Baghdad was filled with a different sound today, the sound of celebrations. Iraq's soccer team beat South Korea in the semi-finals for the Asian Cup tournament.
Then, suicide bombers struck the crowds, killing at least fifty, and wounding many others. This is the key point to the title of my post; these people had gathered to celebrate something achieved by Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds on the soccer team. This war will not be won by force of arms, but by ideals, and by the strength of the human spirit. In an earlier post, I spoke of how Al Quaeda had become an ideology; the only way to fight ideology is with ideology, and the people of Iraq have proven that they have the spirit to fight such ideologies.
We all watched as they voted, and showed off their purple fingers as proof of voting. Now we have watched as the Iraqi people have for the most part, celebrated as one at the victory of their soccer team. Even as these celebrations are marred by violence, some will undoubtedly continue. The most dangerous thing in the universe is hope, and the people of Iraq have proven time and time again that while it may be weakening, hope is something they still have.
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