Re: [Culture] Manipulating the Bullshit Alerts

[Benseraglio2]

In a message dated 8/3/2004 4:23:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: 5 Christian Churches were blown up during Sunday services. A 6th was  targeted, but the bomb failed to go off. NONE of those churches or  worshipers were Americans, but they were non-Muslims. Americans are terrified that Religion can be used as a call to war.  They conveniently ignore the fact that only 300 years ago, the Ottoman  Empire was knocking on the doors of Vienna. Whoa! Your rants and riffs were much easier to follow when you were discoursing about window replacements and boiler systems.   Anyhow, just two immediate comments -- have to wait to respond to the rest until I get a few free days to read it all.   First, a reference to my essay "Anabaptist Attitudes Toward the Turks". Back when the Ottomans were knock knock knocking on Vienna's doors, my spiritual ancestors in Europe were saying things (under torture) like "I will not fight, but if I did, I would fight for the Turks rather than Christendom." http://rossbender.org/turks.html   Second, the Mennos and the Quakes and some other peaceniks maintain small groups known as "Christian Peacemaker Teams" in hotspots like Baghdad, Hebron, along the Mexican border. They are basically observers; they don't really do much but live there and report what they see. They have talked to folks waiting to visit family in Abu Ghraib, and to some of the American military commanders there. They talk to Israeli Defense Force members and to Palestinians. They probably have nil effect in practical political terms. Here's their dispatch from today:   CPTnet August 3, 2004 IRAQ: "This was not done by Iraqis." "This was not done by Iraqis (Muslims)," the Iraqi Christian woman said to my teammate Peggy and me. We stood in front of the Syrian church. It was one of the five churches targeted by militants in Iraq on Sunday.  "Iraqis are not like this," the woman continued. She was not angry, but sincere.  "We live together with Iraqi Muslims without any problems."      This woman is not alone in her words. Other Iraqi Christians have said the same thing. Our Iraqi Christian landlord told us that Iraqi Muslims would not try to do something extreme like blow up churches. He acknowledged that there are ignorant Muslims in Iraq who attack Christian liquor stores because alcohol is forbidden in Islam, but said these people are not a majority.      At the other end of the spectrum are Iraqi Christians who are not so positive. They say Muslims cannot be trusted; they all want to kill the Christians. Many Iraqi Christians have moved to other countries where they do not have to live under the fear of violence, but most have not.      Voicing the same concerns as the Iraqi Christian woman, many of our Muslim friends have given us their assurances that the actions of Islamic militants do not represent Islam.  "These people are not real Muslims," several of our friends have told us.  "They are uneducated."  Our Muslims friends say this with agitation and sincerity.  "Christians and Muslims are brothers."      The fact that these militants are "foreign agitators," is also a common belief among Iraqi Muslims. Concerning the decapitations of hostages, Shi'a Muslims have pointed out that those who carry out such an act cannot be Shi'a. The Shi'a prophet Hussein, who was a relative of the prophet Mohammed, died via decapitation. They say a Shi'a decapitating someone would be like a Christian crucifying someone, an abomination.      Although foreign media has labeled the recent attacks against churches as a new approach by militants here, most Iraqis, Christian and Muslim, do not agree.  "It is an attempt to divide the Iraqi people," one Iraqi Christian said in an interview.  "But it will not work." A year ago, militants tried to raise tensions between Shi'a Muslims and Sunni Muslims by targeting Shi'a mosques and shrines. The Shi'a community refused to point their fingers at the Sunni.      There are other speculations as to why militants attacked these churches. Some people say it is because Iraqi Christians work with the Multinational Forces here, but just as many Muslims do. Others say it was because the Multinational Forces come from predominantly Christian countries and striking at Iraqi Christians might resonate more with the Forces. Whatever the reason, it is good to know that at this time, Iraqi Christians are not calling for revenge. Those who feel a need to get out are trying to, but most want to stay here in Iraq. This is their home."   Ross Bender http://rossbender.org