30 April 2003: Letter published by al-Quds al-Arabi

In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful.

"They had made a covenant with God that they would not turn back in flight, and a covenant with God must be answered for." [Koranic verse]

Iraq, 28 April, 2003

From Saddam Hussein to the great Iraqi people, the sons of the Arab and Islamic nation, and honourable people everywhere.

Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of God.

Just as Hulaku entered Baghdad, the criminal Bush entered it, with Alqami, or rather, more than one Alqami.*

They did not conquer you - you who reject the occupation and humiliation, you who have Arabism and Islam in your hearts and minds - except through betrayal.

Indeed, it is not a victory while there is still resistance in your souls.

What we used to say has now become reality, for we do not live in peace and security while the deformed Zionist entity is on our Arab land; therefore there is no rift in the unity of the Arab struggle.

Sons of our great people:

Rise up against the occupier and do not trust anyone who talks of Sunni and Shia, because the only issue that the homeland - your great Iraq - faces now is the occupation.

There are no priorities other than driving out the infidel, criminal, cowardly occupier. No honourable hand is held out to shake his, but, rather, the hand of traitors and collaborators.

I say to you that all the countries surrounding you are against your resistance, but God is with you because you are fighting unbelief and defending your rights.

The traitors have allowed themselves to declare their treachery, even though it is shameful, so declare your rejection of the occupier for the sake of great Iraq, for the nation, for Islam and for humanity.

Iraq - together with the sons of the nation and the people of honour - and we shall restore the stolen relics and rebuild Iraq which they (may God bring shame upon them) wish to split into pieces.

Saddam has no property in his own name and I defy anyone to prove that there were palaces except in the name of the Iraqi state. I left them a long time ago to live in a small house.

Forget everything and resist the occupation, because error begins when there are priorities other than the occupier and his expulsion. Remember that they are aiming to bring in those who will fight one another so that your Iraq will remain weak and they can plunder it as they have been doing.

Your party, the Arab Ba'ath Socialist party, is proud that it did not extend its hand to the Zionist enemy and did not give in to the cowardly American or British aggressor.

Whoever stands against Iraq and plots against it will not prosper in peace at the hands of America.

Greetings to everyone who resists, to every honourable Iraqi citizen, and to every woman, child and sheikh in our great Iraq.

United, and the enemy and the traitors who came in with him will flee. Know that the one with whom the invading forces came, whose planes flew to kill you, will send you nothing but poison.

God willing, the day of liberation and victory will come, for us, for the nation, and above all for Islam. This time, as always when right triumphs, the days to come will be more beautiful.

Take care of your possessions, your departments, and your schools. Boycott the occupier. Boycott him, for this is a duty towards Islam, religion and the homeland.

Long live great Iraq and its people.

Long live Palestine, free and Arab from the river to the sea.**

God is greatest.

May the despicable ones be despised.

Saddam Hussein 

26 Safar, 1424***

NOTES

* Hulaku, the grandson of Genghis Khan, sacked Baghdad in 1258 AD and went on to attack Syria, where his Mongol forces were defeated at the battle of Ayn Jalut ("Goliath's Well") in 1260. Alqami was a non-Arab Shia who betrayed Baghdad to the Mongols but was then killed by them because they realised he was untrustworthy

** From the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea - a phrase commonly used by those who do not recognise Israel

*** Islamic date equivalent to 28 April 2003

In the name of God most gracious most merciful we praise our messengers and their followers in life. In the next life they will have justice.

Iraqi people, great Iraqi people, women and men, and the Iraqi armed forces and all people who want to change their attitude about their enemies, peace be upon you all. I don't want to talk in details about the occupation and why and how, and I am going to focus on how to face these invaders and kick them out from Iraq. [Coughs]

I addressed some messages before, many messages before. Some of them were by my voice and some were addressed to the mass media, but we know and you know very well the mass media in the whole world is controlled by the Zionists, and especially by its headquarters in the White House.

Therefore we have tried hard to address our messages by many many ways, and some of them reached you people in the Iraqi governates, and some will reach them sooner. In any case, it sounds as if we have to go back to the secret style of struggle that we began our life with.

Through this secret means I am talking to you from inside great Iraq and I say to you, the main task for you, Arab and Kurd, Shia and Sunni, Muslim and Christian and the whole Iraqi people of all religions, your main task is to kick the enemy out from our country.

You have to believe that he who is working with the foreigners is working against you. He is not only a servant for foreigners, he is an enemy of God and an enemy of the people as well. Reject these people and reject anything that will divide you, Iraqi people. Be united all under your flag, under the Iraqi flag, under the slogan Allahu Akhbar, all in one trench. The Iraqi people must keep their own civilisation in which they are one country, one people, as they are now.

Your enemy came to Iraq and they thought that the Iraqi people would receive them with flowers but they were surprised. Some people now are changing their minds about the Americans and the occupation. We have no option but to struggle and satisfy God and high principles and ourselves as well.

