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The Ugly American Liberator

Glee. They did it with glee. Relish clearly shining forth from their faces. As I researched the photographs for this article, I had to stop because I couldn't bear to look at it any more.

These were somebody's trophy photos.

17 military personnel will be brought up on a variety of charges, from rape to conspiracy to assault to murder, for the physical, sexual and psychological mistreatment of at least six, and perhaps more men and at least one woman in their care at Abu Ghraib prison, where the "most dangerous" of the prisoners of "war" were interned in Iraq. That is what we know about. There are ten cases pending. Incidents include urinating on prisoners, exposing naked men to female soldiers, forcing men to commit sex acts for entertainment, threats with dogs, threats with weapons, threats of electrocution, and other forms of humiliation. We do not know how much more may slip away under the cover of military red tape, but we know that the American military is not likely to parade any more cases than it has to before the world stage.

Can there be any doubt about the presumptuous, domineering role we have taken upon ourselves in the matter of Iraq's destiny when the sexual torture and beating to death of prisoners is considered by the rank and file every day American soldier as something to be proud of? Think about this carefully. If this casual series of actions, by an ordinary group of American soldiers and mercenaries was thought to be not only right and proper, but praiseworthy - what could their concept of our reason for being there actually be, if not to prove our dominion over the native populace?

There was a phrase bandied about during the height of the British Empire, that "God was an Englishman". Is God now an American? Can we do no wrong in our own eyes? Is any action we take sanctioned because we happened to take it?

One of the victims, Hayder Sabbar Abd, said that not only did the tortured soldiers have no special intelligence knowledge to be gained that might save lives or - oh - lead the Americans to the mythical weapons of mass destruction - but they weren't even interrogated afterwards!

One of the American soldiers in question, Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Chip Frederick, wrote home saying he was praised for the effectiveness of his techniques, because he was good at preparing prisoners for questioning. His "techniques" were striking, sexual humiliation, and sitting on naked, prone men to have his picture taken. He claims he could have them ready to comply in a matter of hours. This is the man who was a prison guard back in the States (one shudders at the thought).

"Military intelligence has encouraged and told us 'Great job,'" he wrote. "They usually don't allow others to watch them interrogate. But since they like the way I run the prison, they have made an exception." "We help getting them to talk with the way we handle them. ... We've had a very high rate with our style of getting them to break."

Few religions on earth are as modest as Islam. Sexual humiliation would be, for them, more difficult to endure than even ordinary beatings - which also took place. Surely even the most ignorant of soldiers must have known that.

So are these people toys, that we can play with as we wish? Because we have the power to do so, and they are powerless to prevent us? The victims in this case were not especially dangerous, not terrorists, not al Qaida strategists - that would, by the way, mean they were in an entirely different country! They were ordinary soldiers being cared for by reserve weekend warriors and mercenaries who were not, it appears, being supervised by anyone. Ordinary soldiers who just happened to be Muslim.

And days after this report begins to surface, the president stumbles in a speech says that believes earnestly that just because they are not "white - uh, like us" does not mean they are not capable of forging and running a democracy.

How thinly veiled our racism is.

And if this is what we teach them democracy is, why should they want it? Or whatever we propose to give them on June 30th.

Long has the Muslim world tried to protect itself from the infection of "Western Values", and we, for our part, have not been listening. What could those values possibly be that they are trying to protect themselves from? Freedom. No, my friends, they see our sins in a way that we cannot see ourselves. Would that we could. There would be so much to learn - and perhaps then, there might be common ground from which we could share what we know.

Coincidentally "Western Values" come through our public communications: Our formula that replaces mother's milk - and then makes poor women dependant on buying more; Our drugs priced beyond the reach of hope; Our advertised sexual congress without love or consequence - coupled with our national refusal to fund birth control education; Our exploitation of cheap labor around the world; Our willingness to leave a community that has come to depend on our income for the next, more desperate new comer; Our pride blindness that makes us unable to see the value - if even the existence - of any culture but our own; The abandonment of our own children; The trafficking in foreign babies ...

The flippant inconceivably insensitive conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh who see these torture scenes as "Hazing pranks"...

There are people in the world who believe that there are things that are more valuable than material greed. They believe that love and family are more important. That community is more important. That personal cleanliness -- no drinking, no smoking, no drugs - are more important. They believe in being true to their spouses. They believe in spending a significant amount of every day honoring God. They believe in treating a stranger like a brother. You know that every report I have ever heard of an American traveling in a Muslim country has been treated very well - being told "It is not you we hate, it is your government." And every Muslim I have ever met has treated me with nothing but graciousness and respect.

There are extremists of every stripe - it does not need to be said that being a Muslim does not equal being a terrorist. Any more than, during World War II, or even Viet Nam for that matter, being Asian meant you were an enemy. Yet we are on a dangerous road to incurring the wrath of the entire world Islamic community.

It has been said repeated by others more qualified than I that we might want to inquire as to our part in creating a breeding ground for terrorists. But this is no subtle business transaction, where the lines of culpability between the company and America as a people are blurred. These people are the bright RED, WHITE and BLUE representatives of our best, our chosen symbols of what we stand for in the world.

Rape. Murder. Torture. Humiliation.

And unabashed Glee.

What can we do in the face of that damning grin and the green thumbs up?
What amends can we possibly make?

by

Sarah Byam
8th May, 2004

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