by Stephen Lendman
Despite
constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom, America consistently
violates fundamental rights, including respecting all faiths equally.
More
than other ethnic/religious groups, Western discourse portrays
Muslim/Arabs stereotypically as culturally inferior, dirty, lecherous,
untrustworthy, religiously fanatical, and violent.
In his book, "Reel Bad Arabs:
How Hollywood Vilifies a People," Jack Shaheen explained how they've
been defamed and vilified throughout decades of cinematic history. From
silent films to recent ones, they encourage prejudicial attitudes, and
reinforce notions of Western values, high-mindedness, and moral
superiority.
Worse
still are slanderous post-9/11 media commentaries about dangerous
gun-toting terrorists, the need to closely monitor them, and rid society
of those considered dangerous.
Never
mind rule of law principles, right or wrong, or whether accused targets
are guilty. Saying so's all that matters to justify America's war on
terror. It needs enemies. When not around, they're invented.
As
a result, Muslim Arabs and others suffer hugely, including at home.
Koran burning incidents provide more proof. They symbolize America's
contempt for Islam.
Importance of the Koran
According
to observing Muslims, the Koran's an exact record of words revealed by
God through the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad. He taught them to others.
Scribes passed them on. Throughout centuries of Islamic history, its 114
chapters remained unchanged.
The
Koran's the primary source of Muslim faith and practice. It covers all
human concerns, including wisdom, beliefs, worship and law. It also
focuses on God's relationship with humanity, and provides guidelines for
a just society, proper relationships, and just divisions of power.
It
teaches love, not hate; peace, not violence; charity, not selfishness;
and tolerance, not terrorism. Its five pillars include profession of
faith, prayer five times daily, fasting during Ramadan, charity, and
performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime for
those able to afford it.
Clashes Over Latest Afghanistan Koran Burning Incident
It's
happened before and each time incites rage. The latest incident
involves US Bagram Air Base forces dumping Koran copies and other
Islamic holy materials in debris piles for burning.
Military
officials lied saying they contained "extremist inscriptions" and were
used to "facilitate extremist communications." The latest incident
followed previous ones and release of a January video showing Marines
urinating on Afghan corpses.
Protests
erupted each time. Hollow apologies heightened anger, especially after a
decade of brutal war, occupation, daily killings, and extreme
deprivation in ravaged Afghanistan.
America's History of Dehumanizing Enemies
"You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" is one of many memorable Rogers and Hammerstein "South Pacific" songs. Its lyrics went as follows:
"You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!"
Early
or later, it works the same way by drumming it repeatedly into
impressionable minds, including US military recruits in training.
It begins by creating Groupthink. Individuality and free thought are expunged. Recruits are intimidated to go along.
For example, Marines begin days chanting:
"This
barrack contains 45 highly motivated, truly dedicated romping stomping
blood thirsty kill crazy United States Marine Corps recruits, sir."
Unlike
football crowds chanting "defense," Marines shout "kill." Their combat
mandate demands it. By combining weapons training with brainwashing,
robotized human killing machines are created.
Major
media and Hollywood scoundrels help. They're enlisted to demonize
enemies. Racial epithets vilified Japanese soldiers. They were
dehumanized as brutal animals. So were North Koreans, Vietnamese, and
other non-whites. Asians and Arabs are called sneaky, deviant, and other
degrading terms. Training manipulates impressionable minds to believe
it.
In fall 2006, former Marine Sgt. Martin Smith's article headlined, "Learning to be a Killer: Remembering Marine Corps boot camp," saying:
Indoctrination
involves "dehumanizing the enemy in order to train (recruits) how to
overcome any fear or prejudice against killing."
"The
process of dehumanization is central to military training. During the
Vietnam War, the enemy in Vietnam was simply a 'gook,' 'dink,' or
'slope. Today, 'raghead' and 'sand nigger' are the current racist
epithets lodged against Arabs and Muslims."
