Prejudice

Unbelievable. Last week was the big story about Sunnis being burned alive as part of a revenge killing spree in Bagdad. This week, its appearing the whole thing was quite possibly fabricated, yes, fabricated. There was one source for that story and that man apparently doesn't really exist but has been sending the AP stories for a while now.

Flopping Aces broke this story and continues to update his posts.
The fun just goes on.

I mentioned prejudice because in reading that original story didn't we all kind of go, "ewww - what is with these people?"
Here is what Iraq the Model has been going through. Mohammed called them "Rough Days". I believe he gets the prize for understatement of the year.

The other star of the crisis was rumors about ugly revenge attacks and I sometimes feel that those rumors are part of the terrorists and militias propaganda campaign.

Sadly the AP turned out to be a part of that.

Rough times blur the vision and disrupt reason, I understand that. When you hear stories about people burned alive or mass public executions it makes you imagine that the streets are full of monsters coming to predate everything and makes you shout calling for merciless punishment upon even those who are only suspects.

Thankfully most people are better than that. As Mohammed says:

Being stuck at home for four days with all the violence going outside and the fear that it might reach you at home was a horrible experience. When the news came that the curfew was over and people began walking on the streets again there was a strange feeling that was particularly very strong this morning in Baghdad; despite all the rumors and fear from more wide-scale revenge attacks there was a feeling among the people that they must go out on the streets and live in all possible means.
The most beautiful scene was that of students going to their schools and colleges despite all what happened in the days before.

Not everyone will absorb the lesson but I'm sure that this last dose of terror has changed the feelings of so many people here, a change in favor of denouncing and rejecting violence, I hope.

He brings me hope. If you didn't read his post, he has a friend who has been kidnapped. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.