I feel the need to apologize for not consistently posting things on the site. Yes a ton of things have happened… and yes I’ve documented them… I have several entries almost ready for posting - give me time and I promise they will be on the site; back dated and everything. Please bear with me and look back to find new entries. My real challenge has been constant transit, getting decent berthing and finding steady stable consistent access. Thankfully I have little elves to help me out with future posting. The good news for all of you is that my morale is a bit low at the moment and I’ve been instructed by command to work a hobby such as writing home – something to get thing to distract me from the routine that is now my life.. Thus more writing and more stories for you. Unfortunately for me… my challenge is to provide you stories while maintaining Operational Security and getting sleep. (It takes me a while to put my thoughts “on paper”) Oh and yes I am suffering from insomnia once again … something my over active mind has put me through many times in my life.
On to my request… Before coming here I thought I knew a bit about Islam and the Middle East. Now I realize I knew nothing. To answer your most common question – No this place is not like what you see in the Media… It is SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX. You cannot begin to explain this area in a 30 minute news broadcast much less a 45 second sound bite. Yes I hear explosions…Yes I hear small arms fire… Yes I see things beyond description… but deeper than all of that is a story… 1500 years in the making. You want to help me and all my battle buddies come home? Discover some of the pillars of Islam and get smart! Get smart real fast… Pursuit of Knowledge is highly regarded in Islam (apparently Mohammad once said that an hour in the pursuit of knowledge is better than 70 years of praying). I request that you go on-line, go to the library, hell go to Mecca, I don’t care where but learn about History of the Middle East and the influence of religion in the region. Learn about Sunnis, Shiites, Ashura and Husayn, Eid ul-Adha, Ramadan, the Caliphs, and the Imams. I realize that’s a large bite to swallow but until Jack and Jill America truly understand the situation here, we are really building up a world of hurt for ourselves and our posterity both in the US and Middle East.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I have but one request…
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1 comment:
My dear sir, there's no need to apologize. I daresay you've got more pressing things to attend to more often than not! ;-) It is certainly good to hear from you though!
I told you this in IMs but I'll post it public, too: I'm not the praying sort, but you know I think about you every single day and hope you and ALL your fellow military folks stay safe and come home soon.
To that I add the gratitude of me and mine for your service; for doing, hearing, and seeing things AND relaying enough info back to point out what's significant and how we should go about "watching our backs."
I request that you go on-line, go to the library, hell go to Mecca, I don’t care where but learn about History of the Middle East and the influence of religion in the region. Learn about Sunnis, Shiites, Ashura and Husayn, Eid ul-Adha, Ramadan, the Caliphs, and the Imams. I realize that’s a large bite to swallow but until Jack and Jill America truly understand the situation here, we are really building up a world of hurt for ourselves and our posterity both in the US and Middle East.
As self-proclaimed religion geek, I couldn't agree more. As insulated as this "Christian nation" is with regard to any religious history other than its own (never mind the political & social struggles attached), any continued (and especially willful!) ignorance presents a clear and present danger to us all.
INFORMATION IS POWER!!!
Here are a few places that'd be a good start:
Wikipedia: History of the Middle East
Religious Tolerance: Islam
About.com: Islam
Medieval Sourcebook: Islam
NPR: The Middle East and the West, A Troubled History
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