Afghans recently protested an alleged incident in which ‘foreign soldiers’ burned a Quran during a raid. NATO and US force representatives denied that any such incident occurred, instead calling it a Taliban rumor.
Perhaps more interesting were the actions the protestors took. While a few Americans claim that US actions are convincing the Muslim world that Americans are on a Christian ‘crusade,’ the protestors repeated the more common accusation: Read more
The sensitivities of religion, military uniforms, and weapons have frequently made for controversial accusations. A few months ago, al Jazeera used creative cuts in a video of a Chaplain to imply that he was wearing a sidearm. (Though he wasn’t, others in the congregation may very well have been.) When Christian basic trainees were photographed with their weapons during religious services, they were decried as morally equivalent to Islamic suicide bombers.
The apparent accusation is that American servicemembers should not be permitted to intermingle their uniforms, weapons, and religion. Notably, that accusation has been applied only to Christians. Other ideological adherents have been photographed in uniform with their weapons without complaint.
The military requirements, however, Read more
The internet is awash with people calling for court-martial and other repercussions for the soldiers shown on al Jazeera (as discussed previously). Some have even said their actions are evidence of a larger conspiracy, and that they have endangered their fellow troops.
Problem is, they’re talking about fictional events Read more
In an apparent response to the claims that it took things out of context, al Jazeera has posted a seven minute unedited video clip of the “Bible study group” in which the local language Bibles were shown. The original video, discussed here, was severely edited and has caused an internet uproar calling for court martial for the Chaplains and discharge for all the military members involved.
The fuller video is somewhat vindicating, and demonstrates that the al Jazeera clip did, in fact, take the Chaplain’s and soldiers’ words out of context. The Chaplain, accused in some places of illegal action, gives very good, very legal advice, and talks about the “hearts and minds” of the Afghani and Muslim culture. He very specifically, and very emphatically, says violating General Order number one is not the “sword they want to fall on.” Read more
As noted at the Huffington Post, al Jazeera has posted a news article and segment (video on YouTube) showing military Chaplains in the Middle East with Bibles in the local language and preaching “conversion.”
While seemingly inflammatory on its face (as evidenced by the outrage in subsequent comments on the websites), the newsreel is actually an “exercise in context.” For example, it highlights this quote, also re-posted in both the al Jazeera and Huffington Post articles:
[T]he chaplains appear to have found a way around the regulation known as General Order Number One.
“Do we know what it means to proselytise?” Captain Emmit Furner, a military chaplain, says to the gathering.
“It is General Order Number One,” an unidentified soldier replies.
But [another soldier] says “you can’t proselytise but you can give gifts.”
The voiceover then continues, and the Huffington article goes on to emphasize the crime of conversion in Afghanistan.
Both ignore the significance of the very next statement by the Chaplain, which is almost obscured by the al Jazeera narrator. Read more