A Glaring Double Standard: Killing Margaret Hassan vs. Unarmed Terrorist

I received this today from the Free Iraqis of the iraqicommunity@yahoogroups.com. The author of the piece is Jane Novak, whom is a political commentator and analyst in the US. She has summed up my feelings on the “marine shooting” story perfectly. I’m including her article here in it’s entirety with no more than this simple explanation. No more needs to be said, other than, investigate the marine shooting, find the marine not guilty of any wrong doing and let these men win this war. Do not hamstring the entire armed forces in Iraq over rules of engagement that the enemy is completely ignoring. Here is Jane Novak:

“What a glaring double standard. The Arab world is enraged over the

shooting of a wounded, unarmed Iraqi insurgent by a uniformed US

soldier.

There is no similar outrage for Margaret Hassan. Is it because she

was an Anglo, a woman, or because she was killed by a Muslim?

The video of the soldier shooting is proof, 

we are told, of America’s evil. And the kidnapping, torture and

murder of Mrs. Hassan is then proof of what- that America is evil!

Muslims wouldn’t do that unless evil America forced their hand.

Bombing children, defiling mosques, kidnapping civilians, executing

poor workers and cleaning women point blank: these are not

discussed, broadcast with frequency, or the source of much anger.

Videos where a masked man shakes a bloody head while the curtains

flutter do not evoke such fury. Why? The identity of the victim or

the perpetrator?

All tactics of the insurgents are excused. Hide among civilians.

Justified. Wear civilian clothes. Justified. Shoot from the holy

mosque. Justified. Feign death to draw soldiers in (the way one

marine died the day before the incident). Justified. Wave a white

flag as a ploy. Justified. Booby trap dead bodies. Justified. That’s

just Fallujah.

Moving outward-Deliberately killing Iraqi civilians daily.

Justified. Bombing churches. Justified. Bombing cafes. Justified.

Using schools and mosques as arsenals. Justified. Attacking the

police. Just fine.

The rules of war don’t apply to the insurgents, only the Americans.

And if one horrible act occurs at the hands of one American soldier,

the world howls.

The insurgents’ constant inhumane tactics are acceptable. The

American rules of engagement prohibited shooting unarmed combatants:

this prohibition was followed by thousands of soldiers, thousands of

times. After the shootout at the mosque in which the man was

wounded, a call went to headquarters to send a medical team out to

pick him up. Its American policy that wounded fighters are given

good medical attention. Many are being treated now. A wounded

American soldier found by the enemy fighters would be tortured to

death after being paraded on al-Jazeera. And that would be fine.

The last war in which Arab militaries fought was the Iran/Iraq war

and executions were systematic. That was fine.

Al-Jazeera, marketing arm for anti-Americanism globally, is showing

the shooting nearly nonstop. Yet they refused to show the last tape

of Margaret begging for her life because it was “too disturbing.”

How bad of a shape was she in? Is that why her bruised and battered

body is still alone and unrecovered? They refused to show her

execution because shooting this good woman in the head was not

a “war death,” although it was carried out by those the US military

are fighting. Broadcasting terrorists’ messages to inspire fear in

the Iraqi people is thought impartial journalism. Except in Iraq,

where al-Jazeera has been suspended numerous times for acting as a

tool of the jihadiis.

There is so little regard for Iraqi civilians when they are killed

by Muslims but when an unarmed fighter is killed by an American

soldier, the Arabs suddenly love the Iraqis. It is too perplexing to

consider that Arabs expect a higher standard of humanity from

Americans than they do from themselves.

The soldier will be tried. The facts will come out. A punishment

will be issued because the US has respect for the Iraqis and

enforces the rules of engagement. If the soldier was wrong,

Americans will say he was wrong, loud and clear. Americans

themselves will demand his punishment.

Tomorrow when Iraqi children are again deliberately targeted by

these terrorists-not freedom fighters-what will we hear from Arab

countries then, not even muted mumbling. Is it a lack of courage or

a lack of concern? Why is there so much more sympathy for the

fighter in civilian clothes who was shooting from a mosque than for

Margaret? For the insurgents than for the civilians? For the

terrorists than the police?

Elections are coming to Iraq. The Iraqis will rule themselves.

Saddam stole 21 billion dollars from the mouths of starving Iraqi

children. The UN closed its eyes. He filled mass graves and torture

chambers and the world stood silent. Now as the Iraqis struggle for

self-determination, for security, and for freedom from both the US

and the terrorists, Arabs back the suicide bombers. Habit perhaps.

For years, some Iraqis may harbor deep resentment toward the US for

its mistakes. The successes Of the insurgents, all those dead

civilians, will be remembered with anger by many. Perhaps the

greatest number will recall how they were not valued by

their “brothers” and were quickly forsaken in the greater cause of

anti-Americanism.”

Amen sister, amen.