He wasn't a devout Muslim but sometimes portrayed himself as one to reassure "exception" among the masses. It didn't matter if he was personally against religion or not because he lived in a Muslim state regardless and had tons of power. It's known a fact that Human Rights (mainly that of women) were lousy during his rule. It was especially bad during the late seventies/early eighties when Iraq and Iran were hostile towards each other. Then add the fact that Islam in that region is ****-poor in regards to the status and equality of women (etc) and it just gets worse.