No Harm, No Foul?

File this one under: "Why do they hate us?"

Remember those US soldiers involved in 'psy-ops' that burned the bodies of two killed Taliban fighters in Afghanistan back in October? No?

Refresher:

[snip]...One soldier uses the smoking corpses to taunt local villagers, describing the Taliban as "cowardly dogs" and "lady boys".

"You allowed your fighters to be laid down facing west and burned. You are too scared to come down and retrieve their bodies," a soldier named as Sgt Jim Baker is seen saying through a loudspeaker.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the allegations were very serious and, if true, very troubling...[snip]

Boy, that really pissed off the entire Islamic world. It didn't make me feel very happy either.

A bit more from then:

[snip]...The desecration appears calculated to cause maximum offence. Cremation is not part of Islamic tradition and the reference to "facing west" seems to be a mockery of the practice of facing Mecca - which lies west of Afghanistan - during daily prayers. "This is against Islam. Afghans will be shocked by this news. It is so humiliating," said Faiz Mohammed, an Afghan Muslim leader.

The film was shot three weeks ago by Stephen Dupont, a freelance cameraman embedded with American soldiers conducting "psychological operations" near the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The soldiers told him they burned the bodies for hygienic reasons but the taunts appeared to indicate that they really wanted to rile the Taliban, he told SBS.

"They used that as psychological warfare, I guess you'd call it," he said. "They deliberately wanted to incite that much anger from the Taliban so the Taliban could attack them ... That's the only way they can find them."...[/snip]

(much more at link)

That was then, this is now. WaPo via the AP is reporting that while no "criminal wrongdoing" occurred in the above incident, that the soldiers will face disciplinary action.

The goods:

[snip]...The U.S.-led coalition's operational commander, Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, said two junior officers who ordered the bodies to be burned would be officially reprimanded for showing a lack of cultural and religious understanding, but said the men were unaware that what they were doing was wrong.

Kamiya also said two noncommissioned officers would be reprimanded for using loudspeakers to taunt Taliban rebels who were believed to still be lingering in a nearby village after a clash with the troops. The men also would face non-judicial punishments, which could include a loss of pay or demotion in rank.

"Our investigation found there was no intent to desecrate the remains, but only to dispose of them for hygienic reasons," Kamiya said...[/snip]

(more at link)

It's a good thing that we only violated religious law, rather than criminal law. Oh wait, in the Islamic faith criminal(secular) and religious laws are often the very same.

Our loophole: Islamic Law(Shar'iah) only applies to Muslims.

Should you take my word that this is so? Heck no. I have no religious beliefs. I have studied comparative religion a bit as a layperson, but that hardly puts me in a league to make such a statement.

However, these guys have written a document that seems to cover all the major themes.

All of our people serving in any culture markedly different from our own should be taught at the very least, basic principles of said culture(s).

The most important weapon you bring to any confict is your brain.

Let's give our people the proper training that they need. Jebus, these guys were involved in psy-ops - if they're not getting cultural training, then who the heck is?