McClatchy's Leila Fadel has uncovered the latest issue for Muslims to be outraged about: a few Marines in Fallujah have been passing out coins with a Bible verse printed on them.At the western entrance to the Iraqi city of Fallujah Tuesday, Muamar Anad handed his residence badge to the U.S. Marines guarding the city. They checked to be sure that he was a city resident, and when they were done, Anad said, a Marine slipped a coin out of his pocket and put it in his hand.
Out of fear, he accepted it, Anad said. When he was inside the city, the college student said, he looked at one side of the coin. "Where will you spend eternity?" it asked.
He flipped it over, and on the other side it read, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."
"They are trying to convert us to Christianity," said Anad, a Sunni Muslim like most residents of this city in Anbar province. At home, he told his story, and his relatives echoed their disapproval: They'd been given the coins, too, he said.
Seems to me this would only outrage people who are easily offended. But Fadel located some outraged Muslims.
In interviews, residents of Fallujah repeated two words — "humiliation" and "weakness".
"Because we are weak this is happening," said a shop owner who gave his name as Abu Abdullah. "Passing Christianity this way is disrespectful."
"The occupier is repeatedly trespassing on God and his religion," said Omar Delli, 23. "Now the occupier is planting seeds of strife between the Muslims and Christians. We demand the government in Fallujah have a new demonstration to let the occupier know that these things are humiliating Islam and the Quran."
We'll see how long it takes the offended throngs to take to the streets. (Photo credit: Jamal Naji / MCT)
UPDATE 10:30: JammieWearingFool is suspicious, and wonders if McClatchy is doing the bidding of the Mahdi Army, since the expression "the occupier" is often used by the Mahdi Army and other Iranian-backed groups. Although I believe McClatchy has an anti-US orientation, I would be shocked if McClatchy would print a photo of the coin without doing a translation, and without being reasonably sure the coin had been passed out by a Marine.
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