Monday, January 15, 2007

An American correspondent in the Middle East sent me this:
"Today the Iraqi government held a one time screening of the most recent execution video of barzan ibrahim and awad hamed al bandar, with no cameras allowed. Bandar was very scared and crying. He was saying the shahada. Journalists asked if Bandar said the shahada. New york times bureau chief and veteran middle east correspondent John Burns asked Basem Ridha, Nouri al Maliki's spokesman what the shahada was. Basem said that it was the Islamic creed. "whats that?" asked John Burns. Journalists explained that it was ""There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger."