Excellent detailed coverage of Christianity's latest atrocities
against Muslims -- all for Jesus Christ and the rest of the
Christian pantheon.
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DISENGAGEMENT IS NOT AN OPTION
Malcom Lagauche
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m10129&l=i&size=1&hd=0
March 4, 2005
With all the current chaos in the world concerning U.S. military actions,
such as Afghanistan and Iraq, one concept that is rarely mentioned is that
of the role of religion. In the U.S., the prevailing attitude is that all
Muslims are terrorists and they deserve what they get.
With all the cheering of the U.S. public to annihilate the "dirty Muslims,"
there comes a denial that religious hatred is at play. After speaking about
cleansing the world of Islam, the same people will say, "We have nothing
against Muslims."
There are many reasons why the debacle in Iraq is occurring: greed; deceit;
power; racism; xenophobia; and, rarely mentioned, concepts of religious
superiority.
As a non-believer, I think I can take an objective look at the subject. I
have spoken to many seemingly good-natured Christians who tell me that
their doctrine tells them that Christianity is a superior religion and it
is their duty to convert non-Christians to their ways. Yet, they espouse
freedom of religion. The problem is that they only think their religion
should be the one which a person can be free to exercise.
Later this month, in Washington, D.C., many evangelical Christian leaders
will meet to discuss their role in the U.S. political fabric. They will be
working from a recently-released document called For the Health of the
NationEvangelical Call to Civic Responsibility. Here is the first paragraph
of the preamble:
Evangelical Christians in America face a historic opportunity. We make up
fully one-quarter of all voters in the most powerful nation in history.
Never before has God given American evangelicals such an awesome
opportunity to shape public policy in ways that could contribute to the
well-being of the entire world. Disengagement is not an option. We must
seek God's face for biblical faithfulness and abundant wisdom to rise to
this unique challenge.
The evangelical Christians have publicly laid out their strategy. They hide
nothing. The dangerous aspect of the introduction is that they want to sway
the U.S. government to their side of issues, although the U.S. is supposed
to be a nation in which religion and government are aloof.
In the past few months, I have written about a U.S. colonel saying that
Satan is in Fallujah on the eve of the U.S. destruction of the city. And,
how Christian chaplains have consoled soldiers who killed Iraqi civilians
by telling them that their thoughts were just.
I often wonder if these same soldiers were killing Christians by the
thousands if the responses from U.S. civilian and military leaders would be
the same. For the past few decades, most U.S. military interventions have
been against non-Christian nations. Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
Somalia have been cannon fodder for U.S. soldiers. The people of Korea and
Vietnam were non-Christian for the most part. And, even Serbia did not have
a Christian majority. When the U.S. bombed that country and killed many
civilians, about 65% of the people were atheist. It seems that Christian
lives are much more important than those of other belief systems, or those
who practice no religion.
The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book The Sledgehammer and the
Ant. The book should be out in June of this year. This is only a portion of
the section called "Onward Christian Soldiers."
I am in no way denigrating all Christians or the religion. The problem is
that a few individuals can con the public into thinking they are a part of
a global holy war by using Christianity as a tool, all the time denying
this fact.
Onward Christian Soldiers
During the Gulf War, the U.S. public saw a video clip that was repeated
many times. In it, a helicopter pilot was about ready to shoot an Iraqi
with a missile. It was nighttime, but the pilot had night vision equipment
and as he was about to push the button to annihilate the Iraqi soldier who
could not see the adversary, he exclaimed, "Say hello to Allah." Then, the
video shows an explosion. The "Say hello to Allah" statement became
standard fare in America's psyche.
No one complained about broadcasting the event, yet it is improbable that
any TV outlet would have broadcast a foreign soldier stating "Say hello to
Jesus" if the roles were reversed. That would have been considered in bad
taste.
On September 12, 2001, George Bush declared the United States was about to
embark on a "crusade" against terrorism. Many people mentioned to him that
the new enemies were mostly of the Islamic faith and that American Muslims
and millions of followers of Islam from around the world who decry
terrorism were highly offended at the choice of the word "crusade" to
designate a future war. He had to be told that a "crusade" is indicative of
a holocaust against Muslims to those who adhere to Islam.
