The Foreign Service Journal, March 2004

The capture of Saddam Hussein is particularly important in the holy city of Al-Najaf due to the vast and brutal devastation he wrought there after the Persian Gulf War. Evi- dence of this are the mass graves located in the northern section of Najaf and an area close to the Imam Ali Shrine, which Hussein leveled after the 1991 intifada. The day after Saddam’s arrest I spent most of my time in the Sahn, the market surrounding the Imam Ali Shrine. If there was any location in Najaf for one to gauge the reaction of the people to this dramatic event, this was the place. Walking in the Sahn, I observed a familiar sight. Large groups of people were gathered at the wall of the shrine. Under normal circumstances there are vendors selling pictures of the Imam Ali or sadinet al sahn (assistant custodians of the shrine) while engaging in public discussions. However, this gathering appeared different. Everyone was closely huddled, staring at the wall of the shrine, and remaining unchar- acteristically quiet. I joined the group to steal a look at what was of particular interest. As I approached the wall I realized that there was a newspaper clipping of Saddam’s arrest taped to the shrine and the people crowded around were reading it. The article con- tained photos of the bearded and haggard Hussein with a detailed description of his arrest (see photo, p. 56). The group stared at the pictures and read the article in disbelief and shock. There were no animated discussions or wild cheering as one may have imagined there would be. People were not chanting “death to Saddam” or sim- ilar slogans. Instead there was complete silence and what appeared to be great reflection on the historic event. At this point I bought falafel sandwiches and had lunch with a friend, Hassan, at his sibha (prayer bead F O C U S M A R C H 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 57 Daily life in Baghdad combined elements of a backpacking trip and prison camp. You know that intimate, boutique all-suite hotel that everyone wants to find? The one that has cutting-edge style and service, but is still reasonably priced? You just found it! • Located minutes from State Department Headquarters • Government per diem accepted all year • Newly Renovated suites with full kitchens • Visit our new restaurant “Dish” For more information please visit www.theriverinn.com or call (202) 337-7600. L OTS OF S TYLE , N OT A LOT OF P R I CE 9 2 4 2 5 T H S T R E E T , NW W A S H I N G T O N , DC 2 0 0 3 7