A “Holey” Instrument Of Peace In Iraq
By Robert Weitzel
20 May,
2008
Countercurrents.org
On
October 23, 2006 a U.S. soldier or marine peered through the telescopic
sight of his M24 sniper rifle and trained it on the face of Nora,
a five-year-old Iraqi girl. Her pretty face was close enough to kiss.
Instead, he squeezed the trigger and sent a 7.62 round slamming into
her skull. The medical report read, “Nora sustained an explosive
bullet injury to her head that smashed the skull bones and ruptured
her cerebral membrane.” Nora survived the sniper’s bullet.
During the battle for Falluja in 2004, U.S. snipers positioned themselves
on rooftops covering the entrance to the only hospital still in operation,
creating what locals called “sniper alley.” Iraqi men,
women, and children seeking medical treatment were fired on. Ambulances
delivering patients and supplies were fired on. Unlike Nora, many
did not survive the sniper’s bullet.
On May 30, 2006 Nabiha Nisaif Jasiam and her cousin, Saliha Mohammed
Hassen were shot from behind by a U.S. sniper as they drove to Samarra
General hospital. Nabiha was about to deliver her third child. Neither
survived the sniper’s bullet.
No U.S. president or general or lowly lieutenant acknowledged, much
less apologized, for these illegal and immoral shootings. No sniper
was held accountable.
On May 19 the commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, Maj. General Jeffrey
Hammond, apologized to community leaders and imams from the Baghdad
neighborhood of Radhwaniya after it was discovered that a U.S. sniper
used a copy of the Quran for target practice.
Gen. Hammond told the angry crowd, “I come before you here seeking
your forgiveness. In the most humble manner . . . I say please forgive
me and my soldiers. The actions of one soldier were nothing more than
criminal behavior.”
Sheikh Hamadi al-Qirtani, speaking for the tribal sheiks of Radhwaniya,
called the sniper’s behavior “aggression against the entire
Islamic world.” The Association of Muslim Scholars condemned
“this heinous crime against God’s book” and warned
Gen. Hammond, “God preserves his book and [is] the Great Avenger.”
We need some perspective here!
Nora and the other innocent Iraqis shot by snipers are made of flesh
and blood and a brain capable of remembering yesterday and hoping
for tomorrow. They are their god’s “Islamic World,”
the living testament to faith in a sacred covenant. It is these human
beings who are the victims of a “heinous crime” and deserve
to be avenged by their god, if not at least apologized to by Gen.
Hammond.
Holy books, on the other hand, are made of cardboard and paper and
ink. They are made for profits (pun absolutely intended). These books
are not manna from heaven. They are manufactured here on Earth and
there is nothing sacred about their physical presence. Whatever “sacredness”
there may be in holy books can, like little Nora, survive a sniper’s
bullet. If it cannot, then it is most assuredly the creation of men,
not of gods.
To seal his apology at Radhwaniya, Gen. Hammond ordered a soldier
to kiss a new copy of the Quran and present it to the community. That
done, he assured them, “I have punished this soldier. [He] has
lost the honor to serve the United States Army and the people of Iraq
here in Baghdad.” The soldier was sent home to his family.
Is it any wonder that the Vietnam War lasted for more than a decade
and claimed the lives of 58,200 Americans and over two million Vietnamese?
During that war, soldiers and marines had to shoot themselves instead
of a book in order to lose the “honor” of serving the
U.S. military and the people of Vietnam and get sent home to their
families.
With that in mind, consider this proposal for a “holey”
workable Iraq peace plan: Mothers write to your son, wives to your
husband, and kids to your dad. Beg him to drill a few 7.62 holes into
a holy book of his choice, turning it into an instrument of peace.
Have him respectfully submit this symbol of peace to his commanding
officer with a notarized photograph to the unit chaplain or local
imam. He will no longer be allowed to “serve” the people
of Iraq and will be safely home in a week. The war will be over by
Christmas.
It seems unlikely that either the Peaceful Prophet of Islam or the
Prince of Peace of Christianity will have a problem with 140,000 holey
holy books if it means saving twice that many lives and the ending
of an immoral war and suffocating occupation.
The Peaceful Prophet said, “Whoever kills a single soul . .
. it is as though he had killed all of humanity,” while the
Prince of Peace made it clear, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethrens, ye
have done it unto me.
Neither Prophet nor Prince ever said anything about “killing”
a book. It is the “living testament” that is sacred to
them, not something made of cardboard and paper and profits.
Robert Weitzel is a contributing editor to Media With a Conscience. His essays regularly appear in The Capital Times in Madison, WI. He can be contacted at: [email protected]