US Army in Iraq Occupies 7 Mosques in Ramadi and Turns Them into Barracks

[IChing]

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=138&newsid=73802&ch=0&datte=2005-10-06
link

Baghdad. In a one of a kind military operation the US army occupied 7 mosques yesterday in the Western Iraqi town of Ramadi and turned the mosques into barracks, the Iraqi News Agency INA reported.
According to information, the American soldiers have taken the praying out of the mosques, closed them and banned access to the mosques within a range of 1 kilometer.


This is a picture of Falluja when we occupied that town and their Mosques

[cyberpj]

1. Way to keep winning those hearts and minds guys. nt.

[indepat]

24. Shitting on them is one thing, but isn't desecration a bit much when

practiced by a supposedly civilized nation? Or is it maybe anything Rummy-dum-dum wants is okay-doaky?

[LynnTheDem]

2. China; invades & occupies America. Kicks everyone out of churches

and uses the churches as barracks. Boots and guns on the pews, pissing into the chalices etc.

Nope, Americans wouldn't mind that at all.

[tatertop]

6. I was thinking the exact same thing.

This is terrible.

[Berserker]

36. Oh my I think

we would turn into insurgents.

[ken_g]

3. Ah, winning the hearts and minds of the people. eom

[tatertop]

4. This leaves me speechless

[cantstandbush]

22. Me too. Where the hell is our Congress? Is this what spreading

"freedom and democracy" calls for? i am so ashamed and angry about this. The US deserves whatever happens to them throughout the world. If the US can't unseat the maniac running things and his henchmen they will reap what they sow.

[NJCher]

5. now picture this

Islamic "terrists" lounging around fundy churches in America. Landover Baptist, maybe.

This is so, so wrong.




Cher

[cyberpj]

33. Excellent point made. We all need to be trying on that other shoe

a lot more often.

Maybe some tv ads of this type would change a few minds.

[jn2375]

7. This will be another recruiting tool for the extremists

[Botany]

8. Boots on their prayer rugs??????

This picture could unite all of Islam against us.
Shi ite, Sunni, and all. :wtf:

Even that diplomatic genius Karen Hughes will not be able
to smooth this over.

[MADem]

34. THAT is the one thing that stood out, to me

Truth is, the masjids are places where there is alot going on. I've been to ones in holy cities on Friday night where people are hanging out, shooting the shit, even COOKING on bunsen burners off in the corners, while people are circling a tomb just a short while away, and shia' gents are lined up beating themselves with chains in time to a cadence. It's not always just prayer, though that is what we usually see through the filtered lens of American teevee.

The shoes, though, the shoes ARE NOT GOOD, regardless of whether that photo is actually a masjid, or a madrasa. I can understand them not wanting to take them on and off in an operational environment, but just tossing some butcher paper down over the carpet would have gone a long way toward showing respect.

On edit--that is definitely a masjid--you see that balcony, that is where the imam does his thing...

[leftchick]

50. wtf is right!

omg this is bad bad BAD.

:grr:

[IChing]

9. I'm not so sure on the news source but the picture

Of what we have done before is undeniable.

[tatertop]

12. (I keep saying this) Hope it's not true

[MADem]

39. Well, the picture is old, from Falujah

And we pretty well decimated that town--a lot of buildings were destroyed, and there was a ton of house to house fighting. Remember, they told everyone to clear out of the place, and only the insurgents remained.

The news source (Bulgaria?) has no pics to back up their assertion. So, there is no way to know for sure if the report is accurate. I imagine someone will release pictures at some point in time.

[laruemtt]

10. i am so ashamed of being an american right now,

and i'm so grateful i can say that here and not be told, "hey if you don't like it move." you know what i mean......

[Tom Joad]

11. They REALLY do keep winning hearts and minds...and more Iraqis...

join the Resistance everyday.

[paineinthearse]

13. Are there any other photos? Nomination #1

This is disgusting!

[IChing]

15. Not of the recent news, this photo is from our past campaigns

to win the hearts and minds, so I think there may be credence to the
Iraq News agency and Bulgarian news source. Bulgaria has a large Moslem population.

[acmavm]

14. The stupidity behind this is mind boggling.

edit: This is dumber than bush** calling his war a 'crusade'.

