiman, 61, who led the day’s prayers. “Today is a day of forgiveness. Today is a symbol of harmony and togetherness for Muslims.” The execution, he added, “should have been avoided” on the holy day.
Originally from Palestine, Suleiman delivered a lecture on “sacrificing” selfishness and arrogance. The Southern University chemistry instructor’s remarks also promoted family, unity and dedication to God.
Ma’Moun Sukkar, 61, a contractor originally from Syria, said he is well aware of the significance of the day and added that sending Saddam Hussein to the gallows was nothing more than an attempt to instigate unrest in an already unstable Iraqi nation.
“It’s another George Bush circus stunt,” Sukkar said. “America destroyed the whole country of Iraq. They created Saddam, now they destroyed him. This is all part of a greater agenda.”
Sukkar said he agrees that Hussein was a merciless dictator who needed to be dealt with, but added the entire Iraq War had been mismanaged from the start.
“They are saying it is becoming a civil war,” he said. “Now, what do you think this will do for sectarian violence?”
Former Iraqi citizens, who attended prayer Saturday morning, declined to be interviewed for this story.
“This is a very intense day for them,” Sukkar said. “They are shell-shocked. Many of their families have been put through much over the years. I’m not surprised in their silence today.”
Wow, now that's unbiased, even-handed, agenda-free journalism at its finest. Nice job.
/sarc
If the Muslims didn't have so gosh-awful many "holy days", there would have been a much better chance that the execution of Saddam Hussein would not have had to have been carried out on a "holy day".
AS it is, the execution of Saddam should be marked as a new "holy day" by ALL Muslims. He was no credit to any religion. But he was a superior example of the ideals of the IDEOLOGY of Islam.
Of course he failed to mention that every day is one of their most holy days.
I guess the only true measure the deceased popularity is how many blocks the coffin can crowd-surf on the mourners. ;)
It didn't even happen on their precious holy day...they hung him before dawn, precisely to avoid this sort of gnashing and wailing.
TOUGH BREAK, SUKKAR!!!!
Morons.
I am sure that it's Bush's fault, again.
Let's see. Saddam was executed on a day of forgiveness. Hmm...symbolic, or what?
I can see that Muslims are really big on forgiveness.
I agree with the fella. Muslim holy days are usually reserved for murder, and this just execution of a tyrant, represents something they might not want associated with them.
It was insensitive of us to not have stopped the Iraqis from carrying out the execution.
What's the holiday when the muslims slice their heads open?
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Here is a question to be asked while rolling the eyes: Are there any Moslems extant who aren't children?
I know we have some Muslims here in Lafayette. I'm assuming they're smart enough not to raise their head and complain, especially given the hell they raised when Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990...
"..carried out on a holy day."
Are they upset because it was carried out in the Christmas season?
They are smart. They know this particular reporter and paper will misquote them, too.
It sounds like the perfect day to hang some murderous thug...
Silly me, I thought it was Isaac that Abraham was willing to sacrifice! There goes my Dhimmi-Of-The-Year nomination.
I wonder if they used the same rule of thumb that was used to estimate the size of the Million Man March?
Man bites dog...
You're right, I hadn't noticed that.
My lord, are there no editors left alive or conscious?
Ishmael was Hagar's son, they were driven into the wilderness, 'a wild ass of a man'.
Isaac w2as Abhraham's son.
Google, Google, Google.
Or better yet, Ask, Ask, Ask.
Uh-oh, looks like they are on to us!
“It’s another George Bush circus stunt,” Sukkar said. “America destroyed the whole country of Iraq. They created Saddam, now they destroyed him. This is all part of a greater agenda.”
Why do people insist on, when after they lost the argument that Saddam was evil and bad guy who needed to be dealt with, they fall back on a straw man argument that it is all the fault of the US, who created him?
Don’t these people understand the basic tenets of freedom? A free person has the will to do good or bad all on their own, its nobodies fault the Middle East in a mess but of those who have lived there, not Israelis fault, not the US fault, not Bushes fault!
Just because the US empowers a person or a country, doesn’t mean the US should be responsible for their future actions. Given the turmoil in the middle east, the US needs allies and empowers those that might help the cause which has always meant spreading freedom and a capitalist economy around the world, always has, and often comes about sadly by waging a battle with a lot of nasty people because there are those who do not want freedom of others to be.
But it’s not the liberators fault if those they empower go off the deep end, as it is their own personal responsibility. As a Christian form of government personal responsibility for ones own actions is key, perhaps something the rest of the world just doesn’t understand; the concept of personal responsibility for ones own actions.
While as for blaming the US on the chaos in Iraq, well again, where is the personal responsibility of the citizens there to be guilty or to take credit for their own situation which is the culmination of centuries of their own families, and the mixing of backward secular traditions with religious practices which does not put any emphasis on personal responsibility?
I thought Ishmael went on to a unsuccessful career in whaling.
</sarc>
So what if they are angry! They are always angry. Big deal!
"New Islamic Center of Baton Rouge"
Oh boy.
I am not familiar with that country. Could someone help me on this?
The next thing Reuters and AP will call Israeli citizens in Tel Aviv as living in the occupied zone of Greater Palestine. I am sick of their bias.
Al Qaeda stepped up their attacks all throughout I-don't-give-a-Ramadamn and no one in the muslim community here or abroad complained, held protest, or vigil.
Every day is a holy day and they practice selective outrage.
"Muslims gathered for prayer in Baton Rouge said Saturday morning that they are "upset" deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s execution was carried out on a holy day"
_____________________________________________________
What, has it come to this? The media reporting when people are "upset"? Well I'm upset! The grits for breakfast were lumpy and Saddam Hussein was not drawn and quartered and beaten with a leather shoe before he was hanged.
Yes, I'm upset; my day has been ruined and I am pretty sure that the rest of the world wants to know!
It would be like those who compare the Iraq war to WWII saying that we empowered Joseph Stalin as well.
so let Suleiman go back to Palestine and proote peace, love, understanding, family values, etc. THERE, not here.
Holy Day, you say ? Well, its always something with the headrags, isn't it ?
Maybe they should just start telling which day of the year is NOT a holy day to Muslims?
Funny, didn't stop them from blowing each other to bits...80 yesterday wasn't it...?
Yeah, I doubt the Angel would have intervened on the sacrifice of Ishmael...
You got that right.
When I found out Saddams hanging was imminent I looked up sunrise in Baghdad, it was 7:06 AM . Daybreak is about 30 -35 minutes ahead of the sunrise. Or roughly roughly 6:31 - 6:36 AM Baghdad time.
The feast starts at daybreak and not before.
They executed Saddam before daybreak, so as you said it was not on the Holiday. - tom
"Shut-up, and pray!"
Too bad. It is our holiday week too. But who brought this to a close. If they were so upset , why were they not upset at what he did when he was dictator of Iraq and how he killed innocent people for his laughs . Too bad , but thank GOD he is dead. Hope he had a great trip to satin and enjoyed the view of all the innocent people he killed. Now he is begging them for ice water. Hope he enjoys his eternal life in hell with wondeful people like Hitler, Stalin and others. BYE BYE >
They are celebrating across the entire nation.
This noose around my neck gives me a strange sensation.
My C-2 vertebrae has a new indentation.
I am hanging on a holiday. Hanging on a holiday.
Gotta say how Iraqi Justice was swift and sweet. Maybe we should out-source the administration of our Death Row to them? Gotta work in some outsourcing-as-proxies to the Ethiopian army as well.
"Area Muslim, Ma'moun Sukkar, reacts to Saddam's death"
I would observe, however, that it was Muslims that took this particular action.
Good one Homeboy.
Regards
| Area Muslims react to Saddam’s death(Baton Rouge, LA) ^ |
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