Traverse any blog or website geared to Republicans and the Conservative Right here in the United States (such as Free Republic or http://www.freerepublic.com ), and a strange dichotomy becomes evident with regard to Iraq. First, they talk about every practicing Muslim and everyone of Arab descent as if they were a member of Al Qaeda and an animal. A popular photo on Free Republic shows a Grim Reaper with a skull and proclaims "Islam - It's the Evil of our Time, let's NOT leave it for our children". See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1487236/posts and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548226/posts and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548198/posts and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1548214/posts and http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1508903/posts . Invariably, any discussion of Islam on these websites involves description of Muhammad as a pervert and a pedophile. In almost the same sentence, these people have no problem saying that they support Bush going into Iraq to promote Democracy for the people there. Yes, such wonderful things they and their President want for Iraqis. Then, in a later thread, which might describe insurgents blowing something up in Iraq, they again continue their diatribe that all Muslims and Arabs are animals and should be killed or 'nuked'. Queer folk these conservatives. Oops, they are going to be upset I called them Queer given their ridiculous hatred of gays. Ah well, what can one do? I get the feeling that most Republicans secretly feel this way about Muslims and Arabs. I know President Bush has publicly said that he is not warring against Islam or Arabs, but against Saddam Hussein and the Terrorists, but I have this feeling that he and Uncle Dick say things altogether different in private. In any case, the Republican electorate is virulently anti-Islam and that is a shame. Most practitioners of Islam that I have had the pleasure to know are wonderful, law abiding and hard working people.
The Iraq war is continuing to evolve into another phase that was predicted by many; anarchy and civil war. The Shiites, who vastly outnumber Iraq's other two ethnic groups, Sunnis and Kurds, are naturally going to win any fair democratic elections in the country. The Sunnis and Kurds are not going to like this for many reasons among them that both groups are generally less observant of Islamic laws and traditions than the Shiites and the Shiites seem to want to steer Iraq toward fundamentalist Islam. George Bush may claim (now, since no WMD were found) that he went to war to bring Democracy to the people of Iraq, but the net effect of his actions will likely be a Muslim Theocracy. Women in particular are going to suffer when the country becomes "The Shiite Islamic Republic of Iraq". Democratic elections aren't going to turn out to be a good thing here and the Sunnis and Kurds know it. That is why they are protesting these elections tooth and nail. All the protesting and new elections, if they are able to attain them, will not help Sunnis and Kurds overcome the massive Shiite majority in the country.
Where does this leave us? The Freepers (as they like to call themselves) over at Free Republic deserve credit for some of the wackiest and creepiest (nuke all the people in over several dozen countries? Hello? Any humans on that site?) hypocrisy in history. And President Bush, who was re-elected by an army of evangelical Christians for being such a "good Christian man" is going to be most remembered for establishing a radical Islamic Republic in Iraq. All of which proves the old axiom, truth is stranger then fiction, particularly when dealing with Republicans.
The Iraq war is continuing to evolve into another phase that was predicted by many; anarchy and civil war. The Shiites, who vastly outnumber Iraq's other two ethnic groups, Sunnis and Kurds, are naturally going to win any fair democratic elections in the country. The Sunnis and Kurds are not going to like this for many reasons among them that both groups are generally less observant of Islamic laws and traditions than the Shiites and the Shiites seem to want to steer Iraq toward fundamentalist Islam. George Bush may claim (now, since no WMD were found) that he went to war to bring Democracy to the people of Iraq, but the net effect of his actions will likely be a Muslim Theocracy. Women in particular are going to suffer when the country becomes "The Shiite Islamic Republic of Iraq". Democratic elections aren't going to turn out to be a good thing here and the Sunnis and Kurds know it. That is why they are protesting these elections tooth and nail. All the protesting and new elections, if they are able to attain them, will not help Sunnis and Kurds overcome the massive Shiite majority in the country.
Where does this leave us? The Freepers (as they like to call themselves) over at Free Republic deserve credit for some of the wackiest and creepiest (nuke all the people in over several dozen countries? Hello? Any humans on that site?) hypocrisy in history. And President Bush, who was re-elected by an army of evangelical Christians for being such a "good Christian man" is going to be most remembered for establishing a radical Islamic Republic in Iraq. All of which proves the old axiom, truth is stranger then fiction, particularly when dealing with Republicans.