[Jara sang]

16. It is a tactic that all military have used down through the ages.

On the surface and to the people at home we say "Oh, our military efforts abroad ar humanitarian. We are there to HELP those people. We will liberate them. Spread Democracy" The reality is that when an imperialist nation takes over a country they rip out the old, old culture, old religion, old government and install their version or any version that they like. We were never there to win the hearts and minds. We are there however to steal resources and install our own dictatorship and if the Iraqi people don't like it, we just tell them to "shut the fuck up", that or shoot them.

[Amonester]

29. It seems the STFU isn't working (and never will...)

It also seems like the alternative (shoot them) is exactly what's been goin' on for two-and-a-half years... (add the torture of innocent civilians who know nothing about the "questions" they are "asked" to answer & the rape of children !!CHILDREN!! by a bunch of SICK FUCKS for WHAT??)

Nope. That ain't "workin'" either...

So will blowin' up bridges for Helliburton&Co's 666% anticipated growth in no-bidne$$ now?? If not (we know THAT won't ever work also), what R "they" gonna "try" next??

Indict.Impeach.Imprison.

[jasmineblue]

17. Shame! Shame! Shame! Nomination #2

I am speechless & sickened!

[paineinthearse]

18. Your photo also appears at

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/ 250/2286/400/Soldiers%20Mosque.jpg
&
http://bodyandsoul.typepad.com/ photos/uncategorized/fallouja_mosque.jpg
&
http://pejuang.menj.org/ images/getYourFilthyFeetOutOfTheMasjid-thumb.jpg
&
http://img.photobucket.com/ albums/v54/beta-blogger/FallujaMosque.jpg

close-up the spaces

[IChing]

19. None of your links worked directly to my photo

[paineinthearse]

23. Close-up the spaces.

I found these by using google images for "troops mosque".

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. Hey, make fiends, confluence people!

being not religious does not cause me to hate religious or religions, (except the very fundie ultra-right sects which push creationism on the rest of us), but I do my best to respect their beliefs and their right to worship if they so choose.

that said, THIS IS BLOODY INSANE as policies go.
No good will come of it. It will create more insurgency. It will strengthen the will and determination of those against us.

[despairing optimist]

21. Psy-ops, anyone? Or should I say, Blowback, anyone?

I guess this was a deliberate strategy to humiliate the Sunnis, who are supposedly at the heart of the Iraqi resistance. I also guess that Sunni presence in the new Iraq is not really desired by the * administration, and I await its final solution of the Sunni question more with disgust than with shock and awe.

[SpiralHawk]

25. "This is not a Crusade" - Commander AWOL Bush

(nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

[IChing]

27. No it's a fight to use the bushenfurher's words

"wage war against humanity." "Wars are not won without sacrifice and this war will require more sacrifice, more time and more resolve,"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1833652&mesg_id=1833652

Oops, sorry, I didn't understand who is fighting who against humanity.
My resolve of supporting our troops for any reasons other than to turn them into civilians is beginning to wavier in honest consciousness

[Behind the Aegis]

26. Disgusting!

There is no reason for this, at all! It's not that it will help recruit terrorists, it's just plain disrespectful!

[Disturbed]

28. Most Muslims know that the Bush Admin and the US Military..

has nothing but contempt for them.

When Amerikans see Muslims dancing and being joyful as US/UK troops &/or mercs are killed thye may wonder why this is. Many Amerikans are angered by such scenes. I don't wonder why Muslims hate US/UK troops. I know why they do.

[jokerman93]

30. nice

Well, since our glorious leader has revealed "the enemy" is now waging a war against all "humanity", I'd say we've managed pretty well to demonize and dehumanize these godless Muslims. :sarcasm:

I'm so beyond outrage these days. This kind of thing has to be intentionally provocative. I now believe it must be somehow in the best interests of Bushco to ignite a hot world war. What else could possibly explain this blatant stupidity?

[Tom Joad]

31. Our outrage should be directed towards ANY politician who

continues to fund this crime.

This is a bipartisan war from the beginning. We must demand and force political leaders to stop the funding, who does not call for immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

Hear that Lieberman?
Hey Pelosi, you understand??

[IChing]

32. I think this photo should be posted in every church this Sunday

every synagogue, every mosque, and every buddhist temple.

[MADem]

35. What, and give the fundies a reason to cheer?

They'd think this was great, and be wondering why "their boys" (most of whom want to come HOME, NOW) didn't take some time to fashion a wooden cross and slap it up on the wall.

[Berserker]

38. Calm the fuck down

I am sure the Liberal media will pick up on this. :sarcasm:

[MADem]

40. What makes me wonder about this is that we have several forward operating

bases and camps ALREADY IN RAMADI. The only reason we would be billeting people in mosques is either to provide security ahead of the Constitutional vote, or if a Fallujah type event was going to go down there. As we know, that town has been problematic.

It just does not make sense to quarter troops there when you already have facilities available, UNLESS you need huge numbers to protect the polling places. Since the cops won't do it, someone has to. And we know how reliable the Iraqi military is, thus far (not very).

That is the only thing I can think of, the vote that is coming up--and the huge numbers are about right, because Ramadi is a troubling place with a lot of discontent happening there...

http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2005/10/09/ap/headlines/d8d4aofo0.txt

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Iraq announced a curfew, weapons ban, border closings and other security measures Saturday to clamp down ahead of next weekend's key constitutional referendum and prevent insurgent attacks. Sunni Arabs geared up their campaign to defeat the measure at the polls....

On Thursday — two days ahead of the vote — a nationwide nighttime curfew will begin and nobody will be able to carry weapons in public, even if they are licensed, Jabr said. On Friday evening, police will bar travel between provinces. International borders, airports and ports also will be closed, but Jabr did not say when that step would begin.

He acknowledged problems with security in Iraq's western province of Anbar, the heartland of the insurgency. In the provincial capital of Ramadi, only 1,000 of the city's 6,500-member police force were willing to come to work, Jabr said. He said help from powerful local tribes was needed to protect polling stations and the Iraqi military would have to be responsible for security.

[MADem]

42. Please see post 40

I suspect they are there to provide polling place security.

Why are you telling me to calm down? I'm not upset or rattled in any way.

[Berserker]

43. Not telling you too

did you see SARCASM

[MADem]

44. I saw the

fuck, and got the idea that you were pissed off at me. Sorry if I misinterpreted you.

[Berserker]

45. Nope not at all MADem

not pissed at anyone except chimp Mcfoto-op tonight.

[MADem]

46. Cool, we are on the same page! nt

[Aristus]

37. Oh man, this is SO not good!

There's an Al-Qaida recruiting poster, right there.

[MADem]

41. See post 40

I really think this is all about the Constitutional vote. Poll security, I suspect.

[texpatriot2004]

47. When? This week, last year? During their Ramadan?

When did they do this?

[IChing]

48. One report is from "iron fist" the photo shows that we have done

desecration before in other campaigns.
So since we have no reporters that aren't being shot and surviving independently in Iraq, We don't know of this report's validity, but through past experiences we can logically surmise past and future behavior. The original report did not come through Bulgaria but from Iraq's own news service.

As far as showing this in places of worship, some would get it, that it is the desecration of a place of worship, and yes moslems believe that Jesus was divinely born. This clearly shows it is, "do under to others as they would do unto you"
(totally in the opposite of its meaning)

"All this have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth by his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his days by his wickedness." Ecclesiastes 7:15

Moslems have not desecrated christian churches , buddhist temples or jewish temples, only our twin temple of economic power.

The taliban however, did the destruction of the the cave statues in Afghanistan, which was not a place of worship but of religious significance. But are we any better?

Are we so righteous for this "noble cause" that seeing our actions in Guantanamo, and ABU GHRAIB shame the nation's reputation of tolerance in the best thoughts of Jesus of Nazareth, and other religions? So, yes it should be shown and discussed in the places of worship in the US.

BRING THE TROOPS HOME AND GET THEM BACK INTO CIVILIAN LIFE.

[FormerOstrich]

49. Has anyone confirmed this with another source?

This is very important and needs to be well publicized.

[LibDemAlways]

51. How could the US military ship these

guys off to Iraq and not educate them about Islam or teach them basic respect of Islamic holy places and customs?

My 7th grader is currently studying the history of Islam in Social Studies, and I'd be ashamed to show her this photo because she'd be appalled and upset to see the U.S. military casually defiling a mosque.

I'm beyond outraged, but, unfortunately, not surprised.