Mich. city erupts in jubilation
DEARBORN, Mich. -- In a jubilant, spontaneous procession, cars festooned with American and Iraqi flags cruised Warren Avenue, horns blaring as Iraqi-Americans and exiles took to one of Dearborn's main drags yesterday to celebrate the capture of Saddam Hussein.
About 100 men braved cold weather and flurries to greet one another with kisses and wishes of mabrouk, an expression of congratulations in Arabic, and passed out candy at the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, where Arab satellite channels flashed photos of a disheveled Hussein.
Many of the men, Shi'ite exiles, called the day a national Iraqi holiday. Like national Islamic organizations, some look forward to Hussein facing trial for his decades of brutality.
"Today's a holiday, we've been celebrating," said Mohammed Nagi, who came to Dearborn like thousands of other Iraqi exiles over the past 13 years. "Thank God, we're done with Saddam."
Shi'ite exiles from southern Iraq came to Dearborn and neighboring Detroit following the 1991 Gulf War after they tried to overthrow Hussein at the urging of President George H. W. Bush. Many exiles have lived through considerable hardship in the years since and were unable to return to Iraq for fear of repercussions.
Though many say Iraq has a long way to go before they would return, the old fears of Hussein are gone. "He's caught like a rat -- that's the main reason I'm happy," said Baker Albaaj, 38. "Saddam made Iraqis live in fear for many, many years. It's a defining moment in our history."
Husham al-Husainy, spiritual leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center, said, "I was praying at 6:30 a.m., and always I include in my prayers the capture of Saddam." Then came a phone call with the news.
"This is a day of victory, of celebration, of happiness," Husainy said. "This is a great victory of God. It's a miracle." Husainy envisions a trial where Hussein is brought to justice before all Iraqis. "This is a dark day for criminals and terrorist leaders," he added.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic civil liberties group, said in a statement: "As we continue to oppose the war in Iraq, we hope the capture of Saddam Hussein creates a window of opportunity for peace and reconciliation. He must be brought before an international tribunal and then punished for the death and devastation his tyrannical rule imposed on that long-suffering nation and its neighbors. "Hussein's capture also should facilitate the rapid transfer of sovereignty to a representative Iraqi government and the swift withdrawal of American military forces."
The Network of Iraqi American Organizations, headquartered in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, quickly assembled a celebration last night at a banquet hall, with an open invitation to families. Metro Detroit has the highest concentration of Christian and Muslim Arab-Americans and Arab immigrants in North America.
"A lot of people want to express their feelings, and they don't know what to do. They want to get out," said Nabil Roumayah, 54, a coordinator with the group. "We'll be dancing. We're getting together as an Iraqi community to celebrate and have fun and be joyful."
