2000 Christians Celebrate Mass in One Baghdad Church...

[Henry Hawk]

Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics set the example of unity with their Christian brothers by attending the Mass as well....

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-12-25-iraq-christmas_N.htm

Iraq has been living through some of the most peaceful moments since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq's first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people in the Mar Eliya Church the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood of the capital.

Muslim clerics — both Sunni and Shiite — also attended the service in a sign of unity.

"May Iraq be safe every year, and may our Christian brothers be safe every year," Shiite cleric Hadi al-Jazail told AP Television News outside the church. "We came to celebrate with them and to reassure them."

William Jalal, a 39-year old father of three attending Mass at Mar Eliya, said this Christmas was clearly different.

"We didn't celebrate like this in the past two years as we were holding limited celebrations for relatives in an atmosphere filled with fear," said Jalal, a cook in one of Baghdad's social clubs. "Now we feel better as we see all these security forces in the streets to protect us."

[dan foster]

You didn't by chance notice that almost ALL of the christians that lived in iraq, pre-war, were driven out by the muslims that took over after we invaded, did you?  Nah, probably not.  One reason they left:

Bush: I would accept an Islamic Iraq

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3755850.stm


He didn't understand what the founders meant about "religious freedom", either.  And he sure doesn't understand that we live in a Constitutional Republic and not a democracy.  Not too bright.