Report: Fort Hood suspect asked military to give Muslims an out
Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- The suspect in the Fort Hood shootings gave a presentation in 2007 saying the military should allow Muslim soldiers to opt out of fighting Muslim enemies, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/fort.hood.shooting/index.html
New jihad code threatens al Qaeda
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- From within Libya's most secure jail a new challenge to al Qaeda is emerging.http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/11/09/libya.jihadi.code/index.html
Leaders of one of the world's most effective jihadist organizations, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), have written a new "code" for jihad. The LIFG says it now views the armed struggle it waged against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime for two decades as illegal under Islamic law.
The new code, a 417-page religious document entitled "Corrective Studies" is the result of more than two years of intense and secret talks between the leaders of the LIFG and Libyan security officials.
The code's most direct challenge to al Qaeda is this: "Jihad has ethics and morals because it is for God. That means it is forbidden to kill women, children, elderly people, priests, messengers, traders and the like. Betrayal is prohibited and it is vital to keep promises and treat prisoners of war in a good way. Standing by those ethics is what distinguishes Muslims' jihad from the wars of other nations."
Initially, these stories are connected by the wars that the US is fighting in Asia. Slightly below the surface is the complexity of why people fight, or more specifically, why people should fight for their countries or religion.
Take the Ft. Hood case. If the Major had a problem, hey, turn down your commission as a conscientious objector. Hell as volunteer service, as all US forces are, you don’t get to chose who and when, but rather are told. As an enlisted member of the armed forces, I once took the enlistment oath:
Nowhere in it does it say, “except for those with similar beliefs as I do.”
In America, not only do we have the Oath, but also the UCMJ, a formal set of rules and regulations that is above and beyond civil laws. To read Islamists about attempting to create a similar structure, it’s interesting not only from safety of life concern for my country men, but also of those (seemingly) innocent people caught in the middle.
At the end of the day, as a volunteer soldier, you must come to your own place, mentally and spiritually, and whether it is coerced or not, this placation is helped along by a uniform set of rules that help define the position, goals, circumstances, and morals. But, once that placation is reached, and you volunteer to serve, you should not be allowed to be singled out and selectively removed, but rather be a member of the unified force you volunteered to be a part of.
Take the Ft. Hood case. If the Major had a problem, hey, turn down your commission as a conscientious objector. Hell as volunteer service, as all US forces are, you don’t get to chose who and when, but rather are told. As an enlisted member of the armed forces, I once took the enlistment oath:
I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ]. So help me God.
Nowhere in it does it say, “except for those with similar beliefs as I do.”
In America, not only do we have the Oath, but also the UCMJ, a formal set of rules and regulations that is above and beyond civil laws. To read Islamists about attempting to create a similar structure, it’s interesting not only from safety of life concern for my country men, but also of those (seemingly) innocent people caught in the middle.
At the end of the day, as a volunteer soldier, you must come to your own place, mentally and spiritually, and whether it is coerced or not, this placation is helped along by a uniform set of rules that help define the position, goals, circumstances, and morals. But, once that placation is reached, and you volunteer to serve, you should not be allowed to be singled out and selectively removed, but rather be a member of the unified force you volunteered to be a part of.
Sam J., who is generally awesome, is a college graduate, a Midwesterner living in Arizona, and unemployed. He is a recreational runner, licensed Professional Engineer, an accomplished technical writer, as well as a freelance writer who currently writes for several blogs.
No comments:
Post a Comment