Now, some poeple who supported the Americans and the occupiers are now changing their minds, step by step. Now everyone is going to change their minds, and they know what is best for them and their family. Their familiy is Iraq. But they will not understand everything unless they know the whole truth about themselves.

The Iraqi people challenged the whole world by celebrating the 28th of April [Saddam's birthday] and asserted that this festivity was not forced on them by Saddam Hussein or by the authorities, It was an Iraqi decision, because they consider Saddam Hussein as a brother or as a father to them. And this is just to express of their free will that nobody forced them to do it or to live in any way against their will. It is their true attitude towards Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqis want to challenge the occupation and say to all humanity, yes, the occupiers could occupy Iraq, but they will never be able to change the Iraqi heart's love for Saddam Hussein and their country.

Some of these people admired the west and described it as the free world, but it is not. And genuine people would never care about the western media, because it is controlled by Zionists. Especially the two administrations in Washington and London, which are controlled by the Zioinist media. They tell many, many lies, and you Iraqi people have won your moral battle because the Americans destroyed Iraq and stole Iraq's ancient archaeology by destroying the Iraqi National museum.

This time we are standing against America, a tryant power that rules the world. You Iraqi people will shame the Americans as the Palestinians shame the Zionists. The Zionists are baffled how to fight the Palestiniain people and you the Iraqi people, men and women, stand together against the invasion and show your stance as much as you can by writing on walls, or making positive demonstrations or not selling them anything or buying anything from them, or by shooting them with your rifles and trying to destroy their cannons and tanks.

The most important thing is that each Iraqi man or woman has his own duty, child or older person, which he must do, and if they miss anything they have to make up for it the next day, and if they miss a week they have to make up for it the following week. Don't let the Americans settle in Iraq.

Each day and every day you must express how you resist the occupation, and the eye of God will be on you and on all people who take a stand against the occupation. And God will honour his people, and God will love the people who redeem themselves, and we must not be sad and helpless, and God will love he who works for victory. Victory is coming, God willing, and you have to satisfy your God before yourself.

Then victory will come from the love of God. And of course God will ease our task because there is no victory without the support of God.

Work hard, work hard through this to win paradise and then victory will be visible. Work hard for God, Iraqi people, Iraqi women, Iraqi men, and we are with you. We are working with you.

Victory is coming, God willing. They want to extinguish the light of God by their tongues but God will complete his victory. Allahu akbhar, Allah is the greatest.

[EXTRACTS ONLY]

The enemy wants to weaken Iraq and the only genuine solution is to resist the occupation through jihad (holy struggle) so to inflict losses and evict the enemy from Iraq.

The administration of the occupation has issued its orders based on the directives from Washington, Tel Aviv and London and have appointed a number (of people) who will follow its orders on the basis of dividing the great Iraq.

Whoever is appointed by the foreign occupier cannot give his people and the country anything other than the will of the occupiers.

The occupiers have unveiled their intentions and plans to occupy and divide Iraq.

The foreign occupier occupied Iraq to weaken it and destroy its resources, that is why the only solution...is to resist the occupation to make the enemy fail.

I am confident that our people who rejected the occupation will resist them.

Whoever is able to and does not present himself, his son, and his money...to evict the invaders from Iraq, God will be watching and will punish him.

Many documents have been revealed and the other papers with God's help will also be revealed.

What will the two liars Bush and Blair say to their people and to humanity? What will they tell the world? What they said was wrong and baseless. The lies were known to the president of the United States and to the prime minister of Britain when they decided to wage war on Iraq.

What will the Arab officials, dead and alive, say after some of them have beaten the drums (of war)...and have violated and committed crimes with violators and criminals?

[EXTRACTS ONLY - The speech was rambling, breaking off in mid-sentence at times]

(a) Reuters version:

"In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful ...

"There are faithful men who are faithful to their vows to God. There are those who die and there are those who are waiting to die (Koranic verse). The great God says the truth...

"If Saddam Hussein had 100 sons, he would have offered them on the same path which is the path of jihad (holy war) ...

"Our glorious people and heroic armed forces: I (offer condolences for) the deaths of Uday and Qusay and Mustafa, the son of Qusay, and those who struggled with them. You are the honour of this nation ...

"I give you the good news that every honest faithful struggler longs for...to die in the name of God ...

"They all died as martyrs in the name of jihad ...

"The souls of new martyrs went to paradise. They are now with God like many martyrs who sacrificed themselves ...

"We were faithful to the pledges and vows we have made before God and before you. We sacrificed our souls, wealth and sons for the nation and God.

"Uday, Qusay and Mustafa took an honourable stand that satisfies the nation and God...

"We thank God for what the destiny he willed for us and for giving us the honour of their martyrdom ...

"Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)! Glory to the martyrs of faith, the martyrs of Iraq and its nation!

"Long live our glorious nation and long live Iraq! Long live Iraq!

"And long live free Arab Palestine, from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea.

"Defeat to Zionism!

