U.S. reassigns Marine for distributing coins printed with Bible verse in Iraq

McClatchy Newspapers

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military confirmed Thursday that a Marine in Fallujah passed out coins with Gospel verses on them to Sunni Muslims, a military spokesman in the Iraqi city said. The man was immediately removed from duty and reassigned.

The coins angered residents who said they felt that the American troops, whom they consider occupiers, were also acting as Christian missionaries in a predominantly Muslim nation.

“It did happen,” said Mike Isho, a spokesman for Multi-National Force West. “It’s one guy and we’re investigating.”

The Marine was passing out silver coins to residents of the Sunni Anbar province with Arabic translations of Bible verses on them. On one side, the coin read, “Where will you spend eternity?” and on the other, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16.”

After a McClatchy Newspaper report about the proselytizing coins, a force was sent to the western gate of Fallujah and the Marines there were searched, Isho said. One man was found with the coins, removed from the gate and will no longer be working in predominantly Sunni Anbar province, he said.

On Thursday, the U.S. military apologized for the incident, telling McClatchy special correspondent Jamal Naji that action would be taken after an investigation.

One Marine making a mistake shouldn’t brand the work of hundreds of Marines, said Sgt. Maj. Neil O’Connell in western Anbar province.The correspondent was taken around the base in Fallujah and into the dining facilities to show that there’s no religious proselytizing or discrimination on the military base. A poster on a base billboard advertised Friday prayers to observant Muslims, and Iraqi employees eat in the same dining facility where leading U.S. officers dine.

“Regulations prohibit members of the coalition force from proselytizing any religion, faith or practices, and our troops are trained on those guidelines before they deploy,” said Col. Bill Buckner, a Multi-National Corps spokesman, in a statement.