A Bad Day Under Muslim Rule

In 1943 United States Military are stationed in Iraq as part of the WWII effort to defeat Hitler. The War Department provides the soldiers a pamphlet about how to behave with regards to the Iraqis. A pdf version of the old document has surfaced and is good reading. Some squashed together excerpts via Murmurs of Earth.

A Short Guide to Iraq: NEVER discuss religion or politics or women with Moslems. Don't stare at anyone. Remember the fear of the "evil eye". Knock before entering a private house. If a woman answers, wait until she has had time to retire. If you see grown men walking hand in hand, ignore it. They are not queer. You can usually tell a mosque by its high tower. Keep away from mosques. [Emphasis in the original] If you try to enter one, you will be thrown out, probably with a severe beating. There are four towns in Iraq which are particularly sacred to the Iraq Moslems: Kerbala, Najaf, Samarra, and Kadhiman. Unless you are ordered to these towns it is advisable to stay away from them. Moslems here are divided into two factions something like our division into Catholic and Protestant denominations -- so don't put in your two cents when Iraqis argue about religion. There are also political differences in Iraq that have puzzled diplomats and statesmen. You won't help matters any by getting mixed up in them.

Those religious and political differences are going to flare up as someone manages to once again set off explosives inside the extremely sacred Askariya Shiite shrine in Samarra. It was the February 22, 2006 destruction of the golden dome that inflamed the ongoing Shia retaliation violence. Some group really wants to keep the violence level high.

Captain Ed reviews how Hamas succeeds with their gangster style assassinations of anyone in the Palestinian Authority standing in their way of complete control. Good bye Gaza Strip. A “terrorist protostate on the Mediterranean” is now a reality and it will require Israel to confront it.

Finally, Jeffrey Harrell reviews the situation in Darfur, Sudan and concludes the expanded economic sanctions the White House announces today will be ineffective because “after decades of non-stop war, Sudan basically has no economy.” And it is worse than that.

Now Is Not The Time: Here’s the harsh truth: We cannot stop the fighting in Sudan. We can’t do it. There’s just no way. The roots of the fighting go back too far. There are too many players. We don’t have any tactics, either diplomatic or military, for imposing order on a state of pure anarchy.

The 21st Century Muslim Armageddon retains its momentum. Now back to Paris Hilton.