Rebuilding the Mosque? With our Tax Dollars?
If President Bush wants to contribute to rebuilding the mosque in Iraq that was bombed by terrorists, than I believe he should do so with his own money.
Our military, at risk to themselves, fought hard to protect every Iraqi religious structure. We are not responsible for terrorists blowing up mosques. The money needed to rebuildl those mosques should be donated by the Arab people. Surely the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia and the UAE can supplement the cost of the rebuilding. Afterall, it is their people who have gone out of their way to destroy each others mosques.
Doug Bandow of Uncommon Sense, Citizen Outreach writes also on the same topic...........
President George W. Bush has promised the Iraqi people that the U.S. will help rebuild the golden-domed al-Askari shrine in Samarra. “We believe in freedom of worship,” he explained.
I’m confused. I don’t remember Americans blowing up the mosque. Oh, of course. We are trying to buy the friendship of the Iraqis. Good luck.
The U.S. already has spent hundreds of billions of dollars–and sacrificed thousands of lives–to get rid of Saddam Hussein, patrol Iraq, and rebuild its infrastructure. Surely American taxpayers aren’t responsible when Iraqis blow up Iraqi structures.
Particularly bothersome is the fact that it is not evident that Iraqis believe in freedom of worship. Christians were among the first people targeted by extremists. Tens of thousands have fled, many to Syria. One wonders how many of the Shiites who normally attend the al-Askari mosque believe that Christians should be protected in attending their churches.
The bombing of the mosque is vile, but it is neither America’s fault nor responsibility. There’s more than enough money available in the Muslim world to repair the al-Askari shrine.