Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iranian-backed Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militia in Iraq, stated that former President Saddam Hussein was of Indian Origin in a sermon delivered on Eid al-Fitr. The claims come as the muqawama militias attempt to tarnish the reputation of the former Iraqi dictator, this time it seems by questioning and disputing his ethnic origins. 

In his sermon, al-Khazali stated that based on a DNA test conducted by the United States, it was found that “the origins of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein belong to India.”

In contemporary Iraq, economic migrants from India and Bangladesh experience varying degrees of racism and are viewed unfavourably by many Iraqi Arabs. The association of the former president with the Indian subcontinent plays into this narrative.