. . . and at least some Sunnis in Iraq are furious. It also appears we can add another ill-gotten conspiracy to the mix aided by the infallible Arab media.

The prominent Sunni Muslim Scholars’ Association, not to be confused with actual scholars or anyone with intellect whatsoever, claimed Saddam Hussein’s execution was “carried out at the behest of the occupier and some of its allies in and outside” Iraq, adding it was “a purely political act.”

As we all know, England is staunchly in favor of the death penalty and the United States regularly lynches, stones or beheads petty thiefs.  The last part may be true, or at least the timing thereof, but the first part is incorrect. The United States sought to delay the execution at least two weeks, but the Iraqi government denied the request.

Oh, wait. That’s right. There is a sovereign government of Iraq who tried Hussein, found him guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging. That bedrock point seems to get lost in the hysteria, be it pointed at “the occupier and some of its allies” or Iran, the latter peddled by unknown Saudi newspapers as reported by AFP.

The Muslim Scholars’ Association also expressed hope “the Iraqi people, rather than the occupier, will one day pass a just sentence on those who have caused them various forms of suffering.”

It was disturbing for me to hear the screams of jubilation carrying political overtones in the cell phone video of the execution, linked in this post, but I have never lived under the rule of a tyrant not named ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’ Witnesses reportedly yelled out the names of Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr and his son Muqtada al-Sadr. Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr was brutally tortured by Saddam’s intelligence service and allegedly burned alive after his eyes were gouged out. It is therefore fitting his name be mentioned at Saddam’s end of days.

It was the name of Muqtada al-Sadr, I believe, that is sparking many of these protests because it is Muqtada who heads the Mahdi Army responsible for sectarian clensing in much of Baghdad. Muqtada is known to have traveled to Iran and met with the Iranian government on numerous occassions, though he holds no formal position within the Iraqi government. They are John Kerry-esque visits, if you will, except evidence to the movement of the Mahdi Army indicates Muqtada is hardly interested in peace, advancing the cause of one’s nation or marrying the next heiress.

Couple Muqtada al-Sadr being celebrated at the execution with an official day of celebration within Iran, reported by The New York Sun, and there’s a full-out conspiracy in the works. It’s unclear what type of celebration happened in Iran, a nation Saddam Hussein had invaded and used chemical weapons upon, but I would wager to guess Iran kept the suicide bomber sign-up sheet in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office.

Perhaps more disturbing is the following:

Tariq al-Homaid, the editor in chief of the Saudi daily newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, the epitome of Sunni power in the Arab press, reflected widespread Sunni sentiments on Sunday when he called the Maliki government the “exact equivalent” of the Sunni “terrorist” group Al Qaeda.

Our friends, the Saudis, equate a democratically elected government carrying out a judicial sentence of a mass murderer found guilty in a recognized court of law with a group who has attacked and promises more attacks inside Saudi Arabia. Al-Homaid just may be a follower of the Muslim Scholars’ Association.

The source of all of this outrage, or so it seems, is a shaky video taken from a cell phone, coming soon to a Motorola commercial during the Super Bowl. All cell phones were prohibited, according to a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. An inquiry has been launched into the celebrations, the cell phone video and how a man without a backbone can have his neck broken.

This all seems fine and good, except of course if there is a rule prohibiting an item from an area you actually have to enforce that rule. This one scene is a microcosm of the larger Iraq, where the Iraqi government sets laws and rules yet repeatedy bends them for whatever reasons are the ebb or flow of the day.

This past Sunday Saddam Hussein’s body was taken to his birth town of Tikrit in a pine box for burial, thus ending speculation the Iraqi government would bury him in an unmarked grave to prevent creating a shrine for Baathists. The Washington Post reports it was after United States pressure to release Hussein’s body to followers in order to attempt to relieve tensions.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that is the same United States who supposedly orchestrated, rushed and called for the execution. Oh, it might also be the same United States who wanted Saddam Hussein dead so badly yet didn’t just shoot him in his rat hole, feed him poisoned food in prison or knocked him off in some other covert method.  Evil, evil Americans.

Perhaps the quote of the burial celebration comes from Hamdiya Mahmoud, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, who proclaimed “they feared him even when they were placing the noose around his neck.” I didn’t see any fear among the executioners nor the reported hundreds who volunteered, but since when is fearing your nation’s leader a good thing? Ah, only in Iraq if you’re a follower of a Nazi-inspired political ideology known as the Baath Party.

Question: When will we see t-shirt made with a black-stenciled portrait of Saddam Hussein on the front of it? It’s not out of the question. After all, an Argentinan ‘revolutionary’ has such a t-shirt posthumously and he didn’t murder as many people as Saddam.