Retired General Slams NY 'Mosque' Critics

Retired General Slams NY 'Mosque' Critics

www.military.com

August 19, 2010
Military.com|by Bryant Jordan
A career Soldier and general officer who helped build up Iraqi forces after the U.S. invaded that country says critics of the proposed Islamic community center in New York City are only hurting American military and national interests.

"It's counterproductive to paint all Muslims as part of the problem out there and to contribute to [terrorist] recruiting efforts," retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton told Military.com in an Aug. 18 interview. "You don't want to turn [Muslims] into the enemy because we generalize on everything that happe

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Here is yet another side to the coin in the very controversial mosque and community center project to be build blocks away from the site of the former World Trade Center.

This retired General fears that the very vocal opposition is only going to make it harder to win the hearts and minds of Muslims in the War Zones where U.S. Troops operate, and amongst the other Muslim people who sometimes lend support and funding for the indigenous Muslims fighting against U.S. Occupation.

There is something to be said here as winning the hearts and minds of the people of nations you are occupying militarily becomes in many ways the most crucial ingredient towards a peaceful transition of those societies.

Americans who are prone to lump all Muslims together, and to paint them as the enemy are in fact sending that message around the internet and airwaves louder and clearer than they perhaps imagine.

Our public debates here in America are as critical and intrinsic to our way of life as the Constitution and the First Amendment that is going to virtually guarantee this mosque and community center is built.

However as the good retired General points out is the rancor that debate sometimes takes on as patriotic and as good for America in it’s struggle to rid extremist factions in the Muslim world, if all it does is to serve to heighten tensions and increase the distrust in U.S. Soldiers, Administrators and Aide Organizations trying to bridge the gap between east and west, and win hearts and minds.

Is coming across as a society that is emotionally charged towards stereotyping all Muslims and tainting them all with the brush of 9-11 crimes going to help promote a better view of Americans throughout the Middle East and rest of the world?

Probably not, at least one retired high ranking American General thinks.

Some food for thought.




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[edit on 20/8/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

Eaton said he understands the importance of winning over people as opposed to alienating them. In Iraq he served as the commander of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team which was responsible for overseeing the training of the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004.

Eaton knows probably better than most the challenges of building bridges and gaining trust.

After 10 years in Afghanistan struggling to win the war of hearts and minds, can America really afford to seem to be a nation where Muslims, all Muslims are viewed openly as a danger and second class citizens?

In other words is it even possible to do militarily domination through brute force what could be acheived through dialouge and mutual respect?

Are we as worried about Islamic sensativities as we are our own, bearing in mind, we are tring to convince so many of them 'ours' is a better way of life?

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Dear if we have not won the hart and minds of that people by now after forcing two wars we never will, sadly they didn't ask for any liberations, blood, death and occupation.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


I fear that on an election year, with so many powers with vested interests in populace division, that words of reason such as the general's will fall on mostly deaf ears. Still, I applaud him for stating them.

Not sure what others think on this but it seems to me that the whole issue of this Mosque and Muslims in general is being used by the government/TPTB to distract us from other things going on in the world today.

This kind of thing is used as a distraction so we don't think too deeply about whether invading Iraq was right or if 911 was planned etc etc. Like we're forgetting about all the historical conspiracies/events and just choosing to focus on stuff like this without seeing the bigger picture.

Thoughts?

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

I do too, as I also applaud you, and anyone that similarly chooses to look at this controversy in more intellectual and strategic ways versus purely emotional ones.

I think it’s important for people to consider that while some of these rants might make them feel good by providing them the opportunity to vent in some way, it’s not necessarily patriotic when it just makes the challenges of winning hearts and minds abroad that much more difficult for our soldiers, who are in fact the ones doing the heavy lifting and putting their butts on the frontline of what is just an armchair TV and Internet War to so many others.

Hopefully some more notable policy makers will expound and expand on the General’s theme.

Thanks for posting my friend.

AP: 9/11 Victim's Mother Supports Islamic Center



It's so sad that this is actually an issue, what a sad world we live in

Originally posted by Chilled Zen
Not sure what others think on this but it seems to me that the whole issue of this Mosque and Muslims in general is being used by the government/TPTB to distract us from other things going on in the world today.

This kind of thing is used as a distraction so we don't think too deeply about whether invading Iraq was right or if 911 was planned etc etc. Like we're forgetting about all the historical conspiracies/events and just choosing to focus on stuff like this without seeing the bigger picture.

Thoughts?

My thoughts on this are very similar to your own, and I must confess I have been rather startled by the number of people on ATS who can think this issue through a lot better when there is no emotional hot button being pushed like the Mosque and Community Center.

