Saddam Beach is a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

in the

Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . The most populous district of Kerala, Malappuram is home to around 13% of the tot ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. The village is made up of a two kilometre (1¼ mi) coastal belt between Puthenkadapuram and Kettungal in Parappanangadi. The village is named after former Iraqi president

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

, in an act of solidarity after the 1991

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. The beach name was suggested by Indian maids working in the gulf, especially Kuwait.

Etymology

The village used to be called Tipu Sultan Beach after the

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

king Tippu Sultan who took an aggressive stance against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

colonial forces during the late 18th century.Saddam has his own Beach in Kerala
/ref> Since the

of 1991, the villagers have decided to rename the village to its present name, expressing solidarity with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The villagers, mostly

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, claim to be inspired by "Saddam and his fight against policies of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.Saddam a hero in Kerala village
/ref>

History

The coastal hamlet that is now Saddam Beach shot into prominence when it was renamed after the Iraqi leader. The villagers of the region have since been particularly vocal about their admiration of Saddam and his 'anti-imperialist' stance. The

-led

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

was received with much condemnation. In 2003, expressing anguish over the renaming of "Saddam International Airport" to " Baghdad International Airport", Saddam supporters raised a large signpost on the beach with the message "Welcome to Saddam Beach".

2003 Gulf War

During the course of the invasion of Baghdad, the village witnessed many anti-American and anti-British demonstrations. Goods made in these countries were generally boycotted and even thrown into the sea. Many of the villagers who had work in Gulf countries were forced to return to Saddam Beach as their jobs were lost due to the aftermath of the Gulf War, further increasing animosity to the West. Local residents expressed their protest by installing large cut-outs and posters of Saddam, accompanied by Iraqi flags, along the roadside. In November 2006, villagers reacted to the

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

of Saddam Hussein by staging a protest rally, mouthing slogans against American President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. Around fifty people, including women and children, participated in the march.Saddam Beach’ shocked over death sentence
/ref>

Saddam supporters

On 30 December 2006, angry supporters of Saddam Hussein gathered at the beach, and shouted slogans denouncing US President George W. Bush, describing the

execution of Saddam Hussein Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed on 30 December 2006. Saddam was sentenced to death by hanging, after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for the Dujail massacre—the killing of 148 Iraq ...

as "cruel".Disappointment, condemnation in India over Saddam hanging
/ref>

Transportation

Saddam Beach village connects to other parts of India through Parappanangadi town. National highway No.66 passes through

Ramanattukara Ramanattukara is a municipality census town in Kozhikode district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The town was formerly called Kadungan Chira village. Ramanattukara is located 16 km away from Kozhikode, Kozhi ...

and the northern stretch connects to Goa and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. The southern stretch connects to

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

and

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

. State Highway No.28 starts from Nilambur and connects to

Ooty Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...

and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

through Highways.12,29 and 181. The nearest airport is at

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

. The nearest major railway station is at Parappanangadi.

References

{{Malappuram district Saddam Hussein Villages in Malappuram district Parappanangadi area