Iraq Church Bombs Response to 'Crusader War' - Claim

[Barrett808]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - A group in Iraq claimed responsibility Monday for a series of church bombs this weekend in a statement posted on a Web site, saying they were a response to the U.S. "crusader war" and evangelization.

"You wanted a crusader war, so these are the results. ... We warned you," the statement by a little-known Islamist group calling itself the Planning and Follow-Up Organization in Iraq said on a site where a number of claims have been posted in recent weeks.

"We were able Sunday to direct several painful strikes at the dens of evil, corruption, immorality and evangelization."

Iraq accused al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi earlier Monday of carrying out the coordinated bombings, saying the militants wanted to drive Christians out of the country.

It was not known if there was any connection between Zarqawi and the Planning and Follow-Up Organization in Iraq.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040802/wl_nm/security_iraq_church_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

[Renew Deal]

1. Didn't Bush say that this is a crusade twice?

And just incase you weren't sure what crusade meant:

1. often Crusade Any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims.
2. A holy war undertaken with papal sanction.
3. A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or against an abuse.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=crusade

[chookie]

2. "Their" spin is our spin

Funny that the Syrian Christian Church in the region of present-day Iraq has been in existance for longer than most of Christianity in Europe, and has been a part of life in the region, co-existing with Islam and Judaism for the most part. Tariq Aziz was a member of this church and never had to be apologetic about it, or fear that it would have negative consequences. Odd that old relationships that have NOTHING to do with the West should be targeted. I mean, its not like these folks in the Syrian Churches are all Bob Jones grads from the southern US who are working to convert Muslims -- they are true Iraqis who are independent of ties to the West.

Kinda strange that this long tradition of tolerance has been overthrown in post-liberation Iraq.

Yeah -- it may well be Islamic extremists behind these attacks. But the ends of those who seek confirmation that Muslims are waging total war against Christians as well as Jews and should be slaughtered are also served by these operations. I reserve judgement as to whose ends these attacks serve and therefore who might be behind them.

"Islam" is no more an enemy than "Germany" was -- the real enemies are the IDEAS, not the people of nations who get dragged into the atrocites the ideologues of their nations promulgate. We are living in a world where reason has become the object of ridicule, and in which competing extremist fundamentalisms of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity confront each other as to who gets the honor for killing everyone else for God first, and who have hijacked the fate of the rest of the planet. I hold extremist fundamentalism -- regardless of its source -- as the true danger in our world, not any particular people.

[struggle4progress]

3. Thanks to Bush and Boykin! eom

[skip fox]

4. This is important politically, since W. made the first crusade remark.

:kick: