Afghanistan: WTF? What Was American Military Thinking Burning Religious Books?

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From Denny:  Who would think a little house cleaning would create such an uproar in the Middle East?  As usual the military is so action and task oriented they forgot to use their brains.  Book burning of any kind is bad news in my mind.

But when you are burning books that are in a foreign language you can't read, don't you think it would have been smart to consult a few locals to sift the books for you, instead of indiscriminately burning everything?

They would easily spot the religious books and set them aside.  But no, the military employed their usual stupidity, need for speed and just marched onward.

Yet another reason why America should not be at war for over a decade now.  Soldiers lose their common sense for the obvious because they are emotionally worn out staying in physical survival mode around the clock.  Sometimes, you really do have to be more diplomatic with other cultures, especially if you want them to respect your culture in return.

At least to their credit, this generation of American military was actually willing to apologize for their cultural and religious gaffe.  What a milestone.  The Afghans do not realize what a powerful difference they accomplished.

So, to our friends in the Middle East and Afghanistan, sometimes, governments are just not wise or respectful or get it right 100 percent of the time.  This will not happen a second time now that they have learned from the blowback.

This may be the perfect "teaching moment" for both the West and the Middle East.  We all need to get serious about respecting the other person's culture and religion.  Just think about it.  Peace might break out and we all could live happier more productive lives, enriching our cultures and stabilizing our societies.

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Since the Blogger comment section is not working right I'll place it in the post body, this is in answer to Kris13 who said:

The US is not the only country or people who burn holy books. The Taliban and other radical Muslims do it to the Bible. Is that ok? These books were taken from prisoners who were passing information back and forth. By writing on certain pages. Since there have been jail breaks, and big ones, the US has to be careful what is does with material that could be used to plot an attack and so on. Common sense.

Denny Lyon:

It is not in dispute that other countries and terrorist groups foolishly burn holy books as well as America.  If you recall the beginning of my post I don't like book burning of any kind - which includes my beloved Bible.  But I'm not going to go to war over it like they do in the Middle East.  I'm not so arrogant as to believe God needs me to defend Him.  He knows what He is doing.

America has a much larger presence in the minds of the world in this time in history and from which far more wisdom as well as careful deliberation is expected.  America looms large and is greatly feared in many parts of the world.

Of course, prisoners think they are clever by writing messages into their holy books, thinking it will help their escape.  Every soldier, political or military, believes it is their duty to escape their enemy.  And yes, the military has to be careful with containing this type of material. 

Burning said material in plain sight in front of foreign nationals in their own country is just plain stupid and insulting.  They know you are intentionally insulting them as burning books is considered a demonstration of speech.  In tinder boxes like the Middle East where emotions run high, it's not smart to give them such a strong visual as burning the highest symbol of their culture.  

They do not see the obvious from America's point of view.  To us they reduced the holy books down to prison break messages. The Middle East always sees their holy books as holy no matter what.  Therefore, be wise enough to tread lightly.

It may not mean much to you or me whether their holy books are burned but it is the core of who they believe themselves to be.  Whether they are actually successful in following the teachings is another matter since a lot of political garbage culture and ensuing brainwashing grows up around all religions.

While it is common sense to round up the messages written into their holy books, it is not common sense to burn them in plain view for all to see.  When you crush people they no longer have anything left to lose and will fight back in ways you cannot contain.  Think about it.  Now that is common sense.

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