Absolutely Contrary
Jan 25th, 2010 • Posted in: What They're Saying“This is of serious concern to me and to the other commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan because, indeed, it conveys a perception that is absolutely contrary to what it is that we have sought to do…. It is disturbing to us, frankly, that this was done.”
– U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, condemning the decision by a U.S. contractor to carve Bible references onto the rifle scopes sent to military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
Petraeus, who is responsible for U.S. military operations in 20 countries from Egypt to Pakistan, said the actions of Michigan-based Trijicon Inc. hurt U.S. efforts to “convince the Muslim world that the U.S. fight against al Qaeda militants should not be viewed as a war against Islam,” a view that spread after President Bush called his war on terrorism a “crusade,” notes the Reuters news agency.
Trijicon has been embossing rifle scopes with a reference to a Bible passage that reads, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Trijicon’s president last week issued a statement saying the company would quit carving the reference into scopes for U.S. soldiers, calling the decision “both prudent and appropriate,” reports Reuters.
Source: Reuters, Jan. 22.
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