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The Hidden Reason Why Americans Dislike Islam
[NationalReview]
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ” and further calls to continue the American elite’s fourteen-year track record of whitewashing Islamic beliefs and culture, but I wonder if the media is missing a powerful, largely-uncovered influence on America’s hearts and minds — the experience and testimony of the more than two million Americans who’ve served overseas since 9/11 and have experienced Islamic cultures up-close. "Experiencing them up close" is also known as "empirical observation." It's not considered evidence in university or government circles. Yes, they were in the middle of a war — but speaking from my own experience — the war was conducted from within a culture that was shockingly broken. I expected the jihadists to be evil, but even I couldn’t fathom the depths of their depravity. You mean the culture was the reason for the war? They weren't just casually connected? And it was all occurring against the backdrop of a brutally violent and intolerant culture. Women were beaten almost as an afterthought, there was a near-total lack of empathy for even friends and neighbors, lying was endemic, and sexual abuse was rampant. Even more disturbingly, it seemed that every problem was exacerbated the more religious and pious a person (or village) became. Yeah, but if you read the Koran you can find just as many verses saying it ain't so as you do saying it is so. So it must not be so, right? I spent enough time outside the wire and interacting with tribal leaders to get a sense of the reality around me, but the younger guys on the line spent weeks at a time living in the heart of the local community. I remember one young soldier, after describing the things he’d seen since the start of the deployment, gestured towards the village around us and said — in perfect Army English — “Sir, this s**t is f**ked up.” That's Army technical jargon, of course. And really, "fucked up" is still one step before FUBAR, so thetroops were obviously confused on the level of fuckeduppery. It is indeed. While it’s certainly unfair to judge Indonesia or Malaysia by the standards of Iraq or Afghanistan, Even though they're trying to get there. q.v. Aceh, southern Thailand, etc. it’s very hard to shake the power of lived experience, nor should we necessarily try. After all, when we hear stories from Syria, Yemen, Gaza, the Sinai, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, Mali, Pakistan, and elsewhere they all fit the same depressing template of the American conflict zones. Nor is the dazzlingly wealthy veneer of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or the other Gulf States all that impressive. Tens of thousands of soldiers have seen the veritable slave labor that toils within the oil empires and have witnessed first-hand their casual disregard for “lesser” life. If you're a member of the Master Religion all other religions are vermin. If you're a holy man or a princeling those beneath you are vermin. Those on your level are potential vermin, the scheming murderous bastards. But this same experience has caused us to treasure the Muslim friends we do have — in part because we recognize the extreme risks of their loyalty and defiance of jihad. Humanity, it seems, can strike anyone. That’s why American officers fiercely champion the immigration of local interpreters, even to the point of welcoming them into their own home. Back home they'd be three feet under... That’s why there’s often an intense connection with our Kurdish allies, the single-most effective ground fighting force against ISIS. Kurds: The guys the Obummer regime either can't stand or claims does't exist... Two million Americans have been downrange, Which is a fair hefty number... and they’ve come home and told families and friends stories the media rarely tells. If you're ever in Bethesda at Walter Reed+, have a meal in one of the food courts that have somehow replaced the mess hall and the officers' club. Don't say anything. Just listen. If you can't drive that far, go to your nearest VA hospital. If you've really got guts, volunteer to work with the PTSD groups. Those stories have an impact, but because of the cultural distance between America’s warriors and its media, academic, and political aristocracy, it’s an impact the aristocracy hasn’t been tracking. The aristocracy doesn't do mud, nor live ammunition. Dicky Chapelle remains dead. There is no Bernard Fall. Ernie Pyle's not even a memory. Experience trumps idealistic rhetoric, and I can’t help but think that polls like YouGov’s are at least partly registering the results of a uniquely grim American experience. People aren't blind. Even without reading Rantburg you can make out at least the murky outlines of the truth, and the outlines usually aren't even within the same frame as the version emanating from Politiciansville. Hillary Clinton had just delivered some hard talk on terrorism, recalling tough decisions she made in the White House situation room as secretary of state and lashing out at her Republican rivals for threatening the safety of the American people. Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2015-12-11 |
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