Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press
are prepared by the Government Press Office
as a service to foreign journalists in Israel.
They express the views of the authors.
The Blood Is On Saddam's Hands
(Analysis by Oded Granot, "Ma'ariv", Feb 23, 1999, p. 13A)
Saddam's regime struggled yesterday to deny any connection to the
assassination of Shi'ite leader Muhammad Sadeq al-Sadr, and struggled even
harder to to deny reports about a wave of riots now flooding Iraq
following the murder.
The two denials, needless to say, are achieving exactly the opposite
and precisely strengthen the conclusion that Saddam's henchmen spilt the
blood and are now trying to cover up the evidence and calm the streets.
The reason for the denials: Saddam, who is busy warring against the West,
is not interested in opening another front against the Iranians who have
already placed full responsibility for the murder of the Shi'ite leader on
him.
Al-Sadr is not the first Shi'ite spiritual leader to be murdered in Iraq.
Similar murder cases occurred last year as well. Shi'ites compose over 60%
of Iraq's population, but they are concentrated mainly in poor regions in
the south, suffering from unrelenting persecution by the Sunni regime in
Baghdad.
Until recently, al-Sadr was not considered an opponent of the regime. On
the contrary: the Iraqi authorities appointed him to his post and he
maintained close and constant contact with the Iraqi minister of religion.
The change in status occurred only recently, when he began to question
orders coming from Baghdad: he held weekly sermons including calls for
"independent opinions" and, no less seriously, he rejected Saddam's
demands to publish a fatwa denouncing Arab states who are aided the
Western attacks on Iraq.
At this point, he became too dangerous to Saddam, who consistently makes
sure to brutally eliminate any sign of rebellion. Saddam's agents murdered
al-Sadr together with his two sons and were quick to wash their hands
by blaming "foreign intelligence services" trying to foment a civil war in
Iraq in order to overthrow the regime. The Americans would certainly
praise such an act, precisely because the Shi'ite opposition is weak.
There can be no doubt that Saddam has ordered his forces to shed as much
blood as necessary to halt the current outbreaks of rage.