"After
every command, we would scream, 'Kill!' But our call for blood took on
particular importance during our physical training, when we learned how
to fight with pugil sticks-wooden sticks with padded ends-how to run an
obstacle course with fixed bayonets, or how to box and engage in
hand-to-hand combat."
"We
were told to imagine the 'enemy' in all of our combat training, and it
was always implied that the enemy was of Middle Eastern descent. When
some raghead comes lurking up from behind, you're gonna give 'em ONE,'
barked the training DI. We all howled in unison, “Kill!”
"We
were being indoctrinated with schemes for war in the Middle East. Our
hatred of the 'Arab other' was crafted from the very beginning of our
training through fear and hate. In these 'dirty wars,' troops cannot
tell friend from foe, leading to war crimes against a civilian
population."
Other
US service branches also manipulate young minds to kill. They reinforce
training mandates in war zones. They violate lawful rules of engagement
(ROE). In Iraq, some commanders ordered killing all military-aged Iraqi
men on sight.
Yet
US Army Field Manual 27-10 incorporates Nuremberg Principles, Judgment
and the Charter and Law of Land Warfare (1956). They prohibit crimes of
war and against humanity and require disobeying lawless orders.
But
US service members risk Court Martial and prison terms by putting rule
of law principles above chain of command orders. Either go along or be
penalized if charged.
Manipulating Public Opinion
Vilifying
enemies isn't new. Nor do boot camps alone create Groupthink.
Political, academic, religious and other leaders euphemize killing and
dehumanizing to justify lawless acts.
For
example, calling Soviet Russia the "evil empire" or communism a
"cancer" manipulates public opinion to accept aggressive state policy as
justified.
In
Nazi Germany, Jews were called "parasites," "Jewish bacilli," and other
dehumanizing terms to facilitate Hitler's "final solution." Raul
Hilberg's "The Destruction of the European Jews" is its definite history.
He called their annihilation no accident, saying:
"When
in the early days of 1933, the first civil servant wrote the first
definition of 'non-Aryan' into a civil service ordinance, the fate of
European Jewry was sealed."
He
also said "moral obstacles must be removed" and internal conflicts
resolved to facilitate the horrors of war and planned atrocities.
Throughout
America's history, racist/hateful dehumanization targeted Native
Americans, Blacks, Latinos, other marginalized groups, and now Muslims.
For example, Native people were called plundering, murdering savages,
and much more. Doing so facilitated ritual slaughter.
America's
holocaust inspired Hitler's. How could Washington complain when it
committed its own. Each time, mass slaughter's justified, sanitized,
and/or suppressed. Pain, suffering, and death aren't images policy
makers want publicized.
Rhetoric
softens horrific acts. Civilian deaths become "collateral damage." In
Vietnam, "pacification" meant forced displacement. "Incursion" was code
language for invasion. Creating a "sanitized belt" meant removing
everyone, bulldozing areas, and erecting "defensive positions" with
heavy weapons.
"Sincere
regrets" conceal deliberate killing. Free fire zones become
"humanitarian bombing." Propaganda softens and conceals crimes of war
and against humanity. Language hides ugly truths.
Ronald
Reagan's national security advisor, Robert McFarlane, euphemized war
horrors. He said America must remain prepared for "low-intensity
conflict. The use of force can never be our preference or our only
choice. It cannot yet be discarded, however, as an instrument of
policy."
In
fact, it's often preferred policy. It's disguised as humanitarian,
democratic liberation, when, in fact, it's imperial aggression for
unchallenged dominance.
Orwellian
language facilitates warmaking. When used effectively, mass slaughter
and destruction become normal, though for the most part ugly facts are
suppressed.
Entire war zones become destroyed villages to save them. Brainwashed troops make it possible with ease.
Groupthink removes ravaged countries, mass slaughter, and human suffering from their mindsets.
Training indoctrination makes them effective killing machines in combat. Burning Korans alone show they're well taught.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also
visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive
Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US
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