Thursday, December 30, 2004
To What End?
At what point does determination become obsession? When is that line between perseverance and pure bull-headedness crossed? Wherever that line is, we are about to go charging across it.
Like a horse with blinders on, our current administration is hell-bent on maintaining the date for Iraqi elections. However, it may prove to be a little difficult if they don't have anyone to man the polling places.
All other things aside, we clearly aren't able to provide the necessary security to quell the Iraqi's fears. Of course our government tries to portray this as a desperate insurgency willing to try anything to disrupt the march of freedom, but day-by-day it looks increasingly clearer that the shoe of desperation is on the other foot; ours. As if we needed any proof of our desperation to regain control of the situation, we need to look no further than the hurried training and deployment of our guard and reserve units. Just today, my local guard unit deployed two months early in an effort to beef up security for the upcoming elections. After a mere two months of training, the unit was given a five day leave to come home for Christmas and upon their return to training yesterday, they were informed that they would deploy this morning at 6:00 AM. Happy Holidays, boys.
The article goes on to say that insurgents are claiming that democracy and the Muslim faith can not co-exist.
This, of course, is not a new revelation. This has been discussed since the beginning of the invasion. There are certain principles to democracy that do not align with the Islamic faith. By installing a democratically elected government in a Muslim country, we may be forcing the Iraqis to choose between their faith and their government. If that is indeed the case, what legitimacy will the elected officials have? Furthermore, what will be the basis for their decisions? Will it be the good of the country, the equality of all Iraqis, or the teachings of their faith? And finally, will we accept and support a democratically elected Iraqi government if it grounds itself in the teachings of the Islamic faith and denies the rights of some of its citizens based on gender, religion, or ancestry?
All of these questions have yet to be addressed and here we are a mere month from the magic day without enough troops to secure the nation and, apparently, enough personel to man the polling stations. What an embarassment this has become.
Sidenote: With today's deployment, Mrs. kissfan and I are seeing former students and colleagues being sent into harm's way. Our thoughts are with them and their families and we both hope to see them returned safe and sound whatever the outcome in Iraq ultimately is to be.
Like a horse with blinders on, our current administration is hell-bent on maintaining the date for Iraqi elections. However, it may prove to be a little difficult if they don't have anyone to man the polling places.
- Three militant groups warned Iraqis against voting in Jan. 30 elections, saying Thursday that people participating in the "dirty farce" risked attack. All 700 employees of the electoral commission in Mosul reportedly resigned after being threatened.
All other things aside, we clearly aren't able to provide the necessary security to quell the Iraqi's fears. Of course our government tries to portray this as a desperate insurgency willing to try anything to disrupt the march of freedom, but day-by-day it looks increasingly clearer that the shoe of desperation is on the other foot; ours. As if we needed any proof of our desperation to regain control of the situation, we need to look no further than the hurried training and deployment of our guard and reserve units. Just today, my local guard unit deployed two months early in an effort to beef up security for the upcoming elections. After a mere two months of training, the unit was given a five day leave to come home for Christmas and upon their return to training yesterday, they were informed that they would deploy this morning at 6:00 AM. Happy Holidays, boys.
The article goes on to say that insurgents are claiming that democracy and the Muslim faith can not co-exist.
- The radical Ansar al-Sunnah Army and two other insurgent groups issued a statement Thursday warning that democracy was un-Islamic. Democracy could lead to passing un-Islamic laws, such as permitting homosexual marriage, if the majority or people agreed to it, the statement said.
"Democracy is a Greek word meaning the rule of the people, which means that the people do what they see fit," the statement said. "This concept is considered apostasy and defies the belief in one God — Muslims' doctrine."
Ansar al-Sunnah earlier posted a manifesto on its Web site saying democracy amounts to idolizing human beings. Thursday's joint statement reiterated the threat that "anyone who accepts to take part in this dirty farce will not be safe."
This, of course, is not a new revelation. This has been discussed since the beginning of the invasion. There are certain principles to democracy that do not align with the Islamic faith. By installing a democratically elected government in a Muslim country, we may be forcing the Iraqis to choose between their faith and their government. If that is indeed the case, what legitimacy will the elected officials have? Furthermore, what will be the basis for their decisions? Will it be the good of the country, the equality of all Iraqis, or the teachings of their faith? And finally, will we accept and support a democratically elected Iraqi government if it grounds itself in the teachings of the Islamic faith and denies the rights of some of its citizens based on gender, religion, or ancestry?
All of these questions have yet to be addressed and here we are a mere month from the magic day without enough troops to secure the nation and, apparently, enough personel to man the polling stations. What an embarassment this has become.
Sidenote: With today's deployment, Mrs. kissfan and I are seeing former students and colleagues being sent into harm's way. Our thoughts are with them and their families and we both hope to see them returned safe and sound whatever the outcome in Iraq ultimately is to be.
