Saddam verdict: Mixed reaction from Muslims

There was a mixed reaction from Muslims across India on the death sentence awarded on Sunday to Saddam Hussein with some denouncing the verdict terming it as unfair, while others saying the former Iraqi president deserved the punishment.

Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari said the verdict was planned much earlier and was announced by a puppet tribunal of the United States.

"We denounce the verdict which was planned by the invader (the United States). The judgement has been announced by a puppet tribunal of the US," he said.

"Instead of Saddam Hussein, Bush should have been put on trial for his crimes in Iraq where more than seven lakh people have been killed since US-led forces invaded the country," Bukhari said.

A member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Qasim Rasool Ilyas termed the trial of the deposed leader as unfair.

"We know he (Hussein) committed crimes against his own people. But, still the trial was not fair. There were many loopholes in the entire process," Ilyas said.

"Under international laws, every person has a right to get a free and fair trial but this has not happened in the case of Saddam Hussein," he said.

Hailing the verdict, All India Shia Personal Law Board president Mirza Mohammad Athar said the deposed leader was an "enemy of humanity" and he deserved the punishment.

Iraq's High Tribunal on Sunday found the former leader guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death by hanging along with two of his associates.