The United States Post Office has a rather curious restriction on items that can be mailed to military members serving overseas in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

E2. Any matter containing religious materials contrary to Islamic faith or depicting nude or seminude persons, pornographic or sexual items, or nonauthorized political materials is prohibited.

And by “religious materials contrary to Islamic faith,” they’re not referring to books by Steven Emerson and Oriana Fallaci, as this commentary at the Rutherford Institute shows.

When Jack Moody of Lenoir, N.C., recently attempted to mail a care package containing a Bible study and other Christian religious materials, including a book entitled “God’s Promises for Your Every Need” and various Christian comic books to his son Daniel, imagine his dismay at being prevented from doing so because of postal bulletin PB22097.

In a recent letter home, Moody’s son, a 21-year-old National Guardsman serving alongside thousands of U.S. troops in the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, mentioned that he was experiencing a rekindling of his faith and requested additional Christian reading materials—a request his father was only too happy to fulfill.

But when Jack Moody telephoned his local post office to inquire about the procedure for mailing his care package to Daniel, he was told that there was a prohibition on “any matter containing religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith.” And according to the postal clerk, Daniel’s package, with its Christian contents, might just be considered offensive to some Muslims overseas.

To a father whose son is risking his life to fight for Iraqi freedom, the prohibition made no sense. Equally alarming, however, was the fact that the few U.S. government officials Moody approached for help—individuals who had sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution—did not seem to find it disturbing.

For example, when Moody contacted U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s Raleigh office, he said a staffer gave him the brush-off, responding “So what?” after he voiced his concerns. Dan Gurley, U.S. Rep. Cass Ballenger’s chief of staff, wasn’t much help either. According to Moody, Ballenger refused to get involved, insisting that it was a matter for the courts.