WAR: Sunni Muslim Clerics on U.S. Propaganda Payroll

The Lincoln Group public relations firm has been paying several Sunni Arab Muslim religious scholars as part of a program funded by the Pentagon to help spread pro-U.S. propaganda in Iraq, according to a former employee. Apparently the scholars were paid to help provide religious and moral backing to statements urging Sunnis to reject the insurgency and participate in the national elections. The Lincoln Group confirmed to The New York Times that it does "reach out to clerics," but said it wouldn't discuss specific projects it works on for any of its clients, including the U.S. military.



Sounds like a good move to me -- information warfare and propaganda have been important elements in every modern war. With the radicalized clerics twisting the religion of Islam to justify terrorism, any and all religious scholars to refute that message are invaluable, even if they need to be paid for their services.

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: Pentagon To Place Pro USA Propaganda In Foreign Media
The Lincoln Group - Source of Fake Iraqi News

[edit on 1/2/2006 by djohnsto77]

With three trillion of your dollars on top of the 300 billion for the Iraq war, a lot of people are at the Pentagon trough. That blood money is making more blood money. I can smell the stink from here, the smell of rot, I think the smell is worse than death. At least the smell of death disappears after awhile when your senses adjust.

You can see it on the faces of the men at the Pentagon, the sunken eyes as if they hide in darkness. Notice how they all abandon shipped when exposed the year before, some just bury themselves deeper in the rot, others become world bank president. Rotten to the core.


[edit on 2-1-2006 by IComeWithASword]

Have you noticed how some of them have already started assuming characteristics and facial features of animals.

Sounds like a good move to me -- information warfare and propaganda have been important elements in every modern war. With the radicalized clerics twisting the religion of Islam to justify terrorism, any and all religious scholars to refute that message are invaluable, even if they need to be paid for their services.

If they're using it to control the way people think in Iraq, who says they aren't using it in other places around the world, such as - the United States?

Information and propaganda aren't only used in war...it's used every day, by the news, by the government...it's everywhere you look. Even on the internet. I don't like any kind of "controlled" information, myself, no matter where it's used or what it's used for.

Unfortunately, this is likely to backfire.

Now any Sunni religious scholar that raises his voice against terrorrist tactics and ideology will be accused of being on the US payroll, whether they are or not. In effect we'll be discrediting those we meant to support.

Hi DJ,

I saw this "news" earlier elsewhere, but I guess I dont see the big deal. So let me see if I've got this right.

A PR firm hired experts in their field, to help write both positive, and truthful articles, which the target audience can relate to.

It seems perfectly logical to me.

So we can pay for propaganda while our troops still need body armor and shielded vehicles, radios etc. What's wrong with this picture?

I donno, seems to me that I wouldn't like any goverment, foreign or domestic paying for news stories, or propaganda.

Isn't a democracy suppose to be freedom of the press? why do we have to pay people to write good stuff against the insurgancy?

Originally posted by Jehosephat
Isn't a democracy suppose to be freedom of the press? why do we have to pay people to write good stuff against the insurgancy?

I guess one could say the answer to that is because the media as a whole is so negative in their reporting that's why.

Just the use of the word propaganda carries a negative connotation and at times I think that is why they use the word.

I do not see this as propaganda (although by definition it can be called that), I prefer to call it educating those who were unfortunate to live in a closed society.

Look at it this way which paper would you pick up first the one that had a headline stating US educating Iraqi's on what a free society is or one that says US hires ministers to spread propaganda? My guess would be the later.


The bottom line here is the use of the word propaganda sells papers and that is all they want.


[edit on 1/2/2006 by shots]

Is this considered bribery, it is kind of pathetic that our government has to pay people to do the PO work for them in other countries.

It only reassures me the fact that US is still an unwanted addition to the middle east business affairs.

I find it shameful that my tax payer money goes to foreign country to buy aceptance this is like paying somebody to be my friend and be nice to me.

Originally posted by marg6043
Is this considered bribery, it is kind of pathetic that our government has to pay people to do the PO work for them in other countries.

You have to realize that most Iraqis' do not know what it is like in the free world. That is the reason you have to educate them as to the way it would be for them if they accept it.

I am sure while the US is paying money to educate them on the free world you can bet your boots the insurgents are paying others to tell them freedom is not good.

