Dictators, invaders and protesters

As the tragedy of decades of oppression of the Iraqi population unfolds live on our TV screens, the so-called anti-war peace protesters have once again taken to the streets, this time protesting against Iraq's "occupation".

One would have thought that once the true picture of the brutality that Saddam Hussein inflicted on his own people started to emerge, the same protesters would take to the streets in outrage. Sadly but not surprisingly, it was not to come to pass. This begs the question. Who are the protesters really supporting? The Iraqi people or an oppressive regime?

We witnessed in disbelief the sheer opulence and extravagance with which the Iraqi regime surrounded itself, reminding us - for a split second until the grim reality set in - of some fantastic Arabian Nights fable, and how the poor people of Iraq languished in silence, starvation and torture chambers.

Facts emerge each day of the thousands who were brutally murdered. A large number of men, women and children simply perished. Sanctions were conveniently blamed for the plight of the Iraqi people. And yet, the peace protesters remained mum. The scenes of jubilant Iraqis tasting freedom for the first time left them unmoved.

War is ugly. No doubt about that. We have all seen its brutal consequences. Sadly to say, sometimes freedom and democracy come at a very high, sometimes at the ultimate, price.

But then it can be argued that so does the price of inaction. Let us not forget that some of the worst bloodbaths and genocides in history could have been avoided had dictators not been appeased.

Peace Nobel Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, himself a victim of the Holocaust, recently wrote that "Peace isn't possible in evil's face". And if we do not consider what we saw of Saddam Hussein's regime as evil enough, something must be really wrong somewhere.

It is truly ironic that in the protests, not once was a finger pointed at the string of heinous crimes committed by the regime.

Let us not forget that the protesters are free to voice their opinions, thanks to freedom of expression, a right which the Iraqi people did not have up to now. It was heartening to see that for the first time in decades, hundreds of Shi'ite Muslims took part in the pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Najaf and Kerbala.

If the protesters can afford the luxury of taking democracy for granted, and want to really make a difference, they should pack their bags, head for Iraq en masse and in a concrete manner help a proudly-cultured but stricken nation rebuild its freedom and democracy for its citizens - present and future - to lead decent lives which they truly deserve.