Seriously Afghanistan
In its history, The United States of America has only been invaded by foreign countries three times: the British in 1812, the Japanese in 1941 and by the Afghanistan/Taliban sponsored Al Qaeda in 2001. Whether or not one agrees with American policy in Iraq, I don’t think there exists any debate on the propriety of the subsequent American led Afghan invasion.
The Taliban represented one of the most, if not the most, repressive regimes in modern history. Music was banned. There were mass executions in soccer stadiums for the most trivial of offenses. Women represented a slave class subject to complete control of their spouses. If they disobeyed their spouses, they could be executed. Female circumcision was widely practiced. The country was ruled by a group of Islamic clerics implementing the "Islamic" laws of the "religion of peace".
NATO joined in the effort in Afghanistan, and is currently in charge of Afghan operations. NATO and the United States propped up Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan, who, for all intents and purposes, controls the city of Kabul. The balance of the country is ruled by warlords and clerics. Somewhere in the mix, the United States supposedly helped to draft a Constitution.
In a domestic dispute gone mad, the wife of an Afghan citizen reported to the local Afghan prosecutors that her husband had converted to Christianity. The local prosecutor is now seeking the death penalty, which is the religion of peace’s penalty for conversion from Islam. This so-called Islamic law is incorporated into the Afghan constitution, and the prosecutor announced yesterday that neither Karzai, nor the United States, is going to keep him from enforcing Islamic law. If he doesn’t execute this man, the populace will; the prosecutor's words, not mine.
As a country, we have had “cultural sensibility” shoved down our throats for the last 40 years. How can the American press, including Fox News, give any serious discussion as to the “proper” application of "Islamic" law? There is no proper application of “Islamic” law. This outrage foreshadows the shape of things to come, and unless summarily checked now, will result in much more serious and bloody conflicts with other so called “Islamic” republics. This version of Islamic law in the public sector is the antithesis of the most basic tenants of western democracies. And these believers are willing to kill and die for it.
At the end of World War II, we occupied Germany and Japan. As an occupying force, we had to dismantle the entire framework of those horrible regimes in order to establish the roots of democracy. The only bow to cultural sensibilities was MacArthur allowing the Japanese Emperor to retain his throne. The quid pro quo was that Hirohito willingly and publicly undeified himself, and cooperated 100% with the United States as an occupying force in restructuring Japanese society.
It is time the United States starts acting like an occupying force and begin to root out the evil that has permeated Afghanistan and stand up for the principles of equality, justice, freedom and democracy for all Afghan citizens, male or female, Moslem, Christian or Jew. The only way to break the grip of the clerics is to take control of those horrible religious schools and the curriculum, take control of the courts and the operations of the government, monitor the mosques and imprison the clerics who call for murder and mutilation of people for practicing basic human rights.
The United States standing up for our principles in Afghanistan will do much more to move Iran and Saudi Arabia into more moderate positions than any military action in Iraq. Failure to do so will result in continual bloodshed and terrorism, not only here, but in the world.
The Taliban represented one of the most, if not the most, repressive regimes in modern history. Music was banned. There were mass executions in soccer stadiums for the most trivial of offenses. Women represented a slave class subject to complete control of their spouses. If they disobeyed their spouses, they could be executed. Female circumcision was widely practiced. The country was ruled by a group of Islamic clerics implementing the "Islamic" laws of the "religion of peace".
NATO joined in the effort in Afghanistan, and is currently in charge of Afghan operations. NATO and the United States propped up Hamid Karzai as President of Afghanistan, who, for all intents and purposes, controls the city of Kabul. The balance of the country is ruled by warlords and clerics. Somewhere in the mix, the United States supposedly helped to draft a Constitution.
In a domestic dispute gone mad, the wife of an Afghan citizen reported to the local Afghan prosecutors that her husband had converted to Christianity. The local prosecutor is now seeking the death penalty, which is the religion of peace’s penalty for conversion from Islam. This so-called Islamic law is incorporated into the Afghan constitution, and the prosecutor announced yesterday that neither Karzai, nor the United States, is going to keep him from enforcing Islamic law. If he doesn’t execute this man, the populace will; the prosecutor's words, not mine.
As a country, we have had “cultural sensibility” shoved down our throats for the last 40 years. How can the American press, including Fox News, give any serious discussion as to the “proper” application of "Islamic" law? There is no proper application of “Islamic” law. This outrage foreshadows the shape of things to come, and unless summarily checked now, will result in much more serious and bloody conflicts with other so called “Islamic” republics. This version of Islamic law in the public sector is the antithesis of the most basic tenants of western democracies. And these believers are willing to kill and die for it.
At the end of World War II, we occupied Germany and Japan. As an occupying force, we had to dismantle the entire framework of those horrible regimes in order to establish the roots of democracy. The only bow to cultural sensibilities was MacArthur allowing the Japanese Emperor to retain his throne. The quid pro quo was that Hirohito willingly and publicly undeified himself, and cooperated 100% with the United States as an occupying force in restructuring Japanese society.
It is time the United States starts acting like an occupying force and begin to root out the evil that has permeated Afghanistan and stand up for the principles of equality, justice, freedom and democracy for all Afghan citizens, male or female, Moslem, Christian or Jew. The only way to break the grip of the clerics is to take control of those horrible religious schools and the curriculum, take control of the courts and the operations of the government, monitor the mosques and imprison the clerics who call for murder and mutilation of people for practicing basic human rights.
The United States standing up for our principles in Afghanistan will do much more to move Iran and Saudi Arabia into more moderate positions than any military action in Iraq. Failure to do so will result in continual bloodshed and terrorism, not only here, but in the world.
Comments