Bible brigades

First came the bombs, pulverizing the Iraqi military. Now come the Bible brigades, intent on saving Iraqi souls. At least that8217;s how it...

First came the bombs, pulverizing the Iraqi military. Now come the Bible brigades, intent on saving Iraqi souls. At least that8217;s how it looks to many Muslims, who say their worst fears of a latter-day Crusade are being realised by the plans of the Rev Franklin Graham 8212; son of the Rev Billy Graham, confidante of President Bush and unabashed critic of Islam 8212; to send relief workers into Iraq.

8216;8216;Groups like Franklin8217;s exploit vulnerable people under the guise of humanitarian relief,8217;8217; said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group in Washington, DC. 8216;8216;It will be perceived as the US government endorsing the activity, whether or not that8217;s the case. And that will confirm suspicions in the Muslim world that this is really a war against Islam.8217;8217;

Such views among Muslims are hardly surprising. More remarkable is the fact that Hooper8217;s views are being echoed now by some evangelical Christians, as well as by leaders of other Christian relief groups, who say they fear that proselytizing in a volatile, post-war Iraq could create a backlash that could threaten the future of religious freedom there.

Some have gone so far as to call on the Bush administration to set guidelines for faith-based relief efforts, a call that has so far gone unheeded. 8216;8216;Franklin Graham and I would both agree that we want to see people become Christian,8217;8217; said Baptist pastor and evangelical commentator Tony Campolo in St Davids, Pensylvennia.

Leaders of relief groups express a far more pragmatic concern: that actions by a handful of relief workers may jeopardize the effectiveness and safety of their own people and programmes. 8216;8216;Particularly given the religious tensions 8230; we are quite concerned about the impact of humanitarian assistance tied to evangelizing,8217;8217; said Rick Augsburger, director of emergency programs for the New York-based National Council of Churches8217; charity arm, Church World Service.

Franklin Graham8217;s Boone, North Carolina-based Samaritan8217;s Purse is one of scores of faith-based relief organizations expected to play a role in rebuilding Iraq. But Graham has become a lightning rod for criticism because of his bellicose statements about Islam and his group8217;s strong evangelical bent.

He has called Islam 8216;8216;a very evil and wicked religion8217;8217; and insisted that the God of Christianity is 8216;8216;as different as lightness and darkness8217;8217; from that of Islam.

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Graham was unavailable for comment last week, and his staff declined to release information about the group8217;s plans, citing the need to protect volunteers8217; safety. But in a recent Los Angeles Times commentary, Graham said he simply wanted to provide humanitarian aid.

Many, however, remain unconvinced. 8216;8216;I don8217;t question their motives. But I do think they should be honest about the fact that what they8217;re doing is going against the interests of American foreign policy,8217;8217; said Steven Waldman, editor of Beliefnet, a multifaith Web site.

No one in the Bush administration seems to say so publicly, perhaps out of fear of alienating core Christian supporters. The issue is further complicated by the shared history of the Bush and Graham families; George W. Bush credits Billy Graham with helping him find God. A US government spokeswoman however said Samaritan8217;s Purse had received no government grants.