Post office addresses concerns about mailing religious literature overseas

Post office addresses concerns about mailing religious literature overseas

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has come under fire for postal guidelines on sending Christian literature to Iraq and other Islamic countries.

The father of a U.S. national guardsman deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom prompted investigation into a local post office’s interpretation of the guidelines when he was not allowed to send his son Christian literature.

Daniel R. Moody asked his father, Jack Moody of Lenior, N.C., to mail him a Bible study and other religious literature.

When the elder Moody told the postal employee what was in the package, he was not allowed to mail the package.

Moody sought help from The Rutherford Institute (TRI), an international nonprofit civil liberties organization that catapulted civil rights lawyers into action.

TRI filed suit in Federal district court in Washington, D.C., April 11 against the U.S. Postmaster General for denying Daniel R. Moody the right to Christian literature.

With this high-profile case looming, Alabama Baptists planning to send packages or letters of support to U.S. troops or Iraqi nationals may become confused about rules and regulations regarding mailing religious literature.

John W. Whitehead, president of TRI, and a Christian, advises churches, “Don’t lie about what is in the packages. With this lawsuit there will probably be more packages getting through.”   

Mail to soldier denied

Whitehead said that even though Moody was mailing the materials to his son, the USPS told Moody that it was against the law to send religious materials that would offend the Islamic faith or government in Iraq.

Mark Saunders, a USPS spokesperson has not commented on this particular suit, but stated that the customs restriction was made “by the host country (Iraq), not by the postal service or the military.”

He said the USPS restriction states: “Although religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith are prohibited in bulk quantities, items for the personal use of the addressee are permissible.”

While Moody’s case remains unresolved, Baptist leaders advise churches sending care packages to U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait or Iraq or to Iraqi citizens to make sure packages or letters are addressed to specific individuals or credible organizations at valid addresses.

The International Mission Board (IMB) has encouraged the 42,000 Southern Baptist churches in the United States to collect and send care boxes of food to the Iraqi people to fulfill basic needs of survival.

One caveat is that they are prohibited from including Christian tracts or other literature that conflicts with the Islamic faith, according to Jim Brown, director of world hunger and relief ministries for the IMB. Otherwise the food may be rejected by authorities, he said.

Respect for Scripture

Nonetheless, the IMB is posting John 1:17 in Arabic on the boxes’ labels, as well as the statement, “A gift with love from the Southern Baptist churches in America.” The Scripture reads: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Mark Kelly, spokesperson for the IMB, said Scripture can pass while religious materials may not.

“The difference is in placing a quote from Scripture that Muslims respect where authorities can see it (versus) stuffing materials inside the boxes that would be focused on evangelizing or proselytizing,” he said.

“Muslims hold in high regard the Old Testament and the Gospels, so if a question is raised about using those in a forthright, visible manner, we have a valid claim, since that respect is widely known,” Kelly said. He also stressed the importance of having a specific contact person in Iraq.

The boxes will be shipped to Southern Baptist workers in Iraq who will handle the distribution. (For more information about the relief boxes, check online at www.thealabamabaptist.org.)

The USPS suspended mail service to Iraq as of April 7 due to there being “no viable option for postal deliveries to that country,” their Web site states.

However, this suspension does not affect mail to U.S. troops in the country. The Military Postal Service Agency continues to deliver letters and packages, although delays may occur due to the kind of military operation the troops are engaged in.

People who have mailed something to Iraq and  had it returned as “Service Temporarily Suspended” may receive a refund or re-mail it when service resumes.