(WASHINGTON, DC – 12/21/98)--"Those knowledgeable in politics and history can clearly see that the situation in Iraq is purely a political struggle as the US continues to combat communism, albeit at a time of détente," says Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA). "Saddam Hussein does not represent the silenced voice of the Iraqi people; rather, he is a member of the Ba’ath Socialist Party, speaking and acting on behalf of his party affiliation, supported by the communist ex-Soviet Union and now backed by countries with the same political agenda."

At a time when many Muslim organizations condemn the actions of President Bill Clinton’s Administration regarding Iraq, the Islamic Supreme Council wishes to reiterate that no organization in America can speak on behalf of the American Muslim population as a whole. "Immigrant Muslims tend to import problems or extremist ideologies from their native countries," says Shaykh Kabbani. "Rather than see this situation as a means of ridding Iraq of the tyranny of the Communist-Socialist Ba’ath Party, created by Michel Aflaq, a Christian Syrian leader, many Muslims actually view this as a personal attack on the religion, which it is not."

While ISCA continues to ask the UN and the US government to immediately eliminate sanctions on the innocent victims of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the council would like to emphasize that the party ruling Iraq is tyrannical and oppressive to the Iraqi people. "The best resolution for the innocent citizens of Iraq is to eliminate the leadership of Saddam Hussein," says Shaykh Kabbani. "In recent history, the US government has repeatedly supported freedom and human rights, as it helped curb the spread of communism in countries in the Islamic world, such as Afghanistan and Central Asia…and now in Iraq. Moreover, it has helped restore freedom in Kuwait, Bosnia, and Kosova and continuously provides humanitarian aid to the Far East, Africa and Arab countries."