An Arab's view of Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham has made it clear that he plans to take his humanitarian aid organization "Samaritan's Purse" to Iraq, not only to help provide humanitarian support in the aftermath of the war, but also to prosyltize to Muslims and try to convert them to Christianity.

Not long after the 9/11 attacks, Bush made the unfortunate decision to use the word "crusade" in describing the War or Terror. Even though it may have been a few centuries, Muslim's are still very touchy about the whole topic of the Crusades - and understandably so.

In the Arab News, Dr. Mohammad T. Al-Rasheed has published an article that discusses the Arab view of Franklin Graham's plans, and how Graham's known closeness to Bush now makes it appear that maybe Bush really is planning a new Crusade to bring Christianity to the Middle East.

Needless to say, this is not a good thing.

The hidden items on this war's agenda are becoming clearer by the day. Graham is a close friend of Bush and his family. He was the one who delivered the invocation at this president's inauguration. For him to come proselytizing and evangelizing in the heartland of Islam is an insult, and a dangerous one at that. He should understand that he is not authorized to speak in the name of Jesus. Muslims know Jesus. Granted, that they do not know him as the "Son", but they know he does not condone the hatemongering Graham is so accomplished at.

Iraq is home to the Shiite holy places. Graham has no idea what that means in terms of the dogma, fidelity, and deep faith these places and their residents have. I cannot put it better than Steven Waldman who wrote: "I am not sure any of this means that America's foreign policy objectives are served by having a Bush-loving, Islam-bashing, Muslim-converting Christian icon on the ground in Iraq tending to the bodies and souls of the grateful but deeply suspicious Muslim population. Or, to put it more simply, the idea is absolutely loopy."

I might add that it is also extremely dangerous and will play into the hands of extremists on all sides. It will not do for the Bush administration to say that Graham has the right to go where he wishes. They should stop him.

No one has the right these days to go where he wishes, least of all to the United States. People are vetted, interrogated, finger-printed, and perhaps denied a visa to enter America. So what gives this madman the right to enter Baghdad when we know what his agenda is? Will the occupying power facilitate his entry?