Marine Sgt. Derryl Spencer was just a few blocks away when the giant statue of Saddam Hussein tumbled to the ground in Baghdad in the spring of 2003. The execution of the former dictator, he said, shows that the war in Iraq was — and still is — justified.
But Saddam's hanging early this morning Baghdad time left some Utah Iraqis feeling relieved yet also aware that life in Iraq is in many ways harder than ever. And some questioned the timing of the execution ordered by the Iraqi court, which coincided with the festivities of Eid-ul-Adha, the Muslim holiday of sacrifice.
Spencer, who lives in Salt Lake City, said Saddam's execution shows the war was a success, "that we won, that we shouldn't walk away with our tail between our legs." He said he is "excited that this is something that shows the world that justice can be served and that terrorist activities won't be tolerated." He added that the former leader's death will energize troops still on the ground in Iraq. "I think this is going to be a big morale booster.... This is one more step toward bringing the troops home."
Another Salt Lake resident, Benan Zahawi, who still has relatives in Baghdad, says Saddam's death is not what is on the minds of his countrymen still in Iraq. "It might be the end of an era, and there is relief that he will never come back to power ... but whether he's executed or not will not affect them." What affects them, he said, is that every time they leave home they wonder whether "they will come back alive or not."
"Iraqis have so much on their minds, all the deaths that are taking place," Zahawi said. "The Iraqis are not blaming Saddam now, they're blaming the occupation and the Iraqi government."
The hanging occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, on the Muslim holiday honoring the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. The timing will thus hurt the feelings of both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Zahawi said. "Sunnis will say 'you picked this day to spite us,"' Zahawi said, "and the others will say, 'This is a holy day. Couldn't you find another day?' Imagine in the U.S. if a high-profile person was executed on Christmas Day."
Zahawi worries that Saddam was executed without ever being tried for most of his crimes. And, too, he said, Saddam "was a pawn in the hands of other powers. That's what worries me. I want to see people come to justice.... A lot of blood is on the hands of many others. And now that will go away."
"To actually have him dead is good," said University of Utah graduate student Zaid Albarzinji, a Baghdad native who describes himself as half Arab, half Kurdish. But as Iraqis gathered around dinner tables Friday night in Utah, people questioned the timing of the execution, he said.
Imam Shuaib-ud Din of the Khadeeja Mosque in West Valley City also found the timing puzzling. He suggested the date might have been chosen "to dampen the effect of the execution." Because the hanging occurred on a Muslim holy day, "you could expect less riots, less protest."
The president of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, Pakistani native Nadeem Ahmed, was decorating the South Towne Expo Center Friday night in preparation for Saturday's Eid-ul-Adha celebration.
"I don't think this execution is good for any Iraqi," he said, as he oversaw the laying down of paper on the floor of the Expo Center so that Muslims could sit during today's prayers. "Some Shiites will probably be happy" that Saddam was executed, "but as a whole, we're killing more Iraqis now than Saddam Hussein did."
James Mayfield, University of Utah professor emeritus of political science, said a large majority of Iraqis "will be delighted" by the execution, although the small number "who benefited under his regime are going to be very angry and very frustrated."
Mayfield, who was recruited by the U.S. government to teach democracy in Iraq from May 2003 until June 2004, said there may well be a violent reaction from those opposed to their former leader's trial and execution.
He expects, though, most Iraqis will behave as they did in December 2003 when they learned Saddam had been captured. Mayfield said that afternoon, he witnessed "people dancing in the streets, so excited and thrilled.... The only thing that might dampen that excitement now is how long it has taken" for Saddam to be brought to justice.
Utah National Guard Sgt. Jason Bulkley, Cedar City, and Sgt. Sam Dean of Salt Lake City were part of the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade that gathered information on Saddam's whereabouts in Iraq — information that led to Saddam's capture.
Saddam's death represents closure for Bulkley. "I'm sure there are plenty of Iraqis that feel the same way," he said, taking a break from sledding with his family Friday night.
The execution should send a message to countries such as Iran and North Korea, he added. "If you move forward with your nuclear programs, we're watching."
Dean said he's been watching the news this week and talking to his wife, Lisa, about Saddam's pending execution. "I told her that I think for the government over there, this is a step in the right direction," Dean said.
As for helping in the capture of Saddam three years ago, Dean said he was in the right place at the right time. "I was just doing my job."
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who has made two trips this year to Iraq and other parts of the Mideast, said in a statement: "The death of Saddam Hussein brings about the end of a long era of tyrannical rule that many in Iraq and the region have had to deal with for years. Let's hope with the closing of this sad chapter, a brighter, more hopeful chapter of Iraqi history will begin."
E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com; jarvik@desnews.com; lisa@desnews.com