"America will be defeated (Al Arabiya quoted Saddam as saying)

"Long live jihad and the holy warriors ...

"Let the two liars and their aides be also defeated... (Saddam has often used the phrase "the two liars" to refer to U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair)

"If you (think you) have killed Uday and Qusay and Mustafa we tell you that these are the youth of our nation who died in the name of jihad ...

"Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

"July 2003, Jamadi al Awwal 1424."

(b) Associated Press version: 

"In the name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate.

O noble nation, O the valiant in our brave armed forces, peace and mercy from God be upon you.

I announce to you, Oh brothers and sons, and break the good news, which is the wish of every honest, believing fighter for God's sake, as another group of noble souls of the martyrs have ascended to their creator."

"Saddam said his sons died "for the sake of God, the nation, the people."

"The stance of their sons and brothers, O beloved Iraqis, the stance of your brothers Odai, Qusai and Mustafa, the son of Qusai, is the stance of faith that satisfies God, pleases a friend, and upsets the enemy."

"The aggression armies surrounding them with all kinds of weapons and ground troops were not able to conquer them until they used their warplanes on the house that they were in."

"Thank God for what he destined for us, and honored us with their martyrdom for his sake."

"Even if Saddam Hussein has 100 sons other than Odai and Qusai, Saddam Hussein would offer them the same path. Duty and right deserve that ... That is the hope of every fighter for God's sake, as another group of noble souls of the martyrs has ascended to their creator."

"Thank God for what he destined for us and that he honored us with the martyrdom of them all. Our solace, after God, is in the zealous Iraq's sons, and the sons of our glorious community."

"God is great, martyrs of faith, God is great, martyrs of Iraq, God is great martyrs of (Islamic) community. God is great and glory be to martyrs."

"If you killed Odai and Qusai and Mustafa and a Jihadi man with them, all the youth of our nation and all Iraqi youth are Odai, Qusai and Mustafa in the Jihad field ... in a brave battle with the enemy."

"Long live our glorious community, long live Iraq, long live Iraq, long live Palestine, free and Arab from the sea to the river. Shame and down with Zionism. Long live Jihad and Mujahedeen. Shame on the two liars, their collaborators, followers and agents."

A statement to the great people of Iraq.

In these times, officials (from Saddam's deposed government) desire to salvage what is most valuable. What has happened to our country as a result of the invasion is great. We need to save what can be saved, this is a duty for the us and the people.

The balance has shifted, after the military confrontations (with insurgents) and this has not changed. They (the Americans) will not be able to stop this. I say that this shift in balance has happened because of the great mujahedeen and faithful fighters who have worked and struggled to confront the occupation and throw the invaders outside Iraq so that Iraq can return to its normal state after that.

There is the shift in some people's spirits who felt desperate and defeatist, who give up the nation's riches to the invaders who want to destroy it or take it to serve their malicious purposes, including making it available to their traitorous followers who went along with their tanks.

Making use of the lawlessness, a lot of people out of greed took the properties of the country and the party. Others took it to their homes out of concern and responsibility, either from higher orders or from their own personal initiative to secure them, until he can discern the wishes of the officials.

We feel bitterness about what has happened, but we are insistent on taking the responsibility to save our people and brothers, even those who have betrayed the nation and cooperated with the criminal invaders.

We feel that not handling this case with caution will make those concerned feel guilt and fear the future and commit the crime of treason, God forbid, which is nothing that they want and become an aid to the foreigner as a result of this destructive feeling, instead of being a loaded rifle in the face of the invading foreigner and be a part of the pious struggle and not fear the future.

We have decided to consider all the properties of the party and the government a gift to whoever has it, to use as they see fit, keep it or sell it, without any restrictions, free from any legal constraints, neither now nor in the future.

Those who want to keep these properties in order to return it to the party once things are back to normal in the future, will in the eyes of God and the people be rewarded greatly. Like them who decide (to keep) these properties and donate their value to the mujahedeen or to the party in their area.

In all cases we totally forbid giving these items and properties to the criminal invaders and their traitorous aids and the agencies that they run.

This decision will not benefit the following, the president of the republic, president of the Revolutionary Command Council, his deputy, members of the Revolutionary Command Council, heads of the Baath party, the prime minister and the ministers in all their levels. They only have to keep and benefit from the properties they have at hand and give a detailed report of this to the president of the republic when matters return to normal in the future.

Secondly, dear brothers, in the above decision, we solved one of today's problems. Our faith is great that God will support us, and that one day the occupation army will falter and that victory is possible at any moment in the future as a result of the painful strikes of the mujahedeen and our people's insistence to stop the invaders. We must not let things slip away and our situation become desperate

We ask you to be confident. I ask all those who took part in the looting to be law abiding and not act vengefully. I ask you to respect international law and the teachings of religion in dealing with those who surrender to you from the occupation army.

A greeting to our proud country and those with a clean hand and the martyrs.

Saddam Hussein, July 27, 2003.