NationStates Jolt Archive

Is it a violation of the popular doctorine of seperation of church and state for the United States to supply Muslims in GitMo with copies of the Qa'ran? The Left, the same segment of the population that screams separation of church and state is now screaming about Muslim rights being violated because of a retracted Newsweek story about flushing the Qa'ran. The US government paid for and distributed those books.

It's about PR. Lose the PR battle, lose the war.

I think you have to be prepared to make some sacrifices to try to look like the good guys. :rolleyes:

sadly enough you are right. The Left is pushing the PR battle against the current Administration because they hate George Bush more than any president before...who pays for it, the American soldier. Is it unpatriotic to report the facts, no. Is it unpatriotic to lie and get more of our troops blown up, and a lot of other innocents in Muslim countries killed so one might throw mud at the White House? yes

If they didn't provide the books, it would be a violation of their right to free exercise of their religion.

So they get the books, and a mark on the ground to show them which way to Mecca.

It is not a separation of church and state to supply a holy book to either a prisoner or a service person because it's just distribution of donated items.

The prisoners in guantanimo bay not only have the right to have a Qa'ran (the government provides donated bibles to domestic prisoners), but they also have the right to not have their Qa'ran abused, the right to know why they are being imprisoned, the right to a trial by a jury of their peers, the right to a lawer to defend them and the right to not testify against themselves.

Is it a violation of the popular doctorine of seperation of church and state for the United States to supply Muslims in GitMo with copies of the Qa'ran? The Left, the same segment of the population that screams separation of church and state is now screaming about Muslim rights being violated because of a retracted Newsweek story about flushing the Qa'ran. The US government paid for and distributed those books.
We are supplying them with one? Or are they donated. I personally don’t think they should be footing the bill …
While I don’t agree with them funding it I understand it, like stated it is all about PR … this is less government sponsoring a religion more them spending some money on good PR (does not make it right but probably closer to reality)

Is it a violation of the popular doctorine of seperation of church and state for the United States to supply Muslims in GitMo with copies of the Qa'ran?

short answer: no.

there are two religion clauses in the first amendment. the establishment clause and the free exercise clause. the establishment clause would be violated if the government forced the prisoners to engage in religious practices or forced them to refrain from them (unless the practices in question were outlawed for some compelling non-religious reason). neither is the case here. this is just providing for free exercise.

I for one think its funny that so many people will criticize the handling of prisoners of war by the military who themselves have never served and would never serve in arms in the defense of the liberties they would extend to our enemies.

It is also extremely funny that we seem to know so much about it yet none of us have been there to witness it or examine the evidence for ourselves. What gets passed on is what the media wants you to know from that which has been released to them by those who hold the reigns of national security. Both filters have biased our final view.

The Left is pushing the PR battle against the current Administration because they hate George Bush more than any president before...who pays for it, the American soldier. Is it unpatriotic to report the facts, no. Is it unpatriotic to lie and get more of our troops blown up, and a lot of other innocents in Muslim countries killed so one might throw mud at the White House? yes

I keep hearing that one, but I don't get it.
How does voicing discontent about US Policies endanger an American soldier? Do you think a suicide bomber listens to "leftist" media? Or to the opinions of anti-war movements on the other side of the world?
He's got his own reasons to blow himself up, and whatever people say in the US, or in Europe, is certainly of little importance to him.