Global Intifada

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
- Joseph Goebbels - “(Propaganda) proceeds by psychological manipulations, character modifications, by creation of stereotypes useful when the time comes - The two great routes that this sub-propaganda takes are the conditioned reflex and the myth.”
- Jacques Ellul -

“I think there is a good reason why the propaganda system works that way. It recognizes that the public will not support the actual policies. Therefore it is important to prevent any knowledge or understanding of them.”
- Noam Chomsky -

On March 12th, nine US soldiers gang-raped a 14 year old girl, murdered her family, and burned her body to hide the evidence.

Most Media outlets presented this horrific event as the honest confession of the soldiers during a “combat stress debriefing” that was hosted to the death of three soldiers. However, what was NOT presented in the mainstream media was the fact that the soldiers that died during “combat” were the same soldiers who had participated in the rape itself:

Whether or not the episodes are connected, it is clear that the soldiers themselves were connected, bound by their experiences in combat. Members of the same unit, many of them were friends with one another. The alleged rape and homicides came to light, investigators said, only when some of the soldiers underwent a “combat stress debriefing” prompted by the deaths of the three soldiers.

The soldiers were all members of 1st Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. Some family members said they believe there must be some connection between the two incidents.
“There’s nine guys on a squad,” said Nancy Hess, mother of Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, 21, who is one of the five charged in the crimes. “Three of them were killed. Six of them are being charged.” (Source)

The Mujahideen Shura Council claimed responsibility for torture and killing of the soldiers:

An al-Qaeda-linked group has claimed killing three US soldiers last month and mutilating two of their bodies to avenge the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl by troops of the same unit. The Mujahedeen Shura Council made the claim in a video posted on the internet which showed the bodies of two of the soldiers attacked on June 16 . . . The institute released still pictures from the video showing two of the American dead, one of whom had been decapitated.

According to the institute, the statement by the group said the video was released as “revenge for our sister who was dishonored by a soldier of the same brigade”.

The nearly five-minute video shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man. (Source)

Of course, the powers that be denied any connection in an Academy Award worthy theatrical denial:

U.S. investigators had said there was no evidence linking the deaths of the three soldiers last month to the alleged rape-slaying. . . . The U.S. military said Tuesday it condemns “in the strongest of terms” the release of the video showing the two mutilated American soldiers. “It demonstrates the barbaric and brutal nature of the terrorists and their complete disregard for human life,” it said in a statement. “Coalition Forces remain resolute in our in commitment to catch the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice.” (Source 1)(Source 2)

In typical fashion, the military denied that any connection existed, even though the same group which documented the torture and decapitation of the soldiers claimed that it was revenge for the rape of the girls. However, whenever it suits foreign policy objectives, videos from terrorists are regularly shown as “proof” of their deeds. When it doesn’t suit those objectives, the videos are dismissed, despite the fact that the content of such videos can be verified.

Had the Mujahideen Shura Council not killed the three soldiers, it is quite possible that the others would not have confessed and the entire event may have never become known to the world, especially since the official military spokesmen denied that their was any evidence that the execution of the troops was connected with the “allegation” of rape. In fact, they even denied the age of the victim of the rape and claimed she was 25 years old. Perhaps it was a sincere mistake on behalf of the military, or perhaps it was an intentional spinning of the facts in order to lessen the gravity of the crime.

To the Islamophobes in the world, was it “Allah Mohammad Jihad Durka Durka” that caused the deaths of these soldiers? Or was it something else? Is killing soldiers who raped a young girl and murdered her family considered terrorism?

Action. Reaction. Cause. Effect.

The time has come to unread this hegemonic discourse and return to a more humane analysis of this global conflict, regardless of one’s ideology or religion.

Related Reading:
“The Revolt of Islam” by Bernard Lewis

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