America vs. Islam

Author, and long time expert on the Middle East, Robert Schultheis gave a presentation on Saturday, Oct. 14, he titled America vs. Islam. Forty-one patrons showed up to listen, and discuss the restructuring effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Schultheis has been traveling to and around Afghanistan since the early 1970s, at least twenty-five times, and has been to Iraq several times since 911.

Schultheis gave some alarming insights. He recognized U.S. involvement, in what he described as a civil war, as hopeless, and yet discouraged withdrawing at this point.

That would leave a vacuum in an instable, crucial location, and guarantee the proliferation of an Iran-supporting government. However, he noted that the current government is also sympathetic to Iran’s nuclear aspirations. This is the government American soldiers are being killed to protect.

He discussed the difference between the various sects of Islam, such as Sunni and Shia, the ruling bodies they engender, and the ideological differences that militarize disputes between them.

He detailed the ideology of dogmatic, super-strict Wasabi Islam, that removed all statues as idols, and practices puritanical violence.

He discussed the origins of the Taliban in Afghanistan: “You can definitely say that if Pakistan didn’t exist there wouldn’t be a Taliban, there never would have been.”

Schultheis recognizes a larger role played by Pakistan in creating instability in the region.

“Today my Afghan friends are just outraged that we’re letting Pakistanis come in and just ruin their country. I think they’ve burned 4,000 schools this year… They’ve murdered twenty Mullahs for preaching they shouldn’t have a civil war in Afghanistan.”

He said that moderate Muslims have been trying to tell the West for decades about the problems with Islamic extremism.

He also spoke about the failing efforts of badly prepared Civil Affairs Teams, military teams meant to liaise with Iraqis to rebuild the country and represent America. Coalition forces have not attempted to integrate themselves in line with the Mid-East culture. He said he had seen an English tank, for example, with an enormous crucifix painted on it. And “All sorts of nonsense.” From privatized interests profiteering off inefficiency, to alcoholic officers, the US restructuring effort is badly in need of restructuring efforts of its own!

“It’s almost as if they don’t want to win… It’s not a grand conspiracy, it’s a mixture between corruption and gross incompetence.”

The privatization efforts have seriously impacted the success of the restructuring effort, according to Schultheis. He gave one example of TITAN interpreters knowingly working for the insurgency, but being retained regardless by company officials due to payment schedules.

Schultheis spent more than seven months with an Army Civil Affairs team, the 13th team of Alpha company, meant to cover all of Baghdad, while researching his latest book, Waging Peace. He has recently returned from Iraq, and will be heading back to Afghanistan sometime in the near future. His familiarity with the culture, and firsthand experiences, made for a fascinating presentation.

Discussion was vibrant. Lots of ideas and opinions were shared.

One of the highlights of the discussion was Schultheis pointing out where he believes Bin Laden is likely hidden. He gave a convincing argument. See video of his talk here:

www.telluridelibrary.org

Watch Robert Greenwald’s Iraq for Sale, too — it’s in our collection.