The NY Times Compares The U.S. Army To Islam

Earlier I posted on "Muslim Women in U.S. Military", specifically one woman, Fadwa Hamdan.  I read the article and saw a woman who had been treated like a slave by her family and her husband.  I saw a women who overcame her past to become independent, make her own decisions, and the United States military gave her that independence. 

However, a fellow blogger, Jodi at Webloggin, saw the terrible slant that the NYT gave to the story and specifically to our military:

I seriously didn’t know what to expect when I saw the New York Times profile on a Muslim woman who has joined the United States Army. Despite my expectations, or lack thereof, I had a pretty good feeling that it would be filled with the typical bombastic innuendo and mischaracterizations of the United States military that I have come to expect from a newspaper that I admittedly loath to read.

Thus I was not surprised to see the following at the beginning of the From Head Scarf to Army Cap, Making a New Life article.

It helped, Ms. Hamdan thought, that there were so many similarities between Islam and the Army.

However I am still confused. The New York Times regularly contains op-ed articles that deride Christian’s on just about anything, from their belief in creationism to calling the episcopate “full of mindless sycophants” in a profile on Pope John Paul II.

So you can understand my confusion. Is comparison to Islam being done in a positive light or is it one of mocking contempt by drawing comparison to the hard edge religious fanatics who enslaved the subject of the story? It is hard to tell from this article.

The article tells the story of Palestinian born Fadwa Hamdan who made the jump from a self described life of hell in a pre-arranged marriage to a Muslim man who took on a second wife and stole her five children after whisking them away to Saudi Arabia.

So by all accounts the comparison of the Army to Islam doesn’t sound like anything positive – not in this light.

To add to that confusion we receive mixed messages when reading the article. The following passage demonstrates the lukewarm approach the reporter takes in her comparison.

It helped, Ms. Hamdan thought, that there were so many similarities between Islam and the Army.

The command “Attention!” reminded her of the first step in the daily Muslim prayer, when one must stand completely still.

Soldiers, like Muslims, were instructed to eat with one hand. The women ate by themselves, and always walked with an escort, as Muslim women traditionally traveled.

The Army taught soldiers to live with order. They folded their fatigues as women folded their hijabs, and woke before sunrise as Ms. Hamdan had done all her life. They always marched behind a flag, as Muslims did in the days of the Prophet.

Nothing felt more familiar than the military’s emphasis on respect. Soldiers learned to tuck their hands behind their backs when speaking to superiors.

You can go to Webloggin and read the rest of Jodi's wonderful and insightful article.  Thank you Jodi.

Political Pistachio has another slant on this type behaviour in, "Hollyweird's Grip on Reality":

This latest installment of "How Hollyweird Once Again Proves Its Lack of a Grip on Reality" is brought to you by an article brought to my attention by Night Rider.    The article fueling this post is at Newsbusters.org. 

Julia Roberts, that sweet girl that first gained our love and respect by playing a whore in Pretty Woman, recently provided her voice for the role of Charlotte in the recent movie version of Charlotte's Web. Apparently as a result of being in the movie, Julia has found a soft spot in her heart for spiders (along with puppies, kittens, baby seals, spotted owls, Kangaroo Rats, trees, and convicted murderers).

I've been saying this for years, in regards to animal rights activists who just so happen to be against the death penalty and pro-choice. "Save the puppy, show compassion for the convicted remorseless serial killer, but kill the baby." (read more)

 

Further interesting reading:

Small Victories. They All Add Up. and Putting Our Allies Backs Up at Islamanazi.  They are both excellent reads.

Biga's Rants, Paranoid? Yes
Right Wing Guy,  The United Nations Hypocrisy
Woman Honor Thyself, Nostra Aetate Open Trackback Weekend

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Comments

[Angel]

Hiya Debbie.."filled with bombastic innuendo"!..a great description isnt it..The NY Slimes is an enemy no doubt!

[Butch]

Good stuff Debbie!