So Saddam Hussein is dead. That he was responsible for cruelty and for the untold misery to millions may be an undeniable fact. Neutralised and powerless, he has paid for his sins in this life and will be dealt with befittingly in the hereafter.

So what of the living he left behind? Where does his hanging leave the long-suffering people of Iraq? Are they any closer to genuine peace as a result of this retribution?

One would expect that Iraqi leaders who are at a loss for a solution for peace would attempt to clutch at any chance to foster goodwill. But instead, they let vengeance overcome their better senses and rub salt into a wound on the eve of the auspicious Day of Sacrifice for Muslims. Like millions of Muslims all over the world, I, too, am personally insulted.

That was not the work of people who seek peace, nor of people who have the interest of Iraqis at heart. This is a classic divide-and-rule opportunity for the invading forces and they leave it to the insatiable anger of a much maligned sect to implement. So much for the human rights and human dignity that the invasion of Iraq was supposed to uphold.

Saddam's death may have solved mankind's problem with Saddam, the man. But Iraqi peace is a bigger responsibility for its present leaders than Saddam's dues. No one is really better off for this political vengeance except maybe those who want chaos to prevail in a country that sits on huge known oil reserves.

My family prays for the weak and the exploited of Iraq, for they saw no further than the immediate gratification laid out by the conniving powers that be.