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Evangelist: Iraq more hopeful than reported by U.S.
media
Dec 16,
2003
By Kay Adkins
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NASHVILLE, Tenn.
(BP)--Southern Baptist evangelist Anis Shorrosh, in a
recent visit to Baghdad, found the rebuilding process in
Iraq to be more positive and productive than what is
being portrayed in much of the American media.
Shorrosh, based in Fairhope, Ala., but originally from
Nazareth, Israel, left on Nov. 16 for the Middle East to
provide encouragement to Iraqi Christians and to share
the Gospel.
Shorrosh traveled to Baghdad on Nov. 20 via Air Serv, a
non-government, nonprofit airline dedicated to providing
services to humanitarian organizations overseas. When
landing in Baghdad, Air Serv pilots perform a
complicated corkscrew maneuver to make the airplane a
more difficult target for missiles, according to an
article on the group's website. Shorrosh described the
landing as exciting, with very high G-forces.
Shorrosh likened their arrival at the Baghdad airport to
entering a ghost town. "Imagine being in an
international airport and only seeing 50 people," he
said. He and the other passengers rode in a van into
Baghdad, which appeared to be a normal city, contrary to
reports often made by American media.
The Iraqi economy seemed operational, although its
depressed state also was evident. One dollar of American
currency bought two thousand dinar of Iraqi currency.
For lunch, Shorrosh dined at The White Palace
restaurant, where "a scrumptious royal feast" for 11
people cost them only $45. A week in the royal suite of
a prominent Baghdad hotel cost him only $156. Gasoline
was selling for twenty-five cents per gallon at the
government stations, and for double that amount "on the
black market." Gasoline entrepreneurs advertised by
standing along the roadways waving funnels.
Some routines of daily life seemed to be emerging, but
no phone companies or postal services are operating,
Shorrosh said. The primary means of contacting others is
via satellite phones or in person. Plenty of police and
cleanup workers were stationed along highly traveled
roadways, but the side streets remained neglected.
Shorrosh was struck by images such as a double-decker
bus traveling alongside a donkey-drawn cart. Lots of
buying and selling was being done on in the streets,
with items such as washers and dryers for sale. Some
homes he visited were equipped with satellite television
where he was thrilled to watch Christian stations such
as TBN.
"Visitations in the homes were both heartwarming and
heartbreaking," Shorrosh said. The Iraqis are excited
about the changes happening there and they have great
hope for rebuilding, he said. Most families are able to
provide for themselves at least meagerly. Shorrosh
estimated that about 20 percent of the people are
poverty-stricken and are able to receive supplies such
as powdered milk, flour, oil and beans from aid
organizations.
Shorrosh visited seven churches and found the Christians
to be very encouraged and blessed by the support they've
received. Twenty evangelical churches currently exist in
Iraq, he said. Out of 25 million people, 94 percent are
Muslim, and about 3 percent hail from various Christian
traditions, with a minority being evangelicals.
Twenty-seven percent of all doctors there are
Christians.
Upon Shorrosh's arrival, he was invited to speak to the
youth at the country's largest evangelical church --
Central Presbyterian Church. He said he was received
warmly and was invited to preach there that Sunday and
again just prior to his return to the United States. He
noted the 46,000 food relief packages sent by Southern
Baptists and the $87 billion dollar relief package
recently passed by the Congress to be used to build
hospitals and schools and to provide 5,000 trucks, among
other things, for use in the rebuilding efforts. "One
pastor jumped up and hugged me," he said.
Shorrosh also had opportunities to visit with American
soldiers. During his visit to the Central Palace, where
the new American Embassy will be established, he
observed 600 soldiers eating a traditional American
breakfast in the ballroom. The throne room housed 400 of
the soldiers' bunk beds.
On the road to Tikrit, which they traversed without
incident, they visited with several groups of American
soldiers. One G.I. showed Shorrosh a booby trap for
which the soldiers must remain on guard: a 6-by-30-inch
soil-colored pipe bomb they had found. Shorrosh told the
soldiers that he was praying for them. "They thanked us
for the prayers," he said. Whether at the Central Palace
or on the road, he found the soldiers to be "very
positive, very dedicated, and very responsive, just
wanting to get the job done."
Shorrosh noted three elements that thwart the rebuilding
effort: "First there are the 30,000 criminals that were
released from prison. They are the ones raping and
pillaging. They have nothing to lose."
Second, mercenaries came into the country to make
whatever money they can make. Shorrosh told the story of
a friend who was traveling in a group stopped by
mercenaries. The group paid $5,000 to buy safe passage.
Third: the suicide bombers, to whom Shorrosh referred as
"Hussein's commandos." He said he believes that with
Hussein's capture in mid-December, the ideology of these
people will languish. But, he said, "Things are more
peaceful there than we hear in our media."
Shorrosh left Iraq about 24 hours prior to President
Bush's secret arrival in Baghdad for Thanksgiving.
Shorrosh lamented CNN's coverage of the president's
mission, describing their report as "very obnoxious" and
"negative, negative, negative." He said, "My goodness,
they should be so proud that the man has dared to go
there. Instead they say it won't have any impact." Based
on Shorrosh's own positive experience in Baghdad, he
believes the president's safety was not in jeopardy
during the journey.
Prior to Hussein's capture, Shorrosh had been convinced
that both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were dead.
"Because our people have such large egos, they would
prove it by sending pictures. But there has been no
video of them, just voice tapes that can be easily
faked." He added, "Hussein was dead as far as his
influence went." He still believes bin Laden to be dead
since no new pictures have turned up to prove otherwise.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America had
less to do with politics or the economy and more to do
with what Shorrosh described as a "Christian 'jihad'
which has been successful in winning the hearts of
Muslims." Since 1991, he stated, 6 million Muslims per
year have come to the Christian faith.
In his own outreach to Muslims, Shorrosh presents them
with a Koran-like book titled, "The True Furqan,"
available in both Arabic and English. Now in its fourth
printing, the book challenges the Muslim Koran and
presents the Gospel in classical eighth-century Arabic
style.
Shorrosh is the author of "Islam Revealed," now in its
eighth printing with Thomas Nelson. He is currently
working on his 10th book, "Islam: A Threat or a
Challenge?" |
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Anis Shorrosh,
D.Phil., D. Min., author, lecturer, debater, international
evangelist, TV documentary producer and native of
Nazareth, a Palestinian Arab Christian American. His
best-seller, which has been printed 8 times already,
Islam Revealed is available on Amazon.com or this
website
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