Toronto Iraqis React To Saddam’s Death
Posted December 29, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For Iraqi Canadians, the news of Saddam Hussein’s execution is bittersweet, mixing memories of those long lost with the promise that freedom will eventually be restored in the country they were forced to leave behind.
“He should be executed because he was cruel and killed lots of innocent people,” J afar Sekandary responds, when told Saddam’s death is imminent.
But some feel killing their old foe hasn’t changed anything. “What happens there from now on it’s not going to get better,” worries one Iraqi.
“It doesn’t make any difference,” echoes Elias Harfoush.
Their fear: a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites, which Saddam’s brutal repression kept in check, will resurface and begin a new round of killing no strongman can stop.
“They might have retaliation from the Sunni side and, of course, the Shi’a side will support it and Sunnis sides won’t support it,” worries M ohammed Shaikh.
And what about that possibility of a backlash?
Khaled Eledry pauses a long time before answering.
“That’s in God’s hands,” he concludes.
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