Christian Living
THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ. WHAT WAS IT REALLY ABOUT? ARE WE ALLOWED TO ASK?
There is much elation and relief in the country as the war against Iraq is apparently over. After the toppling of the Iraqi regime symbolized by the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad, scenes of jubilant Iraqi citizens dancing and looting in the streets are common on TV news broadcasts. The Bush administration, average US citizens and even the domestic press are seemingly basking in the glow of a decisive military victory. A tyrant has been dethroned and possibly killed. We have been told that the mission of liberation has been accomplished and the world is a safer place.
But, can we know for sure? Other points of view from around the world are at odds with what is disseminated in the United States. Are Christians allowed to ask questions of and scrutinize American leaders and elected officials? Do you have questions concerning the war?
Why did we invade Iraq? Because of weapons of mass destruction? Perhaps. Although there is no conclusive evidence that weapons of the magnitude we were led to believe existed have been uncovered in the rubble of Iraq. And there have been no reports that weapons of mass destruction were used against coalition forces. Did we invade Iraq because Hussein was a tyrant who terrorized, tortured or killed all who dared oppose him? Torture chambers and underground prisons have been discovered as evidence of cruel and inhuman treatment of political prisoners.
However, let’s not assume a posture of superiority. If we investigated thoroughly, we could find evidence of police brutality and torture of prisoners in this country and in the countries of our allies on some level. And although the incidence of it here is dramatically less than in a dictatorship like Iraq, if the germ of it exists here then it’s a grain of evil that could be fertilized by Satan.
Were the police state tactics employed by the Hussein regime unique in the world? No, there are several dictators alive and well today and there have always been repressive regimes. China has been frequently cited for abuse of human rights, yet China enjoys favorite trade status with the United States. Historically there have been dictators and despotic regimes that our government has propped up or supported.
Park Chung Hee, of South Korea, General Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Ferdinand Marcus in the Philippines and Turut Ozal of Turkey are just a few. In fact, during the Iraq-Iran war, we supported Hussein, who was a despot even then, over Iran. And when Russia went to war with Afghanistan, we reportedly covertly aided Osama Bin Laden’s para military organization and helped sponsor training camps for his “soldiers.”
As a Christian, I am confused and perplexed at what appears to be hypocrisy among the leadership of our country. The Bible instructs us to obey leadership as God ordained leaders so that there would be order in society. We should also pray for leadership. But are we to blindly follow leadership? Should we question authority? God’s authority is higher than all human authority and we are instructed to test all spirits.
Scripture teaches us to be truthful and to be Christ-like. We are to turn away from sin and toward God. So what should politically astute Christians, who carefully follow current events, do when the possibility exists that our political leadership is misguided or is misleading the people it represents? Is it unpatriotic to ask hard questions or to respectfully disagree with elected officials?
This government was designed to be “of the people, by the people and for the people.” We then, the citizenry, are the government, and the elected officials are charged with representing us and our interests. Our responsibility is involvement in the electoral process including serving as watchdogs over every branch of local and federal government.
So the question has to be asked? What was the invasion of Iraq about and was it necessary? The Bible states that there is a time for war and a time for peace. War is unavoidable in certain circumstances. A nation must defend itself against an invading force. Self defense is always permissible. When there is tangible, indisputable evidence of an imminent attack by a formidable enemy a case can be made for a preemptive strike.
Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, there has been a heightened awareness that we could be attacked again in unconventional ways. It was prudent for us to take safeguards and to gather intelligence on those who might pose a threat. Most of the world sympathized with us and expressed grief and shock. The consequent military campaign against Al-Qaeda and known terrorists cells in Afghanistan and other foreign locations was necessary and justifiable.
But what of Iraq? Iraq was said to harbor weapons of mass destruction. Our government had reason to suspect that it might have remnants of the chemical and biological weapons that it used against Iran when we supported Iraq. But it has been documented that subsequent to the Gulf War many of those weapons were destroyed by UN inspectors in 1991.
It was alleged that Iraq was connected to Osama Bin Laden and to Al Qaeda terrorists, although according to news accounts, Bin Laden is as much anti-Hussein as he is anti the Western world and those who he feels opposes his brand of Islam. There has been no credible evidence linking Hussein to 9/11. As despicable as he may be, he was not the wicked mastermind who turned commercial airliners into suicide bombers.
The United States is the greatest country in the world. One freedom that the Constitution guarantees is the freedom of speech. Unlike in many countries, Americans can speak their minds and express themselves. Our country’s government was formed by men who were largely Christian. We therefore have the right to be Christian and to speak our minds about the government, even to criticize the actions of leadership. John the Baptist criticized Herod and Jesus was critical of leadership.
It is reasonable to criticize the government when impropriety is suspected or obvious. Ironically, some of the actions of the “Founding Fathers” themselves who drafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights deserved scrutiny. Some of the writers of these great documents were slave owners who bought and sold Africans taken from their homeland. In addition to slavery, (whites were used as indentured servants and Native Americans were also enslaved) Native Americans and Hispanics were driven nearly to the brink of genocide in a movement to claim vast portions of what would become the United States.
Government can’t be left unchecked or without scrutiny regardless of whether the leaders are Christian or not. In the more recent history the halls of government have been tainted by scandals like Watergate, Iran/Contra, and marital infidelity. So, it is incumbent on us to ask relevant questions and expect reasonable answers from elected officials and their appointees, especially when hundreds of billions of tax dollars are at stake.
The decision to send troops and a massive amount of fire power to level Iraq in a spectacular show of military might needs to be explained and clarified. Was it about liberation? If so, then why have countless other nations with suffering populations gone without liberation through decades of American government administrations? Was it about weapons of mass destruction? If so, wasn’t there another way to assess the number of such weapons and destroy them rather than bringing destruction to Iraq, killing and maiming at least hundreds, and perhaps thousands of civilians?
If a combination of spy satellite technology and human intelligence could locate the elusive Saddam Hussein and his sons in an underground bunker in a residential neighborhood, couldn’t we find stockpiles of nuclear warheads and chemical weapons before the war? And if we knew weapons of mass destruction were stockpiled in Iraq, why did we unleash a furious assault of cruise missiles and bombs which could have detonated those weapons and dissipated parts of the country?
If this was about sending a message to terrorists then why was Saudi Arabia left unscathed when the majority of the plane hijackers on 9/11 had Saudi connections? Was this about oil? We will have to closely monitor the situation in the coming months and years to see who controls the oil revenues from Iraq. Was this about sustaining the military industrial complex? After all, if new generations of "smart bomb" technology is perpetually developed, isn’t there a temptation to use it?
I believe it is not only correct for us to scrutinize our leaders and their decisions, it is our responsibility as Christians, parents, citizens and loving people. Christ said in John 13:34 that we are to love like He loves. God has Agape love for every human being on the planet. And before our military engages in war that could cost countless lives, and shatter many more, we should examine the sounds bites and commentary offered by news sources, press conferences and speeches. We should ask what would Jesus say about this military action? Is it just? Is it warranted? Is there another way? Who makes the determination of who the enemy is and what “facts” are they basing their strategies on? It is our duty as Christians and patriots to ask difficult questions and decide for ourselves how the answers line up with Scripture and what we discern about a God who is love.
Minister Kenya Branch
April 21, 2003
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