Shortly after, Bush retracted the word and said he had nothing against
Islam or the followers of the religion. The retraction was hollow. In March
2004, a Bush-Cheney campaign letter praised the president for "leading a
global crusade against terrorism." When questioned by the press about the
accuracy of the allegations, Bush-Cheney campaign Chairman Marc Racicot
acknowledged the letter and its statement.
Since the September 2001 statement and subsequent retraction, Bush has
exceeded this gaffe by words and deeds. In 2003, while Bush was still
feigning fairness in the Israeli/Palestinian issue, he met with Palestinian
leader Mahmoud Abas. In the meeting, Bush told the Palestinian that actions
must be taken quickly to implement the one-sided roadmap that the American
administration had drawn up. The president told Abas, "God told me to
strike at al-Qaida and I struck them. And He instructed me to strike out at
Saddam, which I did. And now I am determined to solve the problem in the
Middle East."
That statement transcends arrogance and borders on idiocy. Bush told the
leader of a predominately Muslim people that his God (the Christian one) is
behind the U.S. offensive against Arabs and Muslims and he expected Abas to
cringe and comply. He might as well have donned a white hood and attended a
meeting with the NAACP board of directors and asked for their help in
decimating the U.S. of its African-American citizens.
Shortly after Bush's meeting with Abas, the book The Faith of George W.
Bush arrived on bookstands. It was written by Christian author Stephen
Mansfield, who describes incidents in a positive manner that would make
even many Christians dubious of Bush's statements. The book was reviewed in
2003 by Paul Harris for The Observer newspaper of Great Britain. Harris
wrote:
Among Mansfield's revelations is his insistence that Bush and Tony Blair
have prayed together. Blair has previously denied this. Mansfield, however,
says that while there were no witnesses, aides were left in little doubt as
to what had happened. He told The Observer, "There is no question they have
shared scripture and prayed together."
Blair and Bush were the two most aggressive world leaders against the
Ba'athist regime. One can only wonder how the Muslims in the Arab world
look at a scenario where the two biggest warmongers pray to a Christian God
together.
Then, when the leaders emerge, they are even more militant. This is
indicative of the insincerity of Bush saying that neither he nor America
have anything against Muslims or the Muslim world
The Faith of George W. Bush reveals much about the influence of
Christianity on Bush in areas where religion is normally kept aloof from
governmental duties. Shortly before he announced his candidacy for the
presidency, Bush told a Texas evangelist, "I can't explain it, but I sense
my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen . I know it
won't be easy on me or my family, but God wants me to do it."
Bigotry is an ugly trait and its message many times becomes garbled. Many
racial bigots will state that they are not racists and then go into a
racist tirade attempting to convince people of their openness. A standard
ploy of bigots is to negate the message of those of differing cultures or
colors who complain about bigotry by saying that there is no racism or
ethnocentrism involved in actions that are blatantly hateful
Let me give an example. The San Diego State University sports teams are
called the Aztecs. For years, the mascot was a savage looking individual
who held no resemblance to an Aztec Indian. Finally, a movement was put in
motion to address the issue. Many white members of the university's alumni
wanted to keep the old mascot and a common statement was, "I don't see what
the problem is. It's not a racist symbol." Hundreds of Native Americans
from the San Diego area decried the mascot and criticized those who wanted
to keep it. The Native Americans said the mascot was a racist depiction of
their ancestors.
Only the recipient of hatred can determine the boundaries of racism. The
perpetrator has no say in what a racist incident is if those offended claim
racism, yet, in this case, the white alumni tried to define racism on their
terms.
We have heard and still hear Bush administration officials state, "We are
not against Islam. This is not a war against Islam." This statement is as
hollow as any made by administration spokespeople.
