The United States and the rest of the world have seen several protests and debates over Iraq. It is an issue that has divided the international community.
Even BYU’s campus has seen lively debates and conflicting views on the war in Iraq, which is good. People should have the freedom to voice their views and concerns, especially on a subject as serious as war.
However, now is the time for the BYU community, regardless of our views on what should have happened or should yet happen in Iraq, to pray for the people of Iraq and unite behind the allied troops.
War is horrible, no matter how just or necessary it may be: people are killed, families are torn apart, cities are turned to rubble.
While we watch the war from the comfort of the Wilkinson Center, we should not forget that we are watching people’s homes being destroyed.
Ultimately, we hope that the war will bring hope and freedom to the Iraqis. We should be encouraged by the fact that many Iraqis support the war against Saddam. But that does not diminish the horror they are now facing, which is why we encourage everyone to remember the Iraqi people in their prayers.
The Iraqis are not the only ones seeing this war in a personal way. The allied troops, many of them people we know personally and love, are on the front lines of this war.
They are fighting to remove an evil man from power and make the world a safer place. They are fighting so that, hopefully, we will never experience the destruction of our own homes and families.
It’s important to remember our soldiers voluntarily fill the ranks of the military so that we don’t have to fight on the front lines. The allied troops are a courageous group that deserves our support and respect.
The BYU community is diverse. We come from more that 120 countries and speak several languages. But we are not a divided community. We have similar core values and a way of life that is different from the much of the world.
While we may have different views on what should be done in Iraq, all of us can and should unite in supporting the allied troops and praying for the welfare of the Iraqi people.
