Iraqis living in Ireland are deeply suspicious of America's war motives and fearful for their loved ones, writes Nuala Haughey, Social and Racial Affairs Correspondent
Khalid Ibrahim held seven fingers in the air and spoke earnestly and loudly. "Out of each seven Iraqis there is one that gets killed directly or indirectly because of Saddam," he said.
He took one finger away: "Out of each six Iraqis there is one that lives in exile because of Saddam. The Iraqis suffer a lot. Be in my shoes and the shoes of any Iraqi. The Iraqis are preparing to get rid of the regime. It will collapse in hours. Nobody is going to fight for this killer."
Khalid and his group of fellow exiled Iraqis living in Dublin all have relatives back in their native country. They are all deeply suspicious of America's war motives, fearful for the safety of their loved ones and concerned about Iraq's future.
Yet they are all resolutely in favour of an American-led attack on Iraq. It is the country's only chance, say these men, some of whom have suffered directly under Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorial regime. They hope a war would see Saddam's swift demise and the formation by Iraqis of a democratic country which will become a model for the region.
"We are talking about a just war," said Khalid, a member of Iraq's persecuted Kurd minority who fled the country in 1991. "There was no way to stop Hitler without a war. Iraqis can't do it on their own."
Yesterday, a group of men who shared Khalid's views gathered in Milltown Islamic Centre in south Dublin. Their afternoon prayers were for the safety of their loved ones. Falah Hassan has not been able even to have the usual carefully coded telephone contact with his relatives in the capital Baghdad for the past couple of days, suspecting that telephone lines have been cut.
Falah was drafted into the Iraqi army against his will during the Gulf war and escaped. Asked how he can support a threatened war when his family could suffer, he replies: "They are already suffering. That's what the meaning of life is if you live under a dictator. I know my family are afraid but it's a price we have to pay."
The men have little time for the argument that UN arms inspectors should have been given more time, convinced as they are that Saddam could evade their scrutiny indefinitely. They watch Iraqi state-controlled television via satellite and are sickened to see images of anti-war demonstrations worldwide shown as evidence of support for "our beloved" Saddam.
"You live in a civilisation where the words of peace sound very beautiful but we are in a civilisation where you also have to think about justice and freedom," said a latecomer to the group, Dr Ali Abdulla. "You cannot enjoy democracy in Ireland while people in Iraq are suffering from a dictator."
A short distance away in another Dublin mosque, another native Iraqi with relatives still living there emerged from his afternoon prayers with opposite views on the looming war.
Dr Nooh Al-Kaddo from the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland in Clonskeagh said there was no legal basis for the US to invade Iraq to get rid of Saddam. And he dreads the devastation and loss of life that will be inflicted on the country should the US start dropping the "Mother of all Bombs" on Iraqi citizens.
"Why should the poor people of Iraq suffer and pray the price?" he asked. "To those who are saying let the people die so we will get rid of Saddam, I have to ask, 'Are you sure they will get rid of Saddam because I heard that in 1990 [during the Gulf war] and he is still here today stronger and more powerful and people in Iraq pay the price.' "
Dr Al-Kaddo, who had supported allowing the UN arms inspectors to continue, is also fearful for the future of the country and the region after any war. "America will be there. The whole region will be reorganised to match US economic and strategic interests. It is not a matter of a war for a few days and then it will be finished."