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Afghanistan
US Commander Converts to Islam
2007-11-08
The US commander of International Security Assistance Force in the Andar district of Ghazni Province in Afghanistan has embraced Islam.
The website of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms this story.
The commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) embraced Islam in the presence of 2,000 people on Thursday. Cap. Cormier Michel - 45 - commands 300 ISAF troops in the Taliban-infested district. The Ghazni governor, district chief, provincial council members, local officials, elders, ISAF soldiers and students attended a ceremony marking the commander's conversion to Islam. The ceremony, which lasted well over three hours, concluded with chants of 'Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is Great).

Cap. Michel, who changed his name to Abdul Wahed, started his brief speech with Bismillah (In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent and the most Merciful). During the last five years, Abdul Wahed pointed out, he had been studying Islamic books and he concluded that Islam is the first religion.
"Abdul" means "slave of" in Arabic. I don't suppose that Michel is a slave to the US Constitution.
“Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood, but terrorists and extremists are bringing a bad name to it," he noted.
Reality dictates: every advance of islam has come through either use of military force, or the threat of same. During the Cold War, US troops were made to understand the nature of Communism. Theater troops need at least a base understanding of the jihad obligations that fall on Muslims.
Posted by:McZoid

#20  LH: Yes, Abdul means slave, and Abd-suffix usually means slave of suffix.

Abd-allah, Abdullah, Abdalla, etc., are all variants on "Slave of God," for instance.

Also some relation to Abu Abed, who's kinda sorta the Lebanese equivalent to Boudreaux. I don't know who their version of Thibodaux is, so don't ask.
Posted by: Abdominal Snowman   2007-11-08 23:15  

#19  I agree, something smells... LOL!

heh check the first part of this vid concerning the visit to London by the King of Saudia Arabia.. good sign eh?
Posted by: Red Dawg   2007-11-08 15:58  

#18  "You know, there's a CBC correspondent who regularly reports out of Afghanistan named Michel Cormier. Who wants to bet that this is a *very* mangled report of a journalist's conversion?"

Dang! I think you're right.
Posted by: Dave D.   2007-11-08 15:20  

#17  Refile under "Idiot of the Day."
Posted by: JohnQC   2007-11-08 12:28  

#16  You know, there's a CBC correspondent who regularly reports out of Afghanistan named Michel Cormier. Who wants to bet that this is a *very* mangled report of a journalist's conversion?
Posted by: Mitch H.   2007-11-08 12:11  

#15  This is clear hockey puke propaganda and or a mental meltdown. No rational person would convert to islam nor would they do so in public.

What part of cult of personality doesn't he understand. I mean come on who would follow the teaching of a terrorist, mass murderer-pedophile?

Right now this fool is playing with treason by playing with the conversion, enslavement or dhimmitude Muhamhead taught in the koran.

Joe keep this in mind. Communism's has no clear call to murder all of us. islam does.
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-11-08 11:57  

#14  1. Linguistics. I dont speak Arabic, but Im guess Abdul is a cognate to the Hebrew oved, which can mean slave, servant, or (slangily) just "worker" The verb form can mean to serve a master, to worship G-d, or just to work. Pagan worship is referred to as "avodah zarah" , "bad worship" or "avodah kochavim" "worship of the stars"

2. Tactics

Even if this not an undercover op, it would make sense to use this guy's new situation for all hes worth
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2007-11-08 09:38  

#13  Just like "Cap. Abdul Wahed", I too have been studying islam for the past 5-6 years. Based upon my studies of islam, I can only conclude that no mentally stable and well adjusted human being would willingly convert to islam. Deacon Blue's antedote is as equally disturbing as is the story of Cap. Wahed.
Posted by: Mark Z   2007-11-08 09:13  

#12  During the last five years, Abdul Wahed pointed out, he had been studying Islamic books and he concluded that Islam is the first religion.

First of all, this is pure bull-hockey. I seem to think at least 2 monotheistic and multiple polytheistic religions LONG preceded Islam. And, echoing others here, I'ma thinking there's more to this story than reported. His name, his age/rank, etc. alone raise more questions than Chris Matthews could think to ask.
Posted by: BA   2007-11-08 09:03  

#11  The only source given is a Paki newspaper and Mulim newspapers routinely publish false histories of conversion to Islam.
Posted by: JFM   2007-11-08 08:18  

#10  "My spouse did not show any negative reaction,

Nor would I show any negative reaction during a long-distance phone call from a war front. BUT I would immediately thereafter move all funds to new accounts in my name only, ditto house and cars, and change my will. I would consult a lawyer to be certain I knew all my rights. Then I'd wait quietly to see whether this was something he'd done to be more effective out there, or something that he was bringing home, and how that would effect things. After all, everything I'd done could be easily enough changed back, should I desire.

Mr. Wife gave me both general power of attorney and a specific one for selling our house, back when he spent much more of his time travelling abroad. (That year he spent over 200 days away, mostly in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, was a doozy. His current schedule is much more family friendly.) I've never needed to exercise either, but they were always there should something happen to him out there.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-11-08 07:44  

#9  2 years ago my Landlady called me all in tears. My landlord had just got back from Afghanistan and informed her they could no longer live together as he had converted to Islam. He is still a Master Seargent in the US Army. She refused to convert so they are now divorced. This is not so unlikely.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2007-11-08 07:35  

#8  Some thing about this story smells. A 45 year-old captain? Cormier Michel - a Quebecois, perhaps? Ima call BS.
Posted by: Spot   2007-11-08 06:28  

#7  There are better ways to ditch a name like "Cormier". :-)

Seems he was already married. This last line got chopped off:

After the ceremony, Abdul Wahed said he had informed his wife in the US about his acceptance of Islam. "My spouse did not show any negative reaction, but recommended not to marry another woman."

Good thing for Wahed she has a sense of humor.
Posted by: gorb   2007-11-08 03:05  

#6  That's a big "if." I've been wondering about that since 2003.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2007-11-08 02:30  

#5  If senior command has any brains, Michel's move should be a career killer.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-11-08 01:40  

#4  Gone native has he? Hoep he realizes that the Saudis and Whabbists consider him no better than a slave due to culture.
Posted by: OldSpook   2007-11-08 01:18  

#3  Other question... Does he have a side business involving products of the poppy or hemp sort?
Posted by: 3dc   2007-11-08 00:35  

#2  Is this an undercover op? A man who needed to convert to marry a hot girl? A man who is off his meds?

Not enough info...
Posted by: 3dc   2007-11-08 00:33  

#1  "The nature of Communism" > See AMERICAN THINKER - INORDINATE FEAR? Communism is bar none the greatest genocidal -ism in recorded history, ala death tolls depicted in the BLACK BOOK OF COMMUNISM.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-11-08 00:19  

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