Is our action at Abu Ghraib the cause of so many beheadings?

[ladybugg33]

Were there beheadings BEFORE the revelations about Abu Ghraib?

[MisterP]

1. I recall that the photos hit the U.S. after the 1st beheadings,

but that the Iraqis knew first- or second-hand directly about the torture itself.

[Wilber_Stool]

2. It's a traditional form

of execution in the Middle East and Asia.

[Eugene]

3. Al Qaeda beheaded Daniel Pearl long before Iraq.

As with suicide bombings, they do it
because it is shocking and outrageous.
The Al-Zarqawi group is trying to exploit
the prisoners, not avenge them.

[OutsourceBush]

4. Yes, it is directly related to the prison torture

I recall a senior US military commander saying "we are going to get payback for this". Sure enough, that's when it started.

Bush Admin is therefore responsible for the be-headings in the fact that they allowed the conflict to get personal, deeply offending the opposition.

[susanna]

8. I disagree.

The previous poster was right; Daniel Pearl was the first. Keep in mind that this happened long before our foray into Iraq and therefore the A-G prison abuse.

[wishlist]

5. The first Iraq beheading ( Nick Berg) was right after Abu Ghraib broke

I am sure this is what stopped the revelations from coming out any more and the wall of silence went down over Congress and the Pentagon.

[mitchum]

6. It was due , in large measure, to the use of the word "crusade"

another horrific result of bush's casual acquaintance with language

[Barney Rocks]

7. It is traditional.

When I was growing up my family lived in Saudi Arabia for 2 years (in the 1950's). Every week there would be beheadings in the town square. All the people would go and watch--it was horrific. Also--cutting off of body parts (thieves would lose a hand) and there were public whippings (usually of women). These were big events and everyone in town would go watch--with great enjoyment too.

Even worse than the beheadings were the times I saw people stoned to death. The crowds would praticipate--it was very disturbing to me.

But you have to realize that this is the kind of "justice" that has been done in the Middle East since biblical days. Is it really more horrific than the gas chamber? It is just a question of point of view...I am against the death penalty--if people are killed (perhaps innocent people) is it any more moral to do it by lethal injection than by beheading?