i needed some beauty in my life today...this is the mosque on the compound...i hope that someday they can complete the construction on it...because it deserves to be finished...
someone should wipe away those bootprints with a cloth or a brushy stick in obvious places. muslims regard the sole of the shoe as the most profane part of the body and to strike something, especially the doors of a mosque, with the sole of your shoe is the height of insult to God. You know you sought peace and beauty and a healing of the spirit in their sacred space, so showing sensitive thanks by honoring their feelings would be the right thing to do. They are angry enough at america as it is. Let's not add to that if we can subtract from it. A lot of eastern religions regard shoes as dirty, rightfully so, considering everything shoes step in...I belonged to a sect for 28 years that forbid shoes inside the house or place of prayer. And I know of many other religious customs that do it,some that have you go barefoot and wash your bare feet in a pool of perfumed water before you can approach the hall.
Yesterday [jul 16th] was a deeply spiritual day for me as well. It was just in the air. The soul needed it.
So if you go back to the mosque, see what you can do about erasing those footprints and restoring the space to its intended purity.
The sierra club's motto in the wilderness is 'take only pictures. leave only footprints."
the native americans don't even approve of leaving footprints.
see what i mean?
Thu 17-Jul-2003 19:34 Posted by:janet in venice
the building is still under construction, and even that is on pause. it is in limbo, not actively used as a religious building. a lot more needs to be done than wiping away footprints, perhaps finishing all the work, replacing the entire door and taking down the scaffolding. when the door was kicked in the area was being secured to make sure saddam wasn't still hanging around, so i don't think god is too angry at the bootprint. i'm sure god understands it was done to save more lives from being terminated prematurely. god was probably a lot more pissed when other mosques were being used to hide weapons by saddam loyalists. when the building is ready to start becoming a mosque again i'm sure the bootprints will be history and the building will again be spectacular.
Thu 17-Jul-2003 20:07 Posted by:mj
how symbolic that pic of the boot on the door...the rules of engagement are total, be it on foreign soil or at home...the winner takes it all and god where ever he(she..it ,,) is must be hiding with the usual suspects....nevertheless, i'm a extensise traveler and do respect utter most other cultures and believes..we're all connected...Q: who said "religion is the opium of the people..." i don't know what you're expecting to find back home mj but better start to learn fishing cos you'll need a lot of time on your own and.....not many mosques around here to climb up to...
Thu 17-Jul-2003 22:31 Posted by:gil from ny
MJ, thanks for the photos and the blog. Many people appreciate it.
Gil, the person who said "Religion is the opiate of the masses" was Karl Marx, the guy who predicted that industrialization and concentration of wealth would lead to a worker's revolution. Of course, he assumed that the industrialists and capitalists wouldn't recognize the threats and give in to the idea of a minimum wage, labor unions, etc. I think he's got some insight with this quote, though, especially if you are talking about a religion that promises rewards in the next life. That removes incentive to push for changes because this life is ephemeral and the next one will be glorious.
Fri 18-Jul-2003 16:53 Posted by:Phillip in Los Angeles
just to clarify, i'm not the author of the blog or the pictures, that is moja_vera. i'm a woman living in the US who talks to the author daily. here's another interesting blip about the marx quote: it was originally incorrectly translated as 'opium' when it should have read 'opiate.' interesting how it gives different meaning to the idea.
Sat 19-Jul-2003 01:30 Posted by:mj
hey, *I* understand why it was there and what the reasons were. And God certainly understands. It's the Iraqi's-esp the clerics- who are gonna be incensed to see those prints. I'm just suggesting removing whatever reasons any of them would see and use to hate us and spin more stories to hate us with.
I'd love to clean up the whole mosque. but since we can't do that, the one detail of wiping away the american GI bootprints off the door (soles of american's shoes, kicking in a mosque door?) would be highly advisable. simple, easy, and amends a world of trouble. regardless of who is or isnt there to explain it to them when they find it, if they don't see it when they get there, problem erased.
just my wisdom for ya. you act where you can.sometimes its the little things that make the difference. take a wet t shirt with you and go back and wipe away the bootprints on the door if you can. use a brushy stick to wipe away prints inside, in the dust, just in case.
It's not God who'll be offended. It'll be the mad Iraqi's.
Sun 20-Jul-2003 18:17 Posted by:janet in venice
Nice one, Janet - such a lovely thought. Random acts of kindness are ace.
Sun 20-Jul-2003 21:53 Posted by:Lisa
Overview of the Abu Ghurayb Presidential Palace site. The site is now occupied by US forces and is known as Cobra Base and headquarters of the Coalition Joint Task Force-7 [CJTF-7].....I think there you are .....stay save....
Alibaba, Sindbad, Aladin all facinating story originate here, in Bagdad.Cradle of Arab Civilization. Painful see it bombed.
keep safe, Hope u safe return.
This is called Camp victory now. Last time I was there was 10MAR05 and the mosque was almost finished. The vehicle you said you thought was an amphibious is not. It is an MP vehicle known as an ASV (M1117). It has a turret mounted Mk19 and .50cal. The 18th MP BDE had it's HQ near the mosque. They turned over command to 89th MP BDE and then the 42nd MP BDE who should be leaving soon if not already. Feel free to email any ??
