Sheep Ye Know Not Of II

Interviews with Muslim converts to Christianity. A Bosnian officer was converted listening to the radio while lying in the trenches fighting Serbs.

the radio of Sarajevo that broadcasted both the speeches of Mustafa Ceric, chief of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Hercegovina, and Cardinal Vinko Puljic. Ceric promoted sacred war (jihad) for Islamic land, the war which was every Muslim's duty, whereas Cardinal Puljic said that there would be no peace in that land if we had no courage to forgive, and that only reconciliation can restore friendship between nations. The officer was struck by the fact that his commander encouraged to use guns and his enemy called for reconciliation. Finally, he left his gun and went to Italy. He was put to prison there since he was accused of starting a fire; as it later turned out the accusation was false. A Croatian nun visited the prisoners. When she learnt he was Muslim she asked him if she was to bring him the Koran. He answered that he knew the Koran and wanted to read the Gospels. The nun brought him the Gospels, which became the book of the Bosnian. That was how their unique friendship began and it brought about the baptism of the Bosnian officer.

Not to make this sign of hope a matter of mere politics, but this would seem to have bearing on the ongoing debate about what kind of radio the free world ought to be beaming into say, Iran. Some say, a la this Weekly Standard piece, that we should be using Radio Free Iran to stimulate debate within the country. Others say we should try to make' em like us by broadcasting cool music and the like. Read the arguments, but I choose option A.