OPINION: Radical Islam and national security

“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the two shall meet...” — Rudyard Kipling, 1889

To some extent, cultures are incompatible.

At the encouragement and in response to Andrew Person’s letter in the Dec. 20 Inter Lake, I will share my military experience in Iraq and Afghanistan concerning Muslims. Islam is an integral way of life; a Muslim can allow no separation between his life and his religion, his politics and his faith. Thus, we as a nation need to take necessary precautions when considering which Muslims can safely be admitted into the country.

Andrew is correct that moderate Muslims can be a defense against radical Muslims. There are 1.6 billion Muslims; most are moderates in Indonesia with a few radicalized by Wahhabi Sunni teachings thanks to Saudi Arabian mosque construction and instruction. Muslims such as the Kurdish Peshmerga are a unique opposition to ISIS. The Kurds are a minority fighting for their very existence.

In any case, we barely support Kurdish military efforts of the Peshmerga against ISIS because of political sensitivities concerning Turkey and Iran. The Kurds have their own radical (freedom fighter/terrorist) elements fighting in the latter countries over contested areas.

But here’s the main problem. The Middle East is a group of ambiguous political boundaries drawn without respect to culture or religion. The ISIS caliphate is an odd shape in Syria and Iraq because it is based on religion and culture. Perhaps, the British and French design of Iraq and Syria during the Sykes-Picot agreement was intended to divide the Arab world after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. One of ISIS’ stated goals is to reverse the Sykes-Picot agreement.

Muslims are a fractured society burdened with internal strife since the death of their prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. The religion bifurcated, and the two factions continually fought vehemently for dominance and influence over the population between Sunni and Shiite Islam. Sunni Muslim fundamentalists consider the Shiite faith blasphemy and routinely attack their holiest sites during Ramadan pilgrimages. There are few moderate Muslims in the Middle East due to their long and sordid history within Islam itself and the need for self-preservation.

We need to make informed decisions about Islam and see it for the fractured culture it has been for 1,300 years. As a religion, it is overdue for a reformation. The religious transgression of ISIS goes back to 1380 years ago, and draconian oppression is not freedom of religion as they claim.

Currently, we see ISIS freely exercising its interpretation of Islam. The Quran is the word of God and the Hadith is the wisdom and word of the prophet Muhammad and a source of the Islamic religious law. ISIS is a Salafi “True Islam” jihadist militant group that adheres to Islamic fundamentalism, the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. ISIS considers itself oppressed by Western culture and modern secular Islam. Its goal is to practice strict religious sharia law of God, not the legislated laws of man; thus they considered themselves oppressed. Islamic fundamentalism, Islamist ideals and radical Islam are utterly opposed to our Bill of Rights, democracy and Western values (such as equality, freedom of speech, hate crimes, freedom of religion).

My command in Iraq included a contingent of Arabic translators and linguists from around the Middle East, Africa and the United States. Interpreters were Shiite, Sunni and Christian and supported U.S. and Iraqi military operations, coordination and cooperation. The dynamics of Middle East terrorist violence was not random but directed toward another group. The team monitored, investigated, and reported terrorist violence throughout Iraq by consolidating and deconflicting Iraqi military and police intelligence with U.S. reports using accurate facts and in-depth analysis. Team members quickly established who attacked, the political and religious propose, as well as why the location and time was important or symbolic. These murderous events always contained malice aforethought in planning, execution and an insidious message.

Iraqi general officers were parochial toward their religious and tribal affiliation, which caused a predictable perspective, as deception was sometimes unintentional and the truth veiled in tribal or religious loyalty. There was precious little national loyalty in Iraq and none in Afghanistan as individuals identified themselves culturally by primary tribe and religious sect. This mindset does not change with different venues.

Firsthand experience as an adviser in Afghanistan and Iraq has shaped my opinion to be cautious, slow to accept, and attentive toward Islam. Some Afghan and Iraqi interpreters were completely committed to rebuilding their country, and I trusted them frequently with my life; others I never trusted in any circumstance. As advisers in Afghanistan, we provided humanitarian and medical aid to the populace. The fact is that most advisers were not killed in combat, but by “trusted and vetted” Afghan security forces. The situation required us to maintain a constant state of vigilance. This heightened sense of awareness remains with me yet today in considering the current state of affairs in America.

Donald Trump’s comments are not completely without merit or appropriate caution and concern, but certainly, his comments could be more thoughtful. Refugees enter the U.S. through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UN HCR) process. The U.S. has little control of which refugees come to America. Many do not have any identification that could associate them to their real name, date of birth or actual place of origin. Additionally, it will cost the federal government $1 billion a year for 10,000 refugees according to congressional testimony. The composition of the refugees incorporates 1-2 percent Christians although the Syrian population includes over 10 percent Christians. Christians are the most at-risk for extreme religious oppression and threat of death and should be our first priority.

Consider congressional testimony on Dec. 17 by Alan Bersin, Obama’s border czar. Bersin testified that 20 million visas were granted last year and 400,000 people issued visas cannot be accounted for after overstaying their visa. Only 118 people who overstayed their visas were deported or investigated. Furthermore, he offered that 9,500 visa applications had terrorist ties and 118,000 visas were requested for unlawful reasons. Once visa holders are in our country, our government fails to track them.

Our tracking system for individuals with terrorist affiliations is Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) and is NOT incorporated with the TSA No Fly List according to Alan Bersin. Our poorly vetted and managed visa system is the most often exploited and likely means of terrorists to enter the country (consider 9/11, the Shoe Bomber, Boston Bombers, San Bernardino). Can our government provide a certain level of security if they cannot manage and track routine visa applications?  

Not vetting refugees and reliance on the United Nations to provide American security is absurd considering their record. Security is our government’s first responsibility to citizens. Our government’s visa system and internal governmental information sharing is appalling. Alan Bersin’s congressional testimony provides no confidence in the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to provide real security for our nation.

My time in Afghanistan and Iraq taught me to trust grudgingly, verify routinely, and if it can’t be verified then don’t trust Muslim counterparts, as they have agendas. Our vigilance and diligence as citizens is paramount for a secure democracy. If you see something, say something.   

Ward Marshall, of Bigfork, is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army who served as an adviser in both Iraq and Afghanistan.