Saddam Sacrifice

I’m no conspiracy theorist, but it’s also not a coincidence that Saddam Hussein was executed on Id Al-Adha, one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. Id Al-Adha (or Eid-e Qurban) is known as the ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’. The Festival commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for God (In Judaism and Christianity, the child in the story is Abraham’s son, Issac). Ibrahim secures his son’s ransom by killing a ram. The holiday lasts for four days and marks the end of the hajj (pilgrimage). For those who did not take part in the hajj, families that can afford to do so sacrifice an animal such as a sheep, goat, camel or cow, and then divide the meat among themselves, neighbors, friends and the poor. It is distinguished by the performance of a communal prayer (salat) at daybreak on its first day. Saddam was hanged just before dawn during the call to morning prayers. We Americans will certainly miss the significance, but I can guarantee it’ll be the subject of conversation across Middle Eastern dinner tables tonight.