DIANA WEST: MARINES MECCA POLICY CLARIFIED? HARDLY
http://www.dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/1954/Marines-Mecca-Policy-Clarified.aspx
The Marines respond to the North County Times story I cited in a recent column, as reported in the Greeley (CO) Gazette:
The [North County Times] report mentioned that one of the trainers, Shafiq Mubarak, from the Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (COACL), told the Marines that in order to avoid offending Muslims in Afghanistan; they should not urinate towards Mecca.
“Mubarak also said the Marines should never spit or urinate to the west, the direction of Mecca that Muslims in Afghanistan face when they pray,” the article said. “In addition, when sharing a base with Afghan army troops, Marines shouldn’t sleep with their feet pointed west, because that also is considered offensive.”
Following the story, several articles appeared on the Internet criticizing what was perceived as political correctness run amok. Columnist Diana West wrote, “When Marines learn not to excrete in the direction of Mecca – home of the black cube known as the Kaaba – and not to sleep with their boots toward Mecca, what are they really learning?”
West continued, “They are learning to become intensely sensitized to the whereabouts of Mecca; how to be guided by that magnetic north for Muslims as a matter of the most personal habits and hygiene, all in accordance with Shariah (Islamic law). They are learning to act like Muslims.”
Lt. Col. George Robinson, Operations Officer for COACL, told the Gazette Mubarak’s statements do not represent Marine Corps doctrine. According to Robinson, the Marine Corps has not issued any type of instruction involving where Marines are to spit or urinate.
“Mubarak is a private contractor, and an Afghanistan civilian. He was simply expressing a personal opinion regarding his dealings with locals,” Robinson said. “The training is simply meant for Marines to learn about the area from trainers using personal anecdotes.”
Excuse me, LTC Robinson: Where was Mubarak expressing this “personal opinion”? On his Facebook page? In a lecture at the public library? No, Mubarak was speaking at the Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (COACL), emphasis on “Marine Corps,” as an instructor hired by the Marines to train Marines for deployment.
Robinson continued:
“One of the trade-offs when you use a native Afghan is, there is a little bit of color there.”
Love it: “Little bit of color” = dhimmitude training.
He went on to say the academics who prepare the training materials would likely come out saying there is no theological basis for providing information similar to Mubarak’s to the Marines.
If so, the academics who prepare the training materials would be wrong, but what else is new? As I posted earlier, Andrew Bostom was kind of enough to send me the canonical hadith supporting Mubarak’s “personal opinion” regarding the Islamic law regarding personal Muslim orientation to the “Qiblah,” the Kabaa structure in Mecca.
From “The Book of Purification”, Sunan An-Nasai (one of the 6 canonical hadith collections), vol. 1, chapter 19, p. 35, “The Prohibition of Facing the Qiblah When Relieving Oneself”
It was narrated from Rafi bin Ishaq that when he heard Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari say when he was in Egypt, “By Allah, I do not know what I should do with these toilets. The Messenger of Allah said: “When any one of you goes to defecate or urinate, let him not face toward the Qiblah, nor turn his back towards it.”
Meanwhile, just to give Mubarak his due, it’s worth noting again that Shafiq Mubarak received a service award in June 2011 from Col. David Furness on behalf of the Regimental Combat Team – 1st Marines (RCT-1) CULAD. In the presence of Gen. Petraeus, Col. Furness said:
“General, this is my cultural advisor, Mr. Shafiq Mubarak. Mr. Shafiq is my right hand and I can’t do anything without him. Mr. Shafiq directly assists in direct engagements with Afghan leaders and political decision makers. He has been instrumental in the pursuit of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, the winning of hearts and minds.
By knowing where to pee?
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