According to The New York Times, Hussein’s misfortune began before he was born. His father died months before Saddam was born, or left — reports are conflicting — and shortly after that Hussein’s tween brother died of cancer. Consumed in grief, his mother, Subha Tulfah al-Musallat, attempted to abort her unborn child and commit suicide. Unsuccessful, Hussein was born on April 28, 1937, in Tikrit, Iraq (via Biography).
The Washington Post reported that al-Mussallat had three sons prior to Hussein, including the one that died, and wrote that she was a “tyrant in her own right.” Described as an intimidating presence, the New York Daily News writes al-Musallat did not want to keep her son and instead, sent him to live with an uncle until he was 3 years old.
Subha al-Musallat found another man to marry, but he already had a wife. She refused to become a second wife, and Ibrahim al-Hassan left his first wife for her. When his mother remarried, Hussein returned to live with her and his new stepfather, known in their village as “Hassan the liar.”
The Washington Post reports that al-Hassan severely abused the young boy physically and emotionally. He repeatedly beat him and overall made his life even more agonizing. It’s believed he made Hussein steal and perhaps even murder someone (per The Washington Post). His mother never intervened. This prompted him to return to his uncle’s home by 10 or 11 years old by some accounts, 8 or 9 by others.
