Military confirms a Marine gave Bible verses to Iraqi Muslims

Military confirms a Marine gave Bible verses to Iraqi Muslims

Leila Fadel and Jamal Naji | McClatchy Newspapers

last updated: May 29, 2008 01:02:08 PM

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military confirmed Thursday that a Marine in the Iraqi city of Fallujah was passing out coins with Gospel verses on them to Sunni Muslims, a U.S. military spokesman in Fallujah told McClatchy Thursday.

"It did happen," said Mike Isho, a spokesman for Multi National Forces West. "It's one guy and we're investigating."

The coins angered residents, who said they felt that American forces, whom they consider occupiers, were also acting as Christian missionaries in a predominately Muslim nation.

The Marine, whom Isho didn't identify, was passing out silver coins to residents with Arabic translations of New Testament verses on them. On one side the coin read, "Where will you spend eternity?" and on the other, "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."

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/38870.html

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I get this.

Whenever two or more are gathered in my name money is going to exchange hands.

Isn't that how it goes?

Rrrriiiiight.

How did they enter the region?

Who produced them?

Was it really only this one Marine distributing them, or were there more unreported incidents?

...none of which are answered by TFA.

The military is full of the lunatic fundies...onward Xtian soldiers, marching for Hagee.
Maybe Mr Prince can tell us - He's a 'good' Xtian Fundie.

They know what kind of problem this could create.

No, this is probably just some religious group somewhere that convinced some people to hand these things out.

:shrug:

SOMETHING about doing things that deliberately insult and provoke to violence the natives of a place when you are supposed to be settling things down rather than stirring them up.

Maybe you don't get how terribly insulting and offensive this is to Muslims in a MUSLIM COUNTRY - but I do. Was he TRYING to stir up hate, maybe so he could then be "justified" in killing a few of them "ragheads"?

Haven't the troops been ordered by their superiors to refrain from proselytizing?

"Regulations prohibit members of the coalition force from proselytizing any religion, faith or practices, and our troops are trained on those guidelines before they deploy," said Col. Bill Buckner, a Multi National Corps spokesman, in a statement.

Though your question is about specific article(s), this quote does say that this soldier was breaking the rules.

Rules are rules, and soldiers are obligated to abide by them.

The charge would probably be general insubordination.

I forgot about that asshole!


:spray:

not long after Shock and Awe. :grr:

If they don't like them they can just throw them away. No need to make a mountain out of a mole

A uniformed and armed representative of the occupying force that determines if the citizens are even allowed back into their city has no business promoting a religion.

There are enough bad feelings. This Marine's actions don't resolve any of them, and only has the potential of creating more bad feelings.

Muslims are not going to be pleased.

There is no place for this.

For two days, residents were being handed the coins when they passed through the western gate where all residents are searched and their residence badges are checked. Many considered the move an affront to their religion, humiliating and straining the relationship between Christians and Muslims in Iraq.

The military is sensitive about the latest religious mishap following the May 11 discovery of a Quran, the holy book of Islam, which had been used as target practice. Iraqi police found the Quran riddled with bullets and filled with graffiti. The soldier was removed from Iraq.

It is not just one little situation. It is many, many situations.

We should have come a long way down the path of social evolution since we forced the Native American peoples into English speaking schools that taught only the white culture.

Proselytizing at gunpoint; you don't see that as objectionable?

They could have chosen "Whatever you do to the littlest, you do unto me" or something, but nooooo...