How would you like to live in a country where they can stone you to death or make you walk around with your face hidden? Think about it, I know darn well you would say no, I would not like that, however in Iraq and Afganistan the female gender do ot know what it is like, therefore you have to educate them

Originally posted by shots

That is the reason you have to educate them as to the way it would be for them if they accept it.

I call that Cohertion people has to acept willingly changes specially when you are dealing with very close religious and tribal believes.

They are not educating they are buying approval, shots, insurgents and opposer of the western way of thinking will never change their mind.

The problems with believes, traditions and culture is that you can not change people's mind when they have been embedded for thousands of years to be the way they are.

You will never "Educated" the Christan nations as ours to change they religious believe any more that you can change the middle eastern countries to give away their religion.

I did not grew up with covering my face or been stone, but we in the western have worst ways to deal with undesirable behavior in our culture.

And believe it or not is a lot of actions that we find natural that other nations find immoral and abhorrent.

It all comes down to believes Shots and they as horrible as it may be for us it has to be respected.

Yes education helps free the people but only when is willingly acceptable by the same people that wants to be educated not bribe into it.

Ithink is going to back fire on the US.

Any mods who are reading ...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This thread also has been discussing this topic.
I don't know if you can put them together...

They should have listened to the song...
Money cant buy us love...

Poor spoiled brat rich kid, with no social skills, who has to have big daddy buy him some friends, just so he wont have to eat lunch alone...

that was an example of an arrogant SOB at my former high school....
it can also be used to describe this situation...

but is America the brat?
or just its leadership?

Originally posted by marg6043

I call that Cohertion people has to acept willingly changes specially when you are dealing with very close religious and tribal believes.

They are not educating they are buying approval, shots, insurgents and opposer of the western way of thinking will never change their mind.

No it is not coercion; nor are they buying their approval, it was a public relations campaign to get them out to participate in the elections and it worked. (See Below)

The problems with believes, traditions and culture is that you can not change people's mind when they have been embedded for thousands of years to be the way they are.
.

Again, no one was trying to change their beliefs or traditions; they were just trying to get them out to vote.

Ithink is going to back fire on the US.

Going to Back Fire? Surely you Jest….. Obviously a portion of it worked since there was a record turnout of Sunnis who voted in the election.


Here from the source article of the main story it states

The Lincoln Group, a Washington-based public relations company, was told early in 2005 by the Pentagon to identify religious leaders who could help produce messages that would persuade Sunnis in violence-ridden Anbar Province to participate in national elections and reject the insurgency, according to a former employee.

Now lets recap on this point again

The problems with believes, traditions and culture is that you can not change people's mind when they have been embedded for thousands of years to be the way they are.
.

Really??? Again surely you jest, tell that to the millions of people who left the country on their own and escaped oppression by moving to various other countries around the world that do not have leaders telling them how to vote and who to vote for. yet you say you can not change peoples minds :shk: In the above they did it all on their own

Stop kidding yourself, it worked in Afghanistan and as far as turning out people for the elections in Iraq it worked again.

Read some of what women in Afghanistan have to say now that their elections are over, trust me many now feel they have a chance at living a good life and yes girls are now in school getting a needed education, women are now taking part in their elected government. Those two alone are changes, so there goes your you can not change their mind set theory right out the window




[edit on 1/3/2006 by shots]

Originally posted by shots

Really??? Again surely you jest, tell that to the millions of people who left the country on their own and escaped oppression by moving to various other countries around the world that do not have leaders telling them how to vote and who to vote for. yet you say you can not change peoples minds :shk:

Muslin moving to various countries around the world

This I will quote for emphasis, shots not because I want a debate but because it brings a very good issue.

And what I am about to say coming from somebody like me that want respect for these people in their own lands is going to sound very cruel.

The migration of muslin around the world do because of oppression may look like the right thing for me before I have seen what some of these groups of the more radical ones are planning for the world.

look in Europe, Frances and UK, that should rise a flag as the true intentions of the more radical muslin that are trying to bring changes in the countries they are guess off with acts of violence.

Yes Is good people that really are exile because they want to change but they are not the ones trying to bring their cultural way of life into other Nations and trying to do it with violence.

I am opening my eyes to what is happening the more these people are spreading the more they are going to influence other nations to take their religious views.

Just a littler though from somebody that have not problems before with people wanting to get a better life in other countries including US but the truth is that we are in trouble.

For the first time I will agree with your feelings about migrants in this instance.




[edit on 3-1-2006 by marg6043]