Thanks and Praise
The indispensable Michael Yon posts a story (surfaced by Instapundit) and a remarkable photo "worthy of a Pulitizer".
I photographed men and women, both
Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John’s Church in
Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it
before carrying it up to the dome.
A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from “Chosen” Company
2-12 Infantry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and
Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John’s, an
occasion all viewed as a sign of hope.
The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers.
I find this story encouraging not because real freedom actually rings in Iraq or because Iraqis are thanking Americans. It’s impressive because it represents a tiny flicker of basic religious tolerance that is incredibly scarce in this and many other parts of the world.
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