Posted 4/05/2003 06:24:00 PM by Ocean Guy
Arab Heroes
Joining Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein a Hero????

While the fate of Saddam Hussein may already be sealed, there is no doubt that he is creating himself as a legend which is being lapped up by the Arab masses...

...The fact that Saddam has survived for 12 days is seen as a colossal success. Before the conflict, his star was falling in the Arab world, with few takers for his propaganda that he intended to liberate Palestine...

...Abdel-Bari Atwan, the often provocative editor of the London Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi, said the Iraqi campaign had had an effect on the Arab world similar to the September 11 attacks. The Americans had been surprised to find that the presence of foreign troops had awakened a sense of "patriotism and honour" among the Arabs. "They think that they can humiliate the Arabs all the time, and no one will answer back," he said...

...For the first time since the 1960s, when the Arab world listened transfixed to Cairo's Voice of the Arabs, with its seductive mix of Nasser's revolutionary speeches and sensuous songs, the Arab world feels connected.

That's right, Saddam and the Arabs have kept their honor by surviving for 12 days. Humiliated? Nope, they've been Saddamized again.