Published on Wednesday, August 9, 2006

RICHMOND GLOBE (August 9-15, 2006)
By the Globe Political Desk

Father Who has Forgiven Al Qaida for Killing Son Running for Congress

BERKELEY– Michael Berg, the father who says he forgives Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al Qaida leader, for allegedly beheading Berg’s son, Nicholas Berg, made special appearances in the Bay Area Sunday. Berg held a news briefing at the North Berkeley BART station with Gayle McLaughlin, candidate for Richmond mayor.

Now running as a Green Party peace candidate for Congress in Delaware, Berg also spoke at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Unitarian Church, and at the 10th annual International Forgiveness Day event at Dominican University (Angelico Hall) in San Rafael, where he was honored.

Also among those feted was the Bay Area’s Nadia McCaffrey, whose son, Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, was killed in Iraq.

Berg was thrust into the media spotlight when his son Nick was abducted and killed in May, 2004 in Iraq in retaliation for the murders, rapes, and torture of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison.

Out of his profound grief Berg made news with his statement that “Nicholas Berg died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld.”

Now Berg is known for his stand to end the war. “Revenge stops here. Responsibility starts here. This war took the life of my son Nick, and it takes the life of another son or daughter every 12 minutes. Not one more should die in this immoral and illegal war. Those who committed the betrayal of trust about Iraq and the weakening of our country must be held accountable. Bring the troops home now,” said Berg.