Now that his appeals have been exhausted, an Iraqi court has determined that Saddam Hussein must be hanged within the next 30 days. While this is problematic, given the absurdity of the death penalaty and the sham of a trial that he received, the barbarism and injustice doesn’t stop there. Now, some Iraqi officials are debating whether or not to televise his execution.

The first problem with a public execution is that it contradicts its own intended purpose. While Iraqi (and American) politicians have suggested that a televised execution will allow the world to “turn the page” on Saddam’s reign, that goal was already accompished when they dragged him out of a hole and dangled him in front of news cameras for months. Instead, a public execution will only anger loyal Sunnis and incite local violence. Additionally, by taunting his followers, Iraqi officials would only invite international terrorist networks to express their disdain for the process.

In addition to its pragmatic shortcomings, a Saddam execution only worsens the current political climate where diplomacy and peacekeeping is viewed as an inferior alternative to pre-emptive and retributive violence. If we are to believe the xenophobic logic that suggests that we are morally superior to the Islamic world, why not prove it by giving Saddam a lifetime of imprisionment and hard labor? After all, no one is disputing that he was a brutal killer. Some of us just choose not to follow his lead.

Lastly, a televised execution only contributes to a culture of violence within the Western world. From professional wrestling to popular movies, music, and video games, there is a growing normalization of violence within the public sphere. By televising Saddam’s hanging, we are making a treacherous shift from (mostly) simulated violence to real-time killing. Such a shift peels layers away from our collective humanity and undermines the expansion of peace and democracy.

While it is debatable how much safer the world is without him, it is nonetheless difficult to muster much sympathy for Saddam Hussein. Nevertheless, we must put aside our emotions and personal investments and fight for grander, more noble principles. Indeed, this is the true moral challenge of the moment.