Seeing pictures of Saddam being beaten with shoes, Yemenis change attitude

Kuwait News Agency ^ | April 11, 2003 | Yahia Al-Haddi

[HAL9000]

SANAA, April 11 (KUNA) -- Some Yemenis who had sentiments of admiration for the deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, now have different feelings toward the man, whose statues were downed and his posters were beaten with shoes in public places in the Iraqi war-stricken capital Baghdad.

Saeed Abdullah, 40, who manages a popular cafe in the heart of the Yemeni capital, said the sudden disappearance of Saddam has become the main topic of daily debates among his customers, and protested that these discussions often heat up and turn into quarrels.

Hamdi Ahmad, a government employee, said, "our sentiments toward him turned into hatred after we saw the Iraqis smashing his posters and statues in Baghdad .. Now we realise that the Iraqis know him better than us."

Tewfic Al-Sabri, 25, a student, said the shift in the public feelings toward Saddam was normal and expected. Saddam, he added, had become popular in Yemen when he had vowed to liberate Palestine and fought Iran. "But it was established that his war on Iran was senselss and pledges were mere empty slogans."

A university professsor, who asked not to mention his name, affirmed that the pictures, broadcast live by television satellite stations worldwide on Wednesday of Iraqis smashing the pictures and statues of Saddam changed the Yemenis' sentiments of admiration toward the man to feelings of hatrede.

[?]urs being glued in front of the television, listening to flat lies of Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Al-Sahaf, pledging victory and cursing the coalition forces.

"I was not aware of the fact that the Iraqi people were yearning to get rid of the tyrrant," he said.

Ahmad Al-Wasabi, who runs a store for electronic appliances, has just removed a large photo of Saddam that had decorated his shop. "I no longer view such a dictator with admiration ... We have been baffled and I believe that he is the cause of the crises in the region."

Naef Hassan, political editor of the opposition newspaper, Al-Wadawi, said the general sentiments toward the deposed regime was being transformed in the country as a result of the lies made by the leaders of this defunct regime.

"Many people in Yemen changed their attitude toward Saddam's regime after seeing photos of the man being beaten with shoes on streets of Baghdad." Fathi Abul Nasr, a poet, said he was pleased with the downfall of the regime of Saddam. "The educated elite hates Saddam .. no poet in the world loves Saddam .. poets can't stand dictators."

Abul Nasr said he received e-mails from an Iraqi friend, who has been living in London since nine years ago because Saddam executed many members of her family. She recalled hearing groaning voices of inmates at pain while visiting her imprisoned father, brothers and relatives at an Iraqi prison. Nabil Sabaa, a well-known writer, said the fall of Saddam symbolizes end of Arab leaders known of empty rhetoric and slogans. "Any leader like Saddam will evaporate and forgotten." (end)

[CIBvet]

"I think we would do well to send a huge batch of shoes to the Middle East. "

Quick, put in an order to America's shoe manufacturer ... Communist CHINA ... since we no longer manufacture any shoes in the USA.

Come to think of it, we don't manufacture anything in the USA anymore ... that's right, we're, ahem, a service economy.

Well perhaps we can pledge to service the shoes, once they wear them out pounding away on Saddam.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

When he saw that older Iraqi in the pictures a couple of weeks ago beating Soddomite's picture with a shoe, he felt that we had won the hearts of the Iraqis who would be freed.

Yes, the use of the shoe is quite a symbol, I wasn't aware of it before now!

If we can get some sense of order before too long, then we would seem to be in pretty good shape. They like the American & British soldier at this point!