Iraq

May God help us all. May He guide our president to save the lives of Americans as well as others in our global village. May He comfort the victims. May He change the hearts of the oppressors. May He stop victims from becoming wrongdoers. May He let human beings talk to each other to understand each other. Ameen.

In the wake of the war on Iraq, Muslims need to be informed, aware and pro-active when dealing with the American media. Here is a list of tips Muslims can use when dealing with the media in these critical next few weeks.

America's reaction to the torturous sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners of war is a sign of a nation living its ideals. Although they are reacting to something extremely abhorrent and horrible, it gives me confidence in humanity and in America.

What is common between the images of American soldiers laughing at naked and humiliated Iraqi prisoners, the video of a terrorist group in Iraq slaughtering an American civilian, and the photos of an Iraqi mob desecrating and hanging the bodies of four American private commandos in Fallujah? It is the hatred and inhumanity of the people doing it.

The photos of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners have stunned and disgusted the world. But it is their sexual humiliation that is garnering much of the attention. Most Americans may not be able to comprehend what type of cultural threshold has been crossed in terms of dealing with Islam and Muslims. 

I could not believe my eyes and ears as I watched vice-president Dick Cheney saying "so?" There was a look on his face which said a lot. He was responding to an ABC News reporter who told him, "two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting." Cheney's response came before the question even finished: "So?"

In these dark days, we are anxious for a new beginning in Iraq. It was new beginnings that Andrew Mandell - who traveled to Iraq with VitW two years ago - had in mind recently when he penned an open letter to a friend in Baghdad.