Why are we there?
Is this what we're fighting for? A man in Afghanistan is currently facing the death penalty for the crime of "Rejecting Islam". Is this why Canadian troops are fighting and dying in Afghanistan? To aid in the deaths of those who refuse to be Muslims? I wonder if our Canadian troops fighting there right now could be tried under this law? I wonder if they know about it? I wonder how they'd feel about it?
If ever there was a reason to have a debate in parliament about our presence in Afghanistan, this is it. Canadians should be informed of this, and be forced to ask themselves: do you really want Canada to commit its resources to the empowering of a barbaric regime? How long until homosexuality and adultery are illegal, if they're not illegal already? How long until they carry the death penalty, if they don't already?
Personally, I've recently become uneasy about sending western troops into the Middle East to fight for "democracy" and "freedom", in no small part because I understand that the Muslims of the Middle East do not think like us. They do not value freedom, or democracy. They value religion; fundamentalist, intolerant, oppressive religion. I was someone who supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq precisely because I felt that the Muslims would welcome freedom and democracy - but the events of these last few years have made it evident to me that they really want nothing to do with these things.
If they don't want what we're selling, why are we paying money and blood to sell it?
posted by Ryan Ringer @ 3/20/2006 03:17:00 p.m.
3 comments
3 Comments:
Makes sense to me, we should definitely pull out. Because when the Taliban comes down out of the hills and back into the cities and towns they'll put a stop to this sort of religious persecution right quick. I don't know why we kicked them out in the first place. They never would have acted like this. Time to bring the troops home and let the Afghanis be ruled by the Taliban again, as I'm sure is their wish.
It's amazing to me how quickly people forget, and how willing people are to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
This is exactly why we CAN'T leave Afghanistan, because clearly the fundamentalist nuts still hold a lot of power, and we need to continue to support the democratic government, and route out the remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, who are still quite powerful in the country. We went in to Afghanistan to take out Al Qaeda and stop this very sort of thing, and now, just a short while later, people are saying we should get out, because this sort of thing is happening. Well that's brilliant. Invade a country to put a stop to X, and then retreat, because X is happening. Great.
Pardon me, but clearly the fundamentalist nuts hold a lot of power - IN THIS DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. A democracy can only reflect what the people think, and if the people think that someone should be executed for not being a Muslim, maybe they deserve the Taliban.
I think the point of us being in afghanistan is so that we can help make things better, so that women can go be seen in public, so that children can get an education and that people like the fellow you have mentioned do not get executed for NOT being a muslim.
No one's saying its perfect now... and it likely won't be perfect ever. but if you think we should stop ship everytime something occurs that is dangerous or out of our control, what is your vision of the proper mission the Canadian military should go on?
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