Does Ahmadinejad Know Christianity Better Than MSNBC Does?

The error could be on his part, on MSNBC's or on mine (probably the most likely), but this MSNBC article does seem to misrepresent what the Iranian president is talking about regarding the timing of the British sailors' release.

The Iranian president had said the Britons would be taken to Tehran aiport at the end of the press conference that he was addressing, but The Associated Press and Reuters news agency later reported that they would be flying out on Thursday.

"On the occasion of the birthday of the great prophet (Muhammad) ... and for the occasion of the passing of Christ, I say the Islamic Republic government and the Iranian people -- with all powers and legal right to put the soldiers on trial -- forgave those 15," he said, referring to the Muslim prophet's birthday last Saturday and Easter, next Sunday.

As even PG the Hindu agnostic knows (as apparently an Iranian Muslim does as well), Easter doesn't commemorate Christ's passing -- Good Friday does. Easter was the day on which Christ rose from death.

I don't know whether Ahmadinejad really meant Easter and the Resurrection when he referred to Christ's passing, or if there was a mistranslation of his announcement, or if the people at MSNBC are just morons. But if the last, I think Pat Buchanan officially can declare the "Death of the West" when a U.S. news outlet doesn't seem to have reporters and editors who know when the greatest events of Christianity -- the Crucifixion and the Resurrection -- occur.