Another View of the Saddam Hussein Execution

Salon.com writer Juan Cole seems to think that Saddam's death was about revenge and not justice.

And, based on what Mr. Cole says, it appears that the execution had more religious significance than first thought:

The tribunal also had a unique sense of timing when choosing the day for Saddam's hanging. It was a slap in the face to Sunni Arabs. This weekend marks Eid al-Adha, the Holy Day of Sacrifice, on which Muslims commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for God. Shiites celebrate it Sunday. Sunnis celebrate it Saturday –- and Iraqi law forbids executing the condemned on a major holiday. Hanging Saddam on Saturday was perceived by Sunni Arabs as the act of a Shiite government that had accepted the Shiite ritual calendar.

It certainly should not be the policy of the U.S. to promote religious divisions, whether intentional or not.