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AWJA, Iraq - About 200 Iraqis celebrated Saddam Hussein's birthday in his home town, calling the former president who was executed last December a martyr who resisted the "occupation".
Saddam, ousted by US-led forces in 2003, was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed on Dec. 30.
Children, women and men from Saddam's tribe gathered around Saddam's tomb in Awja, the village north of Baghdad where he was born. His tomb in a marble-floored mosque hall was draped in a red, white and black Iraqi flag and surrounded by flowers.
"The children brought candles, but we didn't light them because Saddam is dead," said Faten Abdulkader, one of the children's supervisors.
Men and women knelt over his tomb, kissing it and reciting prayers. Children placed wreaths carrying sashes inscribed with words of praise for the once-feared dictator.
"Daddy Saddam, congratulations on your birthday. You will stay alive in our hearts forever," said a banner carried by four boys.
A large gold-framed portrait of a youthful, suit-clad Saddam was draped with a traditional chequered black-and-white headscarf. It was set on a table along with a copy of the Koran.
"Today, April 28, is the birthday of the martyr President Saddam Hussein, it is the first birthday after his martyrdom. He's a martyr because he resisted the occupation," said Abdulkader.
"The Americans have to leave, if not today, then tomorrow."
One woman dressed in a black scarf and abaya leaned on his tomb, crying hysterically. Children read out poetry in Saddam's honour and sang the Saddam-era national anthem.
Others raised pictures of Saddam, including one taken during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
The former dictator was born Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti in 1937 in al-Awja near Tikrit, a Sunni Muslim town.
Many Shi'ites and Kurds were systematically oppressed under his long rule.
- REUTERS
