Minutes after news of Saddam's death reached the United States, hundreds of Iraqi-Americans blocked traffic in a spontaneous outpouring of joy.
DEARBORN: Celebrations sparked by the execution of Saddam Hussein continued into early Saturday in this Detroit suburb, home to America's largest population of ethnic Arabs, with many exiles saying the deposed Iraqi dictator received what he deserved.
Minutes after news of Saddam's death reached the United States, hundreds of Iraqi-Americans blocked traffic in a spontaneous outpouring of joy.
For the next 90 minutes, they sang, danced and wrapped themselves in the Iraqi flag until police moved in to reopen the roadway.
Saddam's pre-dawn hanging was seen as the end of a tragic chapter in Iraq's history and a possible beginning of peace.
"It's like cutting off the head of a snake," said Mohamed Alhumainy, 21, who was born in the United States, but often visited relatives in Iraq. "He was a fascist and a murderer. Justice has been done for the world, not just Iraqis."
Saddam Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity in connection with the 1982 massacre of 148 people in the Iraqi town of Dujail. They were slain following an assassination attempt on the one-time Middle East strongman.
Under Saddam, there also existed a culture of oppression that sanctioned torture and execution for nothing more than saying they disliked him.
Mohammed Shanan was just 11 years old when he immigrated to the United States from the Baghdad suburb of Aldora, but he remembers the fear that permeated life under Saddam.
"You couldn't say anything," said Shanan, 17, who lost relatives to the former despot's campaign of terror. "That's why we are happy and excited."
Shanan's knuckles were bloody from beating a drum during the celebration. However, few demonstrators were affected by Saddam's death the way Numan Alkhafaji was.
Standing in the living room of his tidy home after the celebrations ended, the 42-year-old Iraqi emigre looked as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. His smile was broad and his eyes glistened with tears.
"It feels so good just to say, 'Saddam Hussein is dead. Saddam Hussein is dead,'" said Alkhafaji, who lost three brothers to Saddam's regime.
They were killed after someone overheard them criticizing Saddam, he said, adding Americans can scarcely comprehend such events.
Since the former dictator's sentence was upheld this week by an Iraqi court, Alkhafaji spent every waking hour in his print shop where he fashioned huge banners for Friday's celebration.
"I finished them about 10 o'clock," he said.
About the same time, half a world away, a hangman was tying the noose around Saddam's neck.
The banners, which hung from his truck as he cruised through Dearborn, proclaimed: "The End of Saddam is the End of Iraqi Suffering. The End of Saddam is the End of Terrorists' Hope."
Opinions were mixed about the prospects for peace in the wake of Saddam's death. Many were unsure about what lies ahead, while a few hoped Iraqis would embrace it as an opportunity to abandon the divisions that have fueled violence since Saddam was toppled.
However, some believed the execution would lead to diminished violence because Saddam's supporters will be demoralised.
"I hope so," said 32-year-old Basra native Haider Ghanim, as he stood proudly on a street corner with an Iraqi flag around his shoulders.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}