A Sufi story about our investment in Iraq A shiekh went on a journey east. After many miles, he found himself broiling in desert heat and yearning for refreshment. Then he saw a fruit vendor on the road selling many oddly shaped red and yellow fruits. He was so happy and amazed that he offered the vendor all the money in his turban. The fruit vendor happily handed him all his fruit and took off.

The shiekh bit into the first fruit and his face screwed up in disappointment and shock. Instead of being sweet, juicy and refreshing, the fruit burned him like the rays of the cruel sun above. He tried another fruit and suffered the same fate. Tears ran from his eyes and his face turned read as he continued walking down the road, but he kept munching on the fruit. He came across another man.

"Why are you eating that fruit?" the man asked. "We don't eat those straight, we dry them and use them to flavor our sauces and curries. It must be terribly unpleasant to eat them straight, especially on a hot day."

"You are right, they are horrible," the shiekh acknowledged. The man could see the shiekh holding his outraged belly in his hand and he could see tears running down his face.

"So why are you eating the peppers, then?"

"I'm not eating the peppers anymore," the shiekh replied, taking another miserable bite. "I'm eating my money."  ¶ 6:39 AM