Christmas Is Legal Holiday For First Time This Year In Iraq

For Iraqis, Christmas was different this year. According to the AP yesterday, for the first time the Iraqi government has declared Christmas an official holiday. The Orlando Christianity Examiner on Tuesday reported that in a small Baghdad park, Iraq's Interior Ministry hosted the country's first-ever legal public Christmas celebration. Most of those attending were not Christian, but Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul Karim Khalaf said warmly: "All Iraqis are Christian today!"