TEXT - "Saddam Hussein" speech is a call to arms

Reuters ^ | 4-1-03 | ?????

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BAGHDAD, April 1 (Reuters) - The following is a Reuters translation of part of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's message to the nation on Tuesday. The speech was read on state television by Iraq's information minister.

"God is greatest, God is greatest, God is greatest. There is no God but God.

"O great warrior nation, O sons of our glorious nation, O men who carry arms and the honour of resistance, God's peace be upon you as you face the aggressors, the enemies of God and humanity, the passing infidels, with chests filled with faith and love for God.

"Yes, these are the most honourable days since more than 700 years, God has given us this great chance and has given a calamity through which God meant to test our faith...to grant us this chance to match our words with action so that He can bless us with His mercy

"Yes, O brothers, for ages and ages, religious scholars could not agree on their (differences) as they have agreed today that this aggression against the fortress of faith is an aggression on religion, wealth, honour and life and is an aggression against the homes of Islam.

"Therefore jihad (holy war) is a duty in facing them and whoever dies on its fields is rewarded by heaven

"Seize it (jihad), O brothers, for within it are one of two good deeds for the sake of God and great principles.

"For none of us remembered his faith, his promise and recalled it at the moment of conflict and recalled the patience which God ordained, without being made victorious by God against his enemy and without the enemies fleeing before what is right, damned along with their devils. And the faces of the mujahideen (holy fighters) were made white by faith and the honour of their stand.

"Seize it, O apples of my eye and the eyes of Iraq and the nation. It is the chance to achieve eternity and unmatched honour

"Hit them! Fight them! They are evil aggressors damned by God. Your are victorious and they are defeated.

"Fight them as your brothers and sons fought them...Fight them everywhere as you are fighting them today and do not give them a chance to catch their breath until they announce and carry out their withdrawal from the homes of Muslims, they are failures who are damned in this life and the hereafter

"And long live our great nation and long live Palestine free and Arab from the river to the sea. Long live Iraq, long live Iraq. Answer the call of jihad and long live the mujahideen of our nation. God is greatest and may the criminals fail."

[RAT Patrol]

Did Osama write this for him?

[AuH2ORepublican]

That's it? No specific reference to the on-going war? That settles it---Saddam is either dead or is being held together with duct tape in a hospital.

[smith288]

If he cant even mention the score of the Reds-Pirates game then this guy is dead. How hard would it be for this dope to sit in front of a Sony Camera, say cheese and say "Today, the Reds got trounced by the Pirates due to poor pitching, score was 10-1. I am alive...blah blah blah..."

[Semper Paratus]

Call to Arms to Who?
CENTCOM just said this statement was on the satellite broadcast not national TV!?

[pghkevin]

Don't Muslims, Jews and Christians all have the same God? Or is the Muslim god able to kick my God's, well.... you know..?

[Sooner]

Kinda catchy if you sing it like a college fight song! Give me "J"...

[tomahawk]

Saddam is on the 10 ten list of murderers of Muslims.

For him to invoke this garbage is like Stalin invoking Orthodoxy during WWII, after murdering thousands of Orthodox priests and destroying thousands of churches.

Saddam is a mini-Stalin.

[CougarGA7]

Ping. Somebody found it.

[BossLady]

For all his talk about God.....he sure is a cruel and horrible person.

[goody2shooz]

It seems that Saddam is dead. This is too important an announcement for others to just read for him.

[BibChr]

Psh.

Stirring message, from a guy (A) quivering under a bed somewhere, (B) lying in a hospital bed, or (C) feeding the worms.

Dan

[Shermy]

"And long live our great nation and long live Palestine free and Arab from the river to the sea.

Message to Arafat to begin a deflection campaign by killing Israelis and destroying the country. Saddam subsidized the attacks last Spring, probably thinking, like most, that the US would have attacked Iraq a year ago.

A U.S. Marine from the 15th Expeditionary Unit walks past a building at a Iraqi military base in the desert near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah Tuesday, April 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

This "base" has Palestinian and Iraqi flags as equals. I wonder if it was a terrorist training facility, at least in part.

[Rivothead]

There is not a chance in hell the author of such great quotes as, The Mother of all Battles and The Great Satan, penned this rubbish.

[k2blader]

The speech was read on state television by Iraq's information minister.

Oh, so "Saddam" didn't actually show up?

[alnick]

Thanks.

[MP5]

Today, the Reds got trounced by the Pirates due to poor pitching, score was 10-1. I am alive...blah blah blah..."

LOL

[Illbay]

"Holy Heinie"?

"Celestial Sacrailiac"?

"Beneficent Bum"?

"Omipresent Arse?"

[alnick]

Thanks.