Characteristics of repeated lying and tribal loyalties
For those of you who have yet to take a minute to read this Captain's Journal blog, you guys and gals now literally fighting this war for all of us, I urge you now to do so.Originally Posted by SWJED
My views dating from 1963-1965 stationed in Karachi @ our then US Embassy and ever since concur with much or most of what this blog says, but I am simplier and more blunt spoken:
1. Both uneducated and even educated Muslims, be they Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, of the UAE, name any Muslim world nation, are flat out, everyday, all the time liars. They make up b.s. to suit the moment and are totally unable in most cases to deal in reality.
2. I conclued 40 years ago in Pakistan they did this for two simple reasons:
a) To "get along with" what they thought a Westerner wanted to hear and be told, despite the grim facts of real life in their part of the world.
b) To appeal to any/a Westerner's "tourist sense" in hopes of getting you to buy something that was not as it seemed in their lying presentation.
3. Culturally, tribalism and ethic, sub-sets of culture that date back long before Islam existed, run very deep. If they could, for example, the Pakhtuns would form their own economically illogical nation out of parts of mainly Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ditto the boys in Balochistan, where Pakistan has it's own hot small war running largely out of control today. The bulk of these fellows are uneducated or undereducated, many youth today cannot/could not afford the uniform required of a/as child to attend for instance a Pakistani public school, but the Madrass schools will take them in, totally free, without such requirements, and educate and brain wash them ASAP, turning out ready made suicide bombers and terrorists. All funded of course, in the main, with Saudi Wahabbi money, the most extreme Sunnis Islam.
I have never been in Iraq, but have been several times in Iran. On Iraq, which is mainly Arab in composition as I understand, but then split between Sunni and Shiia, in the main, Islam, you have wild tribal characteristics that run back to the Old Testament argument of who was Abraham's "favored" son, Ishamael, born of Haggar, or Isaac, born of Sarah.
Understand that most Arabs can't even read so only a semi-literate to a literate Arab Muslim would even know or care about or understand that this early simple dicotomy of Ishmael vs. Isaac was used by Muhammed as the foundation stone to claim the "origin" of Islam from our common worship of the same God "ancestry."
Pakistan is mostly non-Arab, as is Iran, as you all know. No words wasted here, but the Islamic characteristic of huge lies and wild made up stories for whatever purpose, of late, to defame the West in general and the US/UK specifically, is the order of the day, clearly.
The Islamic characteristic of lying as a form of daily life dates back in my lifetime to my days in Pakistan, 40 years ago, and goes on today unabated, part of the "lore and culture" for lack of a sharper definition.
Again, the Captain's Journal blog is worth the read. While he invites comments, and I saw none, I think this larger forum would be the better place to comment back to the Captain's Journal blog, which is why this statement is my comment on that journal blog.
George Singleton, Colonel, USAF, Ret. (6 years active duty up front, the rest mainly individual reserve with regular forces at the JCS level, total service 32 years)
Former Commander, Det. 2, 6937th Comm Gp, old USAFSS, attached to the US Air Attache Office, American Embassy, Karachi, then West Pakistan, 1963-1965; former International Banking Officer, Asia (incl. SW Asia) Division, Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co., NYC, now part of JP Morgan Chase Bank; Assisant Deputy Commander for "the" Desert Storm Airlift out of Charleston AFB, SC, 1991; retired (reserve wise) from duty with HQ USSOCOM, formerly USREDCOM; detached reserve duty on TDY orders (repeatedly) with HQFORSCOM when/while then Lt. Gen. Colin Powell, USA was very "briefly", mainly on paper, the CG; TDY orders periodically for two years on war plans staff, joint/interservice/NATO, under Admiral Kelso, of Tailhook fame, while he was then CINCLANT out of Norfolk, VA. US Department of Veterans Affairs, Area National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Acting Manager, based out of Bham VAMC, 1993/1994. A coaltion of VA; DOD; the US Public Health Service (PHS): and FEMA which deals with actual operable plans for both domestic and international terrorist, natural, or war disasters. NDMS responded from across the nation with teams to the World Trade Towers both in 1993 and in 2001, as a small example. NDMS also sent teams a year ago to Kashmir to help with earthquake relief. Only meant as info basic background not meant as an old coot's bragging. You guys know more in a year of today's small wars than we did in a lifetime!
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