This has the potential to set the 9-11 truth movement back as many are now revalidating the assumption that it was Islamic Extremists that carried out the attack.

It has the potential to forestall any kind of public trial of the few people being held in custody in Guantanamo Bay that are alleged to have been involved in events that day.

It also has the potential to embolden Muslims fighting against American occupation and bolster their recruiting drives as propaganda they can sell “What’s the point in pretending America wants peace; this is what they all think of us?”

Sadly while a lot of people are prepared to look at the conspiracy angles during the best of times, to even subscribe to them, when these issues that are truly meant to divide people into left/right camps pop up on the radar far too many people who imagined they were above that manipulation finally once and for all, do fall right into line and start slugging it out.

Makes you wonder if we will ever learn?

reply to post by ModernAcademia


Yes you are right it is a "sad issue" but not because the American citizens intolerance against Islam, because that intolerance was use for propaganda to make American majority chrisitans to support two wars in the middle east.

Now if you can no see the hypocrisy on that I guess nobody can

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Dear if we have not won the hart and minds of that people by now after forcing two wars we never will, sadly they didn't ask for any liberations, blood, death and occupation.

I do share your Opinion that this has all been tragically and even potentially criminally mishandled from the onset.

I think it boils down to whether the government and media can keep manipulating people to throw gasoline on the flames.

I would like to think more people will pause and reconsider the whole story instead of just focusing on narrow aspects of it as each event transpires.

Voices of reason do help.

Eventually we are going to have to repair these bridges or suffer and pay for a long, long time because of it.

Thanks for posting.

trust me he knows what hes talking about more than most people. The man has been to a an arab, muslim country and he had met the people. he talked to them and worked with them. he knows

Originally posted by RizeorDie
trust me he knows what hes talking about more than most people. The man has been to a an arab, muslim country and he had met the people. he talked to them and worked with them. he knows

I think he is offering the American people some very wise advise.

Lets see if it will help some change their stance?

All any of us can do is try, when it comes to being a voice of reason.

Thanks for posting.

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
I fear that on an election year, with so many powers with vested interests in populace division, that words of reason such as the general's will fall on mostly deaf ears. Still, I applaud him for stating them.

applaud him for stating them??
really???

It's his job !!!!

Eaton today is senior adviser to the Washington-based National Security Network, which develops policy papers and recommendations intended to improve American foreign policy.

Muslim Community Center
Keith Olbermann - Special Comment

Video A must watch .... peace www.informationclearinghouse.info...

As if we havent done enough already thats what gets me.

And mosque supporters vow to move forward! On ward muslim soilders marching as to war, with the sword of Ali going on before!

If muslims are not satisfied at this point that we want peace with them and that we are not at war with this ever peacefull bunch then one must believe that our efforts are seen not as a williness to get along, but a certain capitulation and a bending toward the ways of Islam.

and I can almost guarantee you one thing.
If the mosque is built and opens. There will be
24/7 FBI Surveillance on the facility to see who
comes and goes. That alone leads one to believe
that THEY don't trust them either !!!! Which is why
they have other mosques in the US under close
watch. But they won't admit that publicly.
It's like the wolves inviting the sheep to dinner.

Originally posted by RizeorDie
trust me he knows what hes talking about more than most people. The man has been to a an arab, muslim country and he had met the people. he talked to them and worked with them. he knows

This is not an arab nation nor is it a muslim nation so these thing he has learned are usefull in that aplication only.


If he wants to comeover here now like some brainwashed new world general/diplomat then he should have some cold water tossed in his face and be check for some degree of Stockholm syndrome.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


If we're to the point where we run things here to satisfy our overseas clients, or those we have made clients by occupying their countries, then we are doing it wrong.

We should not be in their countries, and we should make our decisions internally.

As for what "extremism" means, I don't know so maybe you could explain that. The whole meme is wrong, we're considering a whole lot of false choices.

Originally posted by boondock-saint
and I can almost guarantee you one thing.
If the mosque is built and opens. There will be
24/7 FBI Surveillance on the facility to see who
comes and goes. That alone leads one to believe
that THEY don't trust them either !!!! Which is why
they have other mosques in the US under close
watch. But they won't admit that publicly.
It's like the wolves inviting the sheep to dinner.

They pretty much have us all under some form of surveillance, the Eye in the Sky, the NSA Telephone Recording Station, Cameras in downtown areas, traffic ticket cameras, etc.

The question is are they spying to recruit confidential informants to plan a homegrown incident, or are there things going on there really to watch.

Yet the thread is really about whether we should ALL be focused on winning hearts and minds PER A REAL GENERAL versus armchair ones.

Per a REAL GENERAL who's job it was to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis.