March 29, 2003	Saturday	Muharram 25, 1424

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28: Two leading American Christian missionary organizations have announced that their workers are ready to enter Iraq to “address the physical and spiritual needs of a large Muslim population”.

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest US Protestant denomination, and the Rev. Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse said their workers, near the Iraq border in Jordan, are ready to go in as soon as it is safe.

Both organizations said their priority will be to provide food, shelter and other needs to the Iraqi people, but “they will also share their Christian faith”.

Muslims are outraged that Rev. Graham may be allowed to help with Iraq’s humanitarian effort.

“Franklin Graham obviously thinks it is a war against Islam,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American- Islamic Relations. He believes Islam is a ‘wicked’ faith, Hooper said adding: “He’s going to go into Iraq in the wake of an invading army and convert people to Christianity? Nothing good is coming of that.”