Civilisational aspects of a dictator’s execution
Dr. George Voskopoulos
January 05, 2007
The vast majority of Europeans found the images aired on S. Hussein’s execution appalling by any standards. Eventually the whole process tars the image of the West and exposes its values and humanistic standards.
The issue is not whether S. Hussein was guilty or not. That goes without saying and should not be ontologically tested. However, turning a man’s execution into a reality show is not just a provocation to the global Muslim community but also an insult to the western civilization and its values some people are forcefully trying to impose.
A man surrounded by his sworn enemies who insult him and swear at him cannot portray the model some would like to spread to the Middle East. It is rather a sign of civilisational degradation, a model to avoid, a defamatory image of our western paradigm. Of course the masked men were not westerners, but then shouldn’t we have made sure that it would be an act of justice executed according to our moral and civilisational standards?
Eventually it could herald the inauguration of a cruel man to martyrdom. Was this the aim of the whole hasty and to many, dubious judicial process? The responses from across the world to the total humiliation of a man, even, one who showed no respect for human life, makes us equal to him. These are the standards and practices we would like to eliminate, these are S. Hussein’s practices.
In the European Union, where the death penalty is abolished, it provoked even those who supported President Bush’s “just war” in Iraq. Italy has committed itself to take on a global campaign against the death penalty, while even high British officials condemned this act of shame. The same attitude was adopted by the Pontiff who condemned this kind of cruelty.
Saddam Hussein deserves no one's pity” was the opening remark of an editorial on the International Herald Tribune on January 4. That is one aspect of the debate. The other one wants democracy to be generous or at least respect human dignity moments before death. Eventually democracy and justice cannot be implanted in Iraq through such brutal acts.
The most important thing to keep in mind is, this is a guy who killed hundreds of thousands of people and received justice,” said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary. I totally agree, yet, nominally we are “more civilized” than him so we are expected to behave differently. The cannibalistic ritual of S. Hussein’s execution should teach all a lesson particularly religious fanatics. It once again sends to the Muslim world the wrong messages and demonizes the West and its values.
The issue is not whether S. Hussein was guilty or not. That goes without saying and should not be ontologically tested. However, turning a man’s execution into a reality show is not just a provocation to the global Muslim community but also an insult to the western civilization and its values some people are forcefully trying to impose.
A man surrounded by his sworn enemies who insult him and swear at him cannot portray the model some would like to spread to the Middle East. It is rather a sign of civilisational degradation, a model to avoid, a defamatory image of our western paradigm. Of course the masked men were not westerners, but then shouldn’t we have made sure that it would be an act of justice executed according to our moral and civilisational standards?
Eventually it could herald the inauguration of a cruel man to martyrdom. Was this the aim of the whole hasty and to many, dubious judicial process? The responses from across the world to the total humiliation of a man, even, one who showed no respect for human life, makes us equal to him. These are the standards and practices we would like to eliminate, these are S. Hussein’s practices.
In the European Union, where the death penalty is abolished, it provoked even those who supported President Bush’s “just war” in Iraq. Italy has committed itself to take on a global campaign against the death penalty, while even high British officials condemned this act of shame. The same attitude was adopted by the Pontiff who condemned this kind of cruelty.
Saddam Hussein deserves no one's pity” was the opening remark of an editorial on the International Herald Tribune on January 4. That is one aspect of the debate. The other one wants democracy to be generous or at least respect human dignity moments before death. Eventually democracy and justice cannot be implanted in Iraq through such brutal acts.
The most important thing to keep in mind is, this is a guy who killed hundreds of thousands of people and received justice,” said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary. I totally agree, yet, nominally we are “more civilized” than him so we are expected to behave differently. The cannibalistic ritual of S. Hussein’s execution should teach all a lesson particularly religious fanatics. It once again sends to the Muslim world the wrong messages and demonizes the West and its values.