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MacArthur, Marshall, and the Middle East

What can we learn from the experiences of General MacArthur and Secretary of State Marshall on handling the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan? After all, both history and statistics show that both men were fully successful in turning former enemies into stable and reliable allies. Mind you, this does not mean that they never disagree with us, but, when all is said and done, they stand with us. What... [Read more]

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Some unpolished thoughts on the Middle East

Yesterday Father Orthoduck talked about the Marshall Plan and suggested that it may have some things to say to us about Iraq and Afghanistan. Father Orthoduck also suggested that some knowledge of history might be helpful in order to be able to understand why citizens of the Middle East might be less than excited about our presence in Iraq, even though they agree with our invasion of Afghanistan. Let’s... [Read more]

Hearing ourselves through the ears of others

Yesterday Father Orthoduck posted on the fatwa that was announced against the jihadists by a prominent Islamic scholar. Sometimes we ask ourselves why did this not happen sooner. But, since Americans have very little tendency to listen, despite all the Oprah-like shows that emphasize learning to listen, and since Americans know very little history or geography, they then have a tendency to be somewhat... [Read more]

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Fatwa pronounced against terrorists

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — A fatwa, or religious ruling, issued this week is roiling theological waters after it took aim at those notorious for targeting others: terrorists. The anti-terrorism fatwa by renowned Muslim scholar Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri pulled no punches, declaring that terrorism was “haraam,” or forbidden by the Quran, and that suicide bombers would be rewarded not... [Read more]

More about Christians fleeing Iraq

Doonesbury 01 January 2009 OK, so you are wondering where that 600,000 Christians fleeing Iraq comes from? Well, that is our official government figure! It is not made up. It does not come from some “liberal” website. It is from the U.S. International Commission on Religious Freedom, a body appointed by the USA Congress. If the Christians leaving can afford a plane ticket, they flee to... [Read more]

Christians in Syria

Doonesbury on 30 Dec 2008 I am priest in a Church whose Patriarchate is headquartered in Damascus, Syria. I have found that Americans have a number of misconceptions about Christianity in Syria. Because of Syria’s classification by the State Department as a terrorist state, the assumption has been that Syria is a radical Muslim state. But, actually, that is not true. Syria is a secular socialist... [Read more]

Christians behaving goodly

Today the New York Times has a story on the Roman Catholic school system in France providing sanctuary to Muslim students. You can read it here. The schools are still overtly Roman Catholic, with crucifixes in every room. But, they also allow respect the Islam of the students, and, as the article points out, they provide a spiritual atmosphere. I congratulate the Roman Catholics of France on their... [Read more]

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