On the first day of Eid Al-Adha, an important holiday of the Islamic calendar and the anniversary of Saddam's hanging three years ago, a new channel called Al-Arabi (the Arab) began broadcasting on satellite television across the Arab world, reports The Associated Press. The station's official name alternates between Al-Lafeta (the banner) and Al-Arabi.

This mysterious satellite channel, dubbed “Saddam’s channel,” broadcasts the life story and speeches of Iraq's contentious former leader, Saddam Hussein. Most of the programming consists of montages of flattering, still images of Saddam -- some of him dressed in military uniform, others in a suit, even one astride a white horse. One prominently displayed image is that of a man burning an American flag. Another shows graves covered with Iraqi flags.

All the pictures are set against audio recordings of Saddam making speeches and reciting poetry. Patriotic songs urge listeners to "liberate our country," according to The Associated Press.

Amid allegations of receiving funding by former Ba’ath Party members, no one seems to know who is bankrolling Al-Arabi, although The Associated Press found one man in Damascus, Syria named Mohammed Jarboua, who claims to be the channel’s chairman. Jarboua declared he is simply a reminiscing supporter of Saddam, saying the channel “didn't receive a penny from the Ba’athists" and is intended for Iraqis and other Arabs who "long for [Saddam’s] rule."

Jarboua refused to say who is funding Al-Arabi besides "people who love us."

BBC Arabic reports that allegations have also been made that Al-Arabi could be funded by family members of the former Iraqi president who now live abroad. Reactions among Iraqis were mixed; some felt the channel may fuel further tensions, while others expressed nostalgia.

"Iraqis don't need such a satellite channel because it has hostile intentions," said Hassan Subhi, a 28-year-old Shi’ite who owns an Internet cafe in eastern Baghdad.

According to a report by Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabi was to be named Saddam Hussein originally, but its name was changed due to political pressure, remarks Iranian Press TV. So far, the Iraqi government has declined to comment.

Yet a media adviser for the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki declared the channel is "an attempt from the dissolved Ba’ath Party to return to Iraq's politics."

Jarboua revealed to The Associated Press that Al-Arabi started nine months ago in Lebanon. Ziad Khassawneh, a Jordanian Ba’athist who once headed Saddam's defense team, said wealthy Iraqis living in Lebanon, Syria and other Arab countries are funding the channel.

One Jordan-based Iraqi Ba’athist said the station broadcasts from Libya and is run by followers of Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri, a close advisor to Saddam and a top leader of the outlawed Ba’ath party. Douri's whereabouts is unknown.

A Middle East satellite expert who desired to remain anonymous said Al-Lafeta's operators tried to hide any clues to their identities and broadcast sites by using a variety of satellite services and frequencies. The channel airs via Noorsat, a Bahrain-based satellite service. It also has purchased a frequency on Egypt-owned NileSat, which is run by Eutelsat, a European consortium.

However, the mysterious TV channel praising Saddam Hussein dropped off the airwaves on Monday, just three days after it began broadcasting, reports The Associated Press. Although the director of the channel blamed it on technical issues, the website of a political coalition led by Maliki jeered at what it predicted “was the end of the TV channel.”

"This Ba’athist channel said goodbye after ... days of its starting," said the statement on the website of the State of Law Coalition, led by Maliki, a Shi'ite. "We salute our national government if it participated to close this Ba’athist channel."

The channel dredged up the sectarian divisions that Saddam inspired among Shi'ites and Sunnis at a time when Iraq is gearing up for crucial national elections. Iraqi politicians have been arguing over parliamentary seat distribution in a dispute that has inflamed the splits and will likely delay the vote beyond its constitutionally required January 30 deadline.