Prayer Meeting Held to Thank Troops, Honor 9/11 Victims

On Monday, following the announcement that al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. troops in Pakistan, a small prayer meeting giving thanks to troops in the War on Terror and honoring victims of the 9/11 attacks was held in front of the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg.

Republican political hopeful David Ramadan of South Riding, who is running for the proposed 87th district located in Loudoun and Prince William counties, organized the event. However, Ramadan asked in an e-mail message that no political signs be displayed, and instead “to pray for the souls of Americans who died on September 11, 2001 and pray for the troops.”

Ramadan said the nature of the 9/11 attacks, the first foreign attack to take place on American soil since Pearl Harbor, gave them a shocking quality, and made his death slightly more significant that the capture of Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein in 2003. “This is different,” he said. “This happened on our soil.”

Leesburg Town Council Member Kenneth “Ken” Reid offered a prayer that God “teach us true freedom,” from moral vices, greed, prejudice and the lust for power, and Ramadan said a prayer thanking the troops for their service.