Following Robert Mugabe's triumph in Zimbabwe's June 27, 2008 presidential election, the Syrian government daily Al-Thawra published an article by columnist Dr. Ibrahim Za’ir expressing satisfaction with the election outcome. The article called Mugabe a "patriot with a sacred mission," and claimed that the Western countries had, fortunately, failed in their attempt to incite the Zimbabwean people against him and to remove him from power.

On the other hand, the liberal Arab e-journal www.elaph.com posted a satirical article by Iraqi columnist Muhammad Al-Wadi stating that Mugabe, with all his faults, was 10 times better than the dictators in the Arab world.

The following are excerpts from the two articles.

Robert Mugabe - A Patriot with a Sacred Mission

Dr. Ibrahim Za'ir wrote in Al-Thawra: "Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was inaugurated on Sunday, June 29, 2008, after winning over 85% of the votes in the second round of elections. Opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai, his main rival in the elections, announced his withdrawal [from the race] only a few days before the second round. According to some sources, he withdrew not because he feared for the lives of his supporters, as he claimed, but because he knew, in his heart of hearts, that he had no chance of winning…

"Tsvangirai... counted from the very start on the support of the U.S., the West and the international community, whereas Mugabe counted on the people of Zimbabwe. The landslide victory [of the latter] was a deadly blow to the so-called 'forces of reform, democracy, and renewal' which are supported by the [Western] superpowers…

"The U.S. and Britain did not succeed in ruining Robert Mugabe's good name, despite all their efforts with their propaganda machine. There wasn't a single insult that they did not hurl at him, [from] 'dictator,' 'tyrant' and 'enemy of democracy' [to] 'murderous [leader]' and 'oppressing despot.' But none of this swayed the will of the Zimbabwean people, who reelected their patriotic leader Mugabe [for another term in office]…

"[Mugabe] has always seen himself as a man with a sacred mission that transcends the borders of his country - namely, liberating Africa from imperialism and from the racist regimes… Subordination to the West has brought the Black Continent nothing but hunger, disease, wretchedness, and poverty. With its vast resources, Africa could have seen an economic revival and solved its main problems - had it not been for the plundering Western imperialists.

"Mugabe became a problem for the U.S. and Britain in Africa. Therefore, they had no choice but to use every means at their disposal [in attempt to] remove him from the African political arena. The U.S. exerted pressure on his country, placed it under economic siege, and waged an undeclared war against it.

"[In fact,] the economic crisis in Zimbabwe was deliberately created [by the West] in order to generate dissatisfaction and anger towards Mugabe's regime. But the Zimbabwean people have a good memory. They have not forgotten [Mugabe's] economic reforms, and especially his agrarian reforms which are considered a historic achievement of his regime. [Mugabe] wrested the fertile lands away from the British whites and returned them to their rightful owners - [the Black Africans] from whom they were taken during the era of British imperialism.

"Tsvangirai received considerable [support] in the [first round of] the presidential elections, but not enough to win. The undeniable discovery that he received support from the U.S. and Britain caused the Zimbabweans to renounce him. [This time around,] he was afraid to run [for president], because he was certain of his defeat. [However], from the moment [Tsvangirai withdrew his candidacy], and even after the results were announced, Washington and other Western [capitals] never stopped threatening Mugabe. Even Bush himself threatened sanctions against Zimbabwe, claiming that the elections had not been fair, neutral, and democratic.

"This incredible hypocrisy on the part of the U.S. is nothing new. Anyone who fails to succumb to its [dictates and promote its] interests is accused of being against democracy and human rights - even if he is the greatest of democrats - while the worst of dictators are hailed as great [supporters of] democracy if they [promote America's] interests.

"Mugabe was elected by the sweeping majority of his people. This is also true of [Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez and of [many] other patriotic presidents throughout the world who devote all their strength to [ensuring] the freedom and independence of their people." [1]

Iraqi Columnist: "God Almighty, Give Us [A Leader] Like Mugabe"

Iraqi columnist Muhammad Al-Wadi wrote on the liberal Arab e-journal www.elaph.com: "Mugabe's critics [in the Arab media] lambast him for taking a sixth term as president. To be honest, I regard it as a point in his favor. The 'Black Continent,' which is not far from some Arab countries, is no 'blacker' than they are when it comes to matters of politics… The mere fact that [Mugabe's] term in office is limited [to five years]… gives the Zimbabwean people some hope - albeit a dim one - that in five years [change will come].

"In the Arab world, on the other hand, a president's term in office begins with his first [presidential] decree and does not end even after the millionth. In this sense, Mugabe [is better] than the leaders and presidents of most Arab countries.

"If one criticizes the African Union for accepting Mugabe at its last conference, one must also ask: How many elected presidents attend the Arab League summits?!... Was the secretary-general of the Arab League, 'Amr Moussa, elected, and [if so], by whom and for how many terms?...

"If President Mugabe destroyed his country by destroying its corn, wheat, cotton and sugarcane fields, it is merely the [natural] result of [having] a despicable dictatorial regime. This is not a new [phenomenon]… To wit, the Arab dictatorships have produced over 80 million Arabs who can't read and write. The parking lots, streets and [junctions of Arab cities] are school[rooms] for millions of Arab children who go out in search of bread instead of acquiring learning and an education. Moreover, many of our agricultural [regions] are in a sadder [state] than those of Zimbabwe and [other] African countries…

"If Mugabe is guilty of deporting millions of his countrymen to South Africa, [we should ask]… what 20 million Arabs are doing in Europe?… If President Mugabe killed some of his countrymen, [his crimes] are small in comparison to those of the 'fallen statue' [Saddam Hussein] in my own country of Iraq.

"Mugabe, with all his dictatorial ways, looks like a peacenik when one considers the 424 mass graves discovered in southern and northern Iraq, full of the skulls and bones [of people] who met their deaths only God knows how…

"Let's be realistic here. Mugabe of Africa is nothing compared to his Arab counterparts, with their enormous salaries… who are so good at taking control of the television and radio [in their countries] and at staying in power forever. The only things we Arabs have ever exported to Africa are methods for staging coups, stealing the people's money and snuffing out their human aspirations.

"The Arab writers and journalists should encourage awareness and [free] thought, in order to create an Arab generation that can bring change and build up [the Arab world]. If this task is too large for them, they had best keep silent…

"I am sure that any Arab citizen who has ever come against these 'leaders' will admit, in his heart of hearts, that Mugabe of Zimbabwe is 10 times better than some of his counterparts in our [Arab] countries. In fact, [this Arab citizen] is probably beseeching his Creator: God Almighty, give us [a leader] like Mugabe!" [2]