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As news of Saddam Hussein’s execution ricocheted across airwaves and cyberspace, I was anxious to find some informed and diverse conversation about it. So I did what any conversation-starved netizen would do: I teleported myself to Reuters’ Top News chatroom in Second Life. I hoped for a cross-cultural conversation, with people from the Middle East well-represented. What I found surprised me.
[Second Life is 3-D virtual reality platform that has become an important and controversial frontier for practicing journalism. Check out this video of Reporting from the Front panel discussion from last October’s State of Play conference at New York Law School to get a better idea of the controversy.]
I wondered whether I would meet people with reactions similar to those encountered by University of Iowa law professor Adrien Wing at Blackprof.com. Wing, who is traveling in Tunisia, notes that many Muslims are distressed that Saddam’s execution coincided with the celebration of Eid ul Adha, a sacred Islamic holiday honoring Abraham, whose obedience to God was so strong that he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on the Lord’s command. Wing also reports that while there was little grief expressed for Saddam, her Tunisian companions shared the skepticism that the execution reflected the will of the Iraqi people. The BBC found similar reactions in its reporting.
What would happen, I wondered, if those Muslims were in dialogue with someone such as Gina Cobb? Her comments on her Saddam execution linklist suggests that her sympathies lay with those who see the execution as a just outcome for the Iraqi people. Would they see her point of view, or would they share egalia’s horror at the barbarity of this moment?
When I reached the Reuters lounge, I did not find the rousing, multi-faceted debate I’d expected. Instead, I met an avatar named Teodor Zinner, whose owner described himself as an Iranian graduate student studying mechanical engineering in Texas. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation, which he gave me permission to publish. I went looking for a conversation about Saddam’s execution. What I found a dialogue with someone as eager as I was to find a path to peace.
Note: This transcript was generated by the chat function in Second Life. The timestamps are Pacific Standard Time. “You†of course refers to my avatar which happens to have an Arabic first name. In Second Life, avatar’s names are displayed, which is why we are able to call each other by name.
[20:21] You: Hello Teodor
[20:21] Teodor Zinner: Hi Khadijah. How are you?
[20:21] You: I came here to see whether people were following the news about Saddam Hussein. I wondered whether people would come here to talk about it.
[20:22] Teodor Zinner: It's sad for me. I'm from Iran ;). Your name looks Arabic
[20:23] Teodor Zinner: are you from that region, Khadijah?
[20:23] You: Some Iraqi bloggers I've read says this strengthens Iran.
[20:23] You: Actually, I'm American, but my name is Arabic.
[20:23] Teodor Zinner: I'm not sure. Iran is in a weird situation. A maniac took over the country. I mean the president [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad], and now he is ruining the country. It is really sad
[20:24] You: I see that there is a great deal of protest within Iran.
[20:24] Teodor Zinner: I would personally be very happy to see Saddam hanged, however I'm against execution.
[20:25] You: But free expression has been restricted, from what I understand.
[20:25] Teodor Zinner: Yes sure people are against this maniac. There are many things restricted
[20:25] You: Why are you happy to see Saddam executed?
[20:25] Teodor Zinner: First is the freedom of speech.
[20:25] Teodor Zinner: Well, I'm happy to see dictators die.
[20:26] You: Yes, many Internet sites are blocked.
[20:26] Teodor Zinner: Yeah how do you know it? It is really interesting
[20:26] You: I am a journalist.
[20:26] Teodor Zinner: Wow, great.
[20:26] You: I follow these issues closely. I also have friends in the Middle East.
[20:27] Teodor Zinner: if you need any information I'll be happy to be of some help. I live in the US but I still have friends back home.
[20:27] You: Would you mind if I recorded our conversation?
[20:27] Teodor Zinner: No
[20:28] Teodor Zinner: So may I ask for what kind of media you work?
[20:29] You: I write for a couple of online news outlets.
[20:30]