Many American citizens are equally as duplicitous when it comes to their
attitudes toward and knowledge of Islam and its followers. Time-after-time,
we hear statements such as, "I have nothing against Muslims, but . " After
the "but" comes a tirade. These common actions represent denial at its
utmost. The blinders put on by much of the American public are identical to
those used by racists in speaking about African-Americans. They are the
same used by those who maintain that humankind has not degraded the
atmosphere and the environment. They are the same blinders used by people
who say they are not homophobic, yet decry any attempts by homosexuals to
attain equal treatment under the law. They are the same barriers used by
most bigots throughout the decades and centuries. In most instances, only a
few bigots will step forward and admit their hatred. The majority of bigots
hide behind the veils of denial. They are more dangerous than the outspoken
zealots.
In the United States, many people look at Islamic governments and scoff at
them because they use the Koran as the basis of their laws. We have all
heard Christians laugh about Islamic social mores, but most of the time,
those who laugh have misinterpreted the message. Coincidentally, many of
the same Christians who denigrate the concept of a country run by the laws
and values of the Koran would not think twice about the Bible being the
fundamental law of the U.S. To them, secular means "non-Islamic."
Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson once aired footage of trip he and his
son made to the Ganges River in India. They both laughed at the Indians
bathing in the river, people whose religious texts demand that each Hindu
perform this ritual at least once during his/her lifetime. Robertson turned
to his son and, speaking about Hindu religious beliefs, asked, "How can
they believe this stuff?" That's a strong statement from someone who
deceives the public by claiming to cure people in various parts of America
by praying on his TV program; usually just before he asks for donations for
God. I assume that Hindus would have a difficult time believing that a man,
whose mother was a virgin, could walk on water.
In 2003, George Bush appointed General William Boykin to coordinate the
hunt for Osama bin Laden. Boykin was a regular speaker at evangelical
Christian meetings all over the U.S. Many times, while in uniform, he
stated that God was on his side. His view of the "war on terror" is that it
is a battle against Satan. When speaking about a Somali warlord whom he
beat in battle in 1993, Boykin said, "My God was bigger than his. I knew
that my God was a real God and his was an idol." In speaking about the
Somali warlord, Boykin failed to mention that his God had blessed his
troops with the most modern and deadly tanks, missiles, helicopters,
artillery and other military hardware. Not many Muslims found solace in the
appointment of Boykin to head an organization designed to target those of
the Islamic faith.
When the scandal about the U.S. mistreatment of Iraqi POWs at Abu Ghraib
prison in Baghdad first broke, the public was exposed to many names with
which they were unfamiliar. General-after-general made statements, all
exonerating themselves and blaming others. However, Boykin's name
eventually re-appeared. On May 11, 2004, it was reported that Boykin had
given a top Pentagon official in the summer of 2003 advice on "softening
up" the Iraqi prisoners. On the orders of Secretary of Defense, Donald
Rumsfeld, Boykin flew to Guantanamo, where hundreds of Muslims were being
held in prison without even the basic rights of the Geneva convention.
Boykin met Major General Geoffrey Miller, who was in charge of the camp
that had a reputation for brutality, and ordered him to fly to Iraq and
extend the methods to the prison system there. Suggestions have been made
that Boykin advocated and was behind the strategy of using sexual and
physical abuse of the prisoners.
These allegations have once again brought to the forefront the possibility
that many people may regard the war on terrorism as, in fact, a war on
Islam.
Chris Toensing, editor of Middle East Report stated, "This will be taken as
proof that what happened at Abu Ghraib is evidence of a broader culture of
dehumanizing Arabs and Muslims, based on the American understanding of the
innate superiority of Christendom."
Congressional Democrats, as well as Senate Armed Services Chairman John
Warner, have advocated that Boykin relinquish his duties, but the Pentagon
defended his right of free speech. This assessment by the Pentagon is
illogical. If an avowed racist were on a civil rights commission and made
racial remarks and had been instrumental in having blacks tortured in
prison, he/she would be immediately replaced. Freedom of speech is not a
luxury that one can use to hide behind in an official capacity when blatant
bigoted practices are being perpetrated.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
Scientology crooks: http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
Scientology murder: http://PerkinsTragedy.org
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