And speaking of Military Religious Freedom ....
Every once in a while, even the most rabid Conservative notices that the anti-American feeling characterized as "Crusade Resistance" currently so prevalent in Iraq and Afghanistan these days was not present during Desert Shield, Desert Storm, or Provide Comfort.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation suggests the difference is simple. During the First Gulf War, commanders were carefully briefed about not making the conflict into some kind of Religious Imperialism. From CinC CENTCOM to field units, from the Chief of Chaplains to the unit chaplains, every effort was made to keep the war from turning into a Christian Assault on Islam.
And why is it that much of the Moslem world now sees us as heading up a crusade to replace their religion and culture with a minority version of Christianity? Because we told them so.
How to Start a Crusade
Take a moment and read the above. Well known within the military community, but, I am now informed, not so well known in the general society.
posted by MikeCarter @ 19:30
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Because the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and friends have taken their message to Al Jazeera and the foreign media and done a good job of convincing them. Don't blame the military for this. The story you link to was sent to Al Jazeera and picked up on the Pakistan English daily and was written by MRFF's senior researcher.
Not blaming the military at all. I was active when two MAJCOM commanders decided it was within the "free speech right" for evangelical chaplains to distribute anti-semetic and anti-catholic comic books. Rebuttal information got a few more mainstream chaplains bounced.
I watched a USO troupe in the early days of the current Iraq debacle bring relatives of World Trade Center victims to lead the group in prayer and pass chunks of rubble around the audience as if they were some kind of holy relic.
I was in the audience when Dr. Rice said she agreed with bin Laden that we were in a Holy War; she defined it as the forced of God (Us) against the forces of the Devil (anybody we don't like).
Under the Presidents Bush, and, to a slightly lesser extent, under President Reagan, it was hazardous to your career to be the wrong faith.
If anything, the MRFF story understates the situation.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home