For first time, Christmas official holiday in Iraq

[onehandle]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD – Iraq's Christians, a scant minority in this overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

But security worries overshadowed the day for many, particularly in the north where thousands of Christians have fled to escape religious attacks.

Overall security in Iraq has improved markedly in the past year, but a fatal car bombing in Baghdad on Christmas morning was a gruesome reminder that serious problems remain.

The bombing outside a restaurant frequented by police killed four people and wounded 25 others in the Shiite neighborhood of Shula, said a police officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to news media.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081225/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_i...

[independentpiney]

1. Are any Muslim holy days official holidays in the US? n/t

[Lucky Luciano]

3. Christmas is a msulim holiday too...just a minor one.

[ohio2007]

5. any official Xtian holidays in the land of the profit ? lol

We know how they are feeling about holy week in the holy land

A banner proclaiming a verse from the Koran that denies God has a son hangs in front of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth (Photo: Julie Stahl)
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?Rsrc...

Don''t even think about sneaking a bible into Saudi Arabia lol

[rangersmith82]

7. Allah doesnt have a son

God has a son and his name is Jesus.

I see their argument, but nobody said Allah had a son

[Aristus]

11. "Allah" means "God". Actually "Al-lah" means THE God.

Muslims, Christians and Jews worship the same god; the god of Abraham. Just in different ways. If you are a DU-er who just didn't know this, now you do. If you are from some right-wing website that hates and despises Muslims, perhaps you should go back there and do not return.

Why is it Jews can say Yahweh or Adonai and still be understood to be worshipping the same god as Christians, but when Muslims say Allah, somehow we have to accuse them of worshipping some strange, unfamiliar and alien god?

[crikkett]

17. Come on, you already know the answer to your question.

Because if we make them "them", it's easier to convince ourselves that they're OK to kill.

Religions are the perfect tools to control populations and foment war because their magical premises cannot be proven and yet, they are so powerful that they define a human's worldview... predominantly along the lines of 'us' and 'them'.

It's a gigantic black hole of death and everyone's so eager to jump in it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

12. Where did I hear that before?

Ah, I remember. In a Chick tract!

[jmowreader]

2. This looked familiar...

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30226

God Damn It Shrub, The Onion is NOT a playbook for your shitty administration's future actions!

[ohio2007]

4. The Onion , makes for good reading

U.S. soldiers instruct an Iraqi to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.


http://www.theonion.com/content/video/pre_game_coin_tos...

[UpInArms]

6. "Thus far, Operation Desert Santa has gone off without a hitch," said Gen. Stanley Kimmet

Irony is dead! Long live irony!

[leftchick]

8. GREAT! Right after hundreds of thousands of Christians had to flee

after the us Invasion and Occupation. Another fake 'victory'.

[balantz]

9. Hey, Santa's got some new customers.

I hear there's countless orphaned and scarred for life children who could use a little Xmas cheer.

[Hulk]

10. How wonderful.....

I guess we didn't waste 4200+ military lives, thousands wounded and emotionally scarred, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis and most likely MILLIONS wounded and emotionally scarred, and the total GNP for the next fifty years to pay off this debt were for this???

Oh please. Who gives a rat's ass? ...the 150 Christians in Iraq and the 100 million religious nut cakes here in Amerikka.

[AllyCat]

13. Oh gee, well now we really are succeeding in Iraq!

Oh goody. Meh...

[Politicalboi]

14. I suggest we send

Bill O'Lielly to show them how Christmas is done. Obama should make BillO X-Mass Czar.

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

15. why?

I wonder if the (Bush Regime) US put pressure on Iraq to do this. After all, we don't recognize muslim holidays in this country. There's a lot of muslim prejudice in our country as evidenced by the recent elections. People accused Obama as being muslim, as if being muslim was inherently terroristic. People said they wouldn't vote for Obama, because he's Muslim. The very fact that the muslim faith was used as an accusation shows just how much disdain many have for Muslims. We've treated muslims terribly. Can you imagine the uproar if Obama tried to recognize the month of ramadan (sp?) or another muslim holiday? I wonder if Iraq is also going to recognize Jewish holidays- Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah (sp?), Hannukah.

[pleah]

16. Well, isn't that special!

And, it only took over 4,000 dead Americans, 1,000,000 dead Iraqis and a few million maimed and tortured.

Ho, ho, ho.

[crikkett]

18. Where did you get the million dead Iraqi figure from?

I hear the number thrown around but haven't found a source for it.

Thanks

[pleah]

19. You could search DU or

search BBC sites. There are numerous sites and each one comes up with different numbers. We may never really know how many have been killed.

ps. I have a different computer and I am learning how to use windows or I would have all the links for you.

[tabasco]

20. And after the US military departs ...

that will be the end of that!

[Zhade]

21. But it's not a crusade. No sir.

NT!