Posted on 12/15/2003 1:06:39 PM PST by TheDon
When the phone rang at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Shoshan Sarkis didn't bother to pick it up.
But when it rang again an hour later, she figured it must be something important.
Her sister was calling, with news that Saddam Hussein had been captured. For years, Saddam had oppressed Sarkis' fellow Assyrians in her native Iraq.
"We were very happy," she said. "We finally got him."
Sarkis is assistant to the director of the Chicago-based Assyrian National Council of Illinois. She spent the day on the phone exchanging congratulations and planning a champaign celebration Sunday night at the council headquarters, 2450 W. Peterson.
The party was called to celebrate the Iraqi people and "our soldiers, who did such a great job," Sarkis said.
Many members of local Islamic and Arab communities also welcomed the news.
"All the Arab Americans I know, especially Iraqi Americans, would be extremely pleased," said Farouk Mustafa, a professor of Arabic language and literature at the University of Chicago and a member of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.
Saddam's capture "might bring some measure of peace to the Middle East," Mustafa said. "It took nine months, but I thought it was worth it."
The challenge now is to restore peace and order, Mustafa said. The United States "should look at an orderly exit strategy. Maybe we should get the United Nations involved."
Kareem Irfan, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, said that although there's "a strong feeling of relief," Saddam's capture "is just a symbolic step forward."
Iraq still needs to restore stability and basic services such as utilities, Irfan said.
"We have to address all these other issues," he noted.
Moon Khan of Lombard-based American Muslims for Democracy and Peace said Saddam is a "malignant tumor" in the Middle East.
"His capture and fast but proper prosecution will accelerate the healing process that the Iraqi people need and deserve," said Khan.
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