A suitable response would be…?
I confess that I find it difficult to think Christ-like thoughts when I read accounts like this.
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) – A crowd of cheering Iraqis dragged charred and mutilated bodies through the streets of the town of Falluja Wednesday after an ambush on two vehicles that witnesses said killed at least three foreigners.
In a separate attack five American soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb was detonated beside their convoy west of Baghdad, the U.S. army said.
The Falluja violence began when two four-wheel-drive vehicles were attacked by guerrillas on a main road in the town, 32 miles west of Baghdad. A crowd then set the vehicles ablaze and hurled stones into the burning wreckage.
And a sample of the sentiments of the locals:
As one body lay burning on the ground, an Iraqi came and doused it with petrol, sending flames soaring.
At least two bodies were tied to cars and pulled through the streets, witnesses said.
“This is the fate of all Americans who come to Falluja,” said Mohammad Nafik, one of the crowd surrounding the bodies.
Some body parts were pulled off and left hanging from a telephone cable, while two incinerated bodies were later strung from a bridge and left dangling there.
A young boy beat one of the incinerated bodies after it was pulled down with his shoe as a crowd cheered.
“I am happy to see this. The Americans are occupying us so this is what will happen,” said Mohammad, 12, looking on.
My visceral response is to want the entire town subjected to a few dozen daisy cutters. That would rightly bring condemnation on us, but I still vastly prefer it to the “cut and run” method employed in Somalia. I want people of every town in every nation to know that if you dare to attack an American soldier*, IF you survive, you won’t have a place to live anymore. At times like this I want to help as many Muslims attain martyrdom as possible. But… no.
While I don’t believe that Christ’s words to individuals such as “turn the other cheek” are applicable to governments and military actions, as a Christian I must desire and pray for their deliverance from the darkness that inhabits their souls, even as I repent of the darkness that so obviously still lingers in mine.
That being said, what is an appropriate respose to monstrous acts such as this? How do we deter such acts without being so heavy-handed as to turn the entire country against us?
Let me be very clear. I believe we had valid reason to overthrow Hussein’s government. Having done so, I believe that the only sensible thing to do is try and ensure that a more democratic and, hopefully, Western-friendly government replaces it.
This phase, however, is the most difficult and the most costly. We can’t convince everyone in Iraq of our noble intentions. Even if they believe what we say our intentions are, we can’t make them all agree that our aims are desirable.
Philosophical niceties aside, the reality on the ground is that we have personnel over there that need to be allowed to protect themselves until such time as our objectives are met or abandoned and we get our people out of there.
My only plan at this moment is that a sizeable force ought to be sent to this town, the entire place should be searched and every weapon or bomb-making material siezed. Anyone who resists is shot. Anyone that can be directly linked to the actions against our soldiers is arrested. The photos and quotes to the journalists ought to be very useful in that regard.
(And just as a sidebar, what kind of person do you have to be to stand by, take pictures and interview participants while you watch charred bodies mutilated and dismembered? There’s something to be said for having events documented, but… man, I just don’t know.)
*Though most of my comments pertain to American military personnel I should make it clear that I in no way view the murder of these civilian contractors as less significant. These attacks and the subsequent treatment of the bodies of the victims are nothing less than barbaric and there should be a response. My sentiments apply to the murders of Iraqis who support our efforts in their country as well.
