Newport-Mesa Iraqis support Hussein’s removal

Paul Clinton

Maha Yousif says she supports President Bush’s bid to oust Saddam

Hussein, the leader of her Iraqi homeland.

Yousif, a 51-year-old orthodontist who now lives in Newport Coast,

left Baghdad 26 years ago with her husband, dentist Musa Bahia, but

says she retains an empathetic link to the friends and family who

still live in the country.

“We’re very concerned now because the Iraqi people are in a tough

spot,” Yousif said. “They’ve been suffering for years under this

dictator.”

Yousif and Bahia left shortly after Hussein and his Baath Party

came to power in 1968. At the time, Yousif graduated from dental

school and was given a choice: Support the Baath Party or have

trouble finding work.

“They tampered with my grades,” Yousif said. “They denied me a lot

of rights and privileges.”

Yousif and Bahia still have many relatives in Iraq and find it

difficult to watch the TV coverage of the war in their country. Their

relatives live in Baghdad and sections of southern Iraq, near

Karbala, which saw heavy fighting over the weekend.

The couple keep in contact with their relatives by telephone.

Anxiety aside, another local Iraqi emigre, Imam Moustafa

Al-Quazwini, said he keeps up on war updates while periodically

calling his relatives, who live in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

As a religious man, Al-Quazwini, who leads services at the Islamic

Education Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa, can’t fully support

Bush’s military campaign to remove Hussein.

“I am against the war since it brings pain and misery mostly to

the innocent civilians,” Al-Quazwini said. “However, the only

solution remaining is to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein and

remove him from power.”

Al-Quazwini left Iraq in 1993 after he said he watched Hussein’s

regime imprison or execute several of his family members. His still

has relatives in Baghdad, Karbal, Najaf and Basra.

The 41-year-old Al-Quazwini said his relatives support the

overthrow of Hussein by coalition forces.

“I did speak to them over the last few days,” Al-Quazwini said.

“They expressed their hopes that this regime will come to an end.”

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

paul.clinton@latimes.com.