THE rain could not stop hundreds of Iraqis celebrating in the streets of Sydney last night as the news spread that Saddam Hussein was to be hanged.

Police blocked off the main street in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn for an hour after the local Iraqi community left their houses to show their feelings at the verdict.

Arabic newspaper editor Hussein Khoshnow said hundreds of people had danced and sung.

“Even the wet weather didn’t stop them from expressing their feelings,” he said.

“It is great news. Most of the people are very happy. Most of them are victims from Saddam. Their families have been in jail, they have been tortured. They love their country, they love their culture. We have been looking for this for years. It seems there is justice at least once.”

Maya Jameel, 25, who joined in the celebrations, described it as “a great day”.

“I am very happy,” she said. “He has killed all Iraqi people. It is judgment day. He is a criminal and he deserves this.”

Ali al-Ali, 34, a computer technician who came to Australia as a refugee in 1999, said the happiness was plainly visible.

“All the families and kids left their places,” he said. “We have been dancing in the street. We have been waiting for this day for 35 years. He killed everyone — Shi’ites, Sunnis, Christians, Kurds, everyone.

“We have been waiting for this day a long, long time.

“We don’t care that it’s wet.”

Mr Ali said he and his family wanted to thank all of Australia, including the Australian army and John Howard, for acting to help “release us from thedictatorship”.

Firas al-Jabiri, who came to Australia from Iraq with his family five years ago, said the majority of Iraqis in Australia wanted to see Saddam face the court sentence, but conflict over the Iraq war meant it was not a black-and-white issue.

Many wanted the former leader tried for all the problems he caused the Iraqi people.

“We hope that by Saddam facing his destiny all the country’s problems will be solved, but we can’t predict that. It may increase the violence in Iraq, who knows.”

Iraqi Association spokesman Ali Doali said they were celebrating a long-awaited event.

“This is the day we were waiting for — to hear this dictator is to be dead.”

The Prime Minister said the verdict proved the democracy being established in Iraq was worth the war.

“There is something heroic about what the country of Iraq has done,” he said.

“Despite all of its difficulties, Iraq is trying to establish a rule of law. They have given a mass murderer a transparent trial when a lesser country would have arbitrarily executed him. It’s something worth fighting for.”

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the death sentence was not unexpected.

“Saddam Hussein was an evil tyrant and the sentence comes as no surprise.”