The blemish is on us all for actions in Iraq

It is a blessing to live in America. I love our country. Our freedoms which we enjoy daily are a blessing. I am so grateful and supportive to our armed forces that help uphold and fight for democracy and freedom. We have freedom of the press. People are held accountable for their actions. We have a higher moral standard and we are looked up to by the rest of the world. Or, has all of that changed?

These last two years or so I have felt lonely as an American. For the first time in my life I feel looked down upon by the rest of the world because I am an American. The mistreatment of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad makes it clear why. The actions and behavior of some of the soldiers there was a shock to me. How could they do such things? Human rights groups are now unable to use our country as the standard for upholding the Geneva Conventions regarding the ethical and humane treatment of prisoners as they did in the past.

America’s valiant and necessary war against terrorism is for the most part a unilateral effort. This is a result of our arrogant self-righteousness and a lack of regard for the rest of the Western world. Our allies are few and getting fewer. We are conducting a war without the support of the United Nations and so many important European countries.

I supported our war in Iraq a year ago. I had high hopes for a free and democratic Arab nation. Now I feel lied to: We have found no weapons of mass destruction; we are spending billions on the war and Iraqi oil is not paying for any of it. There seems to be no plan, and this has surely caused additional loss of life and loss of American credibility throughout the world. Now, we see human rights violations by the greatest and strongest democratic nation. I supported the war. I do not support how it is being carried out.

The news last week was awful. The death of Nicholas Berg was a horror. Berg was killed only because he was an American. His murder was vicious. No one apologized for this brutal act. No one took responsibility. His death was reminiscent of the murder of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was killed for being an American and for being a Jew.

Days later in Gaza, we read about the bombing of an Israeli armored vehicle, killing six soldiers. After the bombing, the Palestinians paraded through the streets with the body parts of the Israeli soldiers! No one apologized for this show of barbarism, no one took responsibility.

Are we holding those responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib accountable? Was it only the actions of about seven soldiers and prison guards or does responsibility go higher? At least some in our government and military have apologized. Yet this is an awful blemish on us all.

The Arab press only minimally reported the parading of the dead Israeli soldiers and the vicious beheading of Nicholas Berg. And, the Arab countries and their heads of state have yet to speak out against Berg’s murder.

What do we see from the Islamic extremist militants? On April 26, a New York Times article titled “Militants in Europe Openly Call for Jihad and the Rule of Islam” reported about Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammad, a follower of Osama bin Laden who lives and preaches in London. The article stated, “If Europe fails to heed Mr. Bin Laden’s offer of a truce, Muslims will no longer be restrained from attacking the Western countries that play host to them.” The sheik said: “All Muslims of the West will be obliged to become [Bin Laden’s] sword in a new battle. It is foolish to fight people who want death – that is what they are looking for.”

There are important differences between those who love life and want peace and those who seek jihad and death. How do we in the Western world deal with a culture that holds so little value in life and where so many seek martyrdom and the paradise that they believe follows their death?

We cannot devalue life. The United States and Israel and other nations of moral standing must reflect our Western ideals in all that we do – even during war. We must uphold life, human dignity and our ultimate desire for peace.

Rabbi Barry Krieger is the rabbinic facilitator for the Hillel organization at the University of Maine in Orono. He may be reached at bkrieger56@aol.com. Voices is an independent weekly commentary by a panel of Maine columnists on spiritual and religious issues.