BAGHDAD, Iraq - Some 500 people demonstrated in Saddam Hussein's hometown on Friday, demanding his return to power, organizers said.

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein while the prosecutor addresses the court during his trial in Baghdad, September 19, 2006. [Reuters]

The crowd gathered before a mosque in Tikrit at the behest of two religious organizations, the Association of Muslim Scholars and the Tikrit Shura Council.

Saddam is currently on trial on genocide charges in Baghdad. The crowd demanded his release, and for him to be allowed to resume power, said Mohammed Talib Jassim, head of the Tikrit Shura Council.

They also condemned Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks on Islam and violence, called on U.S. and Iraqi army raids to stop, and demanded the release of prisoners taken from Tikrit by coalition forces.