Stupid question about Iraq

[G*rd*n]

Jason Zanon:
> 
> I don't want to freight this question with any baggage about correct
> politics or anything like that; it's an honest query:  why is it that
> the ruler of Iraq is referred to in common parlance, even in the press,
> as "Saddam" when it would be SOP to call a high-profile individual by
> their last name in most any other situation?  I seem to recall that this
> moniker was bequeathed as a derogatory by Bush the Elder and minions in
> some weak attempt to slur him simultaneously in English and Arabic.
> Anyone that can shed a bit of light on this?

Saddam is probably called by his first name in order to
avoid confusion with other Husseins, most especially the
late King Hussein of Jordan.  The name is very popular among
Arabs (being the name of a famed martyr for Islam or
something like that).

Gordon