In article , HFguy wrote:

My guess is they're afraid of angering certain terrorist groups which
might retaliate against the UK for calling Saddam a dictator. It could
just be a defensive maneuver.

Islamic militants have never cared for Hussein and are unlikely to seek
revenge. In spite of his heavy-handed, Stalinesque style of rule, he
ran a secular state in which women had more freedom than almost any
other Muslim coutry. They could drive, get an education, be doctors,
etc., and go out in public without a male relative two feet away from
them. They did not have to fear death if a strand of hair escaped the
hijab.

Muslim extremists dislike states like this and want to enforce a
Taliban-style social order.

I don't think the BBC has much to fear from calling Saddam a former
dictator. They may be trying to distance themselves from the Bush
propaganda machine, though.

Dave