Whether or not you support the war in Iraq, it's important to understand the reasons for this action. To justify the war in Iraq by attempting to link Saddam to al-Qaeda is to weaken the case of the war on Iraq. The argument has no substance, although three reasons have been given to support this conclusion.
First, Ramzi Yousef, who planned the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, fled New York on a fabricated passport issued by Iraqi intelligence. There is also the report from the Czech Republic that Mohammed Atta, one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, had a meeting with an Iraqi official in Prague in April 2001. Finally, Saddam supports a group called Anssar al Islam, which has some presence in northern Iraq and is composed of al-Qaeda figures.
These links are weak, however. Saddam is a member of the Baath party, the ruling and only party in Iraq and Syria. The motto of the Baath party is "Unity, Freedom, Socialism." They want unity of the Arabs and freedom from imperialism. Socialism implies a way of life and a commitment to revolution. In short, Saddam believes in secular Arabism.
Osama bin Laden, on the other hand, has his ideology rooted in religion. In addition, bin Laden calls for the eradication of all secular governments, which he calls Kuffar (disbelievers). He ruthlessly fought against the communist Russians in Afghanistan and called to do the same to the communists in Yemen and other Muslim countries.
The claim that Ramzi Yousef escaped with a false passport provided by the Iraqi intelligence has not been proved conclusively. Even if this were true, the passport was supposedly issued before the attack, and there is no evidence that Iraq knew about the attack.
Also, government officials disputed that Mohammed Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague. The search of Atta's belongings in Florida revealed no travel or financial documents that indicate a trip to Prague in April 2001.
As for the last argument, the area where Anssar al Islam operates is not under Iraqi rule. The Kurds control northern Iraq, and Saddam's support of this organization should be taken as evidence that he wants the Kurds out of power, not that he supports al-Qaeda.
Furthermore, al-Qaeda's presence is more apparent in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen. Even Rohan Gunaratna, the author of "Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror," discredits the claims that Saddam is linked to al-Qaeda. After examining thousands of documents from al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Gunaratna concluded:
"I could find no evidence of links between Iraq and al Qaeda. He did not transfer chemical and biological weapons to terrorist groups, probably because he knew that they could one day be used against his secular regime."
Observing the fragile evidence provided to link the socialist Saddam to the fundamentalist bin Laden could jeopardize the credibility of our president and his administration. The weak case has called many high profile figures to dismiss it. Former president Jimmy Carter said, "American efforts to tie Iraq to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have been unconvincing."
In the words of New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman, who is in favor of the war, "You don't take the country to war on the wings of a lie."
Hassan Alrefae is a computer systems engineering senior. Reach him at hassanalrefae@yahoo.com.
