Yesterday, The New York Times had a very interesting article titled Violence Leaves Young Iraqis Doubting Clerics in which the young people are basically saying they are hating Islam because it limits their freedoms.

Sara, a high schooler says,

“I hate Islam and all the clerics because they limit our freedom every day and their instruction became heavy over us,” ... “Most of the girls in my high school hate that Islamic people control the authority because they don’t deserve to be rulers.”

Atheer, a 19-year-old from a poor, heavily Shiite neighborhood in southern Baghdad, said: “The religion men are liars. Young people don’t believe them. Guys my age are not interested in religion anymore.”

The article goes on to say,

Professors reported difficulty in recruiting graduate students for religion classes. Attendance at weekly prayers appears to be down, even in areas where the violence has largely subsided, according to worshipers and imams in Baghdad and Falluja.

And one of the other interesting things the article says is that the young people are turned off to Islam because of beheadings and when they occur, the phrase Allahu akbar is said, meaning "god is great".  The youngsters are believing that THAT is what Islam really is (instead of this religion of peace) and are deciding not to follow Islam.

The greater question I have is this possibly the beginning of a shift in the Iraqi young people towards the gospel of Jesus Christ?  My hope and prayer is that it is.

You can read the full article here.