Posted on 02/02/2003 7:56:06 AM PST by SJackson
THE Columbia shuttle explosion was met with jubilation on the streets of Baghdad amid claims it was God's retribution.
Elsewhere, world leaders on the brink of war united in expressing sorrow to US President George W. Bush. But Iraqi government employee Abdul Jabbar al-Quraishi said his people were "happy that it broke up".
"God wants to show that his might is greater than the Americans. They have encroached on our country. God is avenging us," he said.
Iraqi car mechanic Mohammed Jaber al-Tamini said it was retribution for Israel's aggression.
"Israel launched an aggression on us when it raided our nuclear reactor without any reason, now time has come," he said.
Israeli Colonel Ilan Ramon was among the dead astronauts.
No official comment was made by the Iraqi Government or President Saddam Hussein.
In the US Mr Bush led international mourners.
"The Columbia lost. There are no survivors," he said at the White House.
"The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to earth but we can pray that all are safely home."
He said the accident "brought terrible news and great sadness to our country", but pledged the journey into space would go on.
Prime Minister John Howard said the loss of Columbia was a tragedy and a setback to the US space program. But he said, "America's commitment to the exploration of space and its possibilities for all humanity will not be undone".
Opposition Leader Simon Crean said the US "will again rise above this tragedy and return to space".
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the crew members "fell on the altar of science, of progress and the ambition of all of us for a better life on Earth". He singled out Col. Ramon for tribute.
"The state of Israel and its citizens stand at this difficult hour alongside the families of the astronauts, the family of Ilan Ramon and the American people and government."
Col. Ramon has become a national hero in Israel, and his sudden death shocked the nation.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressed his condolences.
"For us in India, the fact that one of them is an India-born woman (Kalpana Chawla) adds a special poignancy to the tragedy," he said.
Indians across the country gathered in temples and homes to pray for Ms Chawla.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to the seven courageous crew members.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin praised men and women who had given their lives to conquer space "in the name of peace, science and the progress of civilisation".
Not at all....just with idiotic statements by anyone, Christians included.
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