This obituary of Saddam was posted on Tripoli in Lebanon by `Abdul-Majid Ar-Rafi`i. Ar-Rafi`i was a popular physician in Tropoli (studied medicine in Lausanne with my mother's uncle) in the 1960s and 1970s and won a seat in the Lebanese parliament in 1972. He was a leader of the Ba`th Party in Lebanon--the pro-Iraq branch after the split. When the Ba`th party split between the Syrian and the Iraqi branches, most Ba`thists in Lebanon joined the Iraqi branch. So when the Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 (and even prior to that), they went after pro-Iraqi Ba`thists and killed them, one by one, and bombed their offices. They even killed Musa Shu`ayb, a poet who wrote a nice poem about Tall Az-Za`tar titled: Hayfa is waiting for the bus at the Tal Az-Za`tar crossroad." Ar-Rafi`i was a member of the pan-Arab command of the Ba`th party that was under the control of Saddam. So Ar-Rafi`i had to flee Lebanon for most of the war years, and would visit occasionally but would stay in East Beirut. He lived in Baghdad in recent years, but was in Paris when the US invaded Iraq in 2003 (he said his wife was seeking medical treatment). He was a good friend of my father: and I must praise the dates and the mann wa-salwa that he used to bring us from Baghdad--so delicious. He also once got a great `abaya for my father (whatever happened to it, Mirvat?). After the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, Ar-Rafi`i returned to Lebanon only to discover that there are no more Ba`thists in Lebanon. He however insisted resurrecting the Ba`th party under a different name: he founded the Arab Vanguard Party, which has 4 (probably five) members. The obituary declares Saddam to be a "resisting hero" and says that he was killed by the "Zionist, American, and Safavid gangs and their agents". (thanks Karim)
Monday, January 01, 2007
This obituary of Saddam was posted on Tripoli in Lebanon by `Abdul-Majid Ar-Rafi`i. Ar-Rafi`i was a popular physician in Tropoli (studied medicine in Lausanne with my mother's uncle) in the 1960s and 1970s and won a seat in the Lebanese parliament in 1972. He was a leader of the Ba`th Party in Lebanon--the pro-Iraq branch after the split. When the Ba`th party split between the Syrian and the Iraqi branches, most Ba`thists in Lebanon joined the Iraqi branch. So when the Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976 (and even prior to that), they went after pro-Iraqi Ba`thists and killed them, one by one, and bombed their offices. They even killed Musa Shu`ayb, a poet who wrote a nice poem about Tall Az-Za`tar titled: Hayfa is waiting for the bus at the Tal Az-Za`tar crossroad." Ar-Rafi`i was a member of the pan-Arab command of the Ba`th party that was under the control of Saddam. So Ar-Rafi`i had to flee Lebanon for most of the war years, and would visit occasionally but would stay in East Beirut. He lived in Baghdad in recent years, but was in Paris when the US invaded Iraq in 2003 (he said his wife was seeking medical treatment). He was a good friend of my father: and I must praise the dates and the mann wa-salwa that he used to bring us from Baghdad--so delicious. He also once got a great `abaya for my father (whatever happened to it, Mirvat?). After the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, Ar-Rafi`i returned to Lebanon only to discover that there are no more Ba`thists in Lebanon. He however insisted resurrecting the Ba`th party under a different name: he founded the Arab Vanguard Party, which has 4 (probably five) members. The obituary declares Saddam to be a "resisting hero" and says that he was killed by the "Zionist, American, and Safavid gangs and their agents". (thanks Karim)
