Tenn. Governor Criticized for Muslim Christmas Card

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee's governer is getting some criticism for the Christmas card he sent. As in the past, this card features a painting by Gov. Phil Bredesen. The subject is a teenage Afghan girl, a Muslim, he met and photographed while he was on an official visit to Kabul.

Pastor Maury Davis of Cornerstone Church in Madison, Tenn., an Assemblies of God congregation, said a picture of Christ should have been on the card.

Bredesen said on a message on the back of the card that he hopes Christmas helps bring peace and hope to this young woman and her wounded land. Bredesen, a Presbyterian, stands by his choice, saying he considers it perfectly appropriate.

Here is Bredesen's message on the back of the card:

I met the teenage girl depicted in this painting in March of this year at a primitive school on the Shamali Plains Road outside of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Until recently, under the Taliban, education was forbidden to her. She is now learning to read, and on the day I visited, was studying geography.

While it may seem odd to put a portrait of a young Muslim woman on a Christmas card, this Season reminds us that He loves His children most of all.

May the miracle of Christmas help bring peace and hope to this young woman and her wounded land.

-Phil Bredesen

Christmas 2006

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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