The Ministry for Religious Affairs was set on fire, destroying thousands of Korans, some a thousand years old. "When Baghdad fell to the Mongols in 1258, these books survived," said a ministry official. "If you talk to any intellectual Muslims in the world, they are crying right now." A poll found that most Americans believe that the war against Iraq will have been worthwhile even if weapons of mass destruction are never found and Saddam Hussein is never captured or killed.
Harper's Weekly Review April 22, 2003
