good news!!!

[verte76]

Surprise, I'm not going to bitch about the antiquities controversy! I saw an article about Shi'ite Moslems in Iraq observing a traditional pilgrimage for the first time in 25 years. They weren't allowed to observe this custom under Saddam. I don't know much about the pilgrimage other than some people were beating their breasts and some others brought water to the people who would be walking miles in a very tough pilgrimage. I can't remember but I think their destination was a particular holy place. This is a very positive development to say the least. I need to read up on this thing, I really don't know anything about it. I saw the article briefly on my ISP, then I had to do something, then the article had been removed.

 

[diamond]

This why Iraq was liberated.
Iraq is now enjoying some of the same liberties that we take for granted

DB9

 

[verte76]

diamond, I just wish people had talked more about this sort of thing before the war. No one talked about Saddam banning certain Shi'ite religious practices and I didn't know this. Christians did have religious freedom under Saddam. Terak Aziz--I'm not spelling his name correctly--was a Christian. I'm actually not surprised that Saddam, a Sunni, banned some Shi'ite religious practices but no one said anything about religious repression before the war. They should have. I knew the situation was complicated. Gosh.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

Excellent! Religious freedom is a basic human right, IMO.

On the subject of how Christians were treated in Iraq, I read an article today on Beliefnet about this which was quite interesting. http://www.beliefnet.com/frameset.a...tory_12341_1.html&storyID=12341&boardID=55150

 

[Rono]

This why Iraq was liberated.
Iraq is now enjoying some of the same liberties that we take for granted

DB9

Actually, the pelgrims where always allowed to go to that holy place but not by foot. And we all know, Americans think a big car is the ultimate freedom.

 

[verte76]

Actually, the pelgrims where always allowed to go to that holy place but not by foot. And we all know, Americans think a big car is the ultimate freedom.

At our crassest, yes. However, I hate gas bills.

 

[Rono]

Excellent! Religious freedom is a basic human right, IMO.

On the subject of how Christians were treated in Iraq, I read an article today on Beliefnet about this which was quite interesting. http://www.beliefnet.com/frameset.a...tory_12341_1.html&storyID=12341&boardID=55150

This is become a major news item here. It seems that a lot of christians are scared now,...under Saddam there was freedom of religion, they say, and now the christians are afraid that the muslims will overpower them. They are so scared that some church visitors started to cry in the interview.

 

[verte76]

This is become a major news item here. It seems that a lot of christians are scared now,...under Saddam there was freedom of religion, they say, and now the christians are afraid that the muslims will overpower them. They are so scared that some church visitors started to cry in the interview.

I'm a little nervous about the future of Christians in Iraq also. I don't think most of them could care less about politics, but they don't want to get screwed in case there is an Islamic state or whatever.

 

[verte76]

Actually, the pelgrims where always allowed to go to that holy place but not by foot. And we all know, Americans think a big car is the ultimate freedom.

One more comment on this. The walking is part of the pilgrimage. The "travail" of travel on foot is part of the Moslem pilgrimage. So having to do it in a car really detracts from it, and this is why they were so happy this year. They were finally able to do the tradition justice.