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The Festive Fans are travelling this episode to a locale that is not known as being either festive or much of a Christmas fan, but it is the cradle of civilization. It is the birthplace of the first laws, written language, rich history and archaeological sites. It is Iraq -- a country that the U.S. has been fighting for more than three decades. However, like the mythic Hatfield and McCoy feuding families, we often forget what initially led us down this path of combat. It all started back in 1990, when Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, invaded its neighbor Kuwait to seize its oil reserves. The United States led a coalition of countries and liberated Kuwait in less than 40 days. The simmering dispute with Saddam Hussein continued into the 2000s. After September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was convinced that Saddam Hussan was behind the terrorist attacks and falsely believed he was developing weapons of mass destruction. In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy the weapons and end Saddam Hussein’s rule. We did topple Saddam Hussein, but only after spending $800 billion, and sacrificing the lives of 4,500 Americans and over 100,000 Iraqis. The long shadow of the invasion still looms over our relations with Iraq today, twenty years later.
Our effort here is simple. We want to get beyond the bad feelings created through decades of war and learn how, if it all, Christmas is celebrated in Iraq. We review a short film called Santa Claus in Baghdad from 2008, which is a modern Middle Eastern take on O. Henry's Gift of the Magi. The storyline is interesting, but with non-Iraqi actors, it does raise the question of how accurate it depicts modern day Iraq. We also learn of the Assyrian Christians who have lived in this area for 6,000 years. They have faced consistent persecution for centuries but are still active in modern day Iraq with Christmas trees and Santa Claus. Join us now as we embark on a journey through history and time to a land of expansive deserts, snow-covered mountains, and charming villages. We all may still be recovering from years of conflict, but we can assist with